TAMPA — Aaron Judge’s Grapefruit League Debut
Maybe it’s time to keep Aaron Judge wrapped up until Opening Day. Or at least until the World Baseball Classic. The Yankees star made his Grapefruit League debut much earlier than usual and is set to leave camp next week to captain Team USA.
On Saturday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Judge wasted no time displaying his skills, hitting two home runs in front of a thrilling sold-out crowd during the Yankees’ dominant 20-3 win over the Tigers.
“Spring training,” Judge quipped, seemingly unfazed.
This spring, though, feels quite different for Judge. Typically, he would be participating in what many consider largely inconsequential exhibition games by early March. But this year, he’s gearing up for significant competition with Team USA, starting pool play from March 6-10 before the tournament kicks off.
“If you think back to last year, I was focused on getting more at-bats early, to be ready for April. That approach seemed to work well, so I’m sticking with it,” Judge noted.
In fact, his strategy from last spring pays off: he batted .427 with ten home runs and an OPS of 1.282 in March and April, ultimately earning him his second consecutive MVP award.
Judge’s preparation for this season began even earlier than typical. He’s scheduled to play again on Sunday against the Mets and manager Aaron Boone plans for him to participate in four or five games prior to joining Team USA next Sunday.
“The main thing is to focus on preparing. I don’t want to hear questions about my power if I don’t get results,” he shared with a smile. “Right now, it’s all about readying myself. At this point in my career, I know there’s still room for improvement. We’ll see how things shake out in real games.”
Interestingly, Judge didn’t hit any home runs in the spring of 2024 after an impressive regular season where he hit 58.
Nevertheless, after being absent from competitive play for a couple of weeks, the Yankees were pleased with Judge’s performance on Saturday. After an initial flyout, Judge blasted a cutter 420 feet during his next at-bat and followed it up by drilling a 92 mph fastball 395 feet down the left field line, managing to keep it fair.
“It was just a solid swing and a great at-bat,” Boone remarked.
Excitingly, soon Judge will represent Team USA for the first time, marking a significant achievement in his career. Besides his aspirations to win the WBC, he views this opportunity as a way to improve by learning from other top-tier players.
“That’s probably the most thrilling part,” Judge explained. “At the All-Star Game, you get to play with talented players, but this is different. You have America’s finest players in one room. It’s going to be both exciting and fun.”
“Meeting these guys, examining how they prepare—it’s all about becoming better. The individuals in that space are all potential greats, and it’s going to be an enlightening experience.”
