The New York Yankees are in a far different spot than they were a year ago, yet the feeling remains the same – if not worse.
Last spring, the Bronx Bombers reported to spring training after an unusually long winter. The club had missed the postseason for the first time since 2016. It was an “embarrassment,” according to owner Hal Steinbrenner.
Heading into last year’s training camp, the Yankees sculpted that ignominy into something far more productive: hunger. Playing with that additional edge, the club went from a playoff absence to their first World Series appearance in 15 years.
But after the Yankees fell short in the Fall Classic against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the feeling returned. According to Yankee captain Aaron Judge, who spoke with reporters during the team’s first full-squad workout on Monday, this year’s feeling is even worse, considering they were on the cusp of winning the whole thing.
“Getting to the dance and then losing out on it is definitely a lot worse than not even getting in,” he said.
Left with a sour taste in his mouth from last season, the superstar outfielder emphasized that this year’s squad is coming into training camp even hungrier than in years past.
“Guys are motivated. Guys are ready to go,” he added. “Definitely some great energy so far.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone noticed the same thing from his guys when pitchers and catchers first reported last week. He told reporters last Tuesday that players had come down to Tampa early, ready to get to work. He was “encouraged” by what he’d seen across the street at the club’s minor league complexes.
Like last season, the Yankees enter training camp looking quite a bit different from the year prior. Most notably, they will march into 2025 without superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a record-breaking contract with the New York Mets. According to Boone, though, a team can have all the talent in the world, but it’s their hunger that serves as the key “difference maker.”
“I think sometimes the separator, where a team that’s good can be great, a team that’s great can be a champion or what have you, is that hunger,” Boone told reporters last Tuesday. “That is not a given, even with the best of people and the best of teams.”
That’s not to say the Yankees don’t have a talented roster; they most certainly do. In the wake of Soto’s departure, the organization addressed multiple weak spots – primarily defense and baserunning – and improved as an all-around unit.
The reigning American League MVP acknowledged to reporters that while it’s impossible to replace a talent like Soto, he’s excited to head into the new season leading a new group of All-Stars and former MVPs.
“It’s going to be exciting. We have a lot of new pieces, some new arms,” Judge said. “Especially with Max Fried, a guy I faced for quite a few years and I’m glad he’s in pinstripes.”
The Yankees have all the tools in place to resume their reign atop the American League. But as Boone told reporters last week, “Now it’s on [them] to start doing the work.”
