Yankees' Aaron Judge Gives High Praise to Baltimore Orioles

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge gave nothing but praise to the Baltimore Orioles.

Apr 27, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) / Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees will travel to Baltimore on Monday for a four-game set against the Baltimore Orioles. Currently in first and second in the loaded American League East, this is a must-watch series for baseball fans around the world. The Yankees are 19-10, while the Orioles are 17-10.

Coming into the season, the expectation was for Baltimore or New York to win the division and that's stayed true throughout nearly the first 30 games of the season.

With a big series coming up, Yankees' star Aaron Judge had nothing but praise when asked about the upcoming series, saying they've been "watching them from afar."

Judge had the following to say, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post.

“We’re excited,” Judge said. “We’ve been watching them from afar, they’re a great team. They got a great young team. They did a lot of good things last year, especially winning the division. We’re excited to get out there and have some fun.”

While the Orioles are one of the best teams in baseball and will only get better given they have a team full of young talent, New York understands better than anyone that it's a long season. However, these games could end up being the reason they win the division.

Anthony Rizzo also called them a great team but said he likes what they have inside their clubhouse.

During the 2023 season, Baltimore finally won a series against the Yankees, winning seven of 13 games. It was the first time since 2016 that the Orioles won a series against New York.

It's fair to say that the product Baltimore currently has is much different than it's been from the 2016 to 2022 seasons. The organization went through a major change in terms of talent on the roster but is now in a position to provide one of the best teams in baseball throughout the foreseeable future.

Heading into the series with a one-game lead, this is the ideal time for the team from the Bronx to build a lead in the best division in baseball.