Aaron Judge has unarguably been the New York Yankees finest slugger this 2024 MLB season. His hitting charts are through the rough and Judge is already leading MVP odds by miles with still two months left on the season. However, the captain hasn’t necessarily received the desired support from his peers.
The New York Yankees offensive lineup has lacked consistency. Besides Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the team isn’t coming through, and hence, popular radio host C-Mac suggested a big change to improve production from the leadoff spot. While the shakeup is unconventional, C-Mac backed up his suggestion with notable numbers.
C-Mac Deems Aaron Judge The Solution For Yankees Leadoff Woes
The leadoff spot has been a grey area in the New York Yankees lineup as the team witnessed a lack of necessary and consistent production at the top. Despite trying different combinations at the top, nothing worked and hence, popular radio host C-Mac suggested an unconventional yet effective solution. “The more I think about it, I think [Aaron] Judge is the answer at leadoff,” C-Man said on WFAN radio. The Yankees captain, primarily known for his prodigious power and ability to drive in runs, typically occupies the third or fourth spot in the batting order. This season, he is batting third behind generational talent Juan Soto. He has achieved enormous success at that spot, having hit 40 home runs and 100 RBIs in 111 games.
However, C-Mac suggested that promoting Aaron Judge to leadoff won’t do any harm as the captain has enough experience playing at the top. In the 2022 season, which happened to the year Judge won his career maiden AL MVP award and slammed a 62-home run league record, the slugger smacked 13 home runs and hit .366 with an OPS of 1.200 across 34 games and 123 at-bats. Additionally, with Judge leading off, the Yankees could potentially score early and set the tone for the rest of the game. Most importantly, hitting leadoff might reduce the number of times Judge faces situational pitching, i.e. intentional walks, as pitchers typically approach the first batter of the game differently. Hence, the upsides of Judge moving to the top are far greater than the risks. “Hit Judge leadoff, Soto second, Stanton three, Wells four, Torres five, Jazz sixth, Verdugo seven, Volpe eight, Ben Rice nine. That’s your lineup,” C-Mac said.
Judge Frustrated After Barry Bonds Treatment
Meanwhile, Aaron Judge has instilled a massive bout of fear amongst the opposition pitchers as they have finally opted for the Barry Bonds treatment to neturalise and escape the threat. In the recently series finale against the Blue Jays, the pitchers intentionally walked Judge thrice.
Of course, the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge and his teammates did not appreciate the tactics one bit. Juan Soto expressed his displeasure rather vocally. However, Yankee manager Aaron Boone had earlier mentioned that given Judge’s rise in the season, he expected the rivals to eventually fall to Barry Bonds’ treatment by the end of the season.
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