Aaron Judge has some big goals for a guy who has never made it out of the American League Championship Series.
New York reintroduced the AL MVP on Wednesday as the outfielder signed a nine-year, $360 million contract, and in doing so, was named the 16th captain in the history of the Yankees -- the first since Derek Jeter.
Judge was honored with the acknowledgment from owner Hal Steinbrenner as you'd expect but arguably went one step too far.
"I'm going to try to be the same leader that I've been the past six years," Judge said, per MLB Network-provided video. "Continue to lead by example. And I know there's probably going to be a couple more responsibilities with this. I'm here to embrace every single obstacle and continue to lead this team and lead this city to not one, but multiple championships down the road."
For those counting at home, the Yankees have not made it to the World Series in Judge's tenure with the team. To be exact, they haven't advanced to the Fall Classic since winning it in 2009, so saying he will lead them to multiple championships is a bold claim. New York did make it to the ALCS in the 2022 postseason, but as people may remember, the Yankees faithful booed Judge and company after they lost to the Houston Astros.
But hey, the new captain is inspiring hope. We'll see in time if he can deliver.
