Is Aaron Judge about to pull a Carson Wentz?

Shaun Morash is one of WFAN’s many useful idiots but more recently, he had a fairly interesting take on New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge. The three-time MVP missed the last week-plus of the season with a right calf strain and is currently trying to work his way onto the AL Wild Card roster.

This past Thursday, on “Evan & Tiki,” Morash passionately stated his belief that Aaron Judge might be worried about missing the playoffs and the Yankees winning a World Series without him.

“Aaron Judge,” Morash said, “As much as he’s a competitor and wants to go out there? I think there’s a part of Aaron Judge’s brain that’s worried about this Yankee team going on a run without him, and how it will affect his legacy.”

Keeping in mind, this was said after Judge and Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave conflicting reports as to the captain’s availability for the Wild Card round against Boston. Boone said Judge would not be available, and Judge pushed back.

Tiki Barber agreed that Judge “definitely is thinking about it” and, true or not, Judge’s actions since have fed into Morash’s theory. Judge took batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Monday evening against righty Elmer Rodriguez. The results were…lackluster.

Does that sound like an Aaron Judge ready to play? Maybe if he made some hard contact or put the ball in the air. But if the only contact he can manage is a rap back to the mound? And he didn’t field or run the bases either?

Morash is right. At this rate, it does very much seem like Aaron Judge is about to pull a baseball version of Carson Wentz.

Let me explain for the non-football people. In 2017, Wentz was the Philadelphia Eagles’ second-year QB and very much looking like a solid long-term option before tearing his ACL in Week 14. Backup Nick Foles took over and led the team on their legendary win in Super Bowl LII. Foles was also named Super Bowl MVP.

However, as an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 2022, this is when Wentz showed his true colors. Prior to the NFC Championship game, he griped to teammates in the training room about hoping the Eagles lost on their current run so he could come back healthy and do it all himself next season. Wentz and other players apparently had to be physically separated afterwards.

But, sure enough, just look at Wentz’s career since. On top of being selfish and unaccountable, he also proved injury prone. The Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts in 2020 and benched Wentz midseason before trading him to the Colts for two draft picks. Wentz spent one season in Indy and has since become a journeyman backup QB. Great quarterback arm, terrible quarterback leadership.

But I digress, let’s shift back to baseball.

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees captain, three-time MVP. Is he worrying about the team going on a deep playoff run without him?

Welcome to every Yankee fans’ greatest frustration. This lineup features talented bats like Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt are both capable of changing games with one swing. Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t played since April, and could soon make his signature October return.

Except, everyone has seen this show before. Several times in Judge’s career, in fact. Save for the 2019 juiced baseball/”Next Man Up” season, the Yankees struggle to score runs if Judge isn’t playing. They ranked 14th in baseball with a team wRC+ of 101, one point above baseline average. Their Wild Card opponent Red Sox, contrastingly, posted one point below at 99.

Granted, the Yankees’ poor performance largely has to do with Judge missing three months, Bellinger missing one, and Rice batting sub-.200 in two. That triple-whammy sunk the lineup all summer.

Even so, Morash might be onto something with his theory. Judge missed the final nine games of the season after his brief comeback. The Yankees went 5-4 and averaged 4.6 runs per game. Not exactly a lineup falling apart without its revered leader!

Everyone hates to hear this but it’s 100% true. Playoff baseball teams spend the regular season giving their best to get to October, and then it’s a roll of the dice. Anything can happen when the best hitting faces off against the best pitching. He who shows up wins the gold.

But if Judge forces himself onto the roster and into the lineup when he isn’t healthy and the Yankees exit early? Especially when his spot could have gone to either lefty masher Amed Rosario or a once-again-revitalized Anthony Volpe? Or even a healthy enough Stanton?

That says a lot more about Aaron Judge the captain than it does Aaron Judge the player, and not in a good way.

UPDATE: Aaron Judge has since been left off of the Yankees’ AL Wild Card roster, per Jack Curry.