JUDGE & TANAKA PUT ON SHOW
Judge puts on a show full of mammoth BP blasts
TAMPA —“Look out!”
Who screamed these words Thursday at George M. Steinbrenner Field?
A) Joe Girardi, when an errant throw by Gleyber Torres entered the Yankees’ dugout.
B) Yankees assistant general manager Michael Fishman, as a bat-wielding Goose Gossage approached a computer.
C) Dellin Betances, upon seeing Randy Levine’s phone number on his caller ID.
D) A construction worker in left field, when an Aaron Judge home run headed his way.
The correct answer is D, and you’d think that folks would know better than to put themselves in harm’s way when Judge gets his turn to hit.
“It’s not every day you see guys hitting balls like that,” Girardi said of the man who hopes to be his right fielder.
Forget Sunday night’s Oscars red carpet show. A Judge batting-practice session will be the best pre-event show you’ll see anywhere this year. The 6-foot-7, 255- pounder with light-tower power can crush the ball in any direction, at seemingly any height and exit velocity
The key to Judge’s success naturally remains whether he can translate that mammoth strength into regularly good plate appearances. He didn’t do that enough in his big-league debut last year, striking out 42 times in 84 at-bats as he went deep four times. However, watching Judge take batting practice makes you appreciate why the Yankees are willing to be patient with the soon-to-be 25-year-old.
“Giancarlo Stanton,” new Yankee Matt Holliday said, when asked if he had seen similar power over his 13 years in the big leagues. “[Judge] is right there with him.”
Yankees special assignment scout Jim Hendry, a longtime baseball man, mentioned the legendary Frank
“Hondo” Howard and [very briefly] former Yankee Richie Sexson as well as the Marlins’ Stanton when asked whom Judge’s power evoked.
On Thursday, over a span of about 16 minutes, taking turns with Holliday, Jacoby Ellsbury and Ji-Man Choi, Judge swung at a total of 29 times on pitches from Double-A Trenton manager Bobby Mitchell. Seven of those swings produced home runs. None of those home runs was a cheapie.
The first one, on his third swing, sailed over the left-field fence. The second one went even higher to left, jeopardizing the safety of theh construction worker as t he Yankees put the finishing touches on the ballpark’s r enovation in preparation for Friday’s Grapefruit League opener.
The third one traveled to left-center field and struck the scoreboard, high up. The fourth shifted to rightcenter field, over the ad for Hooters.
The fifth wound up as the day’s piece de resistance: straightaway center field, high up off the batter’s eye. Remarkable. The sixth shot wasn’t bad, either, as it flew high enough to right-center field to strike the new walkway that resides two levels, essentially, from the top of the wall.
Judge’s last swing produced his final homer, a laser to right field.
He did his work in relative silence. The team’s council of elders, includ- ing Girardi, general manager Brian Cashman, $ 21 million guest instructor Alex Rodriguez and others, stood around the batting cage as Judge sent baseballs to varying zip codes. However, they didn’t exclaim or yelp or emit any other expressions of wonder.
“You’re not surprised when you see it. That’s the difference,” Girardi said. “For us, seeing him a lot, getting the chance to see him last year,, we saw it as well. But before that, ‘Oooh!’
“It’s kind of like with [Aroldis] Chapman. Now, when I see 102 [mph], I’m not surprised.”
I asked Judge whether he followed his homers to their final destination.
“I’m focused on the swing,” he said. “It’s kind of early to track a little bit to see if what. I’m feeling is translating to what really happens. You might hit one good and it might not go out.. But some of them, you do everything right, it usually goes where you want it to.”
Judge appreciates his pregame appeal. He blocks out that noise.
“In the cage, that’s where I’m working,” he said. “Once it’s BP, it’s about sticking to an approach and seeing how everything feels.”
Judge laughed when informed of the construction worker he putut in peril. “I missed that one,” he said.
Whether your agenda is enjoyment or self-preservation, youou shouldn’t miss Judge’s rehearsals for the big show.