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Aaron Judge’s batting practice blast has Yankees buzzing

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TAMPA – Aaron Judge swears he didn’t see the ball clear the giant left-center field scoreboard that bears George M. Steinbrenner’s name, but just about everybody else in the ballpark did.

And those that didn’t heard about it soon enough.

Judge’s moonshot created quite a buzz at Steinbrenner Field Friday, the latest in a series of blasts that have the Yankees drooling over the prospects of his ascent to the big-leagues.

“That’s impressive,” manager Joe Girardi said. “There aren’t a lot of guys that can do that. We’ve talked about what a great athlete he is and obviously trying to get him the reps to where he can be a real effective player here. But it’s nice to see that type of power because not everyone has it.”

Alex Rodriguez wasn’t on the field when Judge flexed his muscles, but the three-time AL MVP knew exactly what reporters were talking about when asked about the titanic BP homer.

“I didn’t see them; I heard of them,” Rodriguez said. “Everyone’s been talking about them. It’s exciting, when you see a kid like that hit the ball over the scoreboard, that’s pretty special.”

“Did you see the balls he hit today?” Brian McCann said. “It’s super impressive.”

Judge hit several balls over the wall during batting practice Friday, though the one that cleared the 40-foot-high scoreboard left teammates and spectators wondering how somebody could hit a ball that far.

“I usually don’t watch them,” Judge said. “Not even that one.”

Judge – who stands 6-7 and is listed at 255 pounds – said he didn’t know where the ball landed. Informed that it cleared the high scoreboard, a big smile came across his face.

“The wind was blowing out,” Judge said trying to downplay the shot. He said he doesn’t try to hit home runs during BP, but “it just kind of happens. I just got blessed, you know? I’m just trying to make good contact right now; feel my swing, see how everything is feeling. Some just happen to go that far.”

Judge had his first experience in major-league camp last spring, showing off his raw power in one batting practice session after another.

The 23-year-old hit .284/.350/.516 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI in 63 games at Double-A Trenton last season, earning a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He struggled at Triple-A, hitting .224/.308/.373 with eight homers and 28 RBI in 61 games.

“I think it’s adjusting to how pitchers are going to pitch him, is the bottom line,” Girardi said. “He went from a league where he was doing really well in Double-A and had some struggles in Triple-A, but you have a lot of crafty people in Triple-A. It’s learning to make adjustments and we feel that he’s made some adjustments in his swing that should help with that.”

Judge’s strikeouts were an issue all season, as he whiffed 144 times in 478 at-bats between the two levels. Still, the pop in his bat has the Yankees believing he will be a force in the Bronx before too long.

“Our job as veteran players is to expedite the maturation process of guys like Judge and all the other great young players we have here,” Rodriguez said. “It’s exciting. We have an exciting opportunity to win now and we’re set up for the future.”

Girardi is looking forward to seeing Judge play this spring, though the true test of his progress will come when the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre season commences.

“You don’t judge people in spring training and you don’t judge them in the month of September,” Girardi said. “You want to see the adjustments when he’s playing every day, because chances are you’re just getting into it here, you have not seen a lot of live pitching, so I think sometimes it’s unfair to judge people here.”

Judge said his teammates will joke around with him when he swings and misses or fouls a ball off. So what did they say after his monster homer?

“I didn’t hear anything,” Judge said.

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