Aaron Judge, the towering New York Yankees slugger, has been a force to be reckoned with in Major League Baseball. After an injury spoiled his 2023 season, the captain turned the tide in 2024 season where he came through as one of the best hitters in the majors let alone the American League.
He is halfway through the 62 home run record already in July and the future is only bright for the New York Yankees captain. However, with Aaron Judge looking almost invincible on the plate, its widely believed that opposition pitchers might resort to unusual means to limit the damage from the captain’s bat.
Pitchers Might Soon Begin To Intentionally Walk Aaron Judge
As Aaron Judge continues to dominate the Major League, there’s increasing talk that he may soon receive the “Barry Bonds treatment,” which is a reference to the way pitchers avoided pitching to Bonds during his peak years. Barry Bonds, during his prime, was so dominant that teams regularly opted to intentionally walk him rather than risk giving up a home run. In 2004, Bonds set a record with 120 intentional walks in a single season. Interestingly, Judge, with his impressive stat lines and game-changing capabilities, is beginning to see a similar pattern. When pitchers avoid challenging Judge directly, it often results in him drawing walks, which can be just as valuable as hits, especially in tight games.
This strategic avoidance can disrupt the flow of the Yankees’ offense, but it also provides opportunities for Judge’s teammates to capitalize on pitchers’ focus on him. If teams start giving Aaron Judge the “Bonds treatment” more frequently, the Yankees will need to adjust their lineup strategies to ensure they can take advantage of these situations. Meanwhile, manager Aaron Boone recently addressed the debate and said in some stretches this season, he might see that pattern which won’t be surprising at all. Judge is on the path to hitting 62 home runs, which is the all-time high league record set by the Yankee captain himself. And with Juan Soto already batting at second, the pitchers will be increasingly lured toward the intentional walks technique to keep Judge away from the plate as much as possible. It would be interesting to see how the former AL-MVP tackles this new challenge.
Judge Not Much Focused On Triple Crown
Entering Wednesday, New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge led AL in batting average (.318), home runs (32) and RBIs (83), setting the stage perfectly for his career first triple crown achievement. However, the captain is not much focused on the milestone as winning the championship for the franchise remains his primary goal.
“It’d be cool, but it’s not my focus. Anytime you put on these pinstripes and wear the ‘NY,’ you’re here to win,” Judge said. The Yankees captain added that in Yankee, players never play for personal milestones. The objective is to win games for the team and eventually the championship. If these records come along the way, that’s fine. But that is not something that will have his attention going forward into the season.
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