The Weight of Aaron Judge’s Rising Star
Aaron Judge is one of the biggest baseball players I’ve ever seen. He’s taller than Frank Thomas and David Ortiz with a thick, yet athletic physique. He’s been the brightest star in New York since Derek Jeter retired.
One season in major league baseball is a marathon and a successful career in the major leagues is whatever the unit measure for light years is, so I’m not ready to crown Aaron Judge the king of baseball or New York. But I am hopeful.
Yes, he’s a Yankee and my baseball allegiance is to the Cleveland Indians, but I do love baseball, and he’s exactly what baseball needs. He’s young, humble, huge, good, mixed race, adopted, and again he’s huge. Why do these factors matter? They matter because you need a star that multiple people can relate to. We’d love to think that everyone can relate to a Bryce Harper or Buster Posey, but let’s face it, the little boys and girls on the east side of Cleveland or south side of Chicago might not quite feel the connect (yes it’s about race). Aaron Judge helps to bridge the gap to the kids who may not normally look at baseball as a sport to play in high school or college. He bridges the gap for big kids who think they’re only option is football, he bridges the gap for tall kids who think they’re only option is basketball. He bridges the gap for black and white kids and other mixed race kids because he embodies a little of all of them, literally.
It’s important for MLB to bring new young faces to the sport and Aaron Judge, if he continues to produce, can do that. He can drive up viewership of the Home Run Derby and All Star Game. He can bring viewers back to Yankee’s games in the stadium and on tv.
There was a moment, sometime early this season, when Aaron Judge took over New York.
Monday, he took over all of baseball. Most are reluctant to outright put the pressure on Aaron Judge to live up to his potential, but I’m not. I’m putting it all on him, bring the inner city back to baseball, bring everyone back to the Home Run Derby, bring the Yankees back, do it all big man!
If he stumbles, I’ll be back to defend him if it’s defensible, or if he is indefensible I will admit I was wrong and express my disappointment, but either way I’m in it for the long haul with Aaron Judge.
Steve
Steve is an affordable multifamily housing professional that is also the co-founder of Whiskey Congress. Steve has written for national publications such as The National Marijuana News and other outlets as a guest blogger on topics covering sports, politics, and cannabis. Steve loves whiskey, cigars, and uses powerlifting as an outlet to deal with the fact that no one listens to his brilliant ideas.
