The Yankees got a lot of production from their outfield in 2018, but they still want to strengthen their options before next season begins.
Outfield isn’t the position that will require the most attention from Brian Cashman this winter, but it is a position of some concern for the Yankees. Only one position of the three looks to be set in stone. Spoiler alert, Aaron Judge is going to start in right field barring injury. There are, however questions about who might start in center and left.
For the record, we’re not including Giancarlo Stanton as an outfielder. He’ll play in the field upon occasion, but he’s going to be the DH more often than not. As such, we’re not going to discuss him as an outfield starter.
Let’s begin our discussions by acknowledging Judge’s greatness as a right fielder.
Right field-Aaron Judge
Judge is the team’s best and most important player. There isn’t too much on a diamond that he can’t do well. He isn’t a great base stealer, but that’s really the only criticism you can levy against the towering outfielder.
In the field, he scares runners to death with his cannon for an arm. It’s a joy to watch opposing baserunners scramble back to first base instead of testing him for a double. He’s equally as dangerous gunning down runners at other bases. He’s a plus outfielder without question.
Of course, Judge makes his money with a bat in his hand. The scary thing about his offensive game is that he still has room to grow. The more he learns to use the opposite field the more he’s going to improve his batting average. The Yankees will work with Judge to increase his contact rate in the future. Getting the bat on the ball more will help boost all of his offensive numbers.
Any issues you have with Judge’s game are insignificant in comparison to his positives. He’s a lock to be a starter in 2019.