Is Aaron Judge the best player in the game?

You will get an argument from Dodgers’ fans regarding Shohei Ohtani, especially with his pitching capability. There’s also Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. who also is considered to be in the same category.

It wasn’t all that long ago that many believed the Phillies’ Bryce Harper held the honor, and would hold it again in the future. Was Mike Schmidt the best at one time, and how can he compare to Judge?

And what about the Phillies’ start after their series with the Dodgers? Are there any early concerns?

Here Comes The Judge ... Through his first seven games, Judge had six homers, 17 RBIs, 12 runs scored, three doubles and two stolen bases. His marks have not been achieved by any other major leaguer since the RBI became an official stat in 1920. Also, there hasn’t been any other player in MLB history who had six homers in his first seven games.

Through his team’s first nine games, Judge was hitting .364, tied for 14th among the MLB leaders.

In addition, Judge’s 321 homers are the most by any major leaguer through his first 1,000 games. It’s the most since Ryan Howard had 279 through his first 1,000.

Comparatively, Judge didn’t hit his sixth home run last season until his 29th game (April 28 at Milwaukee), and finished with a major league-leading 58 homers.

With each passing game, Judge’s name is being mentioned breaking, tying or closing in on a record held by Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle to name a few. His dominance can draw a recent parallel to Barry Bonds’ run from 2001-04.

The latest question is what can Judge achieve in the future? Soon to be 33, his clock will begin to click, and staying healthy will be crucial to form his legacy. Judge hit the 145-game mark only once in his first five years, but has managed it three times over the last five years.

Another question facing his legacy is his postseason record. Does Judge have to win a few World Series crowns to be recognized as an all-time Yankee and baseball legend? Judge has a .205 average with 16 homers and 34 RBIs in 17 postseason series. Don Mattingly doesn’t have a World Series and isn’t a Hall of Famer.

Judge is signed through 2031, and it wasn’t that long ago that he appeared headed to San Francisco when he was granted free agency in November 2022, only to sign a month later.

Yankees’ fans are eternally grateful that Judge decided to stay in New York, and they’ll no doubt continue to watch a record-setting year.

Ohtani Offers ... By contrast, Ohtani is off to a good start, but not quite to the degree of Judge’s start.

Through nine games, Ohtani had a .324 average with three homers and three RBIs with a league-high 11 runs.

However, Ohtani threw a 29-pitch bullpen session during the Phillies’ series, and it appears he’ll eventually join what is an already-stacked rotation soon.

Schmitty Swoons ... Schmidt easily could have been considered the game’s top player for much of his career. He was considered to be at the top of his game from 1974-84 when he hit a combined 406 homers, clubbing 36 in 1984 at the age of 34.

Still, he had productive years the next three seasons, smacking 33, 35 and 37 homers, respectively, over the span to his age 37 season.

Schmidt can match home run and RBI numbers with Judge, but Schmidt never hit as consistently as Judge has. Counting this season, Judge has hit better than .280 five times over 10 years, while Schmidt did it six times in 18 years.

Schmidt also had poor postseasons, hitting just .181 from 1976 through 1978. In 1980, Schmidt hit .208 overall in the postseason, but erupted for a .381 average in the World Series. Schmidt hit .467 in the 1983 NLCS, but slumped to .208 in the World Series.

Overall, Schmidt hit .236 in eight postseason series.

Phillies Follies ... Yes, it’s hard to knock the Phillies after they took two of three from the Dodgers. And they bounced back after losing a 6-2 lead Sunday for an 8-7 victory, and held tight to a 3-2 win Friday behind Jesus Luzardo’s outstanding performance. In the process, the team displayed grit.

However, Brandon Marsh is hitting .174 (one homer, four RBIs); Max Kepler .179 (one homer, one RBI); and Alec Bohm .200 (zero homers, three RBIs).

Newcomer Jordan Romano, believed to solve the closer problem, did pick up a save Friday night, but thus far has pitched to the tune of a 15.75 ERA.

