KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Assessing the wreckage of their 2023 season, Yankees captain Aaron Judge expects to be in the room, voicing his opinions to ownership and upper management.
Sooner than later.
Beyond a “couple little tweaks here and there’’ that could improve their 2024 roster, Judge believes “there’s some bigger-picture ideas, philosophies that I think maybe need to change.’’
A critical offseason began with Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the 106-loss Kansas City Royals, with the Yankees (82-80) missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
In what amounted to an exit interview, here’s what Judge had to say on a variety of team topics:
Time for a meeting
Judge plans to sit down with both owner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman to “brainstorm, kick ideas around’’ as soon as possible.
This year, the captain said he’s “talked mostly with Hal, more than Cash’’ about his in-season observations.
“I’m looking forward to having some meetings with Hal and Cash, both in the room, and kind of all of us voicing our opinion.’’
Do big changes need to be made?
Without specifying, Judge said things “happened this year that opened some people’s eyes and hopefully the right people saw it, and we get the right people in the room to discuss those things and figure it out.’’
Optimistic about better days ahead, Judge said: “We saw a lot of great things from our young guys and hopefully we can start to build a good group around them to kind of get us over the edge.’’
Staying off the IL
Another season with key veteran players filling up the injured list requires a deeper review of strength and conditioning staff and its methods.
Judge pointed to “clubs like the Dodgers and Braves, especially the Braves…guys are playing 150, 160 games every year’’ as models to follow.
Yankees' level of urgency
Moving into his second season as team captain, Judge says he’s “focused on the guys in this clubhouse to get things right.’’
But he suggested there needs to be more emphasis on a “level of urgency’’ around the Yanks.
“Just because you get into the big leagues, just because you get to New York, you’ve still got to improve, you’ve still got to make adjustments,’’ said Judge.
“That’s what I think these extra four weeks (off in October) will help guys figure out.’’
Diving into Yankees' use of analytics
Judge “didn’t have much of a reaction’’ about Steinbrenner hiring an outside firm to dive into the club’s baseball operations and application of analytics.
“Anything with numbers…you can skew them the way you want. I guess there’s another set of eyes on it,’’ said Judge, who believes there should be more balance.
“I think the Yankees are top notch in the numbers we get and all that. It’s now about funneling those down to the players in the right format.’’
Was there too much analytical info?
Judge wouldn’t say the players were overloaded with such data.
“It’s just looking at the right numbers,’’ said Judge. “You get a lot of numbers, but I think maybe we might be looking at the wrong ones.’’
Why Aaron Boone should return as Yankees manager
Boone has one guaranteed year left on his contract, and Judge is “looking forward to’’ more seasons with Boone at the helm.
“I think he’s got a good feel for the clubhouse…he’s just a good communicator,’’ said Judge. “He’s able to hold guys accountable.
“If he sees things he doesn’t like, he’s going to call you into the office and let you know.’’
Endorsing Yankees batting coach Sean Casey
Replacing the more analytically driven Dillon Lawson in July, new hitting coach Sean Casey has “a positive attitude that can help guys stay locked in on their at-bats,’’ said Judge.
It appears the call belongs to upbeat and popular Casey, whether he’d like to return in 2024, and Judge is hopeful that he does. “He’s been a great addition.’’
Aaron Judge's winter physical maintenance
Playing with a right big toe ligament tear since late July, Judge said he’s planning on a normal offseason with no surgery.
“We’re going to knock a couple things out,’’ said Judge, without elaboration on some physical evaluations. The torn ligament is “not fully healed, so once I get off it for a week or two, I think we’ll be good.’’
Judge missed 42 team games after slamming his right foot into the Dodger Stadium outfield wall making a game-saving catch on June 3, and the Yanks (10 games over .500 on June 4) began their descent.
