The New York Yankees have had the biggest up-and-down season in recent years. New York began the year playing as well as they have in years and were the best team in Baseball for the first half of the 2022 season with a record of 64-28 (per Statmuse.com). Currently, everything for the Yankees is working perfectly. Everyone is healthy (a massive issue that the Yankees seem to have). The Yankees have made vital moves to improve their offensive lineup by adding a veteran like Matt Carpenter. He was red hot before the all-star break hitting thirteen home runs in just thirty played games (Per Statmuse.com).
When I say everything was going right, I mean everything. The pitching staff was on point, everyone had their command, and it was almost as if the Yankees were on cruise control.
That all changed when the second half of the season started. The Yankees went 13-13 in July and 10-18 in August (per Statmuse.com). The pitching staff lost their command. Chapman lost his closing spot as he was unable to control his pitches, giving up a lot of walks and runs. Stanton got injured, and Matt Carpenter is still injured. Rizzo has been on and off the IR this season.
As I am writing this article, Aaron Judge has sixty home runs (hit his 60th tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates). Judge just tied Babe Ruth for second all-time and is now chasing Yankee legend Roger Marris for the all-time American League Home Run Leader. On top of that, Aaron Judge has shown off that he is easily the MVP of the American League this year. Judge leads the league with sixty home runs, with the second-leading player only having forty-eight runs (per ESPN.com). Aaron Judge is playing the best Baseball of his career and has had his healthiest season as well, looking as locked in as he ever has.
The biggest question everyone has on their minds is where Judge will play after this season. Does winning the World Series better his chances of staying with the Yankees? I think it does. If the Yankees do not win the World Series, I think this will be the last year you will see him in pinstripes. Judge is the face of the franchise and deserves every penny he wants. Judge recently declined a $213.5 million contract, as he knows his worth. If he does not stay with New York, that will hurt the Yankees tremendously. This year’s playoffs are going to be very entertaining.