NEW YORK — Aaron Judge wanted a change. The New York Yankees center fielder, one of the most feared hitters in major league baseball, struggled through the first few weeks of the season. By the end of April, his batting average had fallen to just .207.
“I wasn't doing very well,” he said recently.
So Judge, who, like many players, adjusts his swing frequently, decided to make what appeared to be a drastic adjustment.
On May 5, he came up to bat against Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Instead of taking his usual open batting stance, with his left foot angled toward the third baseman, he did something different: He closed his stance slightly, pointed his foot toward the pitcher and stood a little straighter.
It worked: With the count at 1-1, Skubal tried to throw a 97 mph fastball at Judge, but Skubal smashed it over home plate and Judge smashed a solo home run into the right-center field stands at Yankee Stadium.
Judge went 2-for-3 with one double and one walk. Since then, he has reclaimed his place as baseball's best hitter. Coming into Monday's road game against the Chicago White Sox, he led two of the Triple Crown's three categories with an AL-best 42 home runs and 106 RBIs. But his .328 batting average was second only to Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt, who had a .347 batting average. Judge's wRC+ of 217, a comprehensive measure of a player's overall value, was also the best, more than 30 points ahead of his nearest rival, teammate Juan Soto's 186.
He also has 299 career home runs and is on track to become the fastest player to reach 300.
Judge said the change has helped in several ways.
First, he said, he felt more comfortable. Second, he felt more effective against sliders and outside pitches in general. Through May 4, Judge was batting .154 and slugging .333 against sliders. Since May 5, he's batting .348 and slugging .812 against them.
“You're going to be able to catch the ball a little better on away pitches,” he said. “A lot of teams like to throw a slider on the outside. You throw a slider on the outside, then a heater on the inside, then a slider on the outside again. It's the same thing. If you start throwing it a little bit closer or a little bit straighter, like I always like to do, you're going to be able to catch the ball a little better on away pitches.”
He added that this allows his front foot to land more consistently where he wants it, pointing almost directly at the pitcher.
“You always want to get it back square when it lands,” he said, “but if you start farther away, you feel like you're not getting back square, and that ball feels even further away. So if you start more square, you're more likely to stay on the ball.”
Of course, this change isn't a one-time adjustment. Judge has stood further forward to pitchers on various occasions this season and has adjusted his standing height at times, all in an effort to find the right balance.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo, one of the most powerful hitting first basemen in baseball since his debut in 2011, said he's noticed a change in Judge's stance at the plate and that a hitter's feet can sometimes be the key to his success. During drills before spring training, Yankees players discussed focusing on closely watching each other's at-bats throughout the season and helping to correct any shortcomings.
“Hitting is very difficult,” Rizzo said, “but if you have good fundamentals and your timing is right, I don't think it matters where you start. … It's a matter of feel.”
Manager Aaron Boone said Judge's swing has looked more direct since the switch.
“In some ways, it's simplified it for him and made him really efficient at what he's doing at the plate,” Boone said. “Plus, we've seen some great swing decisions. He's really calm at the plate, he knows what he wants and he doesn't try to force it. He knows he doesn't need to swing harder or put in more effort. He's slowed down really well and from my standpoint and watching him, I think his stance and positioning is allowing him to be more efficient.”
Hitting coach James Rowson said it's not uncommon for even the best players in baseball to make significant adjustments to become more comfortable at the plate.
“I don't think it's weird,” Lawson said. “You're going to see them make adjustments to get a feel for something when you play 100 hitters. That doesn't mean they're going to stay there. They can stay there or they can go back. As long as he says he feels like he's in a good spot right now to make good moves, that's where we want to be. We're going to make adjustments to get that feel back.”
Judge has had fewer opportunities to capitalize on the pennies lately. Teams are starting to give him the Barry Bonds treatment again: instead of letting him win, they're pitching around him or intentionally walking him. Judge is tied with the Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez for the most intentional walks this season with 13. Teams did the same to Judge late in the 2022 season, when he hit 62 home runs to set an American League record.
Still, Judge said he's happy with the move and that continuing to seek comfort at the plate could pay off even more.
“There are certain things that I have to follow through on the course and I know that if I do that things will turn around,” he said, “but it's just like, just watching tape and analysing my game, sometimes little things stand out and we'll see if it pays off.”
The reporter then suggested to Judge that the measure actually seemed to have worked.
He smiled.
“so far.”
(Top photo of Aaron Judge by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
