Judge lays out for must-see snag in center field

Aaron Judge will always be known first and foremost for his prodigious power at the plate. That tends to happen when you hit 62 home runs to set the single-season American League record after already owning the single-season rookie record of 52.

But we were reminded once again Saturday that Judge is much more than a one-dimensional slugger. In the Yankees’ 7-5 loss to the Giants at Yankee Stadium, the reigning AL MVP raced from center field into right-center to chase down a liner off the bat of Thairo Estrada, using all of his 6-foot-7 frame to make a diving catch that ended the top of the third inning.

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The 282-pound Judge is a scary sight for pitchers when he’s in the batter’s box, but he’s becoming even scarier for opponents when he’s in center field, especially when he makes plays like the one he made Saturday -- according to Statcast, he covered 68 feet in 4.2 seconds to make the grab, all while fighting the sun, which caused problems for his counterpart in the game, Mike Yastrzemski.

It was just another day at the office for Judge. In addition to his dazzling defense, he went 3-for-5 with three singles and an RBI. He’s hitting .556 in the early going after his 2-for-4 performance on Opening Day, when he fittingly belted the first home run of the 2023 season.

Judge is the most dangerous home run threat in the game, and beyond that, his outfield defense has been terrific, even after moving over to center field on a more regular basis. Entering play Saturday, only two outfielders had more defensive runs saved than Judge’s 62 (there’s that number again) since his first full MLB campaign in 2017: Mookie Betts and Kevin Kiermaier.

This guy can do it all. Maybe one day, we’ll get used to seeing one of the largest men in baseball making tremendous plays in center field. Then again, maybe he’ll just keep outdoing himself there, just as he has at the plate.