How will this outfielder do in his minor league debut?
Background:
The Yankees' second pick in the first round of the 2013 Draft was Aaron Judge (32nd overall pick). The right-hander is from Linden, California. This was his second time in the draft, after being a 31st round pick by the Oakland Athletics in 2010. Obviously, he chose not to sign with the A's and ended up going on to play at Fresno State instead. Over three seasons at Fresno State, he hit .346/.451/.528. He stole at least 11 bases each season. Judge had a terrific final year at Fresno State, hitting .373/.461/.663 with 11 home runs. This was his breakout year in terms of power, as he only hit six total home runs in the previous two seasons combined, though two of those home runs were off of the 2013 draft's top overall pick, Mark Appel. He won the 2012 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby, where he launched 16 home runs in three rounds.
Judge is a huge guy, listed at 6'7" and 255 pounds. He's drawn comparisons to Giancarlo Stanton (yes, please!) based on sheer size and power. In fact, if Judge makes it to the majors, he'll be tied for the tallest outfielder ever. The 21-year-old outfielder is described as having a canon for an arm. He has quite a bit of raw power at the plate, although this is displayed more frequently in batting practice than in actual games. He has good speed, and while he played center field in college, he'll likely switch over to right field.
2013 Results:
Judge waited until close to the deadline to finally sign with the Yankees. He failed to make it into any minor league games due to a lingering quad injury.
2014 Outlook:
It seems that Judge will be starting the 2014 season in Low-A Charleston, or possibly High-A Tampa. It will be interesting to follow his first season in the minor leagues and to see whether he can recreate the power that he displayed during his 2013 season with Fresno State. If Judge progresses accordingly, he should break into the majors sometime between 2016-2018. It would be great to see him reach his potential of 30+ HRs and turn into a Stanton-esque type of player.
