Yankees: Aaron Judge New Everyday Right Fielder
By Bill Pivetz
The Yankees new era is officially underway. With most of the older players out of the way, Aaron Judge is the new right fielder.
The New York Yankees are cleaning house. They had a fire sale at the trade deadline and “forced” Alex Rodriguez into retirement. Mark Teixeira will retire at the end of the season, too. It’s a new day in the Yankees organization. One of the changes is in the outfield. The Yankees called up Aaron Judge, who will be the starting right fielder. With everyday at bats guaranteed, is he worth picking up?
Since joining the Yankees farm system back in 2014, Judge has been a great, all-around hitter. Between Single- and Double-A, he hit .308 with 17 home runs and 78 RBI. He had a 131:89 K:BB ratio in 131 games.
Roster Moves: @Yankees signed INF/OF Tyler Austin (#26) & OF Aaron Judge (#99) to Major League contracts & selected to the 25-man roster
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) August 13, 2016
Judge then split time between Double- and Triple-A last season. He struggled in with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but the team decided to start him in Triple-A this season. I’m not sure if it was the time off or facing the same teams a second time around, but Judge is hitting better this year.
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In 93 games, he has a .270/.366/.489 line with 19 homers, 65 RBI and 62 runs scored. Judge still needs some work with plate discipline, a 98:47 K:BB ratio. Judge isn’t much of a speed guy, 13 career steals. At his size, 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, he profiles as a power hitter.
Judge will be batting eighth in the Yankees lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. He will take over for Aaron Hicks, who is hitting just .198 on the season. With Carlos Beltran no longer on the team, he has the starting job and playing time to showcase his talents for uneasy fantasy owners.
The Yankees also called up Tyler Austin, starting at first base. He will likely split time with Teixeira until season’s end, and be the everyday first baseman next season. Austin has been in New York’s farm system since 2010, but has finally put it together this year. He is someone to add in deeper formats.
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There are some fantasy leagues where Judge is already owned, mostly keeper or dynasty formats. But for the most part, he is widely available, owned in just 4.3 percent of ESPN leagues. With the power potential and guaranteed at bats, he becomes a must own in the final month of the regular fantasy season.