He’s the AL’s biggest Star
Judge nets nearly 4.5M votes to start in Miami
HOUSTON — It’s all pretty incredible, what Aaron Judge has done.
Just think back to right before spring training started, when Judge was putting in extra work at the team’s minorleague complex in Tampa, fine-tuning his swing. The 25-year-old rookie was gearing up to compete for the starting spot in right field after striking out in half of his at-bats during his brief cameo with the Yankees at the end of 2016.
The Bombers knew they had something. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have invested a first-round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft on the 6-foot-7, 282-pounder, who looks more like a football player than a baseball player. They just didn’t know what. Scouts figured Judge would either be boom or bust, feast or famine.
Well, you know what happened next. Judge made the proper adjustments during the offseason, barely won the starting job out of the spring and has gone on an absolute tear ever since, fastbecoming one of the most exciting power hitters in the sport, his at-bats becoming must-see TV, the exit velocities on his homers simply astounding.
On Sunday, Judge was officially selected as an All-Star starter for the first time in his career by garnering an AL-high 4,488,702 votes. The AL Rookie of the Year award, the AL MVP award, and perhaps a Triple Crown, could be next. Along the way, he’s appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and received his own section at Yankee Stadium: “Judge’s Chambers.”
“You’ve got the perfect word for it, surreal,” Judge said. “It’s just a blessing. It’s just incredible.”
Judge currently leads the AL in homers (27), RBI (62), runs (70), onbase percentage (.448), slugging percentage (.687) and walks (58). After his two hits Sunday, Judge leads Houston’s Jose Altuve by a point in batting average (.327 to .326).
Asked if he expected this type of success in the first half, Judge responded: “No. There’s a lot of unknown, and that’s what motivated me to go out there and just do what I can every day, try my best, give 110 percent and do whatever I can to be a consistent part of this lineup for the first couple months, and I’m excited.”
Early on, people wondered when the league would finally figure Judge out, and how he’d adjust.
Well, look at his splits: April: .303/.411/.750, May: .347/.441/.642, June: .324/.481/.686.
In Sunday’s 8-1 loss to the Astros, Judge increased his on-base streak to 33 consecutive starts.
Asked what the toughest part of his journey has been, Judge replied: “Just the grind of the season. You’re grinding every day. The big thing is that what you did yesterday doesn’t really matter for today. It’s just about going out and competing every day.”
Judge still doesn’t know if he will participate in the Home Run Derby. Gary Sanchez was also invited. It could be some healthy Yankee-on-Yankee competition.
“That would be cool,” Judge said.
His parents will certainly be there.
“I’ve got to tell them to book a flight to Miami,” Judge said.
So what is Judge looking forward to the most?
“I think just meeting a lot of guys that are going to be on the team,” he said. “The best of the best are going to be there, and a lot of guys that I grew up watching on TV. So it’s going to be cool to be around them and kind of pick their brain a little bit and like I said just try to be in the moment.”
The Yankees have lost 14 of 19, and only time will tell whether they recover from this funk. But if nothing else, at least they’ve stumbled upon a young slugger who seems poised to be the face of their franchise for several years to come.