Breaking News: Aaron Judge Issues a Serious Warning to the Yankees About Red Sox Former All-Star.
Will the 2025 season be difficult for Aaron Judge? Concerned about the Yankees star is one former pitcher.
As the 2025 season approaches, Jonathan Papelbon, a former MLB All-Star closer, is concerned about Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees.
Judge’s 2024 postseason performance was dismal. The Yankees star only had a.184/.344/.408/.752 slash through 14 games. Despite hitting three home runs, Judge’s playoff performance was mostly lackluster. Though it is debatable if the Fall Classic would have been more competitive had Judge performed at his MVP level, the Yankees were still able to make it to the World Series.
Judge has, however, previously performed admirably throughout the regular season. After all, Judge has already won the MVP award twice in the American League, including in 2024.
Papelbon is concerned about the Yankees star, but why? The former Boston Red Sox All-Star pitcher thinks Judge’s postseason problems may persist into the regular season in 2025.
During a recent appearance on Foul Territory, Papelbon stated, “The fact is that all baseball players are mentally strong, man.” “They’re all of them. We simply press because that’s how we’re formed. We’ve all pressed at different times, even me. Based on his performance throughout the playoffs, I believe that he will continue to press. He will likely face much superior pitching staffs in the AL East this season, in my opinion. To be honest, I believe that the difficulties still exist.
To put it mildly, Papelbon’s prognosis is audacious. So, does Papelbon think Judge will eventually recover?
“I believe he will need to find another source of motivation,” Papelbon added. “I know he plays in the regular season, but I think the first month will be really interesting.”
An analysis of Jonathan Papelbon’s forecast for Aaron Judge, the star of the Yankees
Over the previous three years, Judge has been reliable during the regular season when healthy. Obviously, Papelbon’s statement will not sit well with Yankees supporters. However, there is one aspect that cannot be refuted.
Without a doubt, baseball is a cerebral game. According to Yankees great Yogi Berra, “baseball is ninety percent mental.”
You see, position players only get four or five at-bats every game in baseball. A batter usually doesn’t get more than five plate appearances in a single game, but if the game goes into extra innings, they could get six or seven.
Additionally, batters frequently have to wait a few innings before they can take the field again. Therefore, a batter could have to wait a long time for his next at-bat if he gets an unsightly strikeout. Additionally, a batter will not be given another chance until the following game if they go 0–5 with three strikeouts.
Judge now only managed to hit.184 in the Yankees’ pivotal games of the season. Furthermore, he won’t have the chance to recover until the 2025 campaign begins. This indicates that ever since the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series, Judge has been reflecting on his difficulties.
But there is hope.
In any sport, the best players manage to overcome the tendency to overthink things. All-Stars know how to keep their composure while avoiding the outside noise, even if they will have to cope with criticism, dissatisfaction, and other issues.
