Joey Votto: Very fair to say Yankees' Aaron Judge is having greatest offensive season ever
Reds first baseman Joey Votto appeared Thursday on the "Dan Patrick Show," discussing his Wednesday night tour of Great American Ball Park during Cincinnati's win against the Boston Red Sox among other topics.
Patrick, a Mason High School and University of Dayton graduate, asked Votto whether he thinks New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is having the greatest baseball season in Major League Baseball history.
"I think it's a very fair statement," Votto said. "I do think without getting too deep into the weeds with the doping stretch, I think that was a much different era. I also think post integration - I think that matters. There's too many big wins-above-replacement seasons, too many extreme seasons in the earlier part of the 20th century. It's nice that you put up a 12-win season or hit .400, but you did it against a bunch of white players that weren't competing against the best in the world. Whereas the two American League candidates (for MVP) are a Japanese player and a 6-foot-9 Black athlete in Aaron Judge. So, to me, we have the very best version of the game right now with the best athletes, and Aaron Judge is completely dominating us. Sixty home runs, in the running for the Triple Crown, fantastic defender. He's the leader of the Yankees. And just purely offensively, measurably he's in that upper, upper tier of offensive one-year performances. And I think it's very fair to say he's having the greatest offensive season of all time."
Patrick asked Votto whether he'll consider Judge the single-season home run record-holder if he hits No. 62 to pass former Yankee Roger Maris, who hit 61 in 1961. (Judge entered Thursday with 60 this season.)
"(Judge is) having a special season for a reason," Votto said. "For me, Barry Bonds was my favorite hitter. But I can't ignore all the facts. I will say I'm rooting hard for Aaron Judge to hit as many home runs as possible. And this is the worst question to ask me right now because I'm still in uniform. And I think maybe post-career I'll be able to answer that question. But in-career, just too difficult to answer."
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joey Votto: Aaron Judge is having greatest offensive MLB season ever
