Intent on teaching a lesson, Mike Batesole remembers calling on a new recruit before Fresno State’s first day of practice in 2011. “Hey big man, stand up,” the former Bulldogs baseball coach told the freshman with their entire team watching. “So you had 17 touchdowns in high school last year, didn’t you?” “Yeah,” the newbie replied.
“And you scored 18 points a game on the basketball team, right?” Batesole continued. Once again, the freshman answered in the affirmative. “And you hit .
500, right?” Batesole peppered. After another confirmation, the old school coach dropped the hammer. “I said, ‘Sit down.
Nobody bleepin’ cares,’” Batesole recalled in an interview with the Daily News. “Just to get the point right out of gate that this is about your teammates. You’re here for us.
We’re not here for you.” Asked how Aaron Judge , the freshman in question, responded to that back-and-forth, Batesole chuckled. “He sat down with that big, beautiful smile that he has,” he said.
Years later, Batesole’s efforts at instilling a team-first attitude remain with Judge. Even in the midst of another MVP-caliber season, the Yankees superstar’s first instinct is to always shine a light on others and self-criticize. Asking him to talk about his league-leading stats or the historic company he regularly joins can feel like pulling teeth .
“This game will humble you in a minute,” Judge told The News. “If I mess up, I’ll talk about me all the tim.