9 years in the past, the Yankees have been in a interval of transition.
That they had simply bid farewell to Alex Rodriguez, giving him a Yankee Stadium sendoff on Aug. 12, 2016, in what proved to be his closing MLB sport.
The following day, the Yankees referred to as up a pair of promising prospects for an prolonged look over the ultimate seven weeks of a playoff-less season.
Amongst them was Aaron Decide.
Wednesday marked the ninth anniversary of Decide’s MLB debut. In an indication of issues to come back, Decide homered in his first at-bat, sending an 87-mph changeup from Tampa Bay’s Matt Andriese over the middle discipline wall at Yankee Stadium.
Decide’s 446-foot residence run instantly adopted a solo homer by Tyler Austin, the opposite prospect making his debut that day. They turned the primary teammates to hit back-to-back homers of their first-ever plate appearances in MLB historical past.
“What a day,” Decide stated after that sport, an 8-4 win by the Yankees. “That’s all I can really say.”
Within the 9 years since, Decide has established himself as baseball’s preeminent slugger.
Decide’s 353 residence runs to start Wednesday have been 43 greater than anybody else’s since his debut on Aug. 13, 2016. Solely 5 different gamers have been inside 100 of Decide’s whole.
His 58.6 wins above substitute (WAR) have been additionally probably the most in baseball, towering over José Ramírez’s 51.4, which ranked second, in response to FanGraphs.
Decide’s 62 residence runs in 2022 stay an American League single-season file. He gained American League MVP that 12 months, after which once more final season when he hit 58 residence runs and set profession highs in RBI (144), on-base proportion (.458), slugging proportion (.701) and OPS (1.159).
Decide was the quickest in MLB historical past to hit 300 profession residence runs, needing solely 3,431 at-bats and 955 video games to achieve that milestone final 12 months.
He moved into sixth place on the Yankees’ all-time residence run leaderboard final month when he handed Alex Rodriguez (351). Decide may quickly move Yogi Berra (358) for the fifth-most homers within the Yankees’ 123-year historical past.
Additionally inside putting distance this season is Joe DiMaggio, whose 361 residence runs rank fourth in workforce historical past.
Babe Ruth (659), Mickey Mantle (536) and Lou Gehrig (493) prime the Yankees’ residence run leaderboard.
“We’re watching greatness,” Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone stated of Decide final August. “You try not to take that for granted, what you’re seeing [No.] 99 do. For a few years, you hear a lot of the Babe, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio, those kinds of names intertwined with a lot of things he’s doing, so try to appreciate every now and then what we have.”
It began in 2013 when the Yankees drafted Decide with the No. 32 total select of Fresno State. Decide was one in all three first-round picks that 12 months by the Yankees, who chosen third baseman Eric Jagielo with the No. 26 decide and left-hander Ian Clarkin with No. 33.
“[Judge] sticks out just about anywhere you stick him,” Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees’ vp of home beginner scouting, stated final month, reflecting on that 2013 draft.
“Everybody would like to say, ‘You screwed up. You should have taken Judge first.’ But old-school scouting, information and relationships with Jim Hendry and guys like that [who] worked for me, that know people, knew you didn’t have to take Aaron at that point, so it made it nice for us. But he definitely stands out. He stands out in the history of all our drafts.”
Decide, 33, gained 2017 American League Rookie of the Yr, earned his seventh All-Star choice this 12 months and has been the Yankees’ captain since December of 2022.
The Yankees made the playoffs in seven of Decide’s first eight full seasons, and he made his first journey to the World Collection final 12 months, however a championship has eluded him so far. Don Mattingly is extensively thought-about the best Yankee to by no means win a title.
Decide is within the midst of one other MLB-caliber season, getting into Wednesday as MLB’s chief in common (.337), on-base proportion (.448), slugging proportion (.693) and OPS (1.141).
He hit his thirty eighth residence run in Tuesday night time’s 9-1 win over the Minnesota Twins — his first since getting back from a 10-day stint on the injured listing for a flexor pressure in his proper elbow.
Since coming off of the IL on Aug. 5, Decide has performed solely because the Yankees’ designated hitter, however he may return to proper discipline this weekend in St. Louis.
“I’m feeling good,” Decide stated. “Ten days off of no throwing is a little weird, and then trying to ramp it back up, but we’re feeling good. We’re progressing. It’s all in what the trainers say, so hopefully we can get back out there soon.”
Initially Revealed: August 13, 2025 at 11:13 AM EDT
