Judge rules jersey sales again in 2018
For the second time in as many seasons in his Major League career, Aaron Judge was the player whose jersey fans most wanted to wear, Major League Baseball announced on Friday.
Judge ranked No. 1 among a list of 20 that was released by MLB, followed by Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, Cubs infielder Javier Báez, Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts to round out the top five.
Many of the names on the list of top jersey sales are perhaps usual suspects -- young stars on the rise, whose personalities and performances have resonated among a wide swath of fans, reflecting MLB's strategy of marketing its young, promising talent.
Braves 20-year-old phenom Ronald Acuña Jr. rounded out the top 20, becoming the youngest player to do so since MLB and the MLBPA began releasing these rankings after the 2010 season. Fellow rookie Shohei Ohtani not only cracked the top 10 in jersey sales, but he also outpaced Angels teammate Mike Trout, who had the 11th-most jerseys sold.
But there are plenty of stalwarts who are still generating significant jersey sales, such as Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and Giants catcher Buster Posey. And in his first season in pinstripes, reigning National League MVP Award winner Giancarlo Stanton (No. 9) cracked the top 20 for the first time in his career, as did reigning World Series MVP Award winner George Springer (No. 17).
Here's a list of the 20 players with the most jersey sales in 2018:
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees
2. Jose Altuve, Astros
3. Javier Baez, Cubs
4. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
5. Mookie Betts, Red Sox
6. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
7. Kris Bryant, Cubs
8. Shohei Ohtani, Angels
9. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees
10. Yadier Molina, Cardinals
11. Mike Trout, Angels
12. Buster Posey, Giants
13. Bryce Harper, Nationals
14. Freddie Freeman, Braves
15. Cody Bellinger, Dodgers
16. Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox
17. George Springer, Astros
18. Francisco Lindor, Indians
19. Carlos Correa, Astros
20. Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves
The list is generated based on sales of Majestic jerseys from MLBShop.com, the official online shop of Major League Baseball, since Opening Day 2018.