All Rise: AL manager reveals club's failed attempts to contain Aaron Judge in 2022
The 2022 Major League Baseball season saw reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge continue his dominant performance, leaving opposing teams struggling to contain his power at the plate.
Following an unsuccessful long-term contract negotiation with the New York Yankees at the start of 2022, Judge signed a one-year contract and went on to have a phenomenal season. Even now, months after the end of the season, his numbers look unbelievable.
He picked up the American League MVP award after a record-breaking season that will not be forgotten easily. The numbers are astonishing: 62 homers, 131 RBIs, a .311 batting average, .686 slugging, an OPS of 1.111, 111 walks and a .425 on-base percentage - the best of his career. His 62 homers of the season saw him surpass Roger Maris' record for the most home runs in a single season in American League history and was also the fastest to reach 60.
MLB columnist Mike Lupica spoke to a current American League manager, who remains unnamed, about the tactics his team employed to deal Aaron Judge. He said:
“Our plan for Judge actually changed from series to series. Early in the year, we attacked him to try to get into pitcher-leverage counts as soon as possible. We were able to control his power against us by getting him into uncomfortable counts."
He elaborated:
“Early-count fastballs or strike sliders worked. He would usually expand out of the zone late. For a while, it felt like we were in control of the at-bats. Later in the year, though? He made some adjustments in the strike zone and covered everything we threw. He became the hitter we had to know where he was in the batting order. Normally, I look at 3-4 hitters away. But with Judge, I was concerned when he was six hitters away.”
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What can we expect from Aaron Judge in the new season?
After astellar season with the New York Yankees, Judge undoubtedly cemented his name as one of the greats to play for the franchise. While it's almost impossible to repeat his numbers from last year, Judge is still far from the end of his career and will likely remain a huge threat to opposition teams.
Aaron Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million deal with the Yankees in December 2022, setting a new record for the largest free agent deal in MLB history. He has also been named the captain of the Yankees, the first since Derek Jeter's retirement in 2014.
After the best season of his career, Aaron Judge will look to hit the ground running his team faces the San Francisco Giants on the opening day of the 2023 season.