Aaron Judge tops MLB jersey sales for third straight season

NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge had the top-selling jersey in Major League Baseball for the third consecutive season.

The New York Yankees slugger beat out Bryce Harper, according to results released Friday by MLB.

Judge maintained the top spot despite missing more than a third of the season. The 2017 American League Rookie of the Year entered Friday batting .272 with 26 home runs for the AL East champions.

Harper set a uniform sales record for any athlete in a 24-hour window after signing a $330 million, 13-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in February. Since Opening Day, he has ranked second in sales behind Judge, followed by National League MVP contender Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers had the fifth-most popular jersey. He didn't crack the top 20 last season.

Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels ranked ninth, a two-spot improvement from 2018.

Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez finished fourth and was joined in the top 20 by teammates Anthony Rizzo (10) and Kris Bryant (16). The Houston Astros also placed three players that high: Jose Altuve (8), Alex Bregman (13) and George Springer (20).

NL Rookie of the Year front-runner Pete Alonso of the New York Mets ranked 14th, and teammate Jacob deGrom was 19th.

Manny Machado, who signed a $300 million, 10-year deal with the San Diego Padres in February, did not crack the top 20.