Aaron Judge, the current MLB home run leader, will skip the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby, he told the New York Post on Saturday.
The New York Yankees slugger is currently on pace for a third home run title, hitting his 28th long ball of the season after a quiet April and a scorching May. He is four home runs ahead of second place, currently occupied by Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles.
The judge confirmed that he was asked if he would participate and he said no, reportedly saying, “This year there is no need.”
The Home Run Derby has long struggled to convince many of the game’s greatest sluggers to participate, with some hesitant due to concerns about the effects of taking dozens of full-on efforts in a row, some superstitious and others simply didn’t want to do. .
In Judge’s case, he competed in the 2017 Derby as a rookie and won, capping a star-studded season that also saw him win AL Rookie of the Year honors and finish runner-up for MVP.
Judge has not competed in the Derby since, but told the Post, “I’m not done with it yet” and “Once it gets back to New York, I’ll be there.”
When will New York get another Home Run Derby?
The question remains when exactly the Home Run Derby will next be played in New York City. The next three All-Star Weekends have already been scheduled, with 2024 in Texas, 2025 in Atlanta and 2026 in Philadelphia. The last Home Run Derby held in New York was in 2013 at the New York Mets’ Citi Field, where Yoenis Céspedes prevailed.
The Yankees last hosted the event in 2008, when Josh Hamilton honored the old Yankee Stadium’s final season with a legendary performance.
After 2026, the new Yankee Stadium will be one of only two MLB stadiums in use that has not hosted All-Star Weekend, joining the Tampa Bay Rays’ dilapidated Tropicana Field. It’s hard to see Judge’s promise to participate in the Derby being a major factor in MLB’s decision-making for the location of the 2027 All-Star Game and beyond, but at least they have that fact on their side.
