We don’t want to, though.
Aaron Judge has plenty of his prime right in front of him, but his subpar postseason performances continue to pile up right before New York Yankees fans’ very eyes. And the disdain grows by the day, even with this team finally winning an AL Pennant in 2024.
It’s reaching a point where this just might be the reality. Judge has, of course, gotten some big hits in the postseason since 2017, but the overall numbers and consistency are far below his regular season production.
Obviously, at least level-headed fans understand the playoff performance won’t match the low-leverage games of August, but Judge is nowhere close to his MVP capabilities, and it continued on Saturday night in the World Series.
Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. The Yankees lost 4-2 and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position with Judge accounting for two of those failures. He is now hitting .199 in 55 career playoff games. He has struck out 85 times in 248 plate appearances. He has only 32 walks. He’s belted 15 homers and driven in 31 runs, but so many of those ended up not getting the Yankees where they needed to be anyway. What should have been meaningful contributions ended up being empty ones.
Part of that is bad luck. Part of it is stat-padding. Some actually did help the Yanks. But after 55 playoff games, this is no longer a small sample size that contains aberrations we must parse through. This is a bad stretch of play. It’s 1/3 of a normal baseball season. If Judge played like this for any two-month stretch of a regular season, there would be massive concern.
Aaron Judge Playoff Stats: Yankees star could be ruining legacy with franchise
The bigger issue is that Judge is looking worse. He appears to be completely lost. He has no idea what pitches are coming. He’s swinging out of his shoes. He is whiffing on every single off-speed pitch. He couldn’t be commanding the zone any less effectively. His dominant approach is completely gone.
Imagine how much louder this talk would be if the Yankees missed the World Series? If Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton weren’t carrying the entire offense? Shohei Ohtani’s injury on Saturday also limited the criticism because that was a bigger storyline.
The fact of the matter is that life in New York is different. Every performance matters, but October success trumps all. Judge can win multiple MVPs, lead by example as the Captain, and keep the Yankees in contention for years to come, as he’s done since 2017, but it might not matter much in the history books with how they are written in the Bronx.
Without a World Series ring, and there being a direct link to that with his horrific uncharacteristic performances when the calendar flips, Judge’s legacy might be a one-of-a-kind failure in Yankees fans’ eyes, which would be heartbreaking beyond comprehension.
News
Paolo Banchero Out Indefinitely with Torn Oblique; Magic PF Suffered Injury vs. Bulls
Kamil Krzaczynski/NBAE via Getty Images After an outstanding start to his third NBA campaign, Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero will have to miss some time. The Magic announced Thursday that Banchero will be sidelined indefinitely because of a torn right…
Surprise NFC Team Acquires Seattle Seahawks Star WR Tyler Lockett In Blockbuster Trade Proposal That Would Make Them Legit Super Bowl Contenders
Tyler Lockett (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) NFL teams looking to bolster their passing game ahead of next week’s Nov. 5 trade deadline should call the Seattle Seahawks about star wide receiver Tyler Lockett. The 32-year-old Tyler Lockett is having another productive season…
Vincent Trochek and his wife in hot water over controversial Halloween costume choice
MIAMI — Josh Hart started Wednesday night as questionable with a contused lower leg and finished with game highs in rebounds and minutes in a 116-107 win over the Heat. Hart, who owns the team’s longest active games played streak at…
Canadiens Organization Make Announcement For Jakub Dobes and Implement Changes Due to Injury
Goalies continue to stir conversation within the Montreal Canadiens organization. In the past few minutes, Martin St. Louis caused a surprise by turning away from Samuel Montembeault and opting to send Cayden Primeau into the fray against the Washington Capitals tonight. Indeed, the…
Juan Soto dugout stare, postgame answer send mixed messages about Yankees free agency
You can read it however you want to. World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Yankees – Game 3 / Alex Slitz/GettyImages If New York Yankees fans were hoping for a loud hint from Juan Soto in the aftermath of…
Here are all of the Yankees players entering free agency after the 2024 season
Quite a lot. Baltimore Orioles v New York Yankees / Luke Hales/GettyImages The New York Yankees will have a lot of work to do this offseason, but honestly it’s felt like that for a long time now. It’s nothing new…
End of content
No more pages to load