Captain Dad: Judge embracing new role
Bryan Hoch
@BryanHochThis 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.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Aaron Judge is coming off his second Most Valuable Player Award in three years, having belted 58 home runs to power the Yankees into the postseason. Now the American League must contend with the captain¡¯s ¡°Dad Strength.¡±
Judge and his wife, Samantha, welcomed their first child this past offseason, as the couple announced the Jan. 27 birth of Nora Rose Judge.
¡°It¡¯s been great. It¡¯s one-of-a-kind,¡± Judge said. ¡°It¡¯s definitely a blessing. People try to prepare you for it or give you stories or tell how it¡¯s going to be. It¡¯s an out-of-body experience, but we¡¯re loving it.¡±
After a year in which he established career highs in batting average (.322), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701), OPS (1.159), hits (180), doubles (36), walks (133), times on base (322), total bases (392), extra-base hits (95) and games played (158), Judge said he may draw something extra from having a little one at home.
¡°That¡¯s what it¡¯s all about right there,¡± Judge said. ¡°I play for this city, I play for the fans, I play for my family. But now I have a little girl, and I have a chance to have her grow up and watch me do what I love. If there¡¯s any way I can inspire her through playing this game to do something special, that¡¯s going to be pretty cool.
¡°It¡¯s more motivation. You know, I¡¯m getting older. I don¡¯t want to be the old man here in a couple of years. [I need to] stay on top of my game. So she¡¯s definitely going to motivate me and keep me on my toes. It¡¯s going to be a fun couple of years, for sure.¡±
Judge, who turns 33 in April, is entering the third year of a $360 million deal that runs through the 2031 season -- yes, little Nora Rose may be in kindergarten when the Bombers inevitably hold ¡°Aaron Judge Day¡± in front of a sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium.
Before then, though, Judge has unfinished business. He has said the World Series loss to the Dodgers will stick with him forever, including the Game 5 meltdown that included his first error as a Major League center fielder.
Surveying his clubhouse, Judge senses the 2025 Yankees came in with a ¡°hungrier¡± attitude as they look to ¡°rewrite the script,¡± leaning upon a renewed roster that includes left-hander Max Fried, right-handed closer Devin Williams, outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
¡°Getting a chance to nibble on that final piece, trying to get close to a championship, I think that just really drives the hunger and passion of the guys,¡± Judge said. ¡°Guys were checking up all offseason on certain guys: ¡®How you doing? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ And they were ready to go a couple weeks after the season was over.
¡°It was like, ¡®Hey, I can¡¯t wait to get back down there and get this thing rolling.¡¯ So it¡¯s going to be a fun year to watch a lot of guys continue to take another step. We¡¯ve got a lot of young guys on this team besides the additions we have. It was a good experience for a lot of those guys last year; you go from one season where you end [after] 162 and then another one where you¡¯re going all the way to the end.
¡°They got a taste of that, and they know which one they¡¯d rather have.¡±