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