Aaron Judge Further Proving That Yankees' Star Is the Best Leader in Baseball

Aaron Judge's presence isn't just felt at the plate for the Yankees.

Aaron Judge has gone above and beyond to lead the Yankees by example. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Yankees were looking flat against the Athletics in their minor league park in Sacramento. The third game of the series felt like an afternoon where they were playing down to their competition. That felt like the case when Trent Grisham dropped an easy fly ball, allowing two runs to score.

Trent Grisham drops the ball and the Athletics score two runs 💪

📺: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/0tEPz6gn38

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 31, 2026

The outfield gaffe by Grisham was in the first, and, until the offense woke up in the third inning, it looked like it would be a long day. Then, for as fast as they were down, the game flipped, and did so in a historic way. The Yankees scored 13 runs in the third inning, which all started with an Anthony Volpe bloop single.

One of the reasons for that big inning could have been because of their captain, Aaron Judge. Judge had apparently talked with his teammates before that inning started, effectively calling them out for an afternoon that had all the makings of being a disappointing one.

"I just felt like we were a little asleep there that first two innings. I expect more out of the guys, and I know they expect more of themselves. A couple of choice words there just to get it going. The boys responded," Judge said, according to the Associated Press.

Aaron Judge is the leader that the Yankees need

In that inning, 18 batters came up to the plate. The Athletics didn't record their first out until the 13th batter. That came in the form of Paul Goldschmidt being called out on strikes. That happened to be Goldy's second at-bat that inning, and in the previous one, he hit a single that drove in the day's first run for the Yankees.

"To bat around with no outs, it's incredible," Judge said. "That's what this team is capable of doing. We got our backs up against the wall, find a way to dig ourselves out of it and to continue to keep the pressure on them. We needed all 13 of those runs."

While Judge may not be playing at the level he has in the past so far this season, his presence alone is enough to get the Yankees jump-started.

Even then, the three-time American League MVP is still slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs, 38 RBIs, 42 walks and a 2.2 WAR in 59 games (214 at-bats). His 94.1 mph average exit velocity is the second-worst mark of his career, per Baseball Savant; however, it's still above the MLB average (88.6 mph). Judge's 21.7% barrel rate is almost triple that of the average big-league player (7.6%).

Aaron Judge might not be hitting up to his standards, but the Yankees' slugger is still more effective (and a better leader) than the average MLB player. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Despite some inconsistency, the Yankees still have one of the best offenses in the sport. Their 116 wRC+ is second in the league. They trail the Dodgers, who have a 122 wRC+. Their .770 OPS is also second. They trail the Dodgers in that category as well.

The Yankees are also first in homers with 86. That's the big category they own, and shouldn't be that much of a surprise with Judge and Ben Rice in the middle of things, especially when they aren't ready to slow down yet.

In other words, Yankees fans should expect to see Judge continue to lead by example, both on the field and in the dugout.