Michael Kay Claims 3x MVP Aaron Judge Is “Underappreciated” in New York

Aaron Judge will enter his 11th season with the New York Yankees in 2026 after making his MLB debut a decade ago in 2016.

Michael Kay Claims 3x MVP Aaron Judge Is “Underappreciated” in New York

Aaron Judge and Michael Kay (Image via NY Post/Bleacher Report)

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge will lead Team USA on Friday as they kick off their 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Ahead of this, ESPN Radio host and Yankees play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay dropped some bold comments regarding him and claimed he was “underappreciated” in New York.

Judge, the 3-time MLB MVP, has been with the Yankees since 2013. After being drafted in the first round of the 2013 draft, he would make his MLB debut three years later in 2016.

In his very first at-bat in the big leagues, Judge would go yard. He would hit a home run down the center field and went back-to-back with Tyler Austin, who also had hit a home run in his first at-bat.

Since that swing, Judge has hit 367 more home runs and sits 4th in the Yankees All-Time home runs leader list. Some of his best seasons included the 2017 season, where he won the American League Rookie of the Year award with 52 home runs and the 2022 season, where he broke the AL record for the most home runs in a season with 62.

Last season, Judge crossed the 50-home run mark for the third time in his career. It marked his second straight season with 50 or more home runs and joined Shohei Ohtani in an exclusive club of players to hit 50 or more home runs in two successive seasons.

He thus picked up his 3rd MVP award. While he has achieved several accolades and honor, the one thing he has not won is the World Series.

After some American League Championship Series (ALCS) failures, the Yankees finally won the pennant in 2024 and reached the Fall Classic for the first time since 2009. They faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the showdown for the ultimate prize.

Unfortunately, Judge and his team ended up losing the series. The Dodgers would clinch the title after winning Game 5, a game in which Judge finally homered in the World Series but ended up making a massive error in the field that ignited the Dodgers’ comeback.

As he prepares to enter his 11th season as a Yankee, Michael Kay believes that he is “underappreciated” by some fans in New York. On the Michael Kay Show, the veteran broadcaster spoke highly of Aaron Judge.

Judge is really underappreciated in New York. He’s underappreciated. … He’s one of the greatest players we’ll ever see. We should soak it in. We should revel in the fact that we get a chance to watch him every single day.

Michael Kay said regarding Aaron Judge

Kay would go on to urge the Yankees fans to “soak” in everything he does as he enters the 4th year of his 9-year, $360 million deal. After the record-breaking season in 2022, Judge became a free agent and attracted huge interest from the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants.

The Yankees had earlier offered him an 8-year, $320 million deal. He would then speak with team owner Hal Steinbrenner on a phone call and urge him to add another year and make it a 9-year deal. After his massive deal, Steinbrenner would name him the 16th captain of the Yankees and the first since Derek Jeter, who retired eight years ago.

Aaron Judge hit a massive home run in Team USA’s 14-4 victory over Rockies

As teams prepare for the World Baseball Classic, they are facing some MLB teams. On Wednesday, Aaron Judge and Team USA took on the Colorado Rockies. During this exhibition game, Judge did what he does best and slugged a massive home run.

Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge (Image via ClutchPoints)

The home run came in the first inning of the game. After Kyle Freeland managed to get the first two outs, he went up against Judge.

On the 12th pitch of the inning, Judge connected on a cutter pitch from the Rockies’ pitcher. The ball would land 453 feet away in the left center field and open the scoring for Team USA.

A Kyle Karros two-run home run in the bottom of the 4th inning put the Rockies 4-3 ahead. The USA would answer back with a two-run home run of their own from Alex Bregman in the 5th and a solo shot by Will Smith in the 6th inning. Further solo home runs from Paul Goldschmidt and Bryon Buxton saw them emerge as 14-4 winners.

This performance from them comes two days after Judge delivered a strong speech to the team. In the locker room, the team captain spoke about the sacrifices of the team and how they could bring gold back to the country.

Judge was not part of Team USA during the 2023 edition. After signing the enormous contract with the Yankees, he decided not to suit up for his country.

The USA would reach the finals that year and face Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan. In this, the Japanese team took down the Americans and defeated them 3-2 with Ohtani striking out the USA’s captain Mike Trout for the final out.

This win clinched Team Japan’s third title in the WBC. Meanwhile, America, who won the event in 2017, ended up as the runner-up. Judge and his teammates are hoping to do one better than that this time around.

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