Jaelen Gilkey tells you why despite the failure of the Yankees organization to field a winning club this season and Judge’s injury, the 2022 AL MVP is living up to his contract.
The New York Yankees have had a season of injury, inconsistency and disappointment to say the least. After being on the short list of teams that could represent the American League in the World Series, the Yankees will potentially finish out the season at the bottom of the AL East. As of September 14th, they stand 17.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles.
In short, there is little to no chance the Yankees will extend their season past 162 games.
Playoff odds right now (via FanGraphs):
National League
—————–
100% ATL LAD
99.7% MIL
95.8% PHI
77.3% CHC
40.8% SF
34.0% ARI
29.0% CIN
23.3% MIAAmerican League
—————–
100% TB BAL
99.8% MIN
96.8% HOU
79.2% TEX
77.6% SEA
45.6% TOR
0.4% BOS
0.3% NYY
0.2% CLE— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) September 14, 2023
With this scenario becoming reality with each passing day, the franchise now has to face the decision of whether or not to rest the veterans and start evaluating their young talent. This is common practice for organizations that are conceding late in the season, tanking for picks or evaluating potential trade chips.
All three are uncommon practices for a perennial World Series contender like the vaunted New York Yankees, who have won an MLB-high 27 rings.
The 2023 season has been a flub, but Yankees fans can’t say the team is tanking down the stretch. After winning four of their last five games and 12 of their last 17, the Yankees have finally pulled themselves back over the .500 mark.
Who was the main character powering the team to the win? MLBbro extraordinaire, Aaron Judge…
But at this point in the season, does it matter? Should Aaron Judge be contemplating options for the recuperation of his ailing toe? According to Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone, the 2022 AL MVP has already made the decision on what he wants to do.
“Judgey wants to play,” Boone told reporters before Wednesday’s rainout, per NJ.com’s Max Goodman. “Judgey wants to be a part of it, set a tone and example for the younger guys coming up too. So we’ll certainly be mindful of that and try not to put anyone in harm’s way certainly, but also treating these as very important games.”
Even with the toe injury that shut him down for much of the season still an issue, the Yankees need his offense in the lineup and to give fans a reason to show up to the ballpark.
There are no reports of shutting the reigning MLBbro MVP down for the rest of the season which increases the risk of further injury to the franchise’s biggest investment — a 31 year-old superstar who is in the first year of a nine-year, $360 million contract.
MLBbro Judge deserves a ton of credit for his leadership and dedication to his teammates to make the final playoff push. However, it has not worked out the way anyone associated with the organization would have liked.
Since returning from the IL, Judge compiled a batting average around .211 and has suffered a recent 2-21 slump. Even though his current .254 average with 32 home runs and 62 RBI pales in comparison to last year’s numbers, it DOMINATES in comparison to his teammates who have struggled mightily at the plate for most of the season.
Even though the Yankees are mathematically alive for the playoffs, just look at the list of things they have to do (This is with outside help from other playoff contenders).
With the Yanks being officially eliminated in a week or so, the silver lining in all of this is that Judge will get an extra month to heal the ligaments in his toe. According to doctors, the rest of the season should not be a major health concern for the most famous toe in New York.
Earlier in the season before Judge returned from the IL, specialists reported that the injury was more about pain tolerance than threats of further damage. As of now, look for Judge to play, but if things go south and Aaron Judge aggravates the injury further that could set him back next season, MLBbro.com already has a couple of MLBbros that can navigate this $360 million franchise player the right way…
Two MLBbro Icons That Can Turn the New York Yankees Around (Not Named Aaron Judge!)
Five MLBbros were recently nominated for one of the most prestigious honors in baseball, the Roberto Clemente Award.
This award annually recognizes “the player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” according to MLB.com.
The nominees are Aaron Judge, Tony Kemp, Josiah Gray, Marcus Stroman, and Hunter Greene.
While these players have had success on the field, the work they have done off the field has not gone unnoticed.To even be mentioned as a nominee for this award just let’s you know that the MLB has a lot of respect for these players for the work they do off the field and in the community.
The last MLBbro to win this award was Curtis Granderson in 2016 when he was a member of the New York Mets. Fellow MLBbro Andrew McCutchen won the award a year prior with Pittsburgh.
Let’s take a look at each of these five MLBbros who were nominated and the work they’ve done throughout their career.
Judge has certainly evolved into one of the league’s top players and one of the best power hitters in the game.
Aaron Judge Is Back Against Baltimore & He Speaks | Says Toe Is “Not 100 %” But He’s Going All Out
Aside from his performance on the field, he is active in Brooklyn and his hometown of Linden, California.
His ALL RISE Foundation was created in 2018 and has helped more than 2,000 children in those communities. The organization has a mini-grant program that helps pay for registration and helps with transportation to leadership conferences.
He also holds baseball camps as well.
Kemp has played for multiple teams throughout his career, and he has still been able to find time to give back and support the community. He is on the Player’s Committee of the Player’s Alliance, and he also has supported numerous initiatives.
One in particular is the +1 Effect campaign, which aims to combat social injustice through individual campaigns.
Gray has wasted no time making an impact after joining the Washington Nationals in 2021. The all-star is the player ambassador to the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.
MLBbro Pitcher Josiah Gray Is One Of 26 First-Time MLB All-Stars | The New Generation Is Taking Over
In that role he helps with fundraising efforts and serves as a mentor to the participants in the program. Gray has quickly become a fan favorite in the nation’s capital, and he’ll look to keep making an impact on and off the field.
Stroman has been a workhouse ever since he entered the league.
He’s a player who leaves it all out on the field when he plays and he makes sure to give that same energy off the field.
His Height Doesn’t Measure Heart foundation speaks volumes to who he is as a player and person.
