LOS ANGELES – MLB’s home run king only has one thing to prove for the rest of his career: lead the Yankees to a 28th World Series championship. Judge wasted no time attacking that goal and picking up where he left off in 2022. The newly-minted Yankees captain did his part on Opening Day of the 2023 season with a first inning-homer and another RBI with two hits in a 5-0 Yankees opening day win against the San Francisco Giants.
The reigning MVP and #MLBbro@TheJudge44 just ripped his first homer of the year on his first at bat! Will he break his own record? Watch out 62 👀 https://t.co/QBzKC5z5Pm
“I was just trying to get on base for the guys behind me and lucky I was able to sneak one out there and get the party going,” Judge told YES Network reporters.
Judge Sets Off 2023 In 2022 Fashion
Aaron Judge did everything for his team last year. He led all the majors in RBI with 131, on-base percentage with .425, slugging percentage with .686, and most notably, broke the AL record in home runs with 62, which helped solidify his AL MVP, along with a silver slugger award and an All-MLB first team honoree. He was also the second MLBbro Player of the Year, following our inaugural winner, Marcus Semien in 2021.
Judge Gets The Bag: Wants Another Crack At Postseason
All this earned him a record-breaking contract, as Judge signed a nine-year contract, worth $360 million, making him the highest paid player in MLB history. Even with a historical regular season, his postseason performance was one to forget. In nine playoff games, he batted .139, with two home runs, three RBI, and had a total of five hits. His subpar performance, along with the team getting swept by the Houston Astros in the ALCS, temporarily took some of the shine from his record-breaking regular season.
After a very underwhelming postseason, Judge picked up right where he left off in the regular season during this spring training. In his first 31 games, he batted .368, with two home runs, seven RBI, an on-base percentage of .467, and a slugging percentage of .684. MVP numbers.
World Series Or Bust
Although the AL East may be a battle this season with the Toronto Blue Jays surging, the expectations are World Series or bust with the Bronx Bombers. They’ve made the playoffs in each of the previous six seasons, making it to the AL championship in three of those years. The Yankees have not been to the World Series since they won it in 2009, and their fans are starting to get restless. They are contenders year after year, yet they can’t get over the hump to get back to the fall classic.
With Judge’s new contract almost guaranteeing that he’ll be a Yankee for life, the MLBbro is now officially the face of the franchise. The first real face of MLB’s most historic franchise since the captain, Derek Jeter. While it may be a tall ask to have the same pressure as one of MLB’s greatest players, signing a contract worth $40 million a year also means that he’s also signing to try and live up to that tall ask.
Judge Has Overcome Early Career Injury Concerns
Earlier in his career, the concern with Judge was injuries, as he only played 242 regular season games between the 2018 and 2020 season out of a possible 384. However, in the last two seasons, he only missed a total of 19 games, showing that he has become more durable for his team.
The only thing that Judge has to do is show up in the playoffs. Throughout his entire postseason career, he’s batting .211, compared to a .284 career regular season batting average. It’s the only thing that Judge needs to do to solidify his legacy as a Yankees great. He came into Opening Day on a mission and the Yankees hope he continues to be in this Hall of Fame zone.
When you speak of MLBbro legends, Frank Robinson is part of an exclusive group. His name is all over the MLB record books. Rob Parker remembers this titan of the game who was also a manager.
It’s safe to say Andrew McCutchen is a seasoned veteran, now in his 14th MLB season. He also has a new home in Wisconsin, after signing a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. Don’t let the age fool you, this 35-year-old can still ball and he’s already showing Brewers fans the team made a good decision in signing him.
In his debut with the Brewers, McCutchen went 2-for-5 and scored a run. The next game he finished 1-for-3 at the plate.
Yesterday, new #Brewers Andrew McCutchen, Hunter Renfroe, and Victor Caratini all recorded hits in their first game with the team.
All three of these players will play crucial roles for Milwaukee this season. pic.twitter.com/e4LsdxaVnd
— Brewers Stats and Updates (@BrewersStat) April 8, 2022
The Brewers will work McCutchen in different areas of the lineup. In his first game he batted clean up and then hit leadoff the second game.
It didn’t take him long to get involved in a situation that involved both teams clearing its benches either.
Benches clear in the Brewers-Cubs game after Andrew McCutchen is hit by a pitch.
In the second game of the series between the Brewers and the Chicago Cubs, Cubs pitcher Keegan Thompson hit McCutchen, and let’s just say McCutchen was not a happy camper after. Also, before McCutchen got hit, three Cubs hitters were hit earlier in the game. Well, when our brother got hit, both teams went out onto the field and had some words.
That’s all that happened but you got the chance to see that McCutchen isn’t about no games. This man is a team player and he’s always willing to leave it all out on the field. When he joined the Brewers, McCutchen knew something good was going to come out of it.
“I knew coming here I was going to be able to help out a lot,” he said in an interview with Bally Sports Wisconsin.
Even though the season just started it’s a good sign to see how McCutchen has been swinging.
No matter where he’s at in the lineup, he finds a way to get the job done at the plate. Throughout his entire career, our MLBbro has been known for his above average hitting and power at the plate. The five-time all-star made a name for himself during his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
During his time in Pittsburgh, he was named National League MVP, won a Gold Glove award, and multiple Silver Slugger awards.
