To borrow from beloved Yankees fan Jay-Z, the Yankees got 99 problems as they prepare for the American League Division Series, but No. 99 ain’t one.
In his past 14 games, Aaron Judge slashed .277/.414/.745, with six homers. In his past 33 games, he performed only a little worse, putting up a .288/.369/.712 line with 15 homers.
“Even when he was rolling there for a while, I still didn’t personally feel like he was locked in like I know he’s going to be,” Aaron Boone said Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, “and I feel like in this last week, 10 days, two weeks, I’ve really started to see it with him.
“And he’s another one of those guys that I feel like the brighter the lights, the bigger the stage, the more locked in he’ll be. I’m expecting big things from him.”
That “Hallelujah!” you just heard came from Major League Baseball’s Manhattan headquarters, where Rob Manfred was reading this column at the exact same time that you were.
For as badly as the Yankees, still banged up as they get ready for Friday night’s Game 1 in The Bronx, need a great October from Judge, MLB could be an equal beneficiary of such a phenomenon. What other person in this postseason can move the needle anywhere as much?
We’re talking about the guy who can boast — he wouldn’t, although he can — of having the top-selling player jersey in the sport for the third consecutive season. And he has played in only three full seasons.
Have you seen MLB’s fun new “We Play Loud” commercial? It’s no coincidence Judge is the first person you see and his is the first voice you hear.
This is a public service announcement. #WePlayLoudpic.twitter.com/Cpv0uHEXN7
— MLB (@MLB) October 1, 2019
Let’s face it: With the possible exception of sideshow Tim Tebow, Judge is the most famous baseball player thanks to his size, his willingness to put himself out there and the high profile of his employer. While serious injuries this season and last have kept him out of the Most Valuable Player conversations, his five tools, topped by his sick power, remain obvious for all to see.
In 2019, before and after he missed two months with a strained left oblique, Judge tallied .272/.381/.540 slash line with 27 homers in 102 games. Those stellar numbers included a prolonged slump similar to (if not as bad as) one he experienced in 2017 — .180/.291/.281 with one homer in 23 games. Boone attributed that funk to timing and mechanical issues.
The timing of his resurgence works well for everyone involved, and think about how badly baseball could use a transcendent October like the one three years ago when the Cubs won it all for the first time in 108 years. The MLB bigwigs spent much of the regular season discussing juiced baseballs, an increase in strikeouts, tanking and the correlated attendance drops and discord with the players over disappointing free-agent deals. The two players who did cash in last winter, Bryce Harper with the Phillies and Manny Machado with the Padres, not only didn’t qualify for the postseason, they didn’t even get selected for the All-Star Game.
Then there’s Judge, still inexperienced enough to not sweat impending free agency, still gracious enough to salute the Mets’ Pete Alonso for breaking his rookie record for home runs, still tall enough to get recognized on the street. Still captivating enough to lure non-diehards into the beauty of October baseball.
Look, the next time someone calls me an arrogant New Yorker will mark approximately the 40,000th time that has happened. Yet in this hyper-competitive market for folks’ attention, you need a draw. Like LeBron James in the NBA and Tom Brady in the NFL, Judge serves as that draw for baseball. The better he plays, the more he helps the Yankees win, the more he elevates his sport.
An industry turns its lonely eyes to Mr. Judge. Can he deliver for everyone? No pressure or anything.
