On a cloudy day in early January, Aaron Judge walked into the Yankees' player development complex in Tampa, Florida. Hitting coach Dillon Lawson and infielder DJ LeMahieu were already working in the batting cages inside. They greeted Judge and congratulated him on the contract he'd signed a few weeks before, guaranteeing him a staggering $360 million over nine years.
Judge turned to Lawson. "So, what do you got for me?" he said. Judge wanted something specific to work on during this voluntary winter session, a flaw on which he could focus. Lawson hesitated.