The Yankees are finally embarking on their 2025 season after a disappointing loss in five games to the Dodgers in last fall¡¯s World Series. Their captain is ready to lead the Bronx Bombers as they look to return to the Fall Classic and win it for the first time in 16 years.
¡°The guys we got in here and the guys who were here last year, I think they know the mission and understand what it¡¯s about,¡± Aaron Judge said on MLB Network Radio on Friday. ¡°We got a little taste of it last year, but the new guys we¡¯ve got, they¡¯re hungry and excited to be Yankees and we¡¯ve got to show them the way.¡±
While the Yanks lost superstar slugger Juan Soto to the crosstown Mets this past offseason, they did add some significant names to the roster. The new guys Judge referred to include left-hander Max Fried, as well as Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt.
With the addition of Bellinger, who plays a strong center field, Judge -- who played regularly in center last year -- has moved back to his original position in right.
He said he¡¯s ready for the transition and eager to help the club no matter what defensive position on the diamond he occupies.
¡°I¡¯m excited,¡± Judge said. ¡°I¡¯ve been playing right the whole time, went over to center to help the team out any way I could to give us the best lineup. I¡¯m excited to go back to right, it¡¯s gonna be fun over there.
¡°It¡¯s gonna be a little different -- in center field, you¡¯re going after every single ball and you¡¯ve got priority over everybody if it¡¯s yours. Now I¡¯m getting a chance to kind of play with Cody a little bit ¡ so just learning about his range, how he communicates, what he does. All those guys, they communicate so well, so it¡¯s gonna be a lot of fun playing next to them.¡±
Then, he mentioned a perk of playing a corner outfield position.
¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll get a chance to throw some guys out,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°In center field, it¡¯s a little farther throw -- it makes it a little tougher.¡±
While Judge moves back to right field as he welcomes new Yankees into the fold, he knows it will be a tall order to repeat as American League champions, particularly now that the AL East has become stronger since the end of last season.
Still, Judge said he wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.
¡°It¡¯s the best division in baseball,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a gauntlet of teams. It¡¯s a lot of teams that want to win, are expected to win and are expected to do great things. They reload every single season. ¡ I could go through every single team and list something where they either added somebody new or there¡¯s someone that they got back healthy.
¡°It¡¯s gonna be a fun year. You want to play against the best and you want them to bring their best. And in the AL East, that¡¯s definitely what you¡¯re going to get.¡±
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