Reggie Jackson Had Great Quote to Convince Hal Steinbrenner Aaron Judge Was MLB-Ready

Patrick Andres | Aug 13, 2024

Reggie Jackson walks onto the field in front of a cheering stadium at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, setting up to throw the game's ceremonial first pitch in celebration of his documentary's upcoming debut on Amazon Prime (Mar. 18, 2023). / Alex