The New York Yankees are reportedly considering getting creative with their plans for the outfield, moving around two of their top stars. Aaron Judge has played the majority of his career in right field, with the occasional excursion to center field. The reported plan would have Judge playing in left field and moving Giancarlo Stanton to right field.
Right field is often the least active of the two positions, giving Stanton flexibilty in his playing time to hopefully help him avoid injury. While Judge has never played right field in the MLB, he has all the physical tools needed. His experience in right and center should easily be able to translate to left. While there are some concerns, it is certainly worth testing out to see if there is a marked improvement.
Talkin' Yanks on Twitter shared a report of the Yankees' potential plans for their outfield.
There are some risks involved in this move, but the benefits outweigh the negatives. Aaron Judge is coming off one of the best seasons in MLB history. Any change could alter how he builds off that year. However, Stanton's offense is noticeably better when he is also playing defensively, and not solely being used as a designated hitter.
This is a move that some fans have been calling for the New York Yankees to implement. Thanks to the team's acquisition of Harrison Bader, they have a plethora of riches in defensive outfielders. This move may mean that Aaron Hicks sees less playing time, which some fans have also been calling for.
With a ban on defensive shifts, players with sound defensive skills have never been more important. Each player will have to be perfectly suited to their position to keep errors to a minimum. Thankfully, Spring Training is the perfect time and place to figure out if this proposed plan can work.
Aaron Judge and Giancarlo could both be playing new positions soon as the New York Yankees gear up for a huge 2023.
Since being swept by the Houston Astros in the 2022 postseason, the Yankees have spent the offseason tweaking their roster. They brought in Carlos Rodon from the San Francisco Giants to shore up their starting pitcher rotation.
They are now looking to build their roster and move players to highlight their strengths. This pro-active approach should pay off in spades once the season finally begins.
