Aaron Judge participates in a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in the Bronx, New York. Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock
Everybody stand up! The New York Yankees announced that aaron judge will become the sixteenth captain in baseball team historymaking him the first person to hold the title since Derek Jeter.
“It’s my great pleasure … to welcome Aaron, not only back to the Bronx, but also to welcome Aaron back to the Bronx as the 16th captain of this great organization, the New York Yankees,” the New York Yankees said. owner. hal steinbrenner he said at a press conference on Wednesday, December 21. “An honor and a position that is well deserved.”
The 30-year-old outfielder, who attended the event along with Jeter, 48, spoke about the “honor” of his appointment and recognized several of the team’s previous captains.
Aaron Judge and Derek Jeter participate in a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in the Bronx, New York. Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock
“To have the opportunity to captain the Yankees now, it goes without saying what an honor that is,” he said. “I looked at the list again: Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, ron guidry, willie randolphDerek Jeter, Don Mattingley. That’s a pretty good list, not just great baseball players, but great ambassadors for the game and great ambassadors for the New York Yankees. This is an incredible honor that I do not take lightly.”
Earlier this year, the California native broke the American League single-season home run record, surpassing Roger Maris’ previous achievement in October with 62. By the time the Yankees’ season ended, however, Judge was an agent. free and some fans worried. he would leave New York for another team.
The athlete allayed the fears of Yankee fans earlier this month when he signed a nine-year contract with the team for $360 million. The four-time All-Star has played in pinstripes since he made his MLB debut in 2016.
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits his 61st home run in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 28, 2022 at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Canada. Andrew Lahodynskyj/UPI/Shutterstock
Jeter, for his part, served as team captain for the Yankees from 2003 until his retirement in 2014. Since he left the sport, the club has not had a captain. Judge said Wednesday that Steinbrenner, 53, first mentioned the appointment earlier this month during a phone call that reportedly helped finalize the slugger’s negotiations with the team.
“I was a little lost for words,” Judge recalled of the conversation. “I was quite taken aback, because it’s an incredible honor.”
Steinbrenner added that it was “hard” to imagine the Yankees without Judge, who was named AL MVP in November. “In one of the conversations we had two weeks ago, I actually told him, ‘As far as I’m concerned, you’re not a free agent,'” the businessman recalled. “‘As far as I’m concerned, you’re a Yankee, and we must do everything we can to make sure you stay the same.'”
