The New York Yankees are on a roll at present. It is great news for the New York fans. Moreover, the organization was looking for redemption in 2024. After all, the last season was a forgettable one for the 27-time champions. In fact, it was their worst season in the last 30 years. On top of that, the NY side finished fourth in the American League East division. They finished with an awful 82-80 record. If that was bad, then what about their offense? Moreover, the Bronx Bombers had the second-worst batting average behind the Oakland Athletics in 2023. Hence, their batting order needed a major upgrade.
That’s why the Yankees went all-in to land Juan Soto, arguably the best hitter in the game. Moreover, the NY side added Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham to the lineup. Since then, the Bronx Bomber’s offense looks one of the best in the league. Moreover, the Yankees Nation has a lot of faith in the Aaron Judge-Juan Soto one-two punch. However, there might be a few concerns regarding the NY side’s captain. The fans want to see the 2022 AL MVP give his best in 2024 to win his second MVP. But the 2024 season did not start that way for Judge.
How The Yankees Are Dealing With Their Captain Still Struggling?
Last year, Aaron Judge started the season well but could never expect how the season would unfold. He had a freak accident at the Los Angeles Dodgers fence and eventually tore a ligament at his toe. Prior to that, the Yankees captain was going all guns blazing as he hit 37 home runs, following his 62 home runs season. But after his severe toe injury he went on to miss a couple of months of game time, and his absence cost the season for his team. Even in 2024, Aaron Judge has not started too well. But the Yankees, with their new superstar Juan Soto, managed to beat the Houston Astros 4-0 to start the new regular season. For a long time in the Yankees history, the NY side had not enjoyed such a start to the season.
But beating the 2022 World Series winners by a clean sweep at the very beginning of the season is a great sign for the NY side. However, Aaron Judge had only two hits in 14 plate appearances, a double and a single, after the first three games. He also had four strikeouts and a couple of walks. Then, the Astros also grounded him twice with a double play. As per Baseball Savant, Aaron Judge whiffed on his swings 33.3% but swung at half of his pitches. It is just a few percentage points higher than his average. Hence, the Yankees captain’s form is worrying, but this time he has a pretty good cast that can support his struggles.
Why Aaron Judge Is Still Struggling?
Aaron Judge might be still struggling with his timing down because he missed a good chunk of spring training due to an abdominal injury. Moreover, the Houston Astros have a pretty good pitching department that might have caused a lot of problems.
On the other hand, the 2022 AL MVP might be pressing a bit, as per Kevin Hickey of Sporting News. Anyway, this time, the Yankees captain has a different and much stronger supporting cast. After defeating a formidable team on the road, the Bronx Bombers have proved that they can steal victories from anywhere despite their captain starting the 2024 season quite slowly.
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite MLB team.
