DENVER (AP) — Aaron Judge insisted he doesn’t pay too much attention to his numbers, which, for the record, are eye-opening — .395 average with 18 homers and 46 RBIs.
Even more, the New York Yankees slugger hinted he’s not as locked in as one might think.
“I don’t feel too great at the plate,” Judge said after New York’s Colorado Rockies on Saturday. “Always a work in progress.”
Now that’s a scary thought.
After all, he’s flirting with .400 well into May.
He has certainly taken a liking to Coors Field in his first regular-season visit this weekend, homering in back-to-back games.
“The stadium is great,” Judge said. “Fans always show up in numbers and it’s a packed house.”
For the last two days, that’s largely because of Judge, whose No. 99 jersey was quite popular around the park. He also drew the loudest cheers — and boos, when the Rockies intentionally walked him during a 10-run fifth inning. It was just his ninth intentional walk of the season.
In this case, it helped set the table for the big inning in which the Yankees sent 14 batters to the plate.
“If I can get on base for those guys, they’re going to do something special,” Judge explained. “You never know what’s going to happen — you’ve just got to stay ready to hit every single time.”
Judge said he doesn’t dwell too much on his numbers for one specific reason: They’re reflections of the past. He prefers to look forward.
“My dad would always give me the quote, ‘If what you did yesterday still seemed big today, then you haven’t done anything today,’” the 6-foot-7 outfielder said. “So it doesn’t matter what you did yesterday. If you’re still happy about your good game last night, then you probably haven’t done anything today.”
To manager Aaron Boone, it’s not a surprise Judge is hitting so well. It simply speaks to the evolution of the player who’s in his 10th season.
“Ultimately, if you’re going to have real success, you’ve got to rely on a little bit of chase with him,” Boone said. “He’s just gotten so good at not chasing. You just don’t see him leave the zone that often. As dangerous as he is and as much power as he (has), when you’re not leaving the strike zone, I’m sure that can’t be an entirely comfortable feeling for a pitcher.”
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