READY TO BOP!
Judge, Stanton eager to begin
TORONTO — It’s time. It’s time to see whether Aaron Judge can be more than just a one-hit wonder. It’s time to see whether Giancarlo Stanton can succeed under the New York spotlight.
It’s time to see whether this slugging tandem that has already drawn comparisons to Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle can live up to the hype.
Judge and Stanton will hit second and third in the batting order Thursday afternoon as the Yankees open up a highly-anticipated 2018 season with Boone-or-bust expectations against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Both are coming off brilliant seasons in which they combined for 111 homers, picking up AL Rookie of the Year (Judge) and NL MVP (Stanton) honors.
But that’s all history now.
“Last year’s over,” Judge said. “You can’t take it with you.”
And so a new chapter begins, and the pressure builds.
“It’s still the same,” Judge said when asked to compare his standing now to when he was battling for the starting job in spring training last year. “You’ve still got to prove yourself.”
For Judge, that means avoiding a sophomore slump after becoming arguably the face of baseball in his first year in the majors. And for Stanton, that means adjusting to new pitchers and a new position (DH/LF) in baseball’s biggest market, and living up to his massive salary.
Stanton offered Judge some advice.
“I would say not try to be better than he was last year,” Stanton said. “Don’t try to compare numbers or compare where you were at this point last year. Just build off it, trust yourself, trust your preparation and know you’re going to do well. And set yourself up to do well. Don’t worry about the size of those expectations. It only exists if you put it in your mind.”
Reggie Jackson seemed to offer the best advice for Stanton early in the spring when Mr. October said simply: “Play good.”
Like Jackson and Alex Rodriguez before him, Stanton may be faced with his share of adversity as the team’s newest superstar. After all, A-Rod, who made his own transition to third base from shortstop in The Bronx, was hitting .206 on April 22 in his first year in pinstripes.
“You don’t worry about the negativity,” Stanton said. “You don’t worry about what if I do this, what if this guy throws me this, what if I have a bad series here. All those what-ifs are basically concrete. You’ve got to have a positive mindset.”
Stanton expects to play the outfield once or twice a week, depending on matchups and when Aaron Boone elects to rest others.
“When I’m out there, I have to be more locked in because I don’t have so many reps,” Stanton said of becoming more of a DH.
Boone appreciates Judge’s acceptance of his new teammate while also feeling good about how comfortable Stanton is in his new environment, with a golden opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time in his career.
“I think they’re both in a great place, and I’m just really excited they’re both on my side,” Boone said.
Something Judge told Brett Gardner during a spring workout — ‘Hey man, there’s been a lot of one-hit wonders, and I’m not going to be one of them,’ — completely caught the veteran outfielder off guard.
“It came out of nowhere,” Gardner said. “I didn’t necessarily say anything to provoke it, so it surprised me. But that’s the kind of mentality that he has. He’s not satisfied with where he’s at or the season he had last year. He’s a hard worker, and his mindset is he’s going to keep trying to get better.” Judge signed off on Brian Cashman acquiring Stanton. And Stanton willingly waived his no-trade clause to make the move from Miami to the Big Apple, so far embracing everything that comes with that. The duo can trade hitting tips, and pick each other up on and off the field.
Stanton says there are no friendly wagers between them on who hits more homers.
“No bets on that just yet,” he said.
The honeymoon phase is over. It’s time to see what Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have in store for 2018. A lot rides on their production at the plate. But as long as they “play good,” everything should be fine.