Aaron Judge is the heart of the New York Yankees. He has named himself among the greats of the franchise since his 2022 AL MVP season. The California native broke the home run record in the 2022 regular season. Previously, Roger Maris was the record holder with 61 home runs in a regular season. Then, the AL MVP of 2022 hit 62 homers that year. As a result, the California native was able to edge past Shohei Ohtani for the MVP title that season. Then, the Yankees made the 2022 AL MVP their 16th captain in franchise history. Aaron Judge succeeded the five-time champion ‘Captain’ Derek Jeter.
Now, the fans wonder when the new captain can lead the franchise to their 28th title. Last year was terrible for the Bronx Bombers. Aaron Judge suffered a severe toe injury. It was not good, as it turned out to be a torn ligament. Later, in the spring training this year, he suffered an abs injury. Moreover, he missed a lot of Grapefruit League games. Then, he had been through an early season slump. However, at present, the captain looks better and back in form. No matter what, MLB insider Andy Martino believes Aaron Judge is the best captain the Yankees could have right now.
Why Aaron Judge Is The Best Captain Brian Cashman Ever Had?
Recently, Andy Martino pointed out the difference between Judge’s captaincy and Jeter’s. Both have been superstars representing the iconic franchise. But Martino explains why Judge’s style as a captain is helping to improve the player culture in the team. It is more inclusive than it was when Derek Jeter was the captain. The SNY reporter says that Jeter had a complicated chemistry with his teammates. Somebody loved and respected him a lot. Then, he was pretty distant to others. But that’s not the case with Aaron Judge. Last summer Martino interviewed the 16th captain of the Yankees franchise for his book, The Yankee Way. During that interview, he recalled an incident where Judge threw sunflower seeds at a cameraman. That was Judge’s way of protecting his teammates. A camera that belonged to YES Network was shooting catcher Gary Sanchez slumping in the dugout.
Generally, Aaron Judge would block the cameramen from shooting his teammates on such occasions. But that was one of those moments when he threw sunflower seeds at the camera and stared down the camera operator, as per a team official. As a result, there were complaints. But Judge didn’t care. He said he would do anything to protect his teammates. Moreover, Aaron Judge said the world does not need to see when his teammates are going through a slump. He feels for his teammates. The general manager, Brian Cashman, asked Judge not to throw anything at camera operators from the Yankees-owned Network. But the GM realized that it was Judge’s impulse to lead and support his teammates.
MLB Insider Gives Another Example To Describe The Different Natures Of Two Yankees Captain
Andy Martino said when the Yankees informed Derek Jeter that they were thinking about trading for Alex Rodriguez, the then-captain reacted with a long pause and said, “Okay.” Clearly, A-Rod was not going to be one of the Jeter’s favorite teammates. But when Brian Cashman informed Aaron Judge after his rookie season that they were thinking about signing Giancarlo Stanton, they got a different reaction.
After his rookie season when Aaron Judge hit more than 50 home runs, he became the face of the franchise. But he completely supported the idea of signing Stanton, who then won the MVP. Judge was like, “How can I help to sign the MVP?” He was willing to change his position in the outfield to make room for Stanton. Clearly, the inclusive nature separates Judge from Jeter.
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