The faces of the Yankees are starting to change. Gerrit Cole is 34. Giancarlo Stanton turns 35 in November. Even Aaron Judge will be 33 in a few days and deep into the prime of a career that’s seen its share of awe and injury.
But the next wave is already here if Opening Day was any indication. And Aaron Judge knows it.
“I’m excited about our young guys and what they’re going to do,” Judge told reporters. “Wells, Volpe, Jazz, Domínguez—all those guys are going to be a big part of our success this year, and it’s cool to see those guys get off to a good start.”
New York Yankees Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells.
© Erik Williams-Imagn Images
On Thursday, Wells and Volpe helped answer that question—at least for one game. Both launched solo home runs to power the Yankees’ 5–3 Opening Day win over Milwaukee.
Wells made history with his leadoff blast, becoming the first catcher in Yankees history to homer to start a season and the first Yankee period to ever hit a leadoff home run on Opening Day. He is also the first catcher in MLB history to lead off a game on Opening Day with a home run.
Volpe’s homer came an inning later and was even more impressive.
He turned on a 95.4 mph fastball from Freddy Peralta and sent it 373 feet the other way into the right-center field seats. It’s a sign that his hot October wasn’t a fluke and he can carry it into 2025.
“His timing. That’s been the biggest thing I’ve noticed since being called up in 2023,” Judge said. “He just has better timing, looks comfortable in the box… When you’re aggressive in the box, that’s when you start to take those tough pitches.”
It wasn’t that long ago that Judge was the new face among the core of Baby Bombers. Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres and Luis Severino are all gone. Judge stepped up into the role of leader and he will help guide this next group of Yankees stars.
