With Judge, outfield always a Yankees strength

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch's Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Yankees position players report to camp on Saturday, and anticipation is building for the 2025 season. This is the fifth and final installment in our Around the Horn series, breaking down each area of the Yankees’ roster, concluding with the outfield.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Some wondered whether we might ever see a better Aaron Judge season than his terrific and memorable 2022 MVP campaign, during which he eclipsed Roger Maris’ 61-year-old single-season American League home run record while seemingly singlehandedly powering his Yankees into the postseason.

Then came the captain’s impressive 2024 performance. Instead of grainy black-and-white replays of Maris’ home runs, there was crystal-clear high-definition video of what statistically stands as the best offensive season by a right-handed batter since 1900, unanimously earning Judge his second AL MVP Award.

“I think each year, I always try to improve and get better,” Judge said. “I try to reflect on where things went well, where things didn’t go well, what can we improve on? What will help get the team to the finish line at the end of the year. One thing I reflected on from ’22 to ’23 was, I want to drive more guys in. That’s the name of the game, and if you score more runs than your opponent, you’re going to win a lot of games.”

Setting career highs in batting average (.322), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701), OPS (1.159), hits (180), doubles (36), RBIs (144), walks (133) and games played (158), Judge powered the engine that brought the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009. He hit a Major League-leading 58 homers.

Judge’s 223 OPS+ in 2024 was the highest posted by a right-handed batter in the last century-plus (minimum 400 plate appearances). But the MVP was a bittersweet honor for Judge, as he struggled in the postseason and committed a costly error in the decisive World Series Game 5 against the Dodgers.

Judge said falling short in the Fall Classic would “stay with me until I die,” as he has long valued team accomplishments above all else.

No wonder, then, that Judge was again among the earliest-arriving players at the club’s spring complex -- with a brief pause when he and his wife, Samantha, welcomed their first child in January. With Juan Soto crossing borough lines to Queens, the upcoming season offers a return to right field for Judge, who played mostly center field in ’24.

Acquired from the Cubs in December, Cody Bellinger is expected to see most of his defensive innings in center field, though manager Aaron Boone said he anticipates exploring Bellinger’s defensive versatility during the season.

“I told [Boone] that wherever you need me to play, I’ll play,” Bellinger said. “Whether it’s left, center or if Judge gets a DH day, I’ll play right. If you need me at first, I’ll play first. I enjoy doing that stuff. I think it helps the teams that I’m on win.”

The 2019 National League MVP and the ’17 NL Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers, Bellinger saw his numbers dip in ’24, his second season with the Cubs. In 130 games, Bellinger posted a slash line of .266/.325/.426 and a 108 OPS+ with 23 doubles, 18 homers and 78 RBIs.

The Yankees believe that the lefty-swinging Bellinger is a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium, where his power numbers could return to previous levels. Bellinger averaged 37 homers in his first three seasons with Los Angeles. He also boasts Yankee DNA; Bellinger’s father, Clay, was a valuable utility player on the dynasty clubs in the late 1990s.

“You never know the future. I try not to set future numbers,” Bellinger said. “I just want to go out and play the best baseball I can play: defense, running the bases and just helping the team win.”

There is an open lane for the Yankees’ top prospect, Jasson Domínguez, to earn the starting job in left field, where he struggled defensively during a September callup.

“The Martian” showcased his promise in an eight-game cameo late in 2023, which included four homers (his first off Justin Verlander in Houston) before abruptly ending with an injury that required Tommy John surgery.

Domínguez batted just .179 (10-for-56) in 18 games last season, and decision-makers opted for Alex Verdugo’s more reliable defense during the playoffs. A natural center fielder, Domínguez has been working with outfield coach Luis Rojas in left field for the better part of two weeks, which will continue throughout the spring.

"He's a young guy who's still got to go out and earn it," Boone said. "He hasn't played a ton of baseball for as fast as he's gotten to the big leagues and as much success as we've all seen him have. I think we all in this room would recognize just how talented he is. I'd love for him to secure it and grab it, and my expectation is that he will.”

Trent Grisham returns for his second season with the Yankees, slotted in a reserve role. Grisham batted .190 (34-for-179) with nine homers and 31 RBIs after being acquired from the Padres in the Soto deal.

Also in the mix will be Everson Pereira, who is listed on the 40-man roster and has been touted for his high-end talent. Pereira is said to be healthy after undergoing season-ending ulnar collateral ligament surgery last June.