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By Drew VonScio
Contributing Sports Writer
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The New York Yankees were highly criticized for not making many big moves this winter, and Brian Cashman's decision to tread water will soon be put to the test.
With opening day coming up Wednesday night for New York, it will be the first opportunity to see this year's version of the Yankees. While last year's group was competitive, it fell short of expectations by not winning the American League East and suffering a second-round playoff exit.
Now, the team expects to go beyond what it did last season. New York Post insider Joel Sherman believes the team faces a lot of pressure, but Aaron Judge faces the most pressure on the roster.
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"Judge kind of needs it for his legacy," Sherman said Monday on the "Pinstripe Post" podcast. "I don't think there's any question we're going to remember him as one of the great ... not only a great hitter of this era, but like he's sitting with three or four 200 OPS+ seasons, three MVPs, Yankees record for homers in a season with 62. This is a historic hitter who I expect will probably do this for a few more years, but I think he's 34 now, and the window is going to close on him and, you never know, on the Yankees."
While Judge has continued to have success for the Bronx Bombers, he can only do so much to carry this team over the course of 162 games plus playoffs. He needs others around him to step up the same way he is stepping up, especially as he gets older. As Sherman mentioned, it's only a matter of time before Judge starts to decline as a hitter, and the Yankees need to find a way to win the World Series before that happens.
The biggest thing Judge can do is control what he can control and continue to play the way he has been. If the other 25 players at any given point step up and play their very best like him, the Yankees can make a deep run when October rolls around.
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