New York Yankees Aaron Judge Picked As Prospect To Make Major Impact

New York Yankees prospect Aaron Judge was selected by Keith Law as one of 20 prospects to have a major impact during the 2017 season.

The New York Yankees begin preparations for the 2017 season this week in Spring Training. There is a different feel around Spring Training this year for the Yankees with all the young players they have.

The Yankees have done an excellent job of rebuilding their farm system. The Yankees have top prospects littered throughout their organization, some selected in the MLB Draft and others acquired via trades. Brian Cashman has done well as the Yankees hope to find their new Core Four, the nickname given to Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera.

One of the players the Yankees hope make up that new core is outfielder Aaron Judge. Judge is an imposing player, standing 6-feet-7 inches tall and weighing 275 pounds. To the surprise of no one, Judge is projected to be a power hitter, but he also brings other tools to the table. Despite his size, Judge has plenty of athleticism and is a good defender as well.

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Judge is ranked as the 45th overall prospect coming into the season and is the fourth highest rated Yankee; third best outfielder. That speaks volume to how deep the Yankees farm system is, as Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, and Blake Rutherford are all ranked ahead of Judge.

While those players are rated higher than Judge, it is Judge whom Keith Law believes will have the biggest impact in 2017. Over at ESPN, Law compiled a list of the 20 prospects Law believes will have the biggest impact in 2017. Frazier was listed in the under consideration part of the article, but Judge made the list.

Judge was ranked No.8 by Law on his list. Here is what he had to say about Judge on the list.

"Judge struggled with contact in his big league debut last year, striking out in more than 40 percent of his plate appearances. I expect him to take some time to bring that down this year, but that’s been his history with each promotion in pro ball. Judge is a giant, at 6-foot-7, 275 pounds, so his strike zone is just as big, but he has enormous raw power and is an above-average right fielder. As long as the contact he makes continues to be hard contact, he’ll have value even if he’s among the league leaders in Ks."

Judge battled some injuries in 2016, which could have been a reason for his struggles. He had only 84 at-bats with the major-league club, slashing .179/.263/.345. Those numbers are disappointing, but Judge has some serious talent with the numbers he put up in the minor leagues.

Prior to being called up last season, Judge slashed .270/.366/.489, launching 19 home runs with 18 doubles and one triple in 352 at-bats. The strikeout totals were a little higher than you would like to see them, but the power potential is definitely there.

The Yankees are hoping that Judge can give them another power bat in the middle of their lineup to go along with fellow young phenom Gary Sanchez. Sanchez exploded on the scene last season for the Yankees, as he has lived up to the billing in the early going.

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Will Judge be able to do it this season? We will have to wait and see. Judge will be in the running for a majority of the at-bats in right field. If he can have a strong spring, he could take control of the playing time there in the early going.

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