NOW IT COUNTS
Baby Bombers ready for real work to begin
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Aaron Judge says he wouldn’t change any part of his path to being the Opening Day right fielder for the Yankees this season.
His teammate Gary Sanchez also seems to have no regrets.
Looking back to last June, you would be hard-pressed to have predicted both players would be in the starting lineup at the start of the 2017 season.
Sanchez was out with a fractured right thumb after a disastrous spring training that landed him back at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Judge was in the midst of a 20 at-bat hitless streak that had some wondering if he ever would get to the majors.
A lot can change in a few months, and now, the former prospects will get a chance to prove themselves again, beginning Sunday against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Judge will have to show the adjustments he has made since the end of last season will carry over from the spring and make him less of a strikeout machine. Sanchez is looking to continue the rampage he began last August following his call-up from Scranton/WilkesBarre.
“I can’t sit here and get too excited about [Sunday] because now the real work starts,” Judge said before the Yankees held a workout at The Trop on Saturday. “We’ve got to win games and everything counts for real now. I hope I’m different than last year. I’ve made a lot of adjustments, and I’m trying to be more consistent.”
Because Judge didn’t have much success in his twomonth cameo with the Yankees last year, manager Joe Girardi placed him eighth in the lineup, while the more proven Sanchez will hit second.
“We talk about not putting too much on a young player’s plate in the beginning so you can earn your way up the lineup,” Girardi. “If he hits the way we believe he’s capable, there’s a good chance he’s going to move up. We’re trying not to put too much on him too early.”
Judge insists he’s not feeling pressure — nor are his teammates.
“I’m still trying to have fun,” Judge said. “To me, this is like a little league team. We have a lot of young guys with a lot of energy.”
Sanchez looked like he was playing little league at times in 2016, hitting homers at a record-setting pace.
He hit well again this spring, but pitchers, starting with Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer on Sunday, no doubt will continue to look for flaws in his offensive game.
Sanchez said he is ready for the challenge.
“I’m excited,” the catcher said through a translator. “I just want [Sunday] to get here and for us to start playing.”