TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge fretted like many Yankees fans as big-name free agents kept signing elsewhere.
“It was brutal,” the New York captain said Monday after the year’s first full-squad workout. “Early on it was pretty tough to watch. I’m like: Man, we’re the New York Yankees. Let’s go out there and get the right people.”
Judge spoke at length about the lack of a World Series title last year despite winning his third AL MVP award, of homering and striking out against 22-year-old flamethrower Carlos Lagrange during the workout, about captaining the U.S. in the upcoming World Baseball Classic and last year’s elbow injury.
Judge missed 10 games between July 25 and Aug. 5 because of a flexor strain in his right elbow sustained making a throw home from right field at Toronto on July 22. He didn’t return to the outfield until Sept. 5 and he threw gingerly at 67.9 mph. Judge gained arm strength during the rest of the season but didn’t get to 100%.
“I’ve never dealt with any elbow stuff, so I was definitely concerned,” he said.
Judge wasn’t sure until after the postseason that he would avoid surgery.
“They ran all the checks again and did all the tests and they said: `You’re good to go,’” he remembered. “And I said: All right, when can we start throwing? So it was good. It was great. It was great to hear those words so that now I can go into the offseason and just prepare the way I need to be in the best shape to start the year.”
His elbow is at full strength.
“Throwing to bases a couple of times already, so no worries,” he said. “Just excited to get back out there and just have the confidence, especially — that was the toughest thing for me last year, was the pitcher’s working his butt off and the guys around me were working their butt off and then the ball was hit to me and I had no shot.”
Judge, who turns 34 in April, won his third AL MVP in four years, becoming just the fourth player in major league history to hit 50 homers four times after Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. He won his first AL batting title, hitting a big league-best .331 with 53 homers, 114 RBIs, an AL-high 124 walks and a major league-leading 1.144 OPS. Then in the playoffs, he went 13 for 36 with one homer, seven RBIs and a 1.273 OPS.
Judge appeared to clear the ballpark in left on a 99.3 mph from Lagrange , then struck out on a 102.6 mph fastball from the 6-foot-7 right-hander, who ended last season at Double-A.
New York, seeking its first title since 2009, retained center fielder Trent Grisham early in the offseason but didn’t make bigger moves until late.
“Let’s sign these guys right now and start adding more pieces because I’m seeing other teams around the league get better,” Judge said. “They’re making trades. They’re signing big prospects or big players. And we’re sitting there for a while kind of making smaller moves.”
Asked whether he made his thoughts known to the Yankees, Judge flashed a toothy grin and said: “Yeah, oh, yeah.”
“It was frustrating, but I think we’re right where we need to be,” he said.
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