CAN THE YANKEES WIN WITHOUT AARON JUDGE?

Source: Robert Sabo for the NY Post

I love watching Aaron Judge play. #99 absolutely keeps the game exciting, both offensively and defensively. He brings passion and life into the game. And although he brings that important positivity from the dugout, this team needs him in the lineup. Without Judge, the Yankees score 3 or less runs per game, and are batting an abysmal .230 team average and a .298 on base-percentage. The question on everyone's mind including me is, "Can the Yankees win without Aaron Judge?"

"The Yankees are up 11 games and counting since Judge landed on the injured list after crashing into the right field wall tracking down J.D. Martinez’s fly ball at Dodger Stadium on June 3. Of those games, they own three wins — a 3-0 win over the White Sox, a 3-2 win over the Red Sox and a 7-6 win over the Mets," reported Forbes. Count last night's 3-1 victory against Seattle, the Yankees have only won four games since Judge's injury. 

And what happened in Boston this weekend is just unforgivable. Getting swept by our nemesis in Fenway Park has not happened since 1976. Now, recall, that was a wake up call for the Yankees, who then won back to back World Series in 1977 and 1978. Yet, here we are in one of the biggest World Series droughts in Yankee history without our biggest star.

"The problem of Judge’s absence is palpable, and felt throughout the organization, although it’s most evident in the clubhouse since those guys have to compensate for the irreplaceable. They miss him, probably even more than the fans," reported the New York Post. Well, that's debatable. 

If anything is going to make up for the Judge void, it has to be good pitching, which the Yankees have had in Gerrit Cole and their bullpen. We likely won't see Carlos Rodon nor Nestor Cortes before the All Star Break. Could the Avengers assemble in mid-July? God do we really need to wait until then for Judge and the arsenal?

“We’ve got to find different ways to win. We miss our captain. But at the same time we have to deal with the blow,” said Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who scored the final insurance run after he singled as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning against Boston. “We definitely miss him. But at the same time, we believe in ourselves,” reported The Post. 

Can the Yankees win without Aaron Judge? In the words of IKF, they have to figure it out. Anthony Rizzo woke up in the game last night. Perhaps the shock and awe has worn off and the Yankees are on the upswing. But without Superman, Metropolis will never be the same. Let's hope they can keep it together until the big guy returns. 

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof