Ever since Aaron Judge stepped into the role of captain, he has always been compared to Derek Jeter. However, despite popular belief, he doesn’t take it as an offense, or pay much heed to the comments. But that doesn’t mean he has no respect for Derek Jeter; just ahead of the New York Yankees Old Timer’s Day celebrations, Judge expressed his excitement to meet Jeter. Judge’s motive was clear—he wants to learn more, from the best. After all, Jeter helped the team clench five victories.

Now, Derek Jeter has also been reciprocating the love and respect shown by the current Yankees superstar. At the 15th anniversary event of the Yankees’ 2009 win, the former captain showered praises on Aaron Judge. In his classic Jeter fashion, he commented “it’s ridiculous” that pitchers still dare to face Judge, given his incredible hitting ability. 

Derek Jeter all praises for Aaron Judge

Derek Jeter may be away from the diamond, but not from the sport. He is as active as active can be seen at various events, talking about all the current happenings in baseball. So it’s no secret that he is aware of the stellar season that Aaron Judge, the now Yankee sensation, has been creating. Jeter, went ahead to show his appreciation for the player when he was at the Old Timers event. Derek Jeter remarked, “It’s ridiculous. I think people fail to remember he had a rough first month, and there was a lot of questions. Now, all of a sudden, he’s having a season like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Barry Bonds. I don’t really know why they keep pitching to him, but it’s pretty fun to watch.” But the reporter called him out right there!

After that comment by Derek Jeter, the reporter immediately called it out, saying that Aaron Boone wouldn’t want him to say that out loud. To which Jeter soon realized and cheekily backtracked his comment and replied, “Oh yeah, keep pitching, keep pitching to him.” Currently, Judge is a powerhouse and is leading the majors with 49 home runs, so granted, the reporter might be right — Boone, the New York Yankees manager, most definitely wouldn’t want opposing teams to stop pitching to him just yet!

Derek Jeter didn’t stop his praises just yet but also drew attention to the incredible season Judge has had this year, turning the game at a 360 after a tough start. Jeter even compared him to legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Barry Bonds. But Judge had recently mentioned that he doesn’t believe in comparisons nor does he dwell much on them just a few days back.

Moreover, Aaron Judge had said, “It’s not real. I try not to think about it. Even they would say a lot of the Yankee greats here—Mantle, DiMaggio, Maris, Babe Ruth. It’s tough to comprehend or even think about.” But while Jeter compared Judge with all the baseball greats, some people say Judge is very much like Derek Jeter himself!

Is Aaron Judge more similar to Derek Jeter than he knows?

The former MLB players Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, along with Joe Torre the manager, talked about how similar Aaron Judge is to Jeter. Not just the fact that they are both connected through captainship of one of the biggest teams in MLB, but the fact that they are so alike in their mentality. On the recent 611 podcast, Torre highlighted, “The similarity is they both need to win. I can only tell you from Jeter’s side, he goes 3 for 4 and we lose the game, he’s not a happy camper, it doesn’t really matter. If he’s hitless and we win the game, it’s a whole different personality. He’s on the field to win, and he has no patience with anybody who happens to be the opposite in the clubhouse.”

Torre further added, “As far as Judge [is concerned], I’m assuming he’s the same guy, because he has that sort of temperament. I’ve got to know him the last couple of years, just by seeing him in spring training, sitting and talking to him. To me, he and Jeter are a pretty good match when it comes to trusting somebody to be captain of your team.” While both are undoubtedly ace of their game, Jeter is steering ahead. He holds the edge in batting average (.310 to Judge’s .288) and RBIs (1311 to 691). But Judge dominates in home runs, with 306 compared to Jeter’s 260.

Derek Jeter also has five World Series titles, while Aaron Judge is still chasing his first. However, it’s crucial to note that Jeter’s been in the game for two decades, that’s way longer than Judge only has nine under his belt. He still has a long way to go and given that he is all ready to learn from Jeter, that time might come sooner than later!