Despite Aaron Judge’s elite bat, Max Fried names another Yankees teammate as scariest hitter

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is one of the scariest hitters in the league but not the scariest on the team, according to his Yankees teammate Max Fried.

Aaron Judge, a two-time American League MVP, has been a nightmare for pitchers over the last few years. However, Max Fried, who joined the Yankees in the offseason, claimed the reigning AL MVP isn't the scariest hitter he has faced.

The All-Star pitcher, who has faced several elite hitters since his MLB debut in 2017, named veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton as the scariest hitter he has ever faced.

“Giancarlo (Stanton) was probably the scariest guy that I’ve ever faced,” Fried said. “I’ve been on the mound and all I could think was, just please don’t hit it back at me. Because when he hits the ball, it’s just way too hard.”

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Fried made the admission during his interaction with Carmine and Vincent Gagliano at the Yankees’ annual HOPE Week celebration. The young Yankees fans are battling Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Giancarlo Stanton's power is no secret to anyone as the All-Star slugger has launched several fearsome hits in his career. Fried also acknowledged Aaron Judge, saying "he’s definitely up there," among the scariest hitters in the game.

Veteran slugger sends warning to teams over Aaron Judge's form

Aaron Judge has 26 home runs this season, the second most in the league behind Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. However, the Yankees captain has had a few quiet games, contributing to the Yankees' six-game losing streak heading into Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Judge went 1-for-3 on Thursday, drawing a walk and driving in a run for the team in a 7-3 win. Despite his underwhelming week, veteran slugger Paul Goldschmidt sent a warning to opposition teams.

"He’s so good. He’s the best I’ve ever seen,” Goldschmidt said of Judge. “Regardless of if he’s had a bad game or two in a row, he’s going to be the same guy. He’s going to go out there and compete, and he’s always got a chance to leave the yard. When he gets hot, watch out.”

The Yankees ended their losing skid with a much-needed win on Thursday as Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt went back-to-back for a three-run rally in the second inning.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash