TAMPA – As usual, Aaron Judge made no mistake when he entered George M. Steinbrenner Field for the first full Yankees squad training on Tuesday spring.
The right-wing footballer said he “feels very well” ahead of this season, hoping the work he has done with the organisation’s second-year health and performance director Eric Cressey will give his fruits.
He is about to prove himself after a low season in which the judge said he worked differently, with a focus on fast movements, the kind that has caused some of his injuries in the past.
“I’m looking forward to it,” the judge said of starting a season without worries. “Last year I thought I would come in healthy, but I had played an entire postseason and worked all season low with a broken rib and a punctured lung.”
During this offseason, the judge said he and Cressey “tuned certain things.”
“When you are 6 years old[foot]-7, 275 [pounds], it’s a little different than when you’re Brett Gardner (5-6, 150), “the judge said.” We need to make things a little better. … Getting in without injuries or a broken rib somewhere makes it a little easier to hit a baseball and throw. “
The judge limited himself to 28 games a year ago during the 60-game pandemic season, aside from a right calf strain he suffered in August that he caught quickly, which cost him more time.
The previous year, there was oblique tension and a fractured right wrist.
He played a full season only once in his Major League career, when he appeared in 155 games during his 2017 rookie season.
Among the reasons he was not surprised when general manager Brian Cashman said there had been no meaningful talks this offseason about a possible extension with the judge.
The judge was asked about an extension on Tuesday following Fernando Tatis’ mega-extension with the Padres.
“No, we didn’t,” the judge said of the talks between the two parties, adding that it was a “good question.”
“Nothing in the end, nothing from the Yankees,” the judge said. “I think they had more important things to focus on this off-season.”
He noted the signings of free agents DJ LeMahieu and Gardner, as well as the additions of right-back Corey Kluber and right-back Jameson Taillon.
“Our time is approaching,” the judge said of his contract. “It’s not something we’re focused on right now. Our focus is on trying to win. “
To do so, the judge must remain on the field, which is why he continued to do yoga during the off-season and adjusted some of his weight training.
But he stressed that “different” was not necessarily “less.”
“I’m always open to suggestions and I’m always open to learning new philosophies and seeing what works,” the judge said. “It simply came to our notice then. I keep lifting the same amount, if not more. It’s about being smarter. “
He has also suffered injuries due to his total style of play, which the judge said he does not intend to alter.
“I’m a guy, when I’m on defense … and the ball is hit in my direction, my job is to catch it,” the judge said. “If that means going through a wall or entering the bleachers, I’ll do it.”
And he hopes the work done to be more agile will help him avoid having to do some of these works.
If he succeeds in staying in one piece, the Yankees should be better positioned to win in October.
“Every year I put my heart and soul into this game, into my teammates, into the city and the organization,” the judge said. “That’s why every year it hurts when we lose. … These cuts are deep, but they are just scars. I have scars everywhere. I try to take advantage of these experiences and in the end everything will be sweeter ”.