Judge decides not to fix what isn't broken

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Aaron Judge had a 2-2 count as he stood in against the Orioles’ Logan Gillaspie late Sunday afternoon, providing a prime opportunity to break out the no-stride approach he toyed with this spring.

Despite belting 62 homers and winning the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award last season, the Yankees star is always looking for ways to improve his game.

So when Judge pounced on a Gillaspie fastball and powered it 385 feet toward the bullpens at Baltimore’s Camden Yards, it appeared to suggest that the new approach was working perfectly … right? Well, not exactly.

“I thought I would use the no-stride a little bit with that two-strike approach, but we kind of scrapped that,” Judge said. “We’ll keep the approach, but some of the mechanical adjustments I was trying to make, we scratched that. So I think the approach will be the same; there’s still a lot of improvement I’ve got to make on that. I’m still striking out a few too many times. But we’re eight, nine games in. We’ll get it done.”

Judge’s inspiration for tinkering had come from several conversations with the Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt, who won the National League’s MVP Award last autumn. Speaking to Goldschmidt, Judge expressed a desire to cut down on his strikeouts after striking out 175 times in 570 at-bats last season.

He was impressed by Goldschmidt’s relative productivity in two-strike counts (.241, 76-for-315). Having batted .194 (66-for-341) in those situations last season, Judge attempted to glean knowledge from Goldschmidt -- first during a chat at the All-Star Game festivities in Los Angeles, then during a series in St. Louis, and finally during a three-hour January session near Judge’s home in Tampa, Fla.

Judge understood the mechanics of Goldschmidt’s success, aiming to eliminate his pronounced leg kick and prioritizing contact on two-strike counts. Judge also reviewed video of Bryce Harper and Juan Soto, noting how they handled similar situations.

“In the batting cage, during the offseason, it was feeling good,” Judge said. “But when you’re facing pitchers and situations, things change a little bit. So I think I’m going to stay with what I have.”

As Judge enjoyed the 28th multi-homer game of his career on Sunday, leading the Yankees to a 5-3 win over the Orioles, someone suggested that Judge’s original approach -- the 62-homer one from a few months back -- seemed to be working just fine. After all, Judge hit 21 two-strike homers last year, most in the Majors (the Brewers’ Rowdy Tellezwas second with 17).

Judge grinned briefly, but also made it clear that he intends to be a better all-around player than the one who captivated the baseball world with last summer’s pursuit of Roger Maris’ record.

“If I was batting 1.000 right now, I think I’d have all the answers. But I’m not,” Judge said. “There’s still room for improvement. I’m still trying to make adjustments, still trying to figure out pitchers -- how they’re going to change to you this year, especially after things we did the previous season. That’s the fun part. That’s what I enjoy.”