AL East Positional Rankings: Pre-Season RF Rankings Verdict – Ugly
By Nate Wardle
1. New York Yankees – Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks
Aaron Judge burst on to the scene in a big way in 2017 for the New York Yankees. The slugging right fielder hit .284/.422/.627 with 52 home runs (league leading), 24 doubles, 114 runs batted in, 128 runs scored (league leading), 127 walks (league-leading) and 208 strikeouts (league leading).
Judge led the league in a lot. His offensive WAR was a gaudy 7.2, with his defensive WAR of 0.3. However, for a player of his size, he plays a good defense and is able to get to balls that other players cannot.
Judge was an All-Star, second in the MVP race, a Silver Slugger and of course, Rookie of the Year. His range was still below league average by a few points, but his runs saved above average was close to 20, not bad for the young right fielder.
Judge, of course, will be the Yankees’ right fielder, and face of the franchise for years to come, if not the next decade.
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While there are concerns over his bat and whether teams may find holes in his swing (he struggled mightily after the All-Star Break until September), until that happens consistently, it looks like Judge and Betts will be battling for supremacy at right field in the AL East.