Ed: Regular readers would probably guess, but this is a team selected from the first AL version of the Washington Nationals/Senators.
Joe Judge 1915-1932
1916:
1B Joe Judge .220/.333/.298 0 HR -0.1 BFW 8 WS 6 FRAR 2.2 WARP3
The 22-year old Judge did not have an ovely impressive debut season as the Nats every day first baseman. It is quite possible that Griffith and Washington fans were regretting the sale of Chick Gandil. Judge would turn it around quickly, however, and hold down first base in Washington for nearly two decades.
1917:
1B Joe Judge .285/.369/.415 2 HR 1.7 BFW 19 WS 8 FRAR 4.9 WARP3
Judge improved on his rookie season to become one of the better hitters in the lineup in 1917. At 23, he was already starting to develop a reputation as a sure-handed first baseman.
1918:
1B Joe Judge .261/.332/.341 1 HR 0.0 BFW 13 WS 10 FRAR 3.6 WARP3
Judge’s production fell off from the previous season, but the 24-year had many good seasons ahead of him.
1919:
1B Joe Judge .288/.386/.409 2 HR 1.4 BFW 17 WS 2 FRAR 5.3 WARP3
His number came up from a disappointing 1918 campaign, particularly his OBP which rose 54 points. Judge’s OBP will stay in the high .300’s until his career winds down in the early 1930’s. Though he has a great defensive reputation, Judge’s FRAR remains low.
1920:
1B Joe Judge .333/.416/.462 5 HR 1.5 BFW 22 WS 6 FRAR 6.0 WARP3
Judge was probably the team’s best hitter in 1920. He had his personal best season at the plate since 1917, and 1920 could arguably be considered his career-best season at the plate. Twice during the month of May, Judge had five hits in a game. The first came on May 6th in a 6-5 win over the Yankees, the second on May 26 in a 13-9 victory over Cleveland.
1921:
1B Joe Judge .301/.372/.412 7 HR -0.5 BFW 19 WS 5 FRAR 3.7 WARP3
Judge fell a bit offensively from his 1920 statistics, but still was among the most reliable first baseman in the league.
1922:
1B Joe Judge .294/.355/.450 10 HR 0.1 BFW 18 WS 3 FRAR 3.8 WARP3
Judge continued to be a steady hitter for the Nats at first base, and actually garnered some MVP votes in 1922. He finished 8th in the final tally. He also became the first player in franchise history to hit double-digit home runs in a single season. He matched that number in 1930, but never exceeded 10 home runs in a year.
1923:
1B Joe Judge .314/.406/.417 2 HR 1.7 BFW 17 WS 2 FRAR 3.9 WARP3
Judge is a great example of how fielding stats can be difficult to interpret. By 1923, he was already considered one of the finest fielding first basemen in baseball. His reputation as a good fielder was confirmed by very high fielding percentages, particularly from 1921 on. His FRAR numbers, however, tell a different story.
Joe Judge FRAR vs Fielding PCT
1916 6 .986
1917 8 .988
1918 9 .985
1919 2 .988
1920 6 .992
1921 5 .996
1922 3 .996
1923 2 .993
The FRAR numbers indicate that Judge probably didn’t have a lot of range at first. Still, the reputation was that he had good hands, and the fielding percentage seems to confirm that. Interestingly, Judge turns a corner in 1924 and his FRAR jumps significantly from his previous career levels.
1924:
1B Joe Judge .324/.393/.450 3 HR 0.5 BFW 19 WS 27 FRAR 6.9 WARP3
Here is Joe Judge’s defensive chart that I posted in the Franchise 1923, with the next few years of his career added:
Joe Judge FRAR vs Fielding PCT
1916 6 .986
1917 8 .988
1918 9 .985
1919 2 .988
1920 6 .992
1921 5 .996
1922 3 .996
1923 2 .993
1924 27 .994
1925 15 .993
1926 21 .994
Joe Judge had a reputation as a very good defender for the years leading up to 1924, but this is the first year, according to the numbers, that he lived up to the billing. As a team, the Nats went from seventh in AL defensive efficiency in 1923 to first in 1924 with the same starting players, and Judge’s improvement likely played a big part in that.
1925:
1B Joe Judge .314/.406/.487 8 HR 1.1 BFW 15 WS 15 FRAR 4.7 WARP3
Another solid season for Judge, something that Clark Griffith and Nats’ fans had come to expect from the 31-year-old first baseman.
1926:
1B Joe Judge .291/.367/.442 7 HR 0.8 BFW 16 WS 21 FRAR 5.7 WARP3
Judge’s numbers in 1926 were actually slightly down from the previous few years, but he got some MVP consideration, largely based on his glove work at first base.
1927:
1B Joe Judge .308/.366/.418 2 HR -1.1 BFW 16 WS 8 FRAR 3.6 WARP3
Judge’s production fell off a bit from his career numbers, but he will rebound and have a couple of decent years ahead of him. His 1927 season is probably remembered best for the line drive he hit Walter Johnson with that broke the star pitcher’s foot in spring training.
1928:
1B Joe Judge .306/.396/.417 3 HR 0.8 BFW 17 WS 4 FRAR 4.6 WARP3
Though Judge was 34 years old in 1928, he still had a few good seasons ahead of him. Towards the end of his career, he was less of a defensive player, but still provided very consistent offense.
1929:
1B Joe Judge .315/.397/.442 6 HR 0.9 BFW 20 WS 3 FRAR 4.4 WARP3
Judge’s offensive numbers remained solid in the year in which he turned 35 years old. He even had a power resurgence of sorts; in 1929 he had more home runs and a higher slugging percentage than he had since 1926.
1930:
1B Joe Judge .326/.410/.509 10 HR 1.6 BFW 18 WS 12 FRAR 5.2 WARP3
1930 marked the end of an era. It was the last season that Joe Judge was a regular first baseman in Washington. He would remain on the roster for two more years, but total just over 400 plate appearances in that time. Judge hoped to be named the new manager of the Senators for the 1933 season, but was passed over by Clark Griffith in favor of Joe Cronin. Judge retired following the 1934 season after two years playing part time for the Dodgers and the Red Sox.
It was likely strange for Washington fans to see somebody else at first base. Judge had been the starter there since 1916. Here are his numbers in Washington:
.299/.379/.423 71 HR 115 OPS+ 9.4 BFW 270 WS 144 FRAR 71.9 WARP3
On top of his offensive numbers, Judge was considered one of the better fielders of his time, and led AL first basemen in fielding five times.
Judge spent the bulk of his retirement years coaching baseball at Georgetown University. He took some time off from that to coach the Senators in 1945 and 1946. He was reportedly offered the job as manager for the 1947 season, but he turned it down because he didn’t want to be traveling that much. Judge passed away in 1968 when he suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow at his Washington DC home.
