There is plenty of mutual respect between the two superstars in the ALDS.
The New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals are going to square off in a surprising David vs. Goliath matchup in the ALDS. Both are led by superstar position players who could possibly finish in the top two spots in the AL MVP race.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was one of the bets hitters in the MLB this season, clearing his already very high standard with 58 home runs and 144 RBI’s. He led the Major Leagues in both of these categories, as well as on base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+ and walks. Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. led the Major Leagues in batting average (.332) and total hits with 211, and became a superstar in his third season in the big leagues.
Before two of the faces of the MLB take the field as opponents on Saturday, they took a moment to show respect to one another, according to Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com.
“It’s awesome being able to kind of compete with him…on this stage,” said Witt Jr., per Caldera. “Just seeing the year he’s had, it’s been unbelievable…both how he is on and off the field. I believe he plays the game the right way. He plays it hard. It’s really cool to see a guy like that in a city like this do what he did this year and in years past.”
“(It’s) been fun to watch him develop the past couple seasons, what he’s doing now, leading this team in the postseason,” Judge said of Witt Jr. as the Yankees prepare for Game 1, per Caldera.
Can Aaron Judge reverse playoff struggles vs. Royals?
For as great as Aaron Judge has been in the regular season, he has struggled in the playoffs over the course of his career. In six playoff runs, Judge is hitting just .211 with 13 home runs in 197 plate appearances. His most recent playoff run, in 2022, Judge went just 5-for-36 with two homers and three RBI’s as the Yankees were swept in the ALCS.
In order for the Yankees to make a deep playoff run and win their first American League pennant in the Judge era this season, he will have to reverse these troubling postseason trends. While New York finished with the best record in the American League, their lineup is fairly shallow and doesn’t have a ton of power hitters outside of Judge and Juan Soto, so they are relying on their two stars to produce runs in the middle of the order. That became even more apparent when it was announced that the Yankees will be without Anthony Rizzo in the ALDS.
