Today, Aaron Judge is the captain of the New York Yankees. But one year back, at the same time, the same Aaron Judge was without a contract and was playing with the massive pressure of turning down a whopping $230 million contract along with an approaching free agency.

It wasn’t an easy time for the outfielder. He was going to enter free agency at the conclusion of the 2022 season and he had just failed to negotiate a contract with the Yanks, which offered him $230 million for eight years. Judge demanded a lengthier contract going up to $300 million at least, but the front office wasn’t ready to go that far.

After placing a massive bet on himself in 2022, Aaron Judge majorly started doubting himself

The season began and Judge wasn’t off to the best start. Regret, fear, and most importantly, self-doubt started creeping in. But that’s when the entire MLB world saw what Aaron Judge can do.

As reported by MLB Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch, after smashing his first HR in 2022, Aaron Judge retrospected how he rejected a whopping $230 million contract and was underperforming at the start of 2022. The 6 feet 7 inches tall giant said, “You’re sitting there in the outfield, thinking, ‘Man, I should have taken that deal.’ I’m hitting .240, and I’ve got no homers. I’m like, ‘Oh man, I think they’re right.’”

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But things changed very quickly for Judge, who smashed 52 home runs in only his second MLB season (2017) and led the AL home run charts.

Nevertheless, it all ended well for the New York Yankees captain

Eventually, the bet on himself worked. While 2022 started off slowly for Judge, he caught up with the pace. As he moved to smash 62 home runs in the season, surpassed Roger Maris, and was named the American League MVP.

As a result, he moved to sign a $360 million contract with the New York Yankees and the Yankees front office made the expected and awaited announcement of Aaron Judge as their captain.

Aaron Judge has had a rather slow start to 2023. But 2022 was not very different, and he ended up smashing 62 homers and beating Roger Maris’ record. Can he recreate another miracle in 2023? How high are your expectations from Aaron Judge? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Watch this story:- Despite $40 Million Promise, Aaron Judge Could Make a Lot Less Every Year According to $600 Million Investor