Aaron Judge is not the only MLB rookie hitting a ton of home runs this season

So here's a rundown of all rookies in MLB history who have hit 30 or more home runs in a season ... 

Rookie	Team	Year	Home runs
Wally Berger	Braves	1930	38
Hal Trosky	Indians	1934	35
Rudy York	Tigers	1937	35
Ted Williams	Red Sox	1939	31
Al Rosen	Indians	1950	37
Walt Dropo	Red Sox	1950	34
Frank Robinson	Reds	1956	38
Bob Allison	Senators	1959	30
Jimmie Hall	Twins	1963	33
Tony Oliva	Twins	1964	32
Jim Ray Hart	Giants	1964	31
Earl Williams	Braves	1971	33
Willie Montanez	Phillies	1971	30
Ron Kittle	White Sox	1983	35
Jose Canseco	Athletics	1986	33
Pete Incaviglia	Rangers	1986	30
Mark McGwire	Athletics	1987	49
Matt Nokes	Tigers	1987	32
Mike Piazza	Dodgers	1993	35
Tim Salmon	Angels	1993	31
Nomar Garciaparra	Red Sox	1997	30
Albert Pujols	Cardinals	2001	37
Ryan Braun	Brewers	2007	34
Chris Young	Diamondbacks	2007	32
Mike Trout	Angels	2012	30
Jose Abreu	White Sox	2014	36

For those counting, that comes to 26 rookie sluggers who have tallied 30 or more homers in said rookie campaign, which, of course, means it's not something that happens all that often. As you can see, the last to do it was Jose Abreu of the White Sox in 2014, and at one point -- 1971 through 1983 -- we went 12 years without a 30-bomb rook. The names range in historical impact from Walt Dropo and Matt Nokes to Albert Pujols and Ted Williams. You'll also note that Mark McGwire holds the rookie record with 49 homers back in 1987. 

Now let's have a look at some notable rookie home run totals from the 2017 season, current as of Monday morning ... 

Rookie	Team	Home Runs
Aaron Judge	Yankees	23
Cody Bellinger	Dodgers	19
Matt Davidson	White Sox	15
Hunter Renfroe	Padres	15
Josh Bell	Pirates	12
Trey Mancini	Orioles	11

Barring the wholly unexpected, Judge is of course a lock to get to 30 homers. Moreover, he's in a good position to challenge McGwire's rookie record (to say nothing of his legitimate designs on the Triple Crown and AL MVP). 

Let's not allow Judge to hog all the bandwidth, though. Bellinger is closing in on 20 homers despite not being called up until late April. While he can't quite match the majesty of Judge's most memorable bombs, the 21-year-old Bellinger has actually homered in a higher percentage of his plate appearances than has Judge. Stated another way, Bellinger right now is second in the NL in homers despite having not yet reached qualifying status. Since teams are still 10 or so games shy of the halfway point, that means we've got four rookies on pace for at least 30 taters. As well, Bell and Mancini aren't far off the pace. Note that Mancini and Davidson haven't seen regular playing time all year, so they could accelerate their paces. 

That brings us back to the historical rundown up top. Scroll through those years, and you'll find that never have we had more than two rookies hit 30 or more out in the same season. Right now, we're on target to double that in 2017. As well, McGwire's the only rookie ever to top 40 home runs, and this year Judge and Bellinger are each in line to get to 40 (and then some). 

To be sure, it's not entirely fair to compare across eras. This season, teams are hitting 1.26 home runs per game, which is easily the highest rate in MLB history. Hitters are focusing more and more on driving the ball in the air, and there's at least some evidence that baseballs are "juiced" these days. In other words, it's easier than ever to knock the ball out of the yard, and that reality, writ small, is seen in the rookie class of sluggers. No doubt, Judge's and Bellinger's power would play in any era, but the current league environment is an accommodating one. 

Qualifiers and context aside, if you like to see young hitters drop bombs -- thus capturing us in the present and tantalizing us when we think about the long-term -- then 2017 is shaping up to be a great year. Never before have we seen rookies hit home runs at such a pace. The results to date say that the rookie class of 2017 is going to keep their appointment with history.