There will be plenty of speculation again building whether Marsh can be the everyday center fielder.

Taking A Different Route: In the early going, uncommon opponents in inter-league play has dominated the schedule. The first month of the season traditionally was when clubs would play other teams in their division or nearby rivals. The Phillies would play the Mets, Marlins, Expos (or Nationals) and usually Pittsburgh or St. Louis.

This season, the Phils did open with Washington, but then played Colorado and the Dodgers much earlier than normal, and will also have San Francisco in April. They won’t play the Mets until April 21.

But things have taken a different twist for the Yankees and Mets in the early going.

The Bronx Bombers opened with National league teams Milwaukee, Arizona and Pittsburgh before they will have a series against Detroit. The Yankees also has San Francisco on the April docket. The Yankees play 12 of their first 15 games against National League teams.

The Mets uncharacteristically opened with the Astros, before they tangled with the Braves. The Mets had Toronto sandwiched around a pair of series with Miami, but then they will travel to Oakland and Minnesota.

Working Both Sides ... Former Mariners’ 2024 top draft pick Jurrangelo Cijntje became the newest of the game’s ambidextrous pitchers when he threw from both the right and left side in his major league debut for the High-A Everett AquaSox this past Saturday.

Cijntje, a former Mississippi State standout, struck out six and allowed just one hit over four scoreless innings in a no-decision.

The last ambidextrous pitcher in the majors was ex-Phillie Greg Harris, who did it for Montreal on Sept. 28, 1995 in a last-ditch effort to save his career. Unfortunately, that year was his last in the majors. Harris pitched for the Phillies in 110 games during the 1988-89 seasons, posting an overall 6-8 record with a 2.86 ERA.

Phillies Triva ... What regular wore number 47 before Randy Lerch did in 1975? Answer below in Time Passages.

Scrapbook ... Each week, I’ll reminisce about a former local player or team.

Do you remember Palmerton standout pitcher Conrad Allen “Smokey” Everett?

The Blue Bomber led Carbon County in strikeouts in 1974, received the Outstanding Senior Award for Bomber baseball in 1975, and was named to the Lehigh Valley Legion All-Star team in 1975.

Everett went on to star at West Chester University, where he recorded an overall 20-9 record with a 2.88 ERA. He was a two-time First Team All-ECC pitcher in 1978 (7-2, 2.48) and in 1979 (6-2, 1.86).

He also pitched in the Blue Mountain League, where he tossed a no-hitter for the Bethlehem Red Sox in 1977, and then threw a perfect game for the Bethlehem A’s in 1978, which was the first perfect game in the league’s first 34 years.

Everett signed with the Minnesota Twins in 1979, and was 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA in Rookie League ball. Overall, Everett spent five seasons in the Twins’ system, and finished with an overall record of 17-12, with a 3.40 ERA in 128 games at Rookie through Double-A ball.

He also made the Minnesota Twins 40-man roster in 1982. He was a Midwest League All-Star with the Wisconsin Rapid Twins in 1981, and won the Rolaids Relief Man Award in 1981. Everett posted a Midwest League high 36 appearances and 10 saves for the Class A Wisconsin Rapids Twins in 1980.

Time Passages ... Each week, I’ll recall a former player, manager, game or situation from our favorite pastime.

Who was the player who wore No. 47 before Lerch? In 1974, right-hander Jesus Hernaiz wore No. 47. He appeared in 15 games with a 2-3 record, one save, and a 5.88 ERA.

Before Hernaiz, It was left-handed pitcher Ken Reynolds, who donned the number from 1970-72.

Reynolds made his Phils’ debut in 1970, and spent three years with the team until he was traded with Joe Lis and Ken Sanders to Minnesota for Cesar Tovar in 1972. With the Phillies, Reynolds was 7-24 with a 4.34 ERA in 72 games with 48 starts.

Reynolds also had cups of coffee with Milwaukee, St. Louis and San Diego. He compiled an overall mark of 7-24, with a 4.34 ERA in 103 games over six seasons.

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