Since his time with the Pirates, McCutchen bounced around a few teams before spending a few seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies embraced him with open arms and he was an important piece to the team’s lineup. Last year, in his final season with the Phillies, he finished tied for second on the team in home runs (27) and was second on the team with 80 RBI. Now he’s looking to help the Brewers make another playoff push.
Is he the same player he was when he won the MVP award? No he’s not, but he’s still a high-level player. This man knows how to keep his body in shape and keep himself conditioned to where he can continue to play at the highest level. McCutchen has at least three more seasons in him, maybe more.
This is one player you want to keep an eye on this season – don’t be surprised if he makes some noise with the Brewers.
Mookie Betts made his return to the lineup Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on August 26th after missing 16 consecutive games. It was a good sign to see Betts back in action and the timing could not be any better as the Dodgers fight to stay within striking distance of the surprising San Francisco Giants in the National League West.
Betts made the start against the San Diego Padres and despite going 0-for-3, the Dodgers were able to pull out the victory.
Mookie Betts back in the Dodgers lineup tonight 😎
Los Angeles has activated the 5x All-Star & 5x Gold Glove winner from the 10-day injured list ahead of Thursday’s game in San Diego. pic.twitter.com/EgAr1eRK8X
The two-time World Series champion will play a significant role for the Dodgers toward the end of the season as he’s done numerous times in his career. Betts has been dealing with injuries throughout the season, but he’s been pushing through and has still impacted the team.
Before Betts missed those 16 games with right hip inflammation, his bat was on fire. He was on a five-game hitting streak.
Through 88 games this season, Betts is batting .274 with a .516 slugging percentage. He also has hit 17 home runs with 44 RBI. Just think of how impressive his stats would be if he didn’t have to deal with myriad injures.
He continues to be one of the top hitters on the team. Betts adds that rare combination of speed and power to a ineup that makes the Dodgers such a dangerous team.
Whether he’s setting the table at the top or driving in runs in the middle of the lineup, the former MVP and 30-30 club member, knows how to make things happen and that’s what makes him so special.
When it comes to stepping up, Betts knows how to come through in clutch moments. Our MLBbro loves the big stage. If the Dodgers want a shot at winning the division, Betts will have to be consistent at the plate and make those game-changing plays in the outfield or second base — wherever they put him.
Now that he’s back in action, look for the Dodgers to monitor Betts heavily because they cannot afford to have him miss any more games at this point of the season.
When he joined the Dodgers in 2020, you see what happened, he helped them win the World Series. This season Betts has a chance to win his third World Series and his second straight.
When his career is over, they will be talking about putting him in the Hall of Fame. But for now, he’s going to try and help the Dodgers win as many titles as possible.
Watch out for our MLBbro because he will probably have one of his best stretches as the playoff race takes shape.
If you have not been watching Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen recently, then you are missing out. By the time his Sunday was complete, he had reached career milestones in doubles (35) and runs scored (1,000).
The 34-year-old has seen the ball really well since the end of May. He is currently on a six-game hitting streak, which has increased his batting average to .225 on the year.
His 10 home runs are second on the team and he is also second on the team in RBI with 28. Even though his batting average may not be up to par, he’s still been swinging a hot stick.
And his hits have been timely. The former 2013 National League MVP still has some power in his bat. During his six-game hitting streak, he’s 9-for-20 with three home runs with seven RBI.
McCutchen came through big time in the Phillies’ 5-2 victory over the Nationals on June 5. He only had one hit that game, but that hit was a three-run homer that helped the Phillies seal the victory.
The next day, on June 6, he went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
After that game, McCutchen talked about his performance and how he came and delivered for his team. Beyond the stick, McCutchen’s leadership is also invaluable.
“That’s what it’s all about,” McCutchen told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We don’t get many opportunities like that so when we do, you have to be able to capitalize. We were able to do that.”
The Phillies took two of three from the Nationals in their recent series. McCutchen was one of the Phillies’ top hitters during the series, going 5-for-10 with four RBI.
When the 2021 season started, McCutchen got off to a slow start. The 13-year veteran hit an abysmal .169 for April.
In baseball, there will be times where players face slumps and aren’t hitting the way they want to. One thing you have to continue to do is continue to stay positive and always and be ready for the next opportunity.
When May rolled around, McCutchen started to see more success at the plate. He went on a six-game hitting streak during the month.
One area McCutchen has had success this season is hitting off of left-handed pitchers. In a separate article from the Philadelphia Inquirer that was published on June 3, it stated that McCutchen was hitting .301 against lefties.
“Sometimes I can fall into these patterns to where I’m one way on a lefty, and then when a righty comes in, the approach kind of changes,” McCutchen said. “I feel like lefties, maybe I’m diving over the plate.
“Righties come in, and I’m diving, and I’m missing pitches that I should be hitting. It’s just about centering that and fine-tuning it so you can be even-keeled against a lefty or a righty. I don’t look at it as a problem. I just look at it as a challenge.”
I dont mean this in a cocky way. But I’ve learned that you have to believe in yourself before anyone else can. Ppl will give up on you if you dont meet their expectations. I will never give up on me. Self talk is the best talk. Let’s get em Tuesday https://t.co/u2UxlX45xD
So even though his overall numbers aren’t the best this season, McCutchen still has a lot of value to this Phillies team. He’s the type of player that can change the game with one swing of the bat and he’s displayed that his whole career.
Now in his third year with the Phillies, McCutchen will look to continue to establish himself as a threat at the plate and in the field.
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