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New York Yankees Aaron Judge has added his most dangerous offensive tool

By Cory Claus

(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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New York Yankees Aaron Judge has already become a big-time baseball player and a long-ball legend. Now he’s added the most crucial hit tool any player can, and the AL’s Rookie of the Year and home run king just got scarier.

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees might be the biggest man in baseball, but he’s only the second-best power hitter on his own team. But being behind Didi Gregorius and his amazing technicolor dream bat is no shame.

Just because Aaron Judge has now joined Gary Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton as also-rans in the power department doesn’t mean he’s regressed, however. Just the opposite is true. And his improvement will be every bit as impactful as Sir Didi’s early power explosion or commitment to taking his walks.

Because Aaron Judge has added the most important skill any hitter can wield: Consistency.

Consider last year with the New York Yankees. And remember that while he was a rookie, he had already gotten almost 100 AB the previous season.

Even so, the first month of 2017 saw his average swing as mightily as his bat. He was at .167 on day three, .308 five games later, back down to .250 by the middle of the month, and finished at .303.

And while he hit at or over .300 for the next three months, he was back down to .303 by July 31st, plummeted all the way down to .273 in September, until rebounding a bit to finish the regular season at .284. This is mild criticism, as his power numbers, and overall baseball skill made his ERA more than palatable.

Still…

But it did give the opponents breaks. There were times when teams could pitch to Aaron Judge without fear of too many hits, even if one was going to be a homer.

Aaron Judge, however, seems a student of the game. And he knows there is no more important word in this long, grueling sport than consistency. That’s a trait he now seems determined to show.

Once again by day three of this season, Aaron Judge was hitting .167; weird, I know. But this year his average climbed relatively consistently until it reached .333 on April 10th, and has not dropped below .317, where it currently stands.

When you look at his Hits column, you see very few zeroes. That’s because Aaron Judge has gotten a hit in 20 of the Yankees 27 games. And manager Aaron Boone, when asked, could only think of one game so far when Judgey did not help the team offensively.

The (Not So) Way Back Machine

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Compare that to a time early last May. Aaron Judge had one three-game stretch when he collected seven hits, including three home runs and a double. But over his next four games, he only got two hits including two games in which he went hitless. And his average dropped thirty points.

Now let me be perfectly clear: The New York Yankees and every other team in baseball will take that kind of trade-off every week of the season. That’s why the guy won the Rookie of the Year.

But it’s better to hit every day–and drive in runs every day–otherwise, your record after seven games might be 3-4 — as it was in the ALCS.

The results on the field so far show Aaron Judge was clear about that over the off-season, as well. His discipline and full year dominating in the show have only made him want to be better. And by bringing his full Aaron Judgeness to the plate every at bat, he has been.

Next: How great Sir Didi has become

But that’s only fair. When you’re not counted on as the number one power hitter anymore, you gotta do something to contribute. And Aaron Judge bringing his patient approach, excellent eye, and soul-crushing power more consistently to the plate scaring pitchers every bit as much as the Angels’ Garrett Richards seemed to be?

Oh yeah, that qualifies.

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