Why are the Yankees so insistent on Aaron Judge batting second?

Not long ago, geologically speaking, the chiseled Olympian god known as Aaron Judge appeared unto the Yankiverse. He was like nothing we'd ever seen, a baseball player big enough, fast enough, and strong enough to - gulp - play in the NBA, or even as an NFL defensive end. In his rookie season, he hit 52 home runs, a number that conjured memories of Mantle and Maris. Our ship had finally come in. 

By mid-season, the Yankees had rebuilt a second of the right field bleachers into the "Judge's Chambers" in RF, where fans dressed like Monty Hall contestants could sit. Soon, Judge's No. 99 became the hottest selling jersey in Major League Baseball, and to this day, it remains atop the sales list.

Let that sink in. In sales of apparel, MLB and the Yankees rake in more cash off Judge than any other human being, alive or dead. Considering the outlandish price of those jerseys, and the sweatshop wages surely paid to stitch them, Judge is a human goldmine, as profitable as he is large. 

Worst Yankee hitters over last 7 games

Wait a minute: This is starting to sound like a hit job - that I'm going to bash the guy. No way. We all love Judge. He's a great fielder, a hard-nosed player and a great teammate. Unfortunately, he might just not be a great hitter. 

Last year, Judge belted 27 HRs. This year, he has 12. Part of this is his inability to stay on the field. His size, speed and fragility suggest a young Giancarlo Stanton, a comparison more and more troubling to Yankee fans. He remains the new Pride of the Yankees. He's just not the next Mike Trout, and if his numbers continue to circle drain - he'll be lucky to hit 20 HRs this year - there will come a point where he's most famous for his untapped potential. In New York, that's a bad way to be.

Listen: I'm not talking about benching him, trading him, or distancing ourselves when he rightfully demands an honest contract. What I'm asking today is why he must always bat second? The 2019 have a wonderful circular batting order - our RBI leader, DJ LeMahieu, bats first - and we now gone three months of watching Judge strike out or hit into DPs. (His problem, say the stat wonks, is too many ground balls.) Time after time, the Yankees get a rally going, and then Judge comes to the plate. 

Strangely, nobody else in the lineup has been so inscribed into concrete. Even Stanton - what we remember of him - was dropped in the order. Lately, Gio Urshela has bounced from seventh to cleanup, and Didi dips and soars every game. In the Yankee lineup, there remains one rock, one certainty: Aaron Judge will bat second. 

Well, it's not working. He's not producing. And when Aaron Boone reacts defensively to any suggestions of moving Judge, I'm starting to wonder if jersey sales have something to do with it. Just sayin'.