NEW YORK -- Before he hit an Opening Day home run on a left-handed uppercut that was eerily reminiscent of Carl Yastrzemski, and before Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon dubbed him "Fred Lynn reincarnated," Andrew Benintendi was all but crowned Rookie of the Year by preseason acclamation.
And then Aaron Judge came along.
With his immense size, brute strength and surprising athleticism, Judge is the new face of the New York Yankees and baseball's breakout star nearly one-third of the way through the season. He has emerged not only as the league's top rookie but, with Mike Trout recovering from surgery on a torn thumb ligament, the early MVP front-runner.