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Aaron Judge Honored as IL Player of the Month

By Evan Halpine-Berger

Feb 28, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) walks out of the batting cage during the workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) walks out of the batting cage during the workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Yankees top prospect Aaron Judge was named the International League Player of the Month for June.

Triple-A outfielder and literal giant Aaron Judge has chosen by the International League as its player of the month for June it was announced Friday. Judge led the league in home runs, runs scored, and OBP in June, hitting .343/.477/.686 (235 wRC+) in 128 PAs this month. He was also among the top three in the International League in June for slugging percentage, RBI, walks, and total bases.

This news comes on the heels of Aaron Judge’s IL Batter of the Week award for the week of June 20-26 and his selection as a starting outfielder in the Triple-A All Star Game on July 13. It’s been a big month for Judge, who bounced back from a terrible May in which he hit .183/.271/.327 (73 wRC+) in 118 PAs. He currently leads the International League with 16 home runs on the season, and ranks second in both runs scored and RBI with 50 of each as of Friday.

Related Story: Aaron Judge is Pushing for a Big League Promotion

Ranked the 31st best overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline prior to the season, Aaron Judge has erased any doubts about his ability to hit high level pitching with his dominant performance in 2016. It now seems like only a matter of time before Judge gets the call to the big show. However, Yankees’ decision makers are still preaching patience with their 24-year-old phenom, not wanting to overreact to a hot month, no matter how impressive.

When asked about a possible promotion for Judge, manager Joe Girardi recently told Chad Jennings of The Journal News, “Those really aren’t my decisions, and I’m not watching him every day. Obviously our minor league people are trying to finish this kid off so if and when he gets here, he’s here to stay. He’s gotten really hot, but you also go through down periods down there. We’re seeing improvement, which I think is really positive. We’re seeing things we didn’t necessarily see last year.”

For his part, GM Brian Cashman indicated to Dan Martin of the New York Post that Judge currently sits behind Aaron Hicks and Rob Refsnyder on the outfield depth chart, and that any available at bats would go to those youngsters first. When asked about Judge before the Rangers series, Cashman replied, “He’s really on a nice roll right now. There [are] some things he’s definitely improved on, but our first alternative would be to see what Hicks could do anyway. And Refsnyder. [Refsnyder] is swinging the bat well enough and you know he can play the outfield.”

Next: James Kaprielian Likely Out for Season with Elbow Injury

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