Is Aaron Judge a better hitter than Cardinals legend Albert Pujols?

When you think of the greatest right-handed hitters in baseball history, several names come to mind. Henry Aaron, Willie Mays, Rogers Hornsby, Mike Trout, and Miguel Cabrera are surely some of the first names listed. Steroid users like Alex Rodriguez and Mark McGwire will get some mentions, too.

It's also undeniable that former Cardinal Albert Pujols and Aaron Judge have been two of the best right-handed hitters in baseball history. These two modern players had some of the best peaks in baseball history, and we're witnessing one of them, Aaron Judge, right now.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic recently published a piece highlighting just how good New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has been since 2022, the year he won his first American League Most Valuable Player trophy. Stark pulled some excellent figures to emphasize just how good Judge has been over the last three-and-a-half years. It's a peak that isn't rivaled in baseball history, at least not the last 100 years.

However, I wanted to take a peek at Albert Pujols's peak to see which player was the best at his best.

Despite Albert Pujols's crazy peak in the 2000s, Aaron Judge is still the more superior right-handed hitter.

Albert Pujols's best years came from 2003 through 2010. In that span of eight years, Pujols won three MVP trophies and five Silver Slugger awards. It was an eight-year period of utter offensive dominance. He slashed .334/.433/.635, and he posted a 172 wRC+. Albert Pujols was 72% better than the average hitter for eight straight years. That 172 wRC+ was he best figure among right-handed hitters during that time. Manny Ramirez's 152 wRC+ was a distant second.

Pujols hit 337 home runs during this span for an average of 42 home runs per year. Few right-handed hitters in baseball history can rival Albert Pujols's offensive stretch from 2003-2010.

Aaron Judge may be doing just that and then some.

Aaron Judge has been on a tear for nearly five years now. He's won two American League Most Valuable Player trophies, and he has brought home three Silver Sluggers. He's on his way to a third MVP trophy and a fourth Silver Slugger this year.

Since 2021, Aaron Judge has posted a .307/.423/.646 slash line for a 193 wRC+. While Pujols outpaces Judge in batting average and on-base percentage, Judge has the upper hand when it comes to slug and power. Trout's 193 wRC+ is far and away the best figure among right-handed hitters since 2021. Mike Trout is second among right-handed hitters in that span with a 154 wRC+. Judge has hit 207 home runs in 604 games since 2021 for a 55 home run pace over a 162-game span. Aaron Judge has been an exceptional hitter since 2021, and he outpaces even Albert Pujols's peak.

Baseball fans are witnessing true greatness right now in the form of Aaron Judge. His offensive output hasn't been reached in at least the last 100 years of baseball history, not even by the great Albert Pujols. Be grateful that you're able to witness one of the sport's best right-handed hitters in its long and storied history in Aaron Judge.