JUDGE VS. HICKS DOWN TO WIRE
Still battling Hicks for job, Judge would go to SWB if he loses
DUNEDIN, Fla. — By noon Sunday, the Yankees have to submit 25 names to Major League Baseball and get ready for an Opening Day gig against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Aaron Hicks will be on the roster in a role Joe Girardi wasn’t ready to reveal Wednesday before the Yankees topped the Blue Jays, 3-1 , at Florida Exchange Stadium.
Aaron Judge’s situation isn’t as clear.
Anointed by Hal Stein- brenner during the offseason as “my right fielder,’’ Judge has had a solid spring training. But four days before the Yankees open the season against Rays right-hander Chris Archer, Girardi left the door open for Judge to start the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“That’s a tough decision, too, to decide what we are going to do there. We talked a little bit about it [Tuesday] and we will continue to talk about it. We will probably have another discussion with [Brian Cashman] tonight,’’ Girardi said. “He needs to play. That’s the bottom line.’’
If Judge opens in TripleA, the Yankees could keep Rob Refsnyder or recall Mason Williams. And there is the option of acquiring a reserve outfielder.
With the 27-year-old Hicks a switch hitter the Yankees might want him to play right field against righties as long as he hits.
Ju d ge’s va lu e to the Yankees is right-handed power and not as a bench player because the 6-foot-7, 282-pounder doesn’t have a short swing that works well off the bench.
At the beginning of camp, Girardi announced Hicks and Judge would compete for the right-field job. Judge appeared to be the early favorite, but the gap quickly closed and Girardi has consistently praised Hicks, who also can spell Jacoby Ellsbury in center and Brett Gardner in left and get playing time in a rotation system. That plan could get Judge the needed at-bats.
On March 1 0, Cashman told The Post, “We never said it was going to be Judge. Hicks is a young man with a lot to prove. He is having a great camp on offense and defense. Judge is having a good camp, too. I know it’s early.’’ Now, it’s very late. “When you look at Aaron Judge you don’t want him to sit,’’ Girardi said after Judge went 2-for-3 and drove in a run Wednesday. “If we don’t think there will be enough at-bats for him that would keep him off the team, but that is not what I am saying.’’
Judge insists the possibility of not starting the season in the big leagues isn’t consuming him.
“I can’t worry about that,’’ said Judge, who turns 25 next month. “If it’s DoubleA, High-A, play baseball and have fun. Everyone should be trying to take a job and have fun.’’
Judge and Hicks didn’t have much on their 2016 résumés to present to the decision-makers.
After a solid 93-game stint for SWB in which Judge batted .270 with 19 homers and drove in 65 runs, he was overmatched in 27 big league games before missing the f inal two weeks with a strained
oblique. Judge hit .179 (15-for-84) with four homers and 10 RBIs.
Most alarming were his 42 strikeouts in 84 at-bats. He has reduced the whiffs in spring training to 12 in 58 atbats and is hitting .345 (20-for-58) with three homers and six RBIs.
Hicks’ f irst season with the Yankees was a disaster. He was the fourth outfielder until Carlos Beltran was dealt in late July when Hicks was batting . 187 (39for-209). Given regular playing time in August and September, Hicks batted .271 (32-for-118), but was on the DL for almost t hree weeks in September with a hamstring injury. He is batting .264 with three homers and seven RBIs this spring.
If Girardi can f ind enough at-bats to keep Hicks sharp, then Judge likely stays. However, if the feeling is Hicks is the right fielder, then Judge lands in SWB to get consistent at-bats.