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| Aaron Judge broke the American League season 1 home run record in 2022 and led the league in several other categories. (Desiree Rios/Image) |
A slugging outfielder for the Yankees, Judge hit 62 home runs to beat out Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to win the American League's highest honor.
The concept of value was overshadowed throughout Aaron Judge's season. In April, the Yankees valued his long-term future with the team, $213.5 million over seven years. Even after the Yankees beat the A.L.
A judge turned down a contract offer, breaking a record, and baseball reporters formally decided his worth on Thursday. It's been a winner. Los Angeles Angels dual-wielding star Shohei Ohtani won the remaining two, while Astros slugger Jordan Alvarez finished third.
(In the National League, Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals defeated fellow finalists Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado for M.V.P.)
After MLB Network's announcement, Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton told judges, "Enjoy this moment. It's going to be forever."
Indeed, the judge will forever be known as M.V.P. A winner, a distinction he shares with 13 other Yankees, including divine names like Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle, all legends of one team. Judge is also an eternal Yankee?
That's the biggest question of the offseason — no surprise since Judge was the biggest story of the regular season. He hit 62 home runs, one more than Roger Maris of the 1961 Yankees. Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds all surpassed Maris' record between 1998 and 2001, all strongly associated with performance-enhancing drugs.
Conveniently for the judges, these players have passed Maris for a National League team, leaving 61 home runs as the standard for A.L. Sluggers. The judges surpassed it on October 4 in Arlington, Texas, when he pulled a slider from Rangers' Hess Tinoko over the left field fence at Grove Life Field
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| Judge spent most of the 2022 season with the Yankees. On October 4, he hit his 62nd home run of the year, breaking Roger Maris' record for most in a single season in the American League. (Nathan Hunsinger/Image) |
Judges finished the regular season as league leaders in several other categories R.B.I. . His .311 batting average was second only to Minnesota infielder Luis Ares' .316 batting average.
There was also this number, according to Baseball Reference. It is a metric that takes defense into account, with 10.6 wins, the best in the major leagues. WAR is only a guideline, but it raises concerns related to the Yankees. If a judge is baseball's most irreplaceable player, how can you replace him?
The judge spoke with the Yankees' main owner, Hal Steinbrenner, who said the timing could be critical for any team, as the judge rightly noted during a conference call with reporters Thursday night. there is.
"You never know how fast or how slow this process can go," said the judge. "But definitely there are teams that we've talked about and for me, if you're building a winning team, I'm going to get my stuff out of the way and some pieces for them to move forward and build. Something, that's always an advantage wherever I go, so I think if you go into this, it might move fast, but you really don't know. ”
Judging from his remarks, it seems that the judge wants to resolve this issue as soon as possible. But, of course, the offer has to be lucrative, and the comparison starts at the top, with Angels outfielder Mike Trout being the highest-paid position player in the majors. Judge is eight months younger than Trout, who never had Judge's clout because he had never been a free agent.
Trout is expected to earn $35.45 million annually through 2030, or $319.05 million over nine years. Naturally, if a team signs a judge for that amount (or more), it helps to sign the contract early to get a better idea of the overall budget. If a team commits to the idea of signing a judge, they better do it - because there's no one like him.
Teams may choose the next best thing in the market and quickly regret it. Remember when the Yankees sold second baseman Robinson Cano and signed outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury? did.
The Yankees wisely brought back the first baseman Anthony Rizzo this week with an option for 2025 for two years and $40 million. But judges aside, the best free-agent positions are shortstops: Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson, and Trea Turner.
The Yankees seem to have the long-term answer to all their playoff silliness at shortstop in their top prospect, Anthony Volpe. If they fail to make a deal with the judge, reach for the shortstop, and then trade Volpe or some other prospect... well, that might work... I would like to recall the judge who said he had "positive discussions" with Steinbrenner.
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| Judge and Shohei Ohtani are teammates at the July All-Star Game and are M.V.P. leaders all season. (Ronald Martinez/Image) |
When asked what was most important to him besides money in free agency, Judge said: Pretty close to the Yankees. One game away from the World Series, the wild card kicked out, A.L.C.S., A.L.D.S., all over the board.
“So my final and the most important thing is that I want to be in a winning culture and a team that is dedicated to winning. So, first and foremost, be in a winning culture and future.”
Judge played six full seasons with the Yankees. He makes the playoffs every time. Steinbrenner doesn't make a fuss like his father, but he understands what his father always did: the Yankees' business model is built on star power. The bond between this slugger and this franchise makes too much sense to break.
Did Judge make another $100 million on M.V.P.? Season? he did someone will pay It has to be the Yankees and it has to happen soon.
(Source: The New York Times)