MLB reporter Jeff Passan says Yankees have named Aaron Judge the first captain since Derek Jeter: "Judge has been named captain"
Aaron Judge chased history in 2022 and earned a nine-year, $360 million contract as a result. Since his debut in 2016 and a dominant rookie season in 2017, he has become the face of the New York Yankees (arguably the biggest franchise on the planet) and perhaps the face of the entire sport.
He is unquestionably the leader of the Yankees and according to Jeff Passan, they've given him that honor in official capacity.
Aaron Judge has been named captain of the New York Yankees.
The Yankees have not had a captain since Derek Jeter, who retired in 2014. It's an arbitrary title, but it does speak to how important he is. There have only been 15 other captains in the franchise's iconic history:
- Clark Griffith
- Kid Eberfield
- Willie Keeler
- Hal Chase
- Frank Chance
- Roger Peckinpaugh
- Babe Ruth
- Everett Scott
- Lou Gehrig
- Thurman Munson
- Graig Nettles
- Willie Randolph (co-captain)
- Ron Guidry (co-captain)
- Don Mattingly
- Derek Jeter
Judge now joins the list that doesn't even feature some of the most iconic names in Yankee lore. Mickey Mantle was never a captain. Judge broke Roger Maris' home run record and Maris was never a captain.
The contract Judge signed will make him a Yankee through his age 40 season. That effectively means he will be a Yankee for life. Now, the Yankees want him to be their captain for the rest of that life.
It was hard to imagine anyone being the captain after Jeter retired. Just a few years later, the Yankees found theirs in the lumbering 6'7" build of Aaron Judge.
Prior to this announcement, the Yankees were the only team without a captain.
Why the Yankees chose to name Aaron Judge the next captain
Being a captain of a baseball team is a big deal. Being a captain of the most iconic franchise in sports is much bigger. Following in the hallowed footsteps of Derek Jeter is perhaps even bigger than that.
Aaron Judge has been a star on the field his entire career. He's also been an incredible presence in the locker room and with the media.
Last season, he handled free agency rumors, a pursuit of history and the general news about the team with class. He always deflected back to the team and never once complained, even when he was quite literally the only player hitting the ball.
For that and many other reasons, he's finally been named the captain.