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During the 2017 season, Aaron Judge got his first full big-league season with the New York Yankees. The previous season, he played in just 27 games and was not able to get much going. But, in 2017, he showed the world he was elite.
People were skeptical of just how good he would be in the league as a 6'7" outfielder, but he proved them wrong. He started 155 games, hitting .284/.422/.627 with an NL-leading 52 home runs and 114 runs batted in, winning Rookie of the Year.
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Not only was Judge elite on the field, he was elite in the clubhouse and with the fans. Joe Girardi, Yankees' manager at the time, compared Judge's personality to that of Derek Jeter, via Sports Illustrated's Ken Rosenthal.
"He is a little bit like Jeter to me. He has a smile all the time. He loves to play the game. You always think he is going to do the right thing on the field and off the field," said Girardi.
That is quite the comparison, but Judge earned it in the eyes of his manager. He was a role model player, somebody the younger generation could look up to, much like Jeter was during his career.
Not many were sold on Aaron Judge before the Yankees drafted him
Going into the draft, not many people were sold on Aaron Judge's abilities. They were not certain whether he would be a player that could find success in this league.
"The good analytics were off the charts - the things you see now, the strength. What he did was so unique. But what he didn't do (making contact) was always a red flag. It's a concern for a high school kid who is 18. But if it's still an issue three years of college, it might always be an issue" said former Athletics' executive VP of Baseball Ops, Billy Beane.
This was the reason he fell in the draft. The Yankees selected him as the 32nd overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, and other teams have to be kicking themselves by now.
Judge has turned into one of the faces of the sport over the years. He has been a player the Bronx Bombers have built around and has been vital to their success. Nearly all that is missing on his shelf is a World Series ring.
