The New York Yankees, after month-long negotiations, retained Aaron Judge and offered the slugger a nine-year contract worth $360 million. After a few days of the contract extension announcement, the Yankees front office appointed Aaron Judge, the 16th captain of the franchise. However, his position in the field is undecided for now.
Aaron Judge played in the center field for most of the 2022 season to cover up for the injured and unavailable players. As a corner outfielder, the slugger did an excellent job in left field last season. However, as the players are back and healthy once again, Aaron is expected to move back to his original spot in the corner. But, an MLB analyst claims Aaron will continue playing center field for the next season as well.
MLB Analyst Says Aaron Judge To Continue Playing Center-Field
As the new MLB season begins, the Yankees roster is back in full strength. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge had to play center field last season due to persistent injuries within the camp. However, as the designated players are back in full health, fans assumed the Yanks would remove the slugger from the center field. But, an MLB analyst, Bryan Hoch, says Aaron is far from done playing the center field. Bryan apparently had a conversation with Aaron, who himself told Bryan that he would continue playing center field.
On the recent TalkinYanks podcast, Bryan Hoch said he had a conversation with Aaron Judge during Baseball Writer\’s dinner. Hoch mentioned to Judge that he is looking forward to seeing the slugger play in the right field this season. To this, Judge gave a look and asked if Hoch thought he was not good in the center. Hoch immediately responded, saying he assumed him in the right corner as Harrison Bader is back to play in the center. However, Aaron claimed he is not done playing in the center field as Bader will not be around throughout the 162 games.
\”I\’m not done in the center field yet. Bader\’s not going to play 162 out there,\” says Aaron Judge
American League Manager Reveals His Club Tried To Poach Aaron
An American League manager, who wished to stay anonymous, revealed his team tried to strike a deal with Aaron Judge. The manager said they changed their tactics year after year to acquire Judge. Most of the time, the club felt they had control over the slugger. However, after the last season, containing Judge almost seemed impossible. Moreover, the club also faced difficulty placing him in the hitting lineup.
Aaron Judge played a gamble ahead of the last season when he refused a long-term contract with the Yankees. The slugger promised himself to have a meaningful season. And the gamble worked. Judge registered crazy numbers, which earned him his first MVP award. Moreover, the slugger created history by breaking the all-time record for scoring the most homers in a single season.