There’s only one Yankee who can save Aaron Boone’s job | Klapisch

TAMPA, Fla. — I don’t know how many “why me?” moments Aaron Judge has had in his career, but I’d bet the number is close to zero. That’s saying something, considering baseball’s best hitter is already halfway through his career and still doesn’t have a ring.

Judge has an incredible ability to lift the spirits of those around him. He uses that power on himself. No. 99 shows up every spring without ever acknowledging the pressure of timing running out.

Good on Judge for insulating the clubhouse from the fans’ wrath. The savages on social media zero in on their favorite villains, namely Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone. But Judge acts as the ultimate buffer.

That’s because everyone agrees on this much: The Captain deserves better than a 16-year championship drought.

“There’s a lot of guys in this room who would love to win a championship, especially for Aaron,” said starting pitcher Max Fried. “When you have a captain as selfless as he is, and he wants his teammates’ success even more than his own, it rubs off.”

“Everyone looks to Aaron Judge for a reason,” said closer David Bednar. “The person he is, on and off the field, creates a winning atmosphere. Someone like that should be a champion.”

Judge spoke to the media on Monday for the first time since camp opened. Most of the questions were housekeeping-related — his accelerated workout schedule before leaving for the World Baseball Classic in early March, the update on the right elbow that throbbed most of the last season.

Judge delivered good news on both fronts. His flexor tendon is 100% recovered, and his buy-in as captain of Team USA is just as bubbly.

Judge is leading a powerhouse group of American ballplayers who are favored to win the World Baseball Classic. But a harsher reality will be waiting for Judge when he returns to Tampa.

Opening Day will be only two weeks away at that point. The curtain will rise on a familiar script. The Yankees will be highly competitive from April through September. No one will be impressed. October is when the knives come out.

Boone is under pressure to deliver a championship. That’s true every year, but unless the Yankees come through, the public wrath might be enough to finally push Steinbrenner to his breaking point.

While no one has said even privately that Boone will be fighting to keep his job, his fate is nevertheless tied to Judge. The manager needs another MVP-caliber performance from the big man.

So far, the transactions have been all one way: Judge gives, the Yankees give nothing back. Little by little, one pitiful October after another, Judge is on his way to becoming a latter-day Don Mattingly — popular but denied a ring until the day he retired.

But Judge doesn’t speak of the disappointment, at least not in a personal way. That’s one of the reasons Boone holds Judge in such high regard.

Sometimes it’s impossible to tell who’s the manager and who’s the player. Boone and Judge are at least equals in political clout within the organization. If anything, Judge has a slight advantage as an influencer in Steinbrenner’s brain trust.

Not that Boone minds.

“He’s someone that I admire and respect. We’ve been through a lot together,” the manager said of Judge, before adding, “we are manager-player, but we’re very close.

“There’s probably no other player that I run things by, that I partner with on some things. If I’m thinking about shaking something up or doing something different, I’ll talk to Judge about it.”

It takes a secure — a smart — manager not to pull rank on an icon. Judge is indeed a modern-day Mattingly in terms of popularity in the stands.

No. 99 can be favorably compared to Derek Jeter, too. One had the rings, but the other possesses superstar talent. It’s not hard to figure out which is which. It’s not even close.

Ever since his rookie year, nothing has catalyzed Yankee Stadium’s ticket buyers like a Judge home run. Thousands of fans roam the concourses wearing “99” jerseys, waiting for the moment when Judge connects.

He can rock the Stadium right off its hinges. Judge turns strangers in the ballpark into brothers and sisters as they high-five his moonshots.

Giancarlo Stanton’s home runs might travel further, but Judge’s blasts are majestic. Stanton’s swing is pure, slashing violence. Judge’s cut is like a symphony, the way he synchronizes the moving parts while his bat whips through the zone.

And when he’s not destroying hanging curveballs, Judge wins with his smile. He’s New York’s most relatable star, easy to like, easier to root for.

“That’s what I mean about players in here wanting to share a championship with Aaron,” said Fried. “It’s because of who he is, and the way he treats others. And obviously, the way he plays the game. There’s no one like him.”

Judge prefers not to hear such praise; it embarrasses him. But he’s aware of the demands of the captaincy. Judge is also aware he’s pushing that giant rock uphill for the ninth spring training in a row.

It’s enough to burden any ballplayer, although we’ll never know if Judge is listening to that ticking clock.

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