Aaron Judge (31, New York Yankees), a slugger representing the Major League, is expected to play as the third hitter and center fielder in the 2024 season. MLB.com reported on the 26th (Korean time) that Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed this plan in a recent podcast interview. Judge missed nearly two months due to a toe injury in the 2023 season, and recorded a batting average of 0.267, 37 home runs, and 75 RBI in 106 games .He started most of those games, 102, as the number two hitter.In his 835 career games over 8 seasons, the most appearances were as a number 2 hitter (529 games).
The change in how the jersey is used is largely influenced by Juan Soto, who was brought in through a trade .This is because Soto not only has the slugging ability to hit 91 home runs over the past three years, but his on-base ability is so good that he recorded the most walks in the major leagues in all three seasons .If Soto faithfully fulfills his role as a table setter, we can picture Judge scoring a goal. Coach Boone said, “You will see a picture of Soto playing at No. 2 and Judge at No. 3,” and added, “I hope Judge and Soto hit back-to-back hits more than 150 times this year. ”However, he added that the batting order of Soto and Judge may be swapped depending on who takes the leadoff and fourth hitter positions.
The number one hitter is expected to be among DJ LeMahew, Gleyber Torres, and Alex Verdugo. In the outfield defense, it is highly likely that Judge will play in center field, Verdugo will play in left field, and Soto will play in right field .Judge is most familiar with right field (593 games), but center field is also a position he has fond memories of. played center field (78 games) more than right fielder (73 games) during the 2022 season, when he broke the most home runs (61) in an American League (AL) season .Coach Boone said, “Judge is preparing to play center field,” and “Instead, we will give him the opportunity to play designated 스포츠토토존 hitter more often.”