Aaron Judge has been an unstoppable force for the New York Yankees over the past few months. His offensive power has been evident, but recently rival teams have adopted a new strategy to contain him: avoid facing him directly.
The New York Mets were the first to implement this tactic, giving Judge four walks in a single game. The Blue Jays followed the same pattern, giving him three intentional walks in a game. This strategy has sparked a debate about how to handle the Yankeesâ star hitter.
Yankeesmanager Aaron Boone has acknowledged the difficulty of dealing with this situation. While he has considered different options, such as changing the batting order between Judge and Juan Soto, he has not made a final decision yet. The team is looking to find solutions to maximize the impact of their star.
Yankees and their strategy with Aaron Judge
The presence of a dangerous hitter behind Judge is crucial to countering the opposing teamâs strategy. Austin Wells, the Yankeesâ young catcher, has proven to be a reliable option at this position, generating offensive production and forcing pitchers to be more careful with Judge.
Manager Aaron Boone #17 and Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrate a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
However,the decision to award intentional walks to Judge is a clear acknowledgment of his impact on the game. Opposing teams are willing to sacrifice one out to prevent the Yankeesâ star hitter from doing damage.
see also
Aaron Boone considers making radical changes in the Yankees with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto
The challenge for the Yankees is to find a way to counter this strategy and maximize their teamâs offensive potential. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge continues to demonstrate his dominance in baseball, despite opponentsâ attempts to neutralize him.
