Quantcast

After a spring under radar, Aaron Judge takes stage as Yankees captain

Note: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links, Schneps Media may earn a commission.
Yankees
New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge celebrates in the locker room after the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of an American League Division baseball series, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, in New York.
AP Photo/John Minchillo

While the spotlight has been centered on Anthony Volpe all spring when it has to come to the Yankees, Aaron Judge has been able to go through the preseason under the radar of sorts. Perhaps that has been a good thing for a player that had spent all of last season in the limelight as his contract situation played out and then his chase to surpass Roger Maris’ home run record took centerstage.

And Judge will be the one in front of the cameras this season plenty as the team’s 16th captain in franchise history. So the low-key spring may not have been something that he minded too much before the craziness of the season really begins and he tries to match the inflated expectations that have been set upon him after a historic year in 2022. 

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK

Get a $1,500 First-Bet Offer!

CLAIM NOW
PROMO CODE:
AMNY1500
21+ and present in Participating states. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.$1,500!
FIRST-BET OFFER!
CLAIM OFFER

The Yankees’ decision to name Judge captain in December was just the icing on the cake after they locked him to a nine-year, $360 million over the winter. Now he’ll get to play in his first Opening Day with the notable honor. 

“This is going to be special,” Judge told MLB.com. “Get a chance to play my first Opening Day as the captain, and getting a chance to play against a great organization. We’re going to have some fun.”

Judge grew up a San Francisco Giants fan — the Yankees’ Opening Day opponent — which had some fans and those in the organization worried that the superstar slugger could leave for his childhood team. That obviously never happened and Judge is now holding a distinction that greats such as Lou Gehrig, Ron Guidry, Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter have also held.

But the pressure will be there for Judge, who will not only be tasked with trying to recreate a season in which he hit 62 home runs, batted .311 and led the major leagues in RBIs, OBP, slugging and OPS just to name a few. He is now in charge of being the clubhouse leader for one of Major League Baseball’s most storied franchises

The thing is Judge has always been a leader in the clubhouse, even before he was named captain. 

“The thing is, this is the first year that Judge is the captain for our fans. For us, it’s been years before that,” Luis Severino told The  Athletic. “We’ve seen him as our captain years before this happened. The way he plays the game, it doesn’t matter if he’s 0-for-4 or 4-for-4, he’s the same guy when we win the game. He just cares about winning games, caring for people and all of his teammates. I’ve never seen somebody care for other people more than him. That’s why he is where he is now.”

Added Aaron Hicks: “He’s definitely a guy who wants to maximize everyone’s potential and always wants to push you. Anybody that is willing to push someone else to do better is someone you want in your corner.”

Judge will need to be at the top of his game on the field, since the Yankees’ offense has often seemed to go the way Judge has gone. Though they have shifted away a little this season from just being a power-hitting team. 

The captain is still the center of the Yankees’ offense and the spring was a good sign of what could come this year. In 46 spring training plate appearances, Judge hit .368 with seven RBIs and two home runs. 

For more on the Yankees, visit AMNY.com

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK

Get a $1,500 First-Bet Offer!

CLAIM NOW
PROMO CODE:
AMNY1500
21+ and present in Participating states. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.$1,500!
FIRST-BET OFFER!
CLAIM OFFER