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Jazz Chisholm's Surprising Aaron Judge Statement Amid Yankees Controversy

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeremy Beren | Last updated Apr 18, 2025 3:17 PM ET

Thursday was a weird day for the New York Yankees. On the one hand, the reigning AL champions began their seven-game road trip with a 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays; on the other, star infielder Jazz Chisholm, Jr. was ejected in the seventh inning after arguing a called third strike with home plate umpire John Bacon.

Chisholm's post-game reaction to the ejection turned heads around MLB, but the former Miami Marlin tried to keep the focus on where it matters: the Yankees' performance, and specifically the impact of team captain Aaron Judge.

Judge had only a modest outing at George M. Steinbrenner Field, finishing the game 1-for-4 with a walk. But he drove in his AL-best 22nd run while maintaining a .400 batting average, as well as his MLB-best 1.283 OPS. According to Chisholm, Judge has just about mastered baseball's famed "tools" -- well, maybe "4 1/2" of them.

"I'm still not gonna give him the speed," Chisholm told reporters Thursday.

Some non-ejection quotes from Jazz Chisholm Jr. tonight:

- Asked about Ben Rice, he said, “I really like Benjamin.”

- He called Aaron Judge a "4 1/2" tool player. “I’m still not gonna give him the speed.” #Yankees
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) April 18, 2025

Judge, the reigning AL MVP, has largely picked up where he left off in 2024. After a disappointing World Series, Judge has already homered seven times in 19 games, a mark good for third in MLB to this point. Judge also is among the league leaders in walks, and is baseball's overall leader in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and in FanGraphs' Wins Above Replacement metric.

Judge's individual success has powered the Yankees to a 12-7 record through 19 games, which is tied with the Texas Rangers for the best mark in the AL. The 32-year-old's MVP form will be crucial to the Yankees throughout the season, but it will take discipline and consistency from players like Chisholm and Ben Rice for New York to win the AL East again.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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