Judge trying 'not to listen' to MVP chants from Yankee fans
Aaron Judge may be the hottest thing to grace a New York Yankees uniform since the golden years of 1998-2000 - when the franchise won three consecutive World Series titles thanks to the contributions of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada et al. - but he doesn't appear ready to accept such high praise from Yankees fans just yet.
After the 25-year-old rookie outfielder clobbered the first grand slam of his career against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday, pushing him back into a tie with Mike Trout for the major-league home run lead, Judge commented on the MVP chants he heard numerous times from the Yankee Stadium faithful throughout the contest
"I try not to listen to them," he told reporters, including Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. "I've got a job to do. So I'm not so worried about it."
Although Judge is trying to stay humble, especially with the season still young, the praise from Yankees fans may be warranted thanks to his incredible first two months. He's on pace with baseball's best - including Trout, Bryce Harper, and Freddie Freeman - in many of the game's most important offensive categories.
| PLAYER | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Judge | 159 | 37 | 51 | 16 | 34 | 1.102 |
| Mike Trout | 163 | 36 | 55 | 16 | 36 | 1.203 |
| Bryce Harper | 166 | 44 | 56 | 15 | 41 | 1.122 |
| Freddie Freeman | 135 | 35 | 46 | 14 | 25 | 1.209 |
Yankees manager Joe Girardi is actually excited about the attention Judge is receiving and had nothing but praise for his young outfielder.
"Well, I think it's great," Girardi said of the MVP chants. "The kid's playing well. He has a lot of support. It doesn't - it just means that our right fielder is playing really well. That's a good thing."