For such a humongous talent, the end to this season was particularly quiet for Aaron Judge.
The New York Yankees fell to the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS on Wednesday night to affirm a 17th consecutive season without a World Series title in the Bronx. Judge wasn’t even available to help, though.
Judge battled injuries all season, and it was a fitting ending that he wasn’t even on the ALDS roster for the series that ended the campaign for the Yankees.
No matter how badly the Yankees needed a big hit against Tampa Bay, they couldn’t call on Judge. It didn’t make all the difference, but it couldn’t have helped.
Something notable looms now, though, larger at the end of this season than ever before.
Judge is one of the greatest players in Yankees history. He’s one of the greatest right-handed hitters in the history of the sport, too.
But he is getting closer to finishing his career without a World Series title.
Almost all of the Yankees greats have won at least one ring. Judge is at risk of joining the painful list of players who starred in pinstripes but never won it all.
The Obvious Comparison
When this topic comes up, the first name that comes to mind is Don Mattingly.
Mattingly somehow never even played in a World Series during his 14-year career in the Bronx.
He’s got that famous endpoint feat — the year before Mattingly debuted, the Yankees played in the 1981 World Series (and lost). The year after he retired, the Yankees played in the 1996 World Series (and won).
Mattingly, though, never got a chance in the Fall Classic.
He’s still remembered as a great Yankees hitter and fielder and leader, but there are times when it feels like something is missing from his legacy, and everyone knows what it is.
Judge did make it to a World Series, so he’s already checked that box. But without winning one, he’ll have some parallels with Mattingly.
What Needs to Change?
Judge’s health itself is a crucial piece of this.
At 6-foot-7, Judge is unlike most great players in baseball history, and there’s no telling how his body will hold up. He’s already into his mid-30s, having debuted in MLB a bit later than other standouts, and so there’s a chance his health will be an issue the rest of the way.
Without Judge, the Yankees are a definitively different team. They set up their roster to build around Judge, and without him, things get tougher.
This season’s Yankees did prove what it looks like when they actually have impressive pitching depth, and they’ll have to keep that going in years ahead.
Two of their biggest offseason questions are about free agency for Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham. They might bring neither back, but they’ll have to make some kinds of positive additions to help the cause somewhere in the lineup.
Really, though, it does feel like Judge’s health matters a ton. Mattingly actually left the sport early in part due to health issues. Judge isn’t on the verge of doing that, but the Yankees need their captain on the field.
Aaron Judge Risks Joining Infamous Yankees List