Aaron Judge praises Blue Jays before ALDS, but puts Toronto on notice

The Yankees are ready for the Blue Jays, says Aaron Judge. The New York Yankees superstar was recently asked about how the team is preparing for the Toronto Blue Jays and playing at Rogers Centre to begin the ALDS.

Judge says, "They're a complete team. They don't strike out a lot. So they're gonna put the ball in play. They're gonna force your hand on defence. We're looking forward to that. Toronto is going to be rocking. We love that.”

Aaron Judge praises Blue Jays before ALDS, but puts Toronto on notice

It really feels like Judge summed up the Blue Jays and the hype surrounding this series with just a few simple words on what the keys to the series are. Simple, but poignant, as everything he said can be broken down, analyzed, valued and contextualize. So let's do that now!

"They're a complete team"

The Blue Jays had one of the deepest benches in the league and got positive contributions from just about everyone. 14 position players and 18 pitchers had a net-positive bWAR this season for Toronto. The Blue Jays led the league in hits (1461), batting average (.265), and OBP (.333). They scored a ton of runs (798, fourth in the league) despite not being in the top ten in home runs (tied for 11th with 191).

Toronto's pitching isn't exactly seen as a strength overall, especially the bullpen. But in the month of September, they got great performances out of the likes of Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage in the rotation, while the bullpen was anchored by Louis Varland, Seranthony Dominguez, Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty. They are all riding a wave of momentum that hopefully, for the Blue Jays, doesn't come crashing down once the playoffs begin.

"They don't strike out a lot. So they're gonna put the ball in play"

The Blue Jays struck out 1099 times. The only team that did that less than them were the Kansas City Royals who had 1096. Their strikeout rate was actually the best in the league at 17.8% As MLB insider Jeff Passan noted, that is an elite trait that could carry them to success in October. They also, as Judge pointed out, put the ball in play with a BABIP of .298 compared to their .265 batting average.

"They're gonna force your hand on defence"

This might have been more about self-reflection than anything else. The Yankees aren't a good defensive team, just ask Buck Martinez.

The numbers back it up. The Yankees are ranked 13th by FanGraphs in defensive value (6.8) compared to Toronto who have a defensive run value of 38.5, best in MLB. But in order for Toronto to force the Yankees hand at making those defensive plays, they'll have to stick with what worked all year. The Blue Jays had a line drive percentage of 20.4% and a ground ball percentage 41.7%. Those hits force the Yankees to show off their range, in which they had limited ability to do so in 2025 with a range factor of -6, 19th in the league.

"We're looking forward to that. Toronto is going to be rocking. We love that"

In 1992, if twitter was around, 'Winfield Wants Noise' would have been the trending hashtag. The Blue Jays DH and future Hall of Famer at the time said he wanted the Blue Jays fans at Skydome to be louder. They responded.

Now in 2025, the Blue Jays have started using #WANTITALL and on Saturday the Blue Jays fans have a chance to show Judge just how much they want it by making Rogers Centre rock.