What’s the point? Aaron Judge's Yankees warning rings hollow as postseason struggles continue

Since being named captain of the New York Yankees ahead of last season, Aaron Judge has done and said almost all the right things. He's been the best right-handed hitter in the sport, for starters, with a 1.104 OPS, 95 homers and 219 RBI across 264 games over that span. But even beyond the production has been his presence in the locker room and in front of the media, the guy that all of his teammates line up behind, the one who knows exactly what tone to set and exactly what a given situation demands.

Judge seems to instinctively understand, like Derek Jeter before him, the unique pressures of playing in pinstripes, and how to carry yourself while you do it. Just read his answer when asked about his team's outlook ahead of the 2024 postseason: "If you don't win [the World Series], what's the point?"

Not even Jeter himself could've crafted a better soundbite; if you listen closely, you can hear a thousand drive-time callers in Staten Island swoon. But here's the thing about being the captain of the Yankees: Eventually, soundbites aren't good enough. Eventually, you need to deliver in the biggest spots. And after two games of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals, Judge is falling well short of his own standard.

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Aaron Judge's postseason resume is getting uglier and uglier

Judge went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in New York's 4-2 loss in Game 2, running his tally for the series so far to 1-for-7 with two walks, four punchouts, one run scored and zero runs batted in. He's now one for his last 22 in the postseason dating back to 2022, and he's hitting a career .208 with a .760 playoff OPS. The best pure hitter in the game keeps morphing into late-period Mark Reynolds when the lights are brightest, and it's killing a Yankees team that is financially and strategically built around him in the middle of the lineup.

Even more concerning is how those outs are happening. Judge is clearly pressing to try and meet the moment; gone is the guy who combined prodigious power with preternatural patience all season long, who walked nearly as much as he struck out and refused to expand his zone despite knowing that everyone would try to pitch around him. After Tuesday night's display, Judge now has the highest strikeout rate in postseason history:

Amid these very high-profile struggles, Judge continues to say all the right things — he is Aaron Judge, after all. He's taking responsibility, he's acknowledging the extent to which he's crippling his team and he's vowing to do whatever it takes to correct course.

Again, though: Words like that only go so far, especially in the Bronx. This is among the most angst-ridden Yankees seasons in recent memory, with Juan Soto (and potentially Gerrit Cole) hitting free agency in just a few weeks time. Judge and Cole aren't getting any younger. A 15-year title drought (gasp!) may seem like a luxury to 29 other fanbases, but it's enough to get even more reasonable Yankee fans itchy — and if this year goes up in smoke, the window for contention is at risk of shutting for good.

Yankees fans adore Judge, and rightly so. But Judge knows better than anyone that nothing is bigger than winning in New York, not even a perennial MVP candidate who always makes time for an autograph. The thing that really turned Jeter into Derek Freaking Jeter wasn't the smile or the soundbite; it was Mr. November, a full highlight reel of iconic postseason moments that helped deliver championships. Time is running out for Judge to start producing one of his own, and if he doesn't come through in Kansas City, his word may start to mean less and less.