New York Yankees fans know by now that Aaron Judge the right fielder has elite athleticism, good instincts, and a cannon of an arm that make him, quietly, one of the best defensive players at the position.
However, Judge the center fielder isn’t too far behind.
On Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels, Judge virtually won the Yankees the game.
He hit a home run, but we know he is bound to that often.
However, he made a couple of spectacular catches in center field to keep runs from scoring.
The first one came in the first inning against none other than Shohei Ohtani.
The 2021 AL MVP and 2022 runner-up (to Judge) hit a long drive to center field that looked like a home run.
The good thing about having a 6-foot-7 former basketball player in center is that you know he is athletic, and you know he can jump.
Judge timed his jump and leaped at the right time to take a homer from Ohtani and keep the score 0-0.
AARON JUDGE ROBS SHOHEI OHTANI OF A HOME RUN 😱
(via @yankees)pic.twitter.com/jUnkfWkUSg
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 19, 2023
Many center fielders jump too early and miss their chance to catch the ball, but Judge timed that jump perfectly.
That wasn’t the only Gold-Glove caliber play he made.
Aaron Judge is responsible for both Yankee runs, robbed Ohtani of a home run, and just made a potential game saving diving catch. The average Aaron Judge baseball game pic.twitter.com/tfbn6tww56
— gabe (@PlayoffTanaka_) April 20, 2023
If the first catch tested his timing and jumping skills, this one was a real challenge for his route running, speed, and elasticity.
It’s fair to say he aced all tests.
As the tweet states, Judge drove in two of the Yanks’ three runs on the night and saved two more with his glove.
It was proof that he is not just an amazing batter: he is the complete package.
The Yankees paid him $360 million dollars for a reason.
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