New York Yankees Aaron Judge following in Brett Gardner’s footsteps

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(Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

The Yankees Aaron Judge is one of the best young players in the game. But more importantly for the Bronx Bombers, he is already back to playing Follow the Leader with Brett Gardner.

The New York Yankees Brett Gardner was already on first when the biggest man in baseball, Aaron Judge, strode to the plate. This was Saturday afternoon before a packed house in Tampa, in the bottom of the first against the Mets and Matt Harvey.

Judge proceeded to hit the second pitch he saw into left field for a single; that is encouraging enough this early in spring. But it is what happened next that bodes so well for the Yankees.

Gardner decided to force the issue with speed and aggression. He gambled that he could race to third before the long-rolling liner was retrieved and returned; turns out he was right. But why pose the question this early in Spring Training?

Gardy is neither fighting for a spot on this roster nor a starting role on this team. Those things were assured before camp started. And being on third put him in little better position to score than had he stayed on second.

Also, had he made the first out of the inning at third, he would have been rightly castigated for being overly aggressive. Those rebukes would be mild as this is early March, but still, they would be.

Early Warning Signs

Instead, he showed everyone on the Yankees bench what a leader does.

He set the tone for the game, and the season, by demonstrating that winning means getting the best from yourself at all times. It means taking advantage of every inch your opponent gives you and turning it into a run, which Brett soon did.

His dirt-eating dive into third spoke plainly a maxim for most of us, namely that, if you want to be successful, work harder than everyone else. That’s how you lead by example: By playing hard and smart, fast and loose.

And right behind him was Aaron Judge.

More than just a power hitter, and not content with starting to find his swing so early, he kept his head up and did what he was supposed to, which is follow the lead runner. He could see that Gardy’s acceleration was going to draw the throw to third, so Judge took off for second.

Again, there was a risk here. Either man could have been thrown out. There was even a chance that both men might be caught, turning first and second with no outs into no one on and two outs.

And there was a chance for an unnecessary injury. Brett is expected to use his speed and grit to swipe bags and swallow dirt. But Judge is a big man early in his career. The most important thing for him and the team is that he is healthy for 162 and, possibly, beyond.

He needs to be hitting home runs and working walks, not throwing himself headfirst into second three weeks before the regular season starts.

The Path of the Righteous Man

But that is what a leader does. He takes calculated risks and reminds everyone that good is the enemy of great. That nothing is handed to you because some writers think you’re pretty; that you have to take what you want in this game.

Judge, following right behind the veteran leader of the offense and longest tenured Yankee in Gardner, reminded everyone that he is here to play hard every time he takes the field. And that is the expectation from everyone.

A team can transform into something special when its best player is also it’s hardest working. The Spurs with Duncan; The Warriors with Curry; The Yankees with Jeter; all stand as a testament to what can happen when the most talented player drives his team with his positive example.

Meanwhile, The 76’ers with Allen Iverson shows what can happen when the best player doesn’t even deign to practice.

Fans of both the Knicks and Yankees will perhaps understand better a favorable comparison to a former New York star, Carmelo Anthony. Twice Melo chose to play through the All-Star game, and only then tend to his ailing body. That smacked many as putting his pleasures above the goals of the team.

Judge has already chosen a different path.

Seriously, how many pitches do you need to see? NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 17: Aaron Judge /

It’s About October, Not July

Last year’s home run contest proved to be a demolition derby. Aaron won it looking like the only player in baseball worthy of being called a power hitter.

However, in the second half of the season, he dealt with a nagging shoulder injury that required off-season surgery; his production suffered.

He later learned to adjust accordingly in time to make September his best month. Before that, however, he put up a weak six weeks. How much did competing in the Home Run Derby exacerbate his condition? Hard to tell. My guess is not much, if at all.

More from Call to the Pen

But that is not the point, at least not for Judge.

No, the point is that almost anything that might have an adverse effect on winning a championship is superfluous and dispensable. That is not to say he would forgo participating in the All-Star Game if his play warranted the selection, but that is a different kind of honor.

Again, that is what a leader does.

Teams want their young and talented players to learn from the respected veterans; for the Yankees, that means Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia. Those are the guys who have been through the battles and knew what it takes to win a World Series…or lose in the first round.

And so as the Yankees watched the first inning on Saturday, whether that was from an executive suite or the dugout, they had to be excited. Aaron Judge showed once again that he is literally following in Brett Gardner’s footsteps.

Next: The Yankees and Red Sox share at least one Similarity: Talented but Thin Starting Pitching

That bodes well, especially as it will soon be time to play baseball. The game of following the leader, however, has already begun.

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