"Prisoners of their own fame" - Reds legend shares insights on Aaron Judge's plight on the road

Aaron Judge has reached a level of fame where he can't leave his hotel room without being recognized. His fame is not limited to the Big Apple. He can go to any part of North America and he'll find himself mobbed by fans.

The likes of Judge and Shohei Ohtani have now become prisoners of their homes. And it is what it is. It's the cost of being a celebrity baseball star.

During a conversation between Rich Ciancimino and Cincinnati Reds legend Sean Casey on "The Mayor's Office" podcast on Thursday, Judge's celebrity status was talked about.

Casey recalled a conversation from his time as a hitting coach of the New York Yankees. The setting was Toronto, and the subject was none other than Aaron Judge himself.

"I remember a couple of years ago in Toronto, when I was the hitting coach — we were in between hitting sessions," Casey said (0:45 onwards). "He had just done a round and comes out. I'm on the back of the cage, the back of the turtle there in the outfield, and I go, 'Hey, what’d you do today? Did you go to lunch? Get a coffee?' He’s like, 'No.' I go, 'Stayed in your room all day, huh? The Ken Griffey Jr. treatment."

"Just like those guys — they’re prisoners of their own fame, dude. Prisoners of their own fame."

Casey was quick to point out that the attention can feel suffocating.

"But I said to him too, 'Hey, listen man, I really believe that God’s given you such a platform to impact so many people," Casey said. "And that’ll outweigh the fact that you can’t go get lunch on the road for a few years. You know what I mean?'

"He’s like — and I don’t think he’d trade that for anything. But yeah, dude, that must be tough. It’s just a different level of celebrity — to go out."

Sean Casey isn’t new to witnessing this level of attention. He recounted days with Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn in New York and also during his time with the Boston Red Sox alongside David 'Big Papi' Ortiz.

"We’d come out in New York, playing the Mets," Casey said. "We’d go to lunch — me, Griffey, and Dunner or something. Dude, it was incredible. So many people would come at us. It was like, 'Hey, everybody back up, this is insanity."

"I remember when I was with the Red Sox, we used to go through the kitchen area — because of Big Papi and Manny and those guys. It was just mayhem. So yeah, it's the price of fame."

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Aaron Judge gets mobbed by fans at Starbucks

In an interview with USA Today, Aaron Judge said that he doesn't leave his hotel room unless he really has to. The few times he has done so, he has ended up getting surrounded by fans.

As per the New York Post, a few weeks ago, when the Yankees were in Seattle, Judge tried getting a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Within minutes, fans surrounded him on all sides.

During the interview, Judge revealed that it's his height that gives away his identity.

“I think if I was a little shorter, if you just give me 6-foot-1, 6-2,” Judge said. “I could blend in a little bit. Throw on a Yankee cap and we can go. It’s the height. The first thing they think when they see me, they think basketball player. And then they put two-and-two together.

"It’s just part of it when you play for the Yankees," the Yankees captain added. "The biggest franchise in sports. They’re going to recognize you and cheer you no matter where you’re at.”

Aaron Judge is not alone but he's certainly one of the biggest stars baseball has to offer.