New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has been a dominant force for years now. His massive home runs and intimidating presence make him a nightmare for pitchers opposite him.  But, the start of the 2024 season hasn’t seen Judge deliver his typical dominant level. Could it be that his confidence got shaky at the plate?

Well, the statistics tell a part of the story. On one hand, Judge remains a key asset to the Yankees lineup. On the other, his early season batting average has dipped lower than his career average. Manager Aaron Boone even referred to this in a recent talk with the press. The reporter from YES Network said, “He feels like maybe you’re not dominating the fastball like you typically do when you’re locked in.”  

Aaron Judge Conveys A Clear Message

Captain All Rise himself just dismissed these specific concerns. He emphasized his answer with a relentless focus on improvement. When asked about his current state of mind, his words were, “Just like every year, just trying to improve and just trying to work. 

He further elaborated on what happens when he misses his pitches. In Judge’s words, “And yeah, when I’m getting my pitch and missing it, and throwing away the good at-bats, walks when I can and staying aggressive – that’s the only way to get out there and especially with the lineup, keep swinging.”  This conveys a clear message. 

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Judge is focused on the process of improvement, and not on dwelling too much on the results. While there is no doubt that All Rise is someone who appears on the diamond with the weight of great expectations. But it is key to remember that even the best hitters experience periods of struggle.  

Judge’s Confidence Speaks – “It’s baseball”

Though he might have temporarily brushed off the concerns, it is perhaps just his confidence speaking. Though Aaron Boone expressed some concerns about not dominating the fastball Judge’s focus on staying focused and aggressive stays intact. He also further shared, “It’s baseball,” he said. “now, you go through ups and downs like this throughout the year. obviously, you don’t want to start out like that, you know, we keep throwing out wins and we didn’t win tonight. all we can do is show up tomorrow and keep working and end the series with a win.”

Judge’s past performance speaks volumes of his ability to bounce back from setbacks. Though this is a hopefully a temporary blip, Yankees fans can expect Judge to make the necessary adjustments. It is only a matter of time before he erupts at the plate. After all, as Judge himself mentioned, the key is to “keep swinging.”