Saturday, December 17, 2016

Is Aaron Judge legally blind against lefty pitchers?

Aaron Judge: Yankee phenom in the mind of Brian Cashman, Yankee general manager.

Position: Rightfielder
Bats: Right, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 7", Weight: 275 lb.

Born: April 26, 1992 in Linden, CA (Age 24 years, 235 days)
Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1st round (32nd pick) of the 2013 amateur draft.
Signed July 12, 2013.
Debut: August 13, 2016 (Age 24 years, 109 days) vs. TBR 4 AB, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Status: Still Intact through 2017

So, on April 26, 2017 Aaron Judge will be a bouncing Baby Bomber eligible to be 2017 Rookie of the Year at the ripe old age of 25.

But there are obvious concerns based on his small sample size of 2016 plate appearances with the Yankees. One has been mentioned a lot: 42 Strike Outs in 84 At Bats. Another has been overlooked.

SplitGGSPAABRH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBSOBAOBPSLGOPSTBGDPHBPSHSFIBBROEBAbiptOPS+sOPS+
vs RHP26776910142041001632.203.273.406.67928210101.29412282
vs LHP1118151000000310.067.222.067.2891000000.2004-15
Against lefty pitchers: one hit, a single, in 15 AB. Even worse: 10 SO in 15 AB. TEN!

What the heck is that? Judge has only a .679 OPS against righty pitchers but .289 against lefties. That makes Aaron Judge bad against righties and so bad against left handed pitchers that he might be declared legally blind.

Sycophants will offer the lame pun that it's a rush to judgement. But they have no inhibition supporting Judge despite data that suggests that he is not able to perform at the major league level.

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