Judge off to rousing start
Yankee’s April numbers near lofty legends
Aaron Judge is coming off a huge April, during which he slugged 10 homers and drove in 20 runs.
The right fielder is just the second New York Yankees player 25 or younger to hit at least 10 homers in the team’s first 23 games since Mickey Mantle hit 11 in 1956. And his number of RBI are the most by a Yankee 25 or younger since Don Mattingly had 22 in 1986.
So Judge is already attached to some of the most storied names in the franchise’s history.
But manager Joe Girardi added another Monday.
When asked if the way Judge carries himself reminded him of anyone else, the Yankees manager paused for a few seconds before offering a big name.
“He’s a little bit like Derek (Jeter), to me,” Girardi said before his team’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. “He’s got a smile all the time. He loves to play the game. You always think that he’s going to do the right thing on the field and off the field. When you look at him, he’s got a presence about him. He plays the game to win all the time.”
Girardi played with Jeter for four seasons and managed him for seven. But Girardi said he remembers how Jeter acted when he was early in his career, and it was similar to the way Judge does now.
“I understand that’s a big comparison, but I remember Derek when he was young,” Girardi said. “That was Derek.”
Judge appreciated the comparison — as lofty as it might be.
“It’s a great compliment,” Judge said. “But I’m trying to go out there and be the best Aaron Judge I can be.”