Former HR champ thinks it would be massive mistake for Aaron Judge to leave NY

One former home run champion thinks it would be a huge mistake for Aaron Judge to decide to leave the New York Yankees in free agency.

One former home run champion is thinking about what leaving the Bronx would do for Aaron Judge’s game and in turn, his legacy, and he seems to think abandoning the New York Yankees would be a massive mistake.

That statement comes off as a bit foolish.

Bob Nightengale dropped a massive table-setting column ahead of the Winter Meetings on Sunday morning, and within it was this nugget:

"“Judge has to go back to the Yankees,” one former home run champion said. “His swing is molded for that short porch in right-center to the right-field foul pole. His swing is built for Yankee Stadium for sure. Any other place, he’ll have to make an adjustment.”"

The HR champ went unidentified, but if you’re interested in seeing the list of people it could be here you go.

Assessment of short porch advantage is right, but Aaron Judge can hit anywhere

There’s no doubt that the short porch at Yankee Stadium has the potential to help Judge. He can pull balls opposite-way with minimal power and get them out above the 314-foot distance in right field.

But the perceived advantage of the short porch for Judge isn’t what it seems. He doesn’t send weak balls the opposite way.

If Judge played all his games at Yankee Stadium last year, he would have had 66 home runs, just four more than the record-setting number he had in reality. Had he played in San Francisco, he would have had 61 home runs. All of this is per Statcast. 

To suggest Judge’s decision in free agency needs to come down to a slight advantage with right field is disingenuous to the player he has proven to be. Judge didn’t have a single home run last year shorter than 355 feet, so it’s not as if his homers to right just barely squeaked in.

Would he have to change his game and swing? Perhaps slightly. But if anyone can make such an adjustment, of course, it’s Judge.

Short porch in the Bronx or elsewhere, Judge is going to hit homers. Don’t doubt that.