New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge is having such a superb rookie season his manager compared him to Derek Jeterone of the organization's most legendary players."He is a little bit like Derek for me," Joe Girardi told reporters Monday (via Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com). "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. He has a presence about him. He plays the game to win all the time, and that is the most important thing. It is not about what you did that day."I understand that is a big comparison, but I remember Derek when he was young. He grew into that leadership role, but that was Derek. Derek loved to have fun, loved to laugh and loved to play the game."Judge, 25, entered Monday hitting .303 with 10 home runs and 20 RBI. He hinted at the sort of power he could provide last season, mashing four homers with 10 RBI in 27 games. He also struck out 42 times in his 84 at-bats, however.Thus, nobody expected such a torrid start. His 10 home runs tied for the most in the American League alongside Oakland Athletics left fielder Khris Davis and also matched a record for the most April home runs by a rookie in MLB history, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.And it isn't just his manager who has been impressed."You just look at the guy in batting practice, and he hits the ball 550 feet," Yankees designated hitter Matt Holliday told Hoch. "He can run and he can throw at 6'8", 280 pounds. You just don't see it. I haven't seen anything like it. It's fun to watch. He's fun to watch. I think the whole stadium stops when he comes up to bat. That doesn't happen all the time."As for the Jeter comparison, there are a few differences between the two. As Marchand noted, Jeter was already in his fourth full MLB season by the time he turned 25, and he added his third World Series title that year.So Judge has a bit of catching up to do. But given the excitement he generates every time he steps to the plate and the presence and positive attitude he brings to the ballpark, he's given New York a dynamism it has lacked since Jeter's retirement.
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