CHICAGO _ When Yankees 6-foot-7 rookie Aaron Judge went out to grab a bat in the visitors' dugout at Wrigley Field on Friday morning, he had to duck to avoid bumping his head on the ceiling.
It was an occupational hazard for the game's newest star, whose big bat and huge frame reminds some of Frank Howard, the former slugger from the 1960s who also stood at 6-7 but weighed only 255 pounds, about 25 pounds lighter than Judge.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon made the comparison again on Friday before the opener of their three-game series against the Yankees.
"It's a fantastic compliment," Judge said. "I'm just trying to progress and do whatever I can do. To be mentioned in the same sentence as someone like Frank Howard, coming from a manager like Joe Maddon, one of the best managers in this game, it's quite a compliment."
Howard smacked 382 home runs over a 16-year career, leading the American League, in 1968 (44) and 1970 (44) with the Senators.
Judge, the 32nd pick in the 2013 draft, came up at the end of 2016 and struggled in his brief stint, hitting .179 with four home runs and 42 strikeouts in 27 games. He didn't get much notice in spring training with catcher Gary Sanchez, the new face of the organization, getting all the pub.
But in his first full season, Judge, 25, seems like a good bet to be named American League Rookie of the Year, and could be the Most Valuable Player if he continues at his current pace. He had a league-leading 13 home runs in 27 games through Friday, including 10 in his last 15 games. He's the seventh player in history with 17 or more home runs in the first 52 games of his career.
"I'm still just feeding off my teammates," Judge said. "They're putting me in good positions. Just trying to get quality at-bats and swinging at the right pitches."
Is he enjoying the attention now that he's becoming a household name?
Judge again deferred to his teammates, pointing to the hot hitters around him, Starlin Castro (.367) and Chase Headley (.302).
"I just feel like I'm in the right place at the right time," he said.
Manager Joe Girardi said Judge has the innate ability to "slow the game down" and not get too geeked at the plate.
"His at-bats have been great, and they just continue to be good," he said.
Maddon believes Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are the two "biggest, strongest guys in the game," and said he was curious to watch him play this weekend.
But Maddon wasn't complaining Friday that a Hawk wind was blowing in at Wrigley on Friday, helping to prevent Judge from doing his thing.
Judge has the odd uniform number of 99, which may become more popular with kids if he continues as this sizzling early-season pace. It has no special meaning to Judge, who just took the jersey from the Yankees' equipment manager.
"I don't think anyone here would ever turn down a number or uniform the New York Yankees give you," he said.
There's no debating that.
