Eight years after Don Mattingly retired, George Steinbrenner handed over the label of captaincy to Derek Jeter, the then-face of the Yankees. Although it is just a coincidence, it has been exactly eight years since Jeter retired from the game and left the captaincy of the Yankees. And now that Judge has also signed the 9-year extension, there are rumors of him being the next Yankees captain.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, filling Derek Jeter’s shoes won’t be an easy task, even for someone with the potential and caliber of Aaron Judge. In the 20 years Jeter spent in Pinstripes, he constructed a legacy and enormous fanbase. And when recently, the question “whether Judge should become the next Yankees captain?” popped up, multiple New Yorkers and Jeter fans across the world believe that Jeter should’ve been the last Yankees captain.
Will Aaron Judge be able to fill Derek Jeter’s shoes?
Taking to Twitter, when the MLB page introduced a controversial Aaron Judge question, fans weren’t happy. They upload a picture of Aaron Judge and Derek Jeter, standing adjacent to each other, with the caption, “Next Yankee captain?”
Nobody has been named captain of the Yankees since Derek Jeter. 👀 pic.twitter.com/qRNgbdkQA9
— MLB (@MLB) December 9, 2022
The Pinstripes, not electing a captain, have displayed their reluctance behind making decisions of such extreme importance in haste, which explains the long delay.
Fans weren’t very pleased when legendary Derek Jeter’s captaincy and Aaron Judge’s stint with the Yankees were placed on parallel lines. Moreover, Judge’s performance in the 2022 postseason set him far away from Jeter, who was popular for his knocks in clutch situations. This is how they reacted to Judge as the next Yankees captain:
Don’t disrespect Jeter like that cmon now
— 8/24/2 🙏 (@_Rojjo) December 10, 2022
Gotta be clutch to be Captain
— 🇨🇭🔥Jeff ( Soto ) Swenson🔥 (@SotoStofficial) December 9, 2022
Judge to Jeter: pic.twitter.com/O3UyUwY1hJ
— Angel Soto (@AngelA79soto) December 10, 2022
who made this edit bro you gotta fire them 😭
— + (@freestyIe2) December 9, 2022
Why would anyone want to be Captain of a team that hasn’t been to a World Series in 13 years?
— CowboySushi (@CowboySushiMMA) December 9, 2022
— Eddie B. (@Barrera0419) December 9, 2022
Don’t know who chokes more between the two
— Big A (@__biga77) December 9, 2022
Stanton is more of a captain sadly
— Pajita 🌹 (@Pajita06) December 9, 2022
Negative. The captain and last captain in baseball should be and forever will be jeter. No disrespect.
— Matt Bingham (@MattBin71770472) December 10, 2022
Yankees captain is a big deal cause there’s been very few over the years and the players that were named captain in the past are some of the most famous baseball players to ever play the game it’s a pretty big deal google it it’s actually pretty amazing
— John Ferrara (@JohnFer69645717) December 10, 2022
I was named captain of the Yankees in late 2019 but the announcement was suppressed by the government!!
— mr. gearworks (@mulderfan) December 10, 2022
Notably, after two whole weeks of various free agency rumors, Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees agreed on a nine-year deal worth $360 million.
If not The Judge, then who?
Aaron Judge stands as the face of the New York Yankees, the American League, and the entire Major League to an extent. Giving him the position of captaincy would only be fitting for the New York Yankees, who are yet to fill the captaincy position.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Humorously, fans suggested the names of Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gerrit Cole too.
However, no one can really fill the position better than the 2022 American League MVP award winner at this point, even though multiple fans may think otherwise.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch This Story – Top-5 Most Electrifying Home Runs By New York Yankees Star Aaron Judge
Do you think that Derek Jeter should’ve been the last Yankees captain? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.