Girardi says Judge a lot like Jeter

A day after trying to manage expectations on Aaron Judge, Joe Girardi took it upon himself to heighten them even more.

While Judge has continued to impress at the plate, his manager compared the rookie’s demeanor to Derek Jeter.

Asked if Judge reminded him of someone with the way he has handled himself Girardi paused before saying, “He is a little bit like Derek, to me. He has a smile all the time and loves to play the game. You always think he is going to do the right thing on the field and off the field. You look at it and he has a presence about him. He plays the game to win all the time and that is the most important thing.’’

It was lofty praise from Girardi, which he seemed to understand when he took his time before offering his response.

Afterwards, Judge — understandably — wanted no part of the discussion.

“There’s only one Derek Jeter,’’ Judge said after Monday’s 7-1 loss to the Blue Jays in The Bronx. “It’s a great compliment. I’m 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.”

Whatever Judge is doing, it’s working. Entering Monday, no one in the American League had hit more homers (10) or scored more runs (23) than Judge.

And he showed off his arm in right, gunning down Jose Bautista at third base in the ninth.

As for the Jeter comparison, Brett Gardner — who has played with both — agreed with Girardi’s assessment.

“One of the things I always admired about Derek was the went he went about his business,” Gardner said. “He approached every day the same, whether he was coming off a good or bad game the previous day. He did a good job trying to limit distractions and in a way, even though Aaron has only been here for a couple of months last year and the start of this one, you get to know a guy and I can see why Joe said that.”

Girardi made it clear Judge was about more than just stats.

“I understand that is a big comparison,” Girardi said. “But I remember Derek when he was young and he grew into that leadership role. That was Derek. He loved to have fun and loved to play the game and always had a smile on his face and was energetic. That’s what I see from this kid. I see him doing things the right way on the field and off the field and that is the way Derek was as well.’’