New York Yankees Prospect Aaron Judge Is Opening Eyes Everywhere

Aaron Judge (right) is moving his way through the Yankees farm system. Pictured as a member of Trenton Thunder. (Photo by Catalina Fragoso – DoubleGSports)

New York Yankees outfield prospect Aaron Judge continues to impress as the outfielder is now one step away from Major League Baseball.

At 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, Judge has the body build of a football player and received multiple college football scholarships to play tight end. However, Judge realized that his sport was baseball and in the 2013 MLB Draft, Judge was selected 32^nd overall.

Shortly after, Judge signed with the Yankees and received a $1.8 million bonus. The Yankee prospect has had a fantastic 2015 and is now ranked the No. 13 best prospect in the league. Judge came into the year as the No. 49, but jumped to 13 after dominating with the Yankees Double-A affiliate the Trenton Thunder.

With the Thunder, Judge hit .284 with 16 doubles, 13 home runs and 44 runs batted in. The Fresno State product was called up to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre and has continued his success.

“It has been great. Good coaching and good teammates along the way have helped me take the next step,” Judge said. “I am pretty excited to be here and work with the best coaches in any organization, the New York Yankees.”

Judge has tremendous power and was recently ranked the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees organization behind teammate and right-handed pitcher, Luis Severino.

“I have great teammates around me,” Judge stated. “I never try and do too much. There’s no pressure on me at all. I just try and go out there and get on for the guy behind me.”

Judge played in 63 games with the Thunder and hopes to keep the same approach in Scranton as he has played in 15 games as of Monday with the RailRiders.

“It’s basically the same approach,” Judge explained. “There are adjustments you make here and there depending on the pitcher or situation but you basically want to stick to the same approach that’s the biggest thing.”

Judge has been compared by Yankees coaches and scouts to be similar to Yankees legendary outfielder Dave Winfield, who played in eight straight All-Star games with the Yankees and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

“It’s an honor to be in the same sentence as him (Winfield),” Judge said. “Dave Winfield man it’s pretty cool, but I am just trying to go out there and be the best baseball player I can be.”

Winfield, like Judge was also a three sport athlete playing basketball, football and baseball in high school.

“That’s who my dad always talked about, because he was a three-sport athlete growing up, too,” said Judge. “Just hearing those comparisons now that I’m in pro ball, it’s kind of mind-blowing.”

The Yankees star prospect has also been selected to the 2015 MLB All-Star Futures Game in Cincinnati on July 13. He will play alongside Yankees catching prospect Gary Sanchez, who is the No. 3 prospect in the organization.

“I’m looking forward to meeting some guys that I have only read about,” said Judge. “Getting the chance to represent the Yankees for the Futures Game is an honor in itself.”

The Yankees prospect is a nice fit in right field and if he continues to make solid contact and stays healthy, Yankees fans could see Judge in the Bronx sooner rather than later.