Individual MVPs vs. Championship Grit: Why the Yankees’ biggest star leaves the Bronx yearning for the days of “The Warrior.”
Would the Yankees Be Better Without Aaron Judge? I know this is controversial. Rings have always measured the Yankee dynasty. Not individual MVPs. We know Judge has three. Our former captain, Derek Jeter, had none. But he has five rings. He led in the style of many of his predecessors: Mattingly (Donnie Baseball), Munson, Randolph, and the best of them, the Iron Horse (Lou Gehrig), led the team with class and grace. All but Donnie Baseball have multiple rings.
Given a choice of right fielders of who I’d rather have at the plate or in the batter’s box in pressure situations, Paul “The Warrior” O’Neill or Judge, who do I put in? It is a no-brainer—the Warrior. Judge can fill up everyone’s cups with water from the water cooler before The Warrior destroys it.
The Soul of the Bronx Zoo
I became a fan when I was quite young during the so-called “Bronx Zoo” years of the Yankees, when #1 Billy Martin was managing them. We had all sorts of craziness—the words between Mr. October (Reggie Jackson) and Thurman Munson. Martin pulling people out of games and the fights. But we won. Then came Torre and Girardi. More rings.
The teams had heart and soul. Enter Judge. No question he is an amazing player. He has his moments. But he’s missed so much time. I remember during his rookie year (2017), when he won Rookie of the Year by a unanimous vote and should have been MVP (F Altuve, the cheater), I was in my sister’s pool. I was debating with her father-in-law whether he was the real deal. He was all about Judge. I was like, let’s see if he’s a flash in the pan. He said no. I said time will tell. He’s not. He has helped win games. In some seasons when he was healthy, we’ve won about 10 more games than when he was out.
Since 2017, he has missed 22 percent of all regular season games. This year he’s missing the Wild Card Series vs. Boston. Except for 2023, the Bronx Bombers have made the playoffs every year he was injured. [1]
The October Problem
His postseason record is pathetic. We all remember the 2024 World Series, when he dropped the ball at Yankee Stadium in the only game we were ahead. If we won, we would have had another game to face the Dodgers. But his error allowed Los Angeles to take the lead and the trophy.
The legends of the past—Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra, Rizutto, Munson, Jackson, Jeter, O’Neill, Posada, Martinez—were monsters at the plate and in the field during the regular season. They stepped it up in the postseason. Bear in mind, many on this list went straight from the regular season to the World Series. I wish we still followed old-school ball.
Searching for Grit
Judge, on the other hand, is a generational titan during the regular season. But has struggled at the plate and on the field in the postseason. But talent alone doesn’t parade down the Canyon of Heroes.
In terms of pure grit and intensity, The Warrior is the man. I remember years ago, way before Judge, I was at a singles night and met a woman. The first three things she told me were that she’s divorced and in love with Paul O’Neill (she played RF and wore his number (21) on her school’s girls softball team) and Harrison Ford. Not a bad mix: the Warrior, Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and now a shrink. She may have known more about O’Neill than he knew about himself. LOL. But the point is he was a gamer. He famously played through injuries. We know Mantle and Gehrig did. That’s the toughness I wish today’s players still exhibited.
Judge is a great player. But we need to find better. Tough, that is. But eyes need to be open. Let’s see where we go without him, whether we make the next round, and whether he plays and has Jeter moments.
I am lucky I got to see so many Hall of Famers play for the Yankees and lead us to the World Series trophy. Today’s generation isn’t as lucky. Share your thoughts.
