OK, Home Run Derby is not the real thing and is just part of the annual All-Star Game festivities. All the players are having a grand old time yukking it up with their fellow stars and enjoying the moment. But the light was shining extra brightly on Aaron Judge yesterday from start to finish and he handled it like a 10-year veteran.
I mean think about it. All the media interviews to start the day and then going up against Giancarlo Stanton on his home turf. And then, needing 23 home runs to advance to the next round: no problem. For SU, it was striking how effortless his swing is. All of the other sluggers were spending maximum energy out there while Judge really uses his lower body and legs to maximum effect. SU asks this question: why don’t other players copy his batting stance? Of course, he’s a big dude but even someone smaller would benefit by hitting that way. We have watched Brett Gardner hit with only his upper body for years until this season. It makes a lot of sense.
Bottom line: the moment was not too big for Judge. He is the new face of baseball. Mike Trout is up there and there is Bryce Harper but he is always scowling and saying the wrong things. SU is proud to have him as a Yankee and it also means they do not, and I repeat, do not need to sign a Harper or a Trout. Note to Brian Cashman: focus on pitching please.
Lucky for Tanaka, he pitched on Sunday and wasn’t available to pitch batting practice for the Home Run Derby. No doubt he fielded a few calls to do that down in Miami. Mark Texeiria made his ESPN debut in a major prime time role. SU says they should not have given him 17 cups of coffee yesterday. Did he ever stop talking? SU was uncomfortable having him talk too much to Judge. We don’t want him giving advice about how to deal with the shift.
The Yankees start the 2nd half with 4 games in Boston followed by 7 more on the road out West. That is the season right there. They will get Matt Holliday back as well as Castro which are both huge. They really need Hicks back in order to put Ellsbury on the bench or at least to platoon with Gardner. Chase Headley is secure at 3rd base and the over/under for rbis will be 52 for the season. Impressive. 10 home runs seems out of reach now. SU says they will be buyers come the trade deadline either way this goes but should not under any circumstances part with any top prospect. We are aiming for 2018.
Interesting scheduling at Wimbledon yesterday. Nadal match on Court 1 ran late as they (foolishly) have no tiebreaker in the 5th set. Federer ended early in Center Court and they could have put Djokovic match on right after as there is a roof and lights (along with the silly 11 pm curfew). But the officials were afraid of a stampede from fans on the grounds and instead put the Djokovic match off until today. SU has never seen something like that. They waited too long to decide and it cost them. They also put the #1 women’s seed on Court 2 which was odd. The women’s game right now is not as entertaining but not all of the men’s matches needed to be on a prime time court.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Very worried about the inconsistency of our entire pitching staff. It just makes Mo’s year in ad year out performance even more impressive looking. Who is our #1 pitcher… go to guy?
Very true about Mariano. Most relievers are up and down over the course of their careers from year to year. Rivera was incredibly consistent even into his 40s. Yankee fans were spoiled by that. With Tanaka so inconsistent, you really only can rely on Severino and Montgomery – the youngsters. This will ultimately hold them back in 2017.
Judge is amazing. And you’re right. He says all the right things and carries himself perfectly. He’s having fun and showing fans that it is possible to have a great time playing the game without behaving like an idiot. Bryce Harper should be paying attention. I also hope that Clint Frazier is paying attention (although I hear that he’s looking to Reggie Jackson as a mentor so I’m a little worried).
It would be nice if Tanaka could be solid every year but that doesn’t seem to be who he is. But I don’t think he’s alone. Consistency over a long period of time seems to be a thing of the past in baseball. Look at the Cubs. Look all around baseball. It doesn’t seem like anyone stays at the top of the game for more than a couple seasons. Which makes me wonder why we continue to see such huge long-term contracts. They never seem to work out. I remember how John Sterling used to talk about the contract that the Yankees gave to Tino Martinez. Everyone thought it was too much money until the later years when Martinez was still productive and his salary seemed like a bargain. Does that ever happen now? Is any team ever happy with how these things work out? I’m looking around at the really big contracts and wondering if any team is happy with what they’ve spent. Maybe Kershaw has lived up to his contract but it’s still a ridiculous amount of money and there are still a few years left. Other than that it seems to be one regrettable contract after another. So no, the Yankees should steer clear of Harper. And Trout too.
Headley has become the target of Yankees fans frustration. (Credit to SU who was way out in front on this one.) Still, he was not the problem over the last 3 weeks. (He actually hit close to .300 in June.) Offense is not the team’s issue. They score enough runs and it should get even better when the injured players return. The recent problem has been a complete meltdown of the pitching staff including starters and relievers. I cannot explain it although it seems to have occurred roughly around the time of the Sabbathia injury and maybe that taxed the staff. Whatever it is, they need to get this straightened out and, like you say, we’ll know in the next two weeks where they stand.
I’ve watched a total of about 15 minutes of HR Derby in the last 5 years combined, but watched every Judge at bat last night. The best analysis I can think of is, he’s a home run hitter with Derek Jeter’s temperament. To me, the homers to right center on balls he didn’t even hit that well were more impressive than the massive ones to left. As long as I keep away from John Sterling on the radio, I will root for Judge in the second half of the year, and may even have a passing interest in seeing the Yankees do well. What a future this kid has in this city if he stays grounded.
Also was struck by how many of Judge’s 47 HRs were hit the opposite way, as opposed to everyone else who was so pull happy- you wonder if Judge told the pitcher to just throw strikes and I’ll take care of the rest.
Machado also becomes available in the same free agent class as Harper- that’s who the Yankees should target.
The HR Derby was a great deal of fun and Aaron Judge is a joy to watch for any baseball fan. His enormous power to all fields is unparalleled. Watching mishits to right field fly over the wall was just unbelievable. His hits would travel 375 feet with a flick of the wrist and when he would square one up it was easily over 450 feet.
Howard, your point about rising to the occasion, especially in the first round with 23 HRs is right on. The kid is special and just has something magical about him this year. Let’s hope for the games sake that it stays with him. The game needs some heroes!
The Yankees clearly need some pitching if they do want to try to contend this year. (The bats will be off the DL soon) A top of the rotation starter and a solid 7th inning guy could put them up there with the Astros and RedSox, who will also be looking to add on. I’d say go for it when you have the opportunity. Yankee fans are spoiled by their consistency, almost always being in contention. But you never know when the stars may align again. Give yourself the best chance you can when you get to the big dance.
That being said, I don’t think there has ever before been a better time for the Mets and Yanks to make a trade. Addison Reed and Lucas Duda might get the Yankees 2/3 the way to a championship. (Sorry, can’t help that mush with the starting pitching this year) Classic rental situation with both becoming FA at year end. What would the Yankees be willing to give up for both? Let’s hear some realistic suggestions, and it does need to be better than Tyler Austin. Let me know what you think.
Howard – I thought you might find this article interesting, especially since the headline mentions another SU favorite: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/is-aaron-judge-the-next-babe-ruth-or-the-next-jeremy-lin/