Aaron Judge called out to take charge by podcaster amidst Yankees' prolonged slump: "You're the captain for a reason"
The New York Yankees are on a downturn, having lost 16 of their last 22 games. Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason suggested that there should be stronger leadership from outfielder Aaron Judge to help them on Monday on his podcast "Boomer and Gio."
"You can’t have the (Giants quarterback) Daniel Jones personality," Esiason said. "You’re the captain for a reason. … After a while, you have a symptom of the team that has taken over in this losing that is going on.
"You look at that and say, ‘The captain can say something. The captain can go up to (second baseman) Gleyber Torres and say that this isn’t cutting it."
Esiason pointed out cases of Yankees players seeming to lack hustle, implying that Judge could be more frank with his colleagues.
"Sooner or later, the manager (Aaron Boone) has to say something," Esiason said. "He has to point these things, out, he has to have a meeting, he has to have people in that locker room watching the video of what’s going on."
Throughout his career, Aaron Judge has received appreciation for his dedication and hard work. However, being captain involves broader responsibilities. He's supposed to encourage and keep others answerable, particularly during tough times.
"He’s a great player," Esiason said. "He’s another one, if you ask him and interview him, he says the same thing after every game. ‘It’s a long season."
Esiason contends that Judge's laissez-faire attitude is insufficient when teammates appear disinterested.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone's frustration mounts during team’s slump
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed his annoyance after his team lost 3-0 to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. The Yankees are 6-16 since mid-June, going from 49-21 on June 12 to 55-37 and three games behind the Baltimore Orioles (57-33) in the AL East entering Tuesday.
While speaking with journalists, he said how it feels when a team loses one game after another and now it’s not even a speed bump anymore. Boone wants to move forward from here.