New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge will be tasked with doing more than slugging home runs during the 2023 MLB season.
“We had [player] meetings because the food on the flights wasn’t good,” one-time Cy Young Award winner Ron Guidry told ESPN’s Joon Lee about serving as Yankees captain from 1986 to 1989. “Who are you gonna complain to? The players don’t want to stir the pot with the manager or ownership. They come to you, and you make a note as the captain and you have to talk to someone. You’re a spokesperson.”
Judge was officially introduced as the 16th captain in the history of the Yankees shortly after he agreed to a nine-year, $360 million deal to return to the club. The 30-year-old rejected New York’s seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension offer before Opening Day 2022 and then set a new American League single-season record of 62 home runs. He earned Most Valuable Player and Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year honors for his efforts, not to mention a massive payday from the Bronx Bombers.
Judge may soon find himself voicing complaints to club owner Hal Steinbrenner depending on what he hears from teammates when they come together for spring training.
“I don’t have a problem with you,” Guidry recalled telling then-owner George Steinbrenner about the club’s unpopular in-flight meals. “Your team does.”
George Steinbrenner ultimately did right by Guidry and company. Meanwhile, Guidry added that Judge must realize he’s more than just a star athlete and a player representative in his new role — he’s a rep for the franchise and the game.
“Sometimes you have to bite your tongue because people are really disgruntled when the team isn’t doing well,” Guidry explained. “They have something to say and what they’re saying is not something you want to hear. You can’t get into an argument with them because if somebody snaps a picture and it gets out, then what you’ve been preaching in the clubhouse, you’re a hypocrite doing the opposite.”
