Yankees Aaron Judge and the Sound of Real Power

Yankees prospects just seem to be working out these days. Greg Bird excelled in his debut and still shows plenty of promise. Gary Sanchez went from Triple-A to Rookie of the Year voting in two months. And now Aaron Judge looks like a top-tier talent. But to understand why he is challenging the definition of a power hitter, you just need to close your eyes and listen.

Yankees have had their fair share of power hitters over the years, even just the recent years. From Reggie Jackson to Dave Winfield to Alex Rodriguez, Yankees Stadiums have seen and heard a lot of long home runs by a lot of great hitters. And they all have certain sonic restrictions.

It is, of course, something they share with all MLB’ers who have Bad Power Hitter written on their wallets. And it is that they are all intrinsically linked to a clear hierarchy of noise. First and worst is the sound of a broken bat. It is a bit high-pitched, and the note is broken at the same time as the bat. It means an infield fly or a weak ground ball.

But nothing sounds better than when he hits that sweet spot and his bat starts singing

Next is the thwack-like noise of just missing. It is up an octave from the splintering sound but is still less than satisfying. Perhaps that is because we are conditioned. We know that is the sound a deeper or higher pop up makes, although big burly men can muscle some of those into bloop singles. But we don’t want to hear that. We want to hear home runs every time, every swing.

Or perhaps is all about the tone. Nothing moves the audience like the booming baritone who shakes the world with his deep vibrato. It resonates with us. And that thwack is closer to that sweet and deep sound we love, but it is not close enough. Perhaps we don’t like it because it is so tantalizing.

Warning Track Power

Finally is that one sound, that one game-changing sound. It means that the ball found the sweet spot of the bat and is now going to travel a long ways; my best interpretation is a thonk. Especially when that sound is made by a middle of the order, mad power hitter. It’s a profound and satisfying sound that brings the crowd to its feet and pain to the opponent.

More from Yanks Go Yard

There is a gremlin in those sonorous swings, though. I have heard many swings on TV or radio that sounded, at first, like sure home runs, only to see them die in leather graves. And the home crowd is brought to its feet repeatedly during a game thinking it has heard a wall clearing swing, only to realize it had only heard warning track power. The only sound after that is a collective groan.

Yankees Aaron Judge is different. His swings produce many of the same sounds. But they can signal very different outcomes. He can easily break his bat and still muscle up a single. That helps. And it gets exciting after that.

Next up is that thwack. That serves for Judge what that much deeper thonk does for most other men. When his bat makes that noise in concert with the ball, it can still mean a long and deep home run. What others muscle for singles, Judge powers into four-baggers. It is still so surprising, partly because these homers do not get the same attention as the tape-measure shots. But they are almost better sonic indicators of his singular power.

The Sweet Sound of Success

But nothing sounds better than when he hits that sweet spot and his bat starts singing. His is a noise that removes all doubt as soon as you hear it. And it is so unique. I first noticed it watching Judge hit his latest Sportsnite highlight. As soon as the ball met the bat, and the noise was unleashed, Michael Kay was able to go into his home run call.

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Judge hit that ball so hard that it left the field of play before Aaron could drop his still-vibrating bat, the sound of his sweet swing still hanging in the air.

You never hear that home run call, without hesitation, based solely on the sound of the swing. Because when Judge’s bat makes that noise, the ball is not just leaving; that is a given. No, the ball is going a long way, the only mystery being how far it will travel. It is a sound Yankees fans are already getting used—and looking forward–to.

Sound Your Barbaric Yawp

And there is no better time to show it off than three games at Fenway. I have already gone on record as predicting Judge will hit one out of Yankees Stadium. I wonder if he can hit one through the Green Monster? Yankees fans will settle for one flying high over, not to, Yawkey Way. They want Red Sox nation to hear that sound and learn to fear it.

They are not the only ones who might be affected. Opposing pitchers have heard all those sounds and want to avoid any of them. That is good news for everyone else in the lineup. And the other power hitters have heard it, too. It is a sound that strikes at the very heart of their pride. It might make them reconsider thinking of themselves as Power hitters; I know it makes me reconsider their use of that title.

If you listen to his teammates, they all say the ball sounds different off of his bat. That reminds me of a story Buck O’Neil liked to tell. He used to say that the first time he heard Babe Ruth hit a home run, it was a different sound from any other hitter. Buck heard that same sound again when he heard Josh Gibson. And the only other swing who made a bat sing at the same octave was Bo Jackson‘s.

Yankees Suddenly Are Looking Armed and Dangerous

Because the starters are going deep into games, they have saved the bullpen. All of this has added up to a 2.38 ERA for the entire Yankees pitching staff.

I wonder if Judge is making the same sound as those men. He already has shown a wall of sound equal to anyone, ever. So he could be making the same noise as those men. But that sound his teammates talk about might be something new, something never heard before. Judge could be in a sonic class by himself.

And Yankees fans cannot wait to hear what he does next.

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