Aaron is Judged by Jeter meter
HE HAS played in 50 games in the majors during his nascent baseball career, but Aaron Judge is already drawing the kind of praise reserved for people like retired Yankee captain Derek Jeter.
In fact, Joe Girardi dropped a Jeter comparison Monday when asked who Judge reminds him of with the way the mammoth right-fielder carries himself.
“You know, he’s a little bit like Derek to me. (Judge) has got a smile all the time. He loves to play the game. You always think that he’s gonna 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 and that’s the most important thing. It’s not about what you did that day,” said Girardi, before the Bombers opened a three-game series with the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. “I understand that’s a big comparison, but I remember Derek when he was young. He grew into that leadership role.”
But Judge downplayed the manager’s praise after the Yankees lost, 7-1. “There’s only one Derek Jeter,” said Judge, who was 1-for-4 with an RBI Monday, and is now batting .300. “It’s a great compliment. Honored to be in the same sentence, but I’m just trying to go out there and be the best Aaron Judge I can be.”
Girardi was on the 1996 Yankees team that featured the rookie Jeter as the starting shortstop who helped lead the team to a World Series title. Jeter went on to win four more rings, collect 3,465 hits in his 20-year career in pinstripes, and be named the team captain by George Steinbrenner in 2003, among the scores of accolades and milestones that define the future Hall of Famer’s legacy. Throughout that baseball stretch, Jeter comported himself well and managed to stay out of the tabloid headlines when it came to anything negative or scandalous.
Even though Judge is just beginning his career, his quiet personality and humble nature are similar to Jeter’s. He puts the team first. Of course, hitting the ball a mile doesn’t hurt, either.
The Judge praise took off Friday night, when veteran Matt Holliday, who had just beaten the Orioles with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning, called Judge “probably the most gifted baseball player I’ve ever been around.”
Judge had socked two homers in that same game against Baltimore, and hit another over the weekend to increase his season total to 10.
Jeter had his regular-season slumps, but shined brightest and was clutch when it counted the most – in October. The Yankees have to get to the postseason first, but the 2017 team has a budding rookie who seems to be able to carry it on his shoulders for the long haul.
“Derek loved to have fun, and loved to laugh, and loved to play the game, and always had a smile on his face, and was energetic,” said Girardi. “That’s what I see from this kid. And I see him doing things the right way – on the field and off the field. That’s the way Derek was as well when he was young.”