Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Name Aaron Judge 16th Captain in Franchise History

Derek Jeter was in attendance at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, watching as Hal Steinbrenner made the official announcement.

Max Goodman

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Aaron Judge has acted like a captain in pinstripes for much of his career with the Yankees.

Now, he officially has that title.

During a press conference to announce that Judge has re-signed with the Yankees—on a record-setting deal worth $360 million over nine years—owner Hal Steinbrenner confirmed that the superstar slugger will be the 16th captain in franchise history, just the second since 1996.

Steinbrenner hinted at this coming to fruition earlier this offseason, telling YES Network that he "would consider" naming Judge captain if the outfielder returned in free agency. 

Judge's teammates implored the organization to make that decision and declaration as well. Nestor Cortes and Anthony Rizzo are among those who said Judge should be captain at the conclusion of the 2022 season, a campaign that featured 62 home runs (a new American League record) and Judge's first Most Valuable Player Award.

Judge joins Yankees legends Derek Jeter, Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Ron Guidry, Don Mattingly, Willie Randolph and more as captains of this illustrious franchise. Both Jeter and Randolph were in attendance at New York's press conference at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.

"It's such an honor," Judge said. "I'm just really blessed to be a part of this organization for nine more years and finish my career here."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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