SPANISH HARLEM – Playoff baseball is in the air and like the October cold weather, Aaron Judge continues to add to the blistering winds with every strikeout. We know what Regular Season Judge is capable of, possibly the best everyday player in the game today but Playoff Judge is someone we have to add to the overall portfolio, whether we like it or not.
No one is immune to this when you play in New York, especially and more so for the Yankees. Winning championships what is fans want, what they expect every year, and Judge has been a marginal player at best when the playoffs come around. I’m not here to bash him in any way, though it may seem otherwise.
I think the world of Judge. He has been a great player for young players to mimic and is the Yankees captain for a reason. He not only excels on the field but out of it as well. He is probably the best player I have seen don a Yankees uniform but none of that matters when you can’t contribute in the playoffs. The fans will boo you without hesitation, without regard for what you have done before.
Don’t get me twisted, the fans will also love you and shower with undying love forever if you come through in the playoffs and win the Yankees the chip. Just look at all the struggles for Alex Rodirguez in the playoffs before 2009. Love him or hate him, Arod earned his stripes and fans will always be thankful for to him for that season.
In a lot of ways, Judge can do the same because right now he is in his own head. He hears the noise about not succeeding in the playoffs, he knows what he needs to do and what he wants for himself and his teammates. He knows he needs to produce for the Yankees to win a championship and you can tell, that is something that bothers him, that he hasn’t produced thus far.
All that can change in a New York minute, he is too good a player to not produce, and I think he will produce. What we don’t know yet is when it will happen, is this season? We all hope that it is and we hope that he starts soon because if there is one thing I know about Judge, if he can get hot, there is no one better in world that can do what he does (ok, maybe Ohtani).
That’s it for now, please come back tomorrow for Action Jackson Sternberg.
