Aaron Judge is the Obvious Choice to Replace A-Rod

With Alex Rodriguez expected to play his last game with the New York Yankees Friday, Aaron Judge could be first in line for a call-up.

Yankees top prospect Aaron Judge has picked up right where he left off since missing a month with a mild PCL sprain a bone bruise in his left knee. In his last five games since returning to the lineup, Judge has gone 6-for-18 with two doubles, three runs scored, and an RBI.

Any worries that he would affected by this injury down the stretch are probably safely behind us. Another week of this kind of production could convince the Yankees that Aaron Judge is back to being the player who was named International League Player of the Month for June and was leading Triple-A hitters in home runs before the knee issue.

The New York Yankees will have a roster spot to fill Saturday morning following the end of Alex Rodriguez’s tenure with the team, and Aaron Judge is one of several contenders for that job. 

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After trading rightfielder Carlos Beltran at the August 1st deadline, the Yankees have a clear opening at Aaron Judge’s natural position. The club has been using Rob Refsnyder and Aaron Hicks to fill the void since the deal, but neither has been nearly productive enough at the plate to hold off Judge.

Aaron Judge has been having a monster season with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre in 2016. The 24-year-old is hitting .265/.359/.467 (140 wRC+) with 16 home runs in his second go-round at this level, a huge step forward from hitting .224/.308/.373 (98 wRC+) in 260 plate appearances the previous year.

The immense 6’7 230 lb. Judge faced a steep learning curve when he was first promoted to the International League as crafty veteran pitchers found ways to exploit his huge strike zone. Things may be even uglier when Judge gets the call to the big leagues.

It makes sense to get Judge to the Bronx now to try and get some of those growing pains out of the way now, with the Yankees out of the playoff race, and prepare Judge to help the team make a run in 2017.

Judge has demonstrated an impressive ability to adapt in the face of adversity. He worked hard all offseason to address his issues with soft stuff on the outer half of the zone. Those efforts have paid off, as Judge has noticeably shortened his swing, and drastically cut down on his strikeout rate from last season (28.5% to 23.6%).

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Those are encouraging signs, and hopefully Aaron Judge gets the opportunity to take his next step forward this year in the big leagues. Things may be a little rocky for the big man at first, but the payoff for the Yankees could be huge next year when they can pair him with Gary Sanchez in the middle of the lineup.