TAMPA, FL – FEBRUARY 20: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees smiles during Spring Training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 20, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
It’s hard for Aaron Judge to go unnoticed, but his Spring Training performance for the Yankees has managed to do just that.
The idea that a 6-foot-7 outfielder who slugged 62 home runs last year could fly under the radar for a team in Spring Training is ludicrous. Somehow, Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge has managed to achieve that impressive feat.
Anthony Volpe is deservedly getting a lot of praise for winning the starting shortstop job at just 21 years of age on the back of his stellar Spring Training play. The plaudits earned by New York’s top prospect has allowed Judge to play in relative anonymity.
Aaron Judge spring training stats
A quick look at Judge’s numbers in his 39 at-bats in Spring Training shows that he’s ready to follow up his historic 2022 regular season. The 30-year-old outfielder has mashed opposing pitching to the tune of an OPS of 1.124. Add in his OBP of .457 and it’s obvious that Judge is seeing the baseball very well as he prepares to head to the Bronx.
What’s not as easy to see is why the attention paid to Judge’s Spring Training play is so underwhelming. He’s the face of the Yankees franchise and received a massive contract extension to keep him in New York during the offseason. Normally, that’s a recipe for media scrutiny in an intense media market like The Big Apple.
Yankees: Will Aaron Judge have a repeat season?
It’s safe to assume that attention on Judge will ramp up once Opening Day arrives. It will be difficult for him to play any better than he did last season, but that might be required to help the Yankees end their World Series drought. The rash of injuries that’s beset the team in the Spring will heap even more pressure on Judge to get off to a hot start.
Yankees fans should hope Judge enjoyed the relative quiet he enjoyed down in Tampa. It allowed him to head into the season with a lot of momentum at the plate. He’ll need to keep that trend going once the season begins to keep fans and media in New York from criticizing his play post his massive contract.