Tampa, Florida– aaron judge nervous like many Yankees Fans continued to sign elsewhere as big-name free agents.
“It was brutal,” New York’s captain said after the team’s first full-squad workout on Monday. “It was kind of hard to see it at first. I say, ‘Man, we’re the New York Yankees. Let’s go out there and catch the right guys.'”
New York, seeking its first title since 2009, retains center fielder Trent Grisham Early in the offseason but didn’t make any big moves until late.
“Let’s sign these guys now and start adding more pieces because I’m seeing other teams around the league getting better,” Judge said. “They’re making trades. They’re signing big prospects or big players. And we’ve been sitting there taking baby steps for a while.”
Asked if he had made his views known to the Yankees, Judge smiled wryly and said: “Yeah, oh, yeah.”
“It was disappointing, but I think we’re where we need to be,” he said.
Judge spoke at length on a number of topics Monday, including: the lack of a World Series title despite winning his third AL MVP award last year; Homering and striking out against the 22-year-old flamethrower carlos lagrange During Monday’s workout; captaining the United States in the upcoming World Baseball Classic; And an elbow injury last year that never fully healed.
Judge missed 10 games between July 25 and August 5 because of a strained right elbow he suffered while attempting a home run from right field. toronto On 22 July. He did not return to the outfield until September 5 and threw a fastball of 67.9 mph. Judge regained arm strength during the remainder of the season but never reached 100 percent.
“I’ve never had any elbow issues, so I was definitely worried,” he said.
Judge was not sure he would survive surgery until after the season.
“They went through all the checks again and did all the tests and they said, ‘You’re good to go,'” he said. “And I said, ‘Okay, when can we start throwing?’ So it was good. It was very good. It felt great to hear those words so I can now go into the offseason and prepare to be in the best shape I can be to start the year.”
He said his elbow is at full strength.
“Already thrown out on the bases a few times, so no worries,” he said. “I’m excited to get back out there and have confidence, especially — that was the hardest thing for me last year, the pitcher was working off his butt and the guys around me were working their butts off and then the ball came to me and I had no shot.”
Judge, who turns 34 in April, won his third AL MVP in four years after becoming the fourth player in major league history to hit 50 homers four times (Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa). He won his first AL batting title by hitting a major league-best .331 with 53 homers, 114 RBI, an AL-high 124 walks and a major-league-leading 1.144 OPS. In the playoffs, he went 13 for 36 with one homer, seven RBI and a 1.273 OPS.
Judge Lagrange appeared to clear Steinbrenner Field in left field at 99.3 mph.
“It was so far away,” Lagrange said in surprise.
Judge later hit the 6-foot-7 right-hander’s 102.6 mph fastball and praised “his personality and presence.”
“He’s impressive. I’ve seen a lot of videos, I’ve heard a lot of stories about him over the years,” Judge said. “He came right after us and if you’re going to play in the Bronx, you’re going to play in New York, you need that. You have to have that demeanor, that it doesn’t matter who’s in front of you.”
LaGrange was promoted to Double-A Somerset last June and went 7-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 15 starts and one relief appearance, striking out 104 and striking out 50 in 78⅓ innings. He is working on improving his control.
“He’s done a lot of little things behind the scenes where he’s done his job cleanly and controlled the running game,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “She’s shown to be a leader. Really love her make-up and obviously her big hand.”
The seven-time All-Star Judge is entering his 11th major league season.
Boone said, “Not only is it really fun to watch the great things he does on the field, but it’s also fun to watch him grow as a player, as a person, as a leader, as a captain, as a father. Everybody who comes into that room respects him, and it’s so surreal. And to have your superstar player, a face of the game, a guy who is so accessible — I heard one of our players talk about this: ‘He makes you feel like that. Makes you feel like you’re the most important person in the room. “He’s got that quality that really resonates with our people.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
