Bleeding Yankee Blue: MY RAMBLE & BIAS TOWARD AARON JUDGE

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

MY RAMBLE & BIAS TOWARD AARON JUDGE

(Aug. 20, 2016 - Source: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images North America)

The 2017 season will be Aaron Judge's first full year in the Major Leagues... assuming he makes the Opening day roster of course. There's no reason to doubt it, Judge is a kid the Yankees really like, but you just don't ever truly know, especially talking about it in January.

Anyway, look, Judge is huge and has massive power. We all witnessed that in his first Major League at bat when he crushed the ball to deep center.

The possibilities for this kid at the plate are endless. The only problem is strikeouts. If he can learn to decipher pitches as they come out of the pitchers hand and have better plate discipline, there will be high hopes for this kid for sure.

(Sept. 4, 2016 - Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America)

Andrew Marchand of ESPN had this to say about Judge:

"He is a giant who would fit in among New York's skyscrapers. Aaron Judge is 6-foot-7 and about 300 pounds. Not since Hall of Famer Dave Winfield has there ever been a Yankee who looks anything like Judge. Judge is a power forward/tight end playing right field."

On a personal level, I love this kid since the first time I saw him in the Arizona Fall League, but there is a reality to him. His career could go in 1 of 2 directions...

Judge could go the route of Shane Spencer, or he could be the next Chris Davis, but again, it all comes down to plate discipline. It really does.

(Sept. 9, 2016 - Source: Duane Burleson/Getty Images North America)

I really don't think he'll go the Spencer route. I see him more as a Chris Davis type. With a strike zone as massive as his, I think it could be tricky for him. When I watched him play in the Arizona Fall League a few years ago, he's a solid hitter and a good runner. Even Damon Oppenheimer, the Vice President and Director of Amateur Scouting for the Yankees said of Judge:

(Aug. 16, 2016 - Source: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

“I think power in general is a scarcity, but especially right handed power... It gives him a great value to us, but so does his makeup and a number of other things that go with him. He’s not just a guy that turns and launches; he’s a good runner, a good thrower and a graceful athlete...” That was from the New York Daily News.

Ultimately, I'm rooting for this kid. I know, I know... I think we all are. And yes, I'm biased... meeting this guy at the AFL, watching him play, I totally have a soft spot for this guy. I really look forward to see him on the big team this season.

I leave you all with a tweet he put out a month ago offering the innocence of his youth, but the determination of a man...