Stroman’s foundation provides opportunities for young people facing adversity. No matter what team he’s playing for, he’s going to find a way to help make an impact in the community.
In his young MLB career, Greene has wasted no time being a face in the community. He holds an annual camp called the Hunter Greene Baseball Camp, and he also does cleat giveaways and has discussions with the youth.
When he has the time, Greene makes sure that he is giving back to the community any way he possibly can.
We want to congratulate our five MLBbros for the nomination and come October, we may have another one of our bro’s be honored with this significant award.
Fans can vote for the nominees using this link http://mlbtogether.com/clemente21, and they will have until October 1 to vote.
Rachel Hill does a dive and gives her two cents on the socially-uplifting purpose of MLBbro superstar Aaron Judge’s All Rise Foundation.
When MLBbro.com acquired the mission statement to cover and spotlight Black and brown baseball players from the past to present to the future, it was a huge undertaking, but a very necessary one. While doing that, the company has grown in reputation and contributions over the last three seasons, particularly after the pandemic.
What’s even more impressive about MLBbro.com’s accomplishments and dedication is the small number of Black and brown players represented in the league and seemingly shrinking month to month. It’s challenging to keep track of the elevator between the minors and majors that many of them are constantly on. Certain teams don’t have any Black players, so covering them is also challenging and sad and angering at the same time.
According to MLBbro.com columnist, David Grubb in his weekly “Diamond Cuts” column, at the start of the 2022 season, MLBbros made up only 7.2 percent of the players on rosters on Opening day. This season, that percentage dropped a full percentage point to 6.2 percent.
With injuries to superstars, DFAs (“Designated for assignment” or released) and lack of representation in the All-Star Game, sometimes the mission of highlighting these sensational feats by Black ballplayers is difficult to do.
HOWEVER, when you have two dominant ballers like Judge and Mookie, there’s always something to discuss.
Arguably the top two MLBbros in the game, Mookie Betts and Aaron Judge have been tearing up their opponents as of late. Whether it be four home runs in less than 24 hours (Judge) or getting a career high five hits in one game (Betts), it has been a run that has the staff of MLBbro.com wondering who is hotter right now.
Look to the fearless leader of the MLBbro movement, Rob Parker to foreshadow a possible debate going into the final month of the MLB season. Despite Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman and Matt Olsen being the front runners for NL MVP, the MLBbro.com founder thinks the MVP is Betts, due to the defensive versatility that he brings to the red-hot Dodgers.
It seems that Betts should get the same recognition that the media gives to Shohei Ohtani for being able to pitch at a high level while leading all of baseball in home runs. Mookie has put in work in multiple positions all over the diamond including the outfield, shortstop and second base. Not only that, but he has also done a credible job at each position.
Despite his defensive prowess, t’s the offensive side of the ball that puts this MLBbro square in the middle of the MVP conversation. Overall, as of this writing, Mookie has a hitting slash of .310/.405/.605 with 34 homers, 89 RBI with 105 runs scored. He tops the majors with a 7.0 fWAR and is near the top with a rWAR of 6.9.
But the fact that Betts has turned himself into an amazing slugger at his size is the next level of his growth. Something that was a topic of conversation on MLB Network.
Mookie Betts is just one HR short of tying his career-high!
Tom Verducci and @markdero7 dive into what makes the 7x All-Star such a unique slugger.#MLBCentral | @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/F8w6gFKhUV
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 22, 2023
Betts is hitting over .440 going into this weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. Hopefully this series will be a continuation of the dominant performances as of late. He hit two homers on LeBron James bobblehead night and followed that up with his first career five-hit performance.
Bottom line, this MLBbro.com tweet says it all…
The Incredible Mr Mookie Betts keeps pounding as the season steadily moves towards October baseball for the LA Dodgers.
After going 5-for-5 in a game that started on Wednesday and ended on Thursday, the MLBbro is batting .567 during his current 11-game hit streak and has hit… pic.twitter.com/tOTV1rm5dk
— MLBbro.com (@MLBbrodotcom) August 24, 2023
Now it is very hard to compare Aaron Judge’s exploits as of late to Mookie Betts’.
Why?
The Dodgers are passing the time mowing down opponents before the playoffs while the Yankees were mired in a nine-game losing streak. Why is Judge still considered the top MLBbro?
No help as Gary Sheffield Jr. discusses right here…
Even With A Bum Toe, MLBbro Aaron Judge Is The Show, But He Can't Win Without Any Help
Gary Sheffield Jr. explains why someone in Yankees organization needs to call 911 pic.twitter.com/jyaTvWzjXp
— MLBbro.com (@MLBbrodotcom) August 21, 2023
While the Yankees do need to call 911 like Wyclef, MLBbro.com did have two individuals that could help the Yanks get back on track. But for now, Judge will have to carry the show as he set a career-high with three Bro Bombs against the Washington Nationals. Then the man dusted off another homer for his fourth in FIVE AT BATS in a 24-hour period!
Aaron Judge AGAIN 💣 @BRWalkoff
That's his 4th HR in his last 5 at-bats 🔥
(via @Yankees)pic.twitter.com/GqXzDjpPcX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 24, 2023
Even though this is considered a sample size season due to his toe injury, his stats, comparable to other MLB players almost doesn’t make sense!
Baseball is still a business, and the Yankees still have to fill seats in what has turned into a disastrous season. It would be easy for this MLBbro MVP to shut it down and have surgery on his toe. He hasn’t done that. He has earned every penny of his new contract and might need a raise.
All of this while climbing the ladder in the Yankees record books.
Aaron Judge keeps climbing the Yankees record books as he piles up the dingers. #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/qvWnQxq2SI
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 24, 2023
Who’s the hottest MLBbro right now? That question is left to the MLBbro fans, but both Mookie and Judge have a case.
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