Despite record-setting 2017, Judge says he's still a work in progress
On top of being recognized for his elite-level play on the field, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has earned a reputation as a humble and hard working player.
On Friday, he demonstrated why that is.
"I'm still a work in progress; there's a lot of things I need to improve on," Judge told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com when he was asked about his terrific performance in 2017.
"Defensively, hitting-wise, running the bases. There's always room to improve. That motivates me to get a little better every day."
The notion of the 25-year-old getting better is something not only Yankees fans would love to see, but the sport of baseball.
Judge passed Mark McGwire for most home runs hit by a rookie with 52 this year, which also happened to rank first in the American League. In addition to leading baseball with 8.2 WAR, Judge performed well defensively in right field, finishing in the top 10 among qualified AL outfielders with nine defensive runs saved and a 6.1 ultimate-zone rating.
The only blip to his game at the moment are his strikeout totals, as Judge struck out 235 times across a combined 168 regular-season and postseason games.