Marcus Thames sees lots of similarities in Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani
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The Yankees' Aaron Judge, left, smiles during batting practice as manager Aaron Boone stands by prior to a baseball game against the Angels on Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif. Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Marcus Thames, the only big-league hitting coach to serve in that capacity to both Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, said there are far more similarities than differences in the two superstars.
“Both guys, they’re super talented, but just the detail in their work is the same. They want to be the best at what they do,” Thames, the Yankees hitting coach from 2018-21 and currently the Angels hitting coach, told Newsday before Tuesday night’s game. “They really, really work on their craft. Every swing is with a purpose, every rep, doing their homework, paying attention to the game. They’re not going to take a pitch off. They’re both special players and it’s been fun to watch.”
Thames said the pair — who are the last two American League MVPs with Ohtani set to capture his second at the end of this season — are similar as well in the manner in which they show power at the plate.
“It’s natural power,” Thames said. “When I flew out to Arizona in January and watched Shohei hit, I was just blown away. I tell people this: [Giancarlo] Stanton, Judge, Shohei and Darryl Strawberry are the four guys I’ve seen with that type of power. And you can’t teach that.”
And both want to be taught.
“Very coachable,” Thames said. “Both guys, they want to be coached. Judgie has his swing guy but I was there with him every day, he wanted my opinion. Shohei’s the same way. He’ll text me, ‘Hey, Marcus, take a look at this for me. That’s why they’re so good. They want to be coached.”
Latest on Judge
Judge (sprained right big toe) on Tuesday again took full batting practice on the field, something he’s been doing since Friday night in Denver when the Yankees opened the season’s second half.
And though Aaron Boone has indicated Judge could be “close” to returning, that has been cloaked in vagueness.
“I do feel like the things he’s able to do now kind of putting in that ‘close’ [category] but whether that’s days from now or weeks from now, I can’t answer because we have to get through those final hurdles where he can really do things that will allow him to play in the Major Leagues,” Boone said.
Judge, who hasn’t played since June 3, has said from the start the biggest hurdle for him to clear will be his ability to run at full speed.
“He’s running pretty well but, again, it’s one thing to run straight ahead, it’s another thing to be cutting and stopping and starting and the unexpected things that happen when you’re in the midst of a game,” Boone said.
And how close Judge, who clearly is improving daily, truly is to being able to do those things remains unclear.
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