David Ortiz knew exactly what he was saying on ESPN Sunday night when he likened Aaron Judge to a vintage Barry Bonds. That's high praise, considering a) it came from a Red Sox icon and noted Yankee-killer and b) it put Judge on the same plane as baseball's all-time HR champion.
Say what you want about Bonds' history with PEDs and whether his crown is dirty, but the net effect was still the same. Pitchers were terrified of a freakishly strong hitter who knew the strike zone, wasn't easily fooled and turned any mistake into a monstrous home run.
Here we are, some 20 years later, and Judge has morphed into the same threat minus the chemicals. When Ortiz said last week at CC Sabathia charity's event, "(Judge) is the scariest thing I've ever seen" he was giving voice to the fear in every pitcher's heart.
You can sense the growing anxiety around the American League, especially over the weekend against the Orioles. Judge's 495-foot blast on Sunday wasn't just a Roy Hobbs moment, it was a message to the industry as a whole: you cannot beat me. Not up and in. Not down and away. One way or another I'll get you.
A scout recently suggested pitchers aren't just worried about Judge's home runs. Actually, at this point, there's no embarrassment giving up a blast to the game's most powerful man. But it's the line drives, and the possibility of one coming back up the middle, that's in every hurler's mind. Judge's freakish strength is enough to turn batted balls into missiles. At 121-mph, the record-breaking exit velocity of a home run he pulverized on Saturday, Judge proved he can break bones, if not worse.
"How would you feel standing 60 feet away from someone capable of that?" the scout asked. No answer was necessary. Judge, nice guy that he is, probably fears the same thing. He's as gentle as he is imposing, having told nj.com recently he's never charged the mound _ and can't imagine ever doing so.
That's why the Yankees love Judge; there's no fake tough-guy script that he's reading from, nor is he using his muscles to seek fame. But celebrity has already begun tracking him. In just the first two months of the season Judge has appeared on Jimmy Fallon and has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. This is only the beginning. By this time next year Judge could be untouchable _ chased down not just by SI but Access Hollywood, too.
With Mike Trout on the disabled list, Judge has not only become the early front-runner for the MVP, he could potentially win the Triple Crown and single-handedly carry the Yankees straight to the postseason. With 21 home runs in the Yankees' first 60 games, Judge is hunting Roger Maris' mark of 61 set in 1961. And given his athleticism in the outfield, it's not crazy to see a little Mickey Mantle in him, too.
No wonder Buck Showalter could only manage a rueful smile and a weak joke about Judge while the O's were getting swept.
"If they start letting me shift guys into the bleachers, then maybe I can get Judge out," Buck told the Post's Joel Sherman.
Actually, there are two somewhat desperate options available to opponents. They can either pitch around Judge or hope he cools down on the road. The first possibility is neutralized by cleanup hitter Matt Holliday, who's still respected enough to protect Judge in the No. 3 spot. And, if not, Gary Sanchez could slot into the No. 4 spot and twin up with Judge to become the most dangerous Yankees duo since, well, Maris and Mantle.
We already know Judge, leading the majors with 38 walks, isn't opposed to being patient. According to Fangraphs.com, Judge is swinging at 30 percent fewer pitches out the strike zone this year than in 2016, and has cut down on his swing-and-miss ratio from 18.5 percent to 12.5. That's bad news for pitchers who hoped Judge would become intoxicated with his home run power and start swinging for the cosmos.
On the other hand, the home/road split is revealing in that Judge's average is more than 100 points lower away from the Stadium (.288 to .400). In almost the same number of at-bats (105 to 104) Judge has hits far fewer HRs on the road (six) than at home (15).
The sample size is small, however, and Judge's inflated numbers in the Bronx have more to do with his recent hot streak than the Stadium's bandbox dimensions. Judge's power obviously plays anywhere, which is why a week on the west coast will tell us plenty about his learning curve.
So far, however, there's every reason to think Judge is on the way to becoming one of the game's finest all-around offensive threats. As the Post has noted, Judge is practically a .300 hitter (.298) even after the count gets to 0-2.
That's why pitchers dread facing him. That's why scouts are scrambling for fresh data to limit his damage. That's why the Yankees feel like they have the unstoppable weapon in what might be an unstoppable summer. Judge just might be a unicorn.
