TAMPA — A long national nightmare is over.
Aaron Judge returned to the Yankees lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Pirates, at least temporarily ending the buzz around the world about abdominal discomfort.
Nothing causes Yankees more anxiety than discussing injuries in general and injuries involving Judge very specifically. Is it because the judges don’t like their standing on the street and think the Yankees are better off growing a beard than offending their captain, or they’re just incompetent or dishonest, the choice is yours. It depends, but when it comes to revealing the extent of the incident, their various pains, strains, broken bones, etc., there is a subtle atmosphere that resonates around the organization when the subject is the injured person or the judge.
So I think we need a “duh” moment here for both the team and the captain to reiterate why everyone is so interested. Because the Yankees are a team with judges and a team without judges. Again, of course.
“He’s probably the best right-handed hitter in the game,” Anthony Rizzo said. “He gets on base. He brings average. He brings power. He can steal bases. He’s great defensively. He’s an MVP candidate every year.”
Ford, Cameron, and Touchman all performed as if they were possessed by Mantle, with the exception of 2019, when the Yankees went 43-20 in games in which Judge did not start. The other six seasons tell completely different stories.
During those seasons, the Yankees went 411-275 (.599) when Judge started and 89-88 (.503) when Judge did not start. He coincidentally hasn’t started in the last four seasons, considering Judge’s number 99 games. The Yanks have 54 wins and 55 losses. When he starts, the team is 252-175.
“He brings a lot to the table with everything he does while playing,” hitting coach James Rowson said. “Obviously his talent is there, but his presence is also important.”
Once again, if you wish, let’s define it in a little more detail. Judge has missed three seasons on the IL due to injury (he missed 11 days in 2021 due to COVID-19). In those seasons, he won 1st, 2nd, and 4th AL MVP honors. He had the second-highest number of at-bats in 2017, setting the then MLB rookie home run record (52). In 2022, he set the Yankees home run record (62) for the season with the most at-bats.
And he had a season in 2023 that wasn’t all that different from his historic 2022. Then, on June 3, he crashed into the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium. At that point, for example, he was averaging a home run every 11.1 at-bats. But a sprained big toe sidelined him for eight weeks and disrupted the Yankees’ offense he was running – and so did the Yankees.
The signing of Juan Soto should alleviate some of the losses if Judge misses his timing. But that’s the judge. And the idea is that by pairing this duo, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman won second and third place in National League MVP and helped the Dodgers average 5.6 points per game, second in the majors. The idea is to do something similar to what the Dodgers did this season for the Yankees. This comparison is more apt since Betts and Freeman led an offense that didn’t emphasize a starting rotation, lost all of its key members for extended periods of time, and finished with a 4.57 ERA. It was the franchise’s worst ERA since the Brooklyn Robins had a 4.76. Starting ERA in 1929.
The Yankees knew from the start that they would be without ace Gerrit Cole, and would rely heavily on unproven players such as Nestor Cortez, Carlos Rodon, and Marcus Stroman. Therefore, just like the Dodgers who achieved 100 wins in 2023, the Yanks will need an offense to protect their rotation.
This highlights why the 2024 Yankees absolutely need Judge, another “duh” moment here. That seems to be the whole idea of missing spring training time. Rizzo, who is closer to Judge than anyone else on the team, said this with some disdain regarding Judge’s recent “to play or not to play” coverage.[Playing in spring] It doesn’t mean anything at all. ”
Agreed. Amen. Yankees officials could have figured it all out at some point, with the judge’s permission, instead of feeling the pain and disbelief all over their bodies. Because this is a period of preparation, and all that matters to Judge is getting himself in the right position to maximize his at-bats during the regular season.
“I mean, he’s the best player in the major leagues, so having him in that lineup is huge,” Jose Trevino said. “Not just offensively, but defensively and just his presence sends a strong message to our team.”
right. This statement is loud and, well, “duh” because, after all, it’s Aaron Judge.
