Aaron Judge has arrived, and the baseball community has taken notice. Pitchers shy away from him. Opposing hitters watch his batting practice sessions in awe. His own teammates cling to the dugout railing when he steps into the box. In a few short weeks, Judge has become a budding superstar, a role model, and a folk hero. How about that for a rookie?
When news of a player’s success spreads, the exaggerated comparisons surely follow. We’ve seen a number of high profile analogies in recent years. Mike Trout is the next Mickey Mantle, Zach Britton the next Mariano Rivera, the list goes on.