When Mark DeRosa and Team USA named New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge their captain for the World Baseball Classic, expectations were high that he would provide the leadership necessary for a championship run.
Instead, Team USA barely snuck into the second round after DeRosa’s much-criticized gaffe during Tuesday’s loss to Italy. Despite taking the comments back, DeRosa admitted he believed that Team USA had already clinched a berth in the quarterfinals following Monday’s victory over Team Mexico. That was not the case, though, and DeRosa essentially stuck with his backups throughout Tuesday night.
DeRosa bears the brunt of the blame for the Team USA debacle, but Judge did not help matters by dismissing the idea that the team’s lethargic performance stemmed from staying at Daikin Park until 1 a.m. the night before. As the captain of both Team USA and the Yankees, it’s on Judge to step up and hold everyone involved — including himself — accountable.
It’s time for Aaron Judge to prove why he’s a two-time captain
We’re left to ask ourselves whether Team USA also believed as DeRosa did. Did certain players only go 80 percent instead of 100 percent, thinking their spot in the second round was secured? Where is Judge to say that the team collectively needs to view every game as a must-win situation?
Judge is often too quiet, and the argument that “actions speak louder than words” or that he “leads by example” only goes so far. How often does Judge speak only when things go wrong? Last year’s Yankees season was marred by constant base-running blunders and errors, and we never once heard Judge say anything critical regarding embattled shortstop Anthony Volpe or since-departed reliever Devin Williams.
That’s not to say Judge should deliver a Tommy Lasorda-esque, profanity-laced rant about Volpe or DeRosa needing to get it together. In fact, that might be one of the worst things he could do. The only beneficiaries of such a move would be talk radio callers and angry X users.
Yankees fans of a certain age might remember Carl Pavano, an injury-prone starting pitcher who recorded only nine wins over the span of a four-year contract worth nearly $40 million. When pitcher Pavano missed the entire 2006 season, Hall of Fame pitcher Mike Mussina publicly challenged him to earn back the respect and trust of his teammates. Derek Jeter, then the Yankees' captain, allegedly confronted Pavano in the clubhouse at one point, asking a direct, simple question: When did he intend to play?
When asked about the situation and whether he agreed with Mussina, Jeter offered an uncharacteristically candid response in the spring of 2007:
“I don’t know," Jeter said at the time. “How could I know that? He hasn’t been here. You can’t miss him when he has not been here.”
Again, that’s not to compare Pavano to Volpe, who has never faced questions about his effort across his three big-league seasons. Instead, the point is simple: Volpe has not met the expectations required of a starting player on the Yankees, and both Judge and the front office have seemingly been afraid to criticize him.
We don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors. At the same time, it is fair to wonder if a player with a penchant for poor baserunning would be more careful if the Yankees’ captain made his expectations clear.
Now is the time for Aaron Judge to learn public accountability
Yankees fans are admittedly a spoiled bunch, and that precedes the Steinbrenner era of ownership. Any season that does not end with a World Series parade is a failure. To his credit, Judge has acknowledged those expectations at times. It’s never come off as authentic or pressing, though; instead, those comments feel like an obligation.
Did you know that Judge already ranks high in bWAR among Yankees players? He enters the 2026 season at 62.3, and he should pass Jeter’s 71.3 within the next two seasons. Judge is well on track to make the Hall of Fame without any problems.
Here’s the problem: All five players above Judge — Jeter, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth — won multiple championships. Granted, the final four played in the pre-expansion era … except only one team from each league made the World Series in those days. So in a way, Judge arguably has it better than those four Yankees legends, because he’s playing in a time with six playoff teams per year.
Judge is entering his fourth year as captain, yet the Yankees have only one pennant to show for it. It is time for him to reevaluate what is and is not working, especially given the team’s talent and payroll. Otherwise, his window to win a World Series before he retires will close faster than he expects.