Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge is Sporting News' 2017 American League Rookie of the Year, as selected through a panel of 140 AL players. SN has given out Rookie of the Year awards since 1946.
Trade Aaron Judge.
That was the rallying cry for some Yankee fans following Judge's lackluster 2016 debut stretch. Though he arrived on the scene with a bang — delivering a no-doubt home run in his first big-league game — Judge finished the 2016 season with just four home runs and a paltry .179 average in 27 games.
A year later, he's the near-unanimous winner of the Sporting News American League Rookie of the Year award after setting the MLB rookie record with 52 homers, carrying a .422 on-base percentage and slugging .627. Judge received 138 of 140 votes cast by his fellow American League players.
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The impatience of Yankee fans is well-documented: The win-at-all-costs mentality came from The Boss, George Steinbrenner, and permeated every aspect of the franchise. While the original "Core 4" was built in the '90s with surprising restraint from Steinbrenner — and pressure from Gene Michael and the rest of the Yankees' front office — this 2017 core was built out of necessity.
Judge was one piece of that puzzle, and with his production it's easy to see why. But in 2016, it wasn't the same story: In fact, even before that campaign started and Judge was still figuring things out in the minors, the then-24-year-old wasn't getting credit as an impact prospect.
No one was more unhappy with the lack of respect for Judge than Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.
"Aaron Judge was at the back of the top 100 prospects a year ago," Cashman told Sporting News. "I remember last summer I was ticked off that he was not invited to the Futures Game in San Diego. The outfielder that San Diego has (Hunter Renfroe) was invited instead. I was mad by that, I was like, 'Our guy should be out there.'"
Judge proved he should have made the 2016 Futures Game with his gaudy stats in his first full season in pinstripes: a 1.049 OPS, 128 runs scored (led the AL) and 127 walks (also led the AL).
Not to mention those 52 home runs. And he did all this while striking out a major league-leading 208 times. For good measure, he also led the majors with 8.2 fWAR.
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Still, it doesn't end with the offense for the 6-7 California kid. Judge also posted nine defensive runs saved, per Fangraphs, which ranked fifth in the majors among everyday right fielders.
"You know, I've talked about it all year long that he is not just a hitter. He's a complete player," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told media before Game 5 of the ALCS. "He's a great defender. He's a great baserunner. And he does so many things right at an early age, on a big stage, and just the way he handles all the attention simply amazes me. It's as good as it gets."
But there's something more to Judge than just his numbers on the field. Though Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez both made their major-league debuts before Judge, the mountain of a baseball player has been the anchor of the core of this upstart Yankees squad.
There's something very … Jeterian about that. The demeanor, the charisma, the relationship with the media is all very Derek Jeter-like.
Sure, personality doesn't help win ballgames, or launch dingers into any of New York's neighboring boroughs, but it still serves a purpose in a clubhouse. While heart, class and grit are all cool buzzwords that make for good movies and books, they don't exactly amount to production — but they do help provide leadership for a young group of players.
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For Judge to display all those qualities is special for a first-year player who's enjoying the success he has had, especially in New York.
"Guys like Judge, makes you feel comfortable," Yankees third baseman Todd Frazier told media after ALCS Game 3. "I feel like this guy has been here 10 years-plus. He's humble as all heck."
Could Aaron Judge be the next Yankee great? It's way too early to tell.
But if 2017 is any indication, he's going to make plenty of friends in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium, and plenty of enemies on the mound.
Judge is the ninth Yankee to win the award, and the first since Derek Jeter in 1996.
VOTING RESULTS
1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees: 138
2. Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox: 1
3. Yuli Gurriel, Houston Astros: 1
THIS WEEK’S SN AWARD SCHEDULE
Monday: Rookies of the Year (AL and NL)
Tuesday: Comeback Players of the Year (AL and NL) and Managers of the Year (AL and NL)
Wednesday: AL All-Star Team | NL All-Star Team
Thursday: MLB Player of the Year
