Yankees 2021 Missing Piece

The most important Yankee in 2021 is Aaron Judge.

It’s not Gary Sanchez, Corey Kluber, Gleyber Torres, Stanton, or Gerrit Cole. It’s Aaron Judge. Judge is the most important player on the roster. If Judge can stay healthy throughout 2021, they will be the most dangerous team in the American League, and the top contender to dethrone the Dodgers. When Judge was healthy in 2017, not only did he set the rookie record for homers, but the Yankees were also the best team in baseball. If not for some trash cans Mission 28 would be complete.

Getting Judge back healthy, might not produce 52 bombs, bur it will allow the Yankees to dominate the AL East. Getting LeMahieu back was important—a healthy Judge trumps bringing back DJ. Judge is the key to unlock the Bombers offense. LeMahieu can be a table setter while also being a run producer but having Judge in your lineup for about 160 games (including playoffs) Judges run production is some of the best in the game. On top of allowing Sanchez, Stanton, and Torres to find their swings over the course of the year. Not having to rely on those three as much over 162 games is a luxury no other team.

Defensively Judge is a top three right fielder with the combination of his ability to grab any ball that goes over the wall, reach for any ball on a diving attempt, and gun down any base runner with his bazooka arm. Judge is not the best player in the game when healthy but he’s at the top of the list. The cherry on top of the Aaron Judge sundae for the Yankees is his production in the playoffs. He shines when the moment means the most in the postseason, getting him there with enough at-bats is the issue.

In a lot of fans minds Aaron Judge is the next Derek Jeter in the context that Judge is the leader of this team and the voice that has the most weight in the locker room.

One method Aaron Boone and the Yankee brass might think to deploy in 2021 is flip flopping Judge and Stanton in right and DH. Stanton, while not Judge in right field, is still a decent enough defender that you’re not losing as much when DH’ing Judge. Judge’s health problem also applies to Stanton during his Yankee career, finding a balance to get both enough at-bats is important to the Bombers success, the Judge aspect matters more because we’ve seen a healthy Judge produce massive success for himself and the ball club.

Majority of the fanbase will focus on the comeback season that Gary Sanchez is set to have to save his baseball livelihood, Judge is not on the same plain as Sanchez, but he is approaching meeting the criteria that puts a player on Baseball Death Row. You may not want to admit that yet, but as the 2021 vastly approaches, Aaron Judge is the baseball version of Greg Oden. *Knock on wood* he doesn’t get to the point that Oden did where he has a career ending injury; but the dream of Judge is greater than what he has produced on the field lately. In order for the Yankees to be a legitimate title contender and want to end their 12-year championship drought Aaron Judge must be healthy. Start worrying about everything else after…

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