The first thing I like to do for all prospects, Aaron Judge included, is look up their video highlights, because I’m not familiar with them as much as I want to be. Aaron Judge looks like Giancarlo Stanton. A few things on comparing him to Giancarlo. I did it first, then Googled Aaron Judge + Giancarlo and a lot, I mean, a lot of people have compared the two. That means nothing, because now I’m comparing him to Giancarlo and Giancarlo is my novio and we have a daughter together that we named Giancarla, so when I compare someone to Giancarlo, it is said with profound love and a sharp crease in my khakis. I don’t think I’ve ever compared another player to Giancarlo before. That is the kind of praise Aaron Judge is currently receiving. If Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall would’ve starred in a movie about this Judge, the movie would’ve been good. You feel me? Okay, stop touching me now. Judge looks like he could hit 40 homers with the Yankees tomorrow. That’s, of course, if there were games tomorrow. (Only 140 more days without baseball!) I don’t think Judge is 100% butter, i.e., as good as Giancarlo. I’m not just saying that because Giancarlo and I have matching tattoos. The stats seem to bear that out, or bare if you’re a nudist. In Double-A, Judge hit 12 homers in 63 games at the age of 23. Giancarlo hit 21 homers in 53 games in Double-A at the age of 20, then hit 20 homers that same year with the Marlins. Giancarlo is a once-in-a-decade bat; Judge is similar, just not quite there, which in itself is very impressive. And it’s not just that Judge stands six-seven and is 230 pounds bone-dry. His swing looks like my Gian-novio. Judge is a giant beast of a man and mollywhops with the best of them. This is not fiction, this is biographical, researchable evidence. Anyway, what can we expect of Aaron Judge for 2016 fantasy baseball?
In Triple-A last year, he was a tad overmatched (hit .224), but had some bad luck with balls hit into play (.289 BABIP) while also hitting 8 homers and stealing six steals. I’m kinda between him being a perennial All-Star and a prime Nick Swisher. Before you scoff, you scoffer, a prime Nick Swisher is 35 homers and a .250 average. That’s not exactly awful. What excites me the most with Judge is he looks really close. Close is good. Close is what I focus on, because, even in keepers, while it’s nice to worry about 2019, I want to win a championship every year, not just one in four years. Judge is not April close though. Cashman has already said Judge won’t be ready at the “front end of 2016.” But if he’s not up by June, it’s because he was injured. The Yankees outfield is two parts old and one part getting older. Beltran is the Yankees plan for right field in April of 2016. After all, they’ve already bought all of that gauze to hold his Mummy dust bones together. On the fo’reallies, Beltran will be hurt by June and Judge will be up. If Judge’s 28.5% K-rate in Triple-A is any indication, he’s going to be lucky to hit .230 next year in the majors, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was adjusting. The power will play anywhere and he has some slight speed. For 2016, I’ll give him the line of 36/16/44/.241/4 with a June call-up and 300 ABs. Just in case he breaks camp with the club, I’d grab him in very deep leagues in March, then you can Judge for yourself!
