"If I’m going to fail, I’d rather fail my way" - When Aaron Judge unveiled secrets behind his rebuilt swing that fueled his rise

Aaron Judge needs no introduction. He has been the face of the New York Yankees for years. In 2022, he was named the AL MVP and has been invited to the All-Star game five times in his eight-year career.

However, things weren't always easy for Judge. His first season in 2016 was a disaster, with a slash line of .179/.263/.345 in just 27 games. In 2021, Mark Craig of The Athletic wrote about Judge's journey to becoming an All-Star.

Judge's unorthodox swing in 2017 raised many questions about his future, but he was determined to do things his way despite the risk of failure.

Aaron Judge in a game against Texas Rangers in 2022

“When I first started doing it, there was a lot of negative feedback from it, people saying ‘it won’t work, you shouldn’t do it,’” Judge said to The Athletic. “But you’ve just got to have faith. It’s my career. It’s nobody else’s career. If I’m going to fail, I’d rather fail my way.”

Then, 24-year-old Judge was still figuring a way to turn things around in the next season. But without any lead from club coaches and trainers, he was struggling to move forward until one day when he met Richard Schenck.

Schenck, 64, was never stepped on a big league. However, his craft mechanism was all over the internet, which got an interest from then minor-leaguer David Matranga. Later, Matranga became an agent, and Judge became one of his clients. And that’s how the fateful encounter happened between Schenck and Judge.

Judge decided to rework his swing with Schenck. At the time, he placed all his remaining faith in the hand of a stranger.

“It can’t get much worse than that,” Judge said. “So why not make a big change and make a big overhaul here?”

Luckily, his hard work and dedication paid off. In the following year, Judge had 114 RBIs, hitting 52 home runs with a batting average of .284. This outstanding performance earned him the AL Rookie of the Year title, as well as his first Silver Slugger award and All-Star nod. Since then, he has continued to excel and has now become one of the top players in the league.

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Aaron Judge is a Yankee-for-life

Aaron Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million contract with no-trade condition with the New York Yankees in December of 2022. He’ll be 39 when the contract ends, and there is a high possibility of him ending his career in the Bronx.

Judge himself expressed his willingness to stay in New York in 2022 during his ending tenure of the contract.

“It’s an incredible honor,’’ Judge said, according to Dan Martin in the New York Post. “There’s no better place to play. I’ve sacrificed a lot for the team and they’ve sacrificed in giving me this chance. I want to bring it home here. You never know what the future holds here. We’ll see what happens.”

The Yankees won their first Spring Training game by a 22-10 score against the Detroit Tigers. Although Judge hasn’t been included in today’s lineup, fans will eagerly await him in the next game.