Aaron Judge displays his confidence by calling himself the Yankees’ “best player.”
Perhaps it was just the intensity of the situation. Yet that was undoubtedly not a falsehood.
After hitting a walk-off home run on Sunday afternoon, Aaron Judge stated in an on-field interview with YES Network, “How can you not be confident when you’re the best player on the team?”
Nobody who has watched the Yankees this season or followed baseball in general will contest the current argument. As of Monday afternoon, Judge leads the All-Star Game vote-getters and is the current favorite to win his first AL MVP title. He is also on track to surpass Roger Maris’ record for the most home runs in a season without the use of performance-enhancing drugs. With a 3.9 WAR, which ranks third in baseball, he leads the league in home runs (28), runs scored (59), and total bases (175).
He is the Yankees’ top player, without a doubt. That conclusion can be reached without the need for any specialization.
Hearing the reserved, soft-spoken judge really say something out loud is quite another story.
But if there was ever a time for Judge to make such a statement, it was after a weekend in which he was the talk of the town, walking off against the hated Astros and then settling a contract dispute with the Yankees seconds before heading into arbitration.
Before Monday’s game against Oakland, pitcher Gerrit Cole told The Post, “He’s obviously got to be super confident; in order to have success in that position, you have to believe that first and foremost.” Everybody needs a certain amount of that. However, I believe what’s most astounding is his ability to control his emotions during stressful situations and maintain discipline throughout the remainder of his routine, understanding that there’s always a competitive advantage to be had behind the scenes.
These kinds of differences frequently separate the top players from the rest of them. Everyone talks about the importance of remaining composed during stressful situations. When those times arrive, a very small number of people can truly pull it off regularly.
Judge appears to carry that gene, as he became the first Yankee to get three walk-off hits in a season since Melky Cabrera in 2009.
Late in a game, while he is at bat, the stadium pauses, observes, and waits.
Cole stated, “It turns out like [Sunday] when he puts a good swing on the ball in a location where he can do a lot of damage.” That’s merely a line-drive single to the shortstop for the majority of people. He goes to the bullpen, this man. In my opinion, he is quite convinced about that strategy.
And Judge’s candor in stating the obvious—when so much of what people say in front of a microphone revolves around deftly sidestepping such candor—speaks volumes about his self-assurance and status in the Yankees’ clubhouse. With anything like that, it would be simple to draw criticism. Rather, it hardly made a blip on the radar.
It goes like [Sunday] when he hits the ball hard and in a position where he can cause a lot of damage, according to Cole. “That’s just a line-drive single to the shortstop for most people.” This man walks over to the bullpen. He seems quite convicted of that strategy, in my opinion.
And it says volumes about Judge’s confidence and stature in the Yankees’ clubhouse that he can express the truth so bluntly in a time when so much of what people say in front of a microphone revolves around deftly sidestepping such candor. With such a device, eyebrows may easily be raised. Rather, it hardly made a dent in the overall picture.
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