KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There won’t be much time for goodbyes as the New York Yankees wrap their 2023 season.
Beyoncé will continue her Renaissance Tour in front of a sold-out Arrowhead Stadium, which is across the street from the home of the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees will have to beat the traffic that’s expected as soon as Game 162 ends. The Beyhive waits for nobody.
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For the Yankees, starting the offseason immediately will be preferred, considering the disaster of a regular season they just experienced. They were eliminated from playoff contention a week ago. They finished fourth in the American League East.
But before they take off for the winter, Aaron Judge spoke in front of his locker at the conclusion of his first year as captain to look back on this season and how the organization can improve heading into 2024.
Below is a breakdown of the key topics Judge and manager Aaron Boone touched on in their final media sessions with reporters.
Judge wants Yankees to focus on different numbers
Aaron Judge said he didn’t have much of a reaction when he learned the Yankees would hire a company to audit the organization because he believes data can ultimately be manipulated to have whatever desired outcome a party is looking for. To him, the audit is just another opinion to take into account from a group that will include his and those of Gerrit Cole, Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman, Boone and other top-ranking executives.
Analytics is a broad term for statistics that has become a boogeyman to Yankees fans who want to watch a simpler game. Judge thinks the information and the resources the Yankees provide are “great,” but there is one area of focus he believes needs improvement.
“We get a lot of numbers, but I think we might be looking at the wrong ones and maybe should value some other ones that some people might see as having no value,” Judge said. “But when you’re playing 162 games, you’ve got to grind, and you’ve got to play through things. I think there are certain things you can’t put a number on.”
Judge wouldn’t expound on the numbers he believes are “the wrong ones,” but some of the younger players in particular have insinuated that there can be an information overload. Oswaldo Cabrera told The Athletic how there were numerous voices in his ear earlier in the season and it messed with his swing because of all the tinkering the numbers were suggesting. Anthony Volpe needed to lean on Austin Wells to fix his batting stance in June instead of relying on internal metrics and coaching.
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There appears to be a disconnect with the application of analytics — not the raw numbers themselves — that needs to be fixed heading into 2024.
“As a player, I do a pretty good job filtering what I need to filter, but I think maybe some of the younger guys are just kind of getting into it,” Judge said. “Maybe we need to have a better process for that. So we’ll see. We’ll see.”
Michael Fishman, the Yankees’ head of analytics, will have to answer to Steinbrenner this offseason as to why the captain of the team thinks the organization is applying his department’s numbers incorrectly. But Judge was clear he believes the team is getting enough information; it’s just now about providing more guidance.
“I think the information and the resources the Yankees provide are great,” Judge said. “I think it’s just about how we use them and how we value them is an aspect we need to take a look at again. The Yankees are top-notch in the numbers we get. All of that is great. I think we’re the best in the game at that. I think it’s now about funneling those down to the players in the right format.”
Judge will be making his voice heard immediately
Judge plans on meeting with Steinbrenner soon, perhaps as early as this week. “Why not get that started earlier?” Judge said. “There’s no sense in waiting. Let’s get it done and get it moving to kind of put ourselves in the best position going into next season.”
Clearly, he’s going to have a lot to say, even if he has been mostly tight-lipped about it to reporters. “I think there’s some things that happened this year that opened people’s eyes,” he said. “Hopefully the right people saw it and we’ll get the right people in the room to discuss those things and figure it out.” Make no mistake: Judge will make sure the right people hear it.
Judge’s level of confidence in the front office is open to interpretation
Judge believes Boone is the right manager for the Yankees and he’s “looking forward to more years with him.” He’s now shared his support of Boone on multiple occasions this season when asked about him. When given the opportunity to provide that same stamp of approval of Cashman, Judge stopped short.
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Here’s what Judge said when asked what he thinks the fans feel about Cashman.
“I’ve got nothing on that,” Judge said. “Brian, we’ve seen his track record of what he’s done, and he’s brought a lot of great ballplayers into this clubhouse. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.”
Judge said he’s talked with Cashman “a little bit” throughout the season. Instead, he’s mostly bypassed Cashman and gone straight to Steinbrenner to voice his opinions on what changes need to be made.
When asked directly whether he has trust in the front office to get the right mix of players, Judge said that because of their titles, he has no other choice but to believe in their abilities.
“Got to trust them,” Judge said. “Those are our guys who are up there making the big decisions. You’ve got to have faith. But as a player, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do around the field. I’ve got to get these guys in this room prepared. I’ve got to get them ready on a daily basis. If we get the right guys, that will take care of the rest.”
And it’s that last line that is most important for the Yankees heading into 2024. If they have more talent, they should be more successful.
Judge, Boone support Volpe after uneven rookie year
Judge and Boone each heaped praise on Volpe, who going into Sunday was hitting just .207 with a .666 OPS and an 81 OPS+ — numbers that aren’t particularly good, especially for someone who was considered a bat-first prospect. But he also hit 21 homers and swiped 24 bases while playing above-average defense.
“I know he definitely doesn’t want to be hitting .200 for his first season,” Judge said. “I know he’s not happy about that.”
Boone added he was impressed with how Volpe handled the expectations, media and grind he encountered all season. “The power has been there,” Boone said. “The threat on the bases has been there. But at the same time, he also knows there’s adjustments there to be made and certainly he’s got to get better offensively to be more consistent and to be more of a guy that we rely on and count on heavily.”
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Sean Casey, Yankees talk reunion
It sounds like the Yankees want Sean Casey to return as hitting coach, but it’s not definite that it will happen. He was hired after the Yankees fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson in July and given a half-season contract.
Casey told The Athletic on Sunday that he still needs to talk with his wife, Sarah, and his two daughters about continuing things with the organization. Judge said “hopefully” Casey returns. Boone said he believes Casey would be capable of setting an organizational hitting philosophy for the Yankees. “The one thing I can say is he’s been a breath of fresh air for us coming in here. I do think he’s done a really nice job for us,” Boone said.
In the minors, the Yankees have been preaching Lawson’s style even since they fired him. “It’s been more than I thought it would be to be around these guys and this environment,” Casey said.
(Top photo of Aaron Judge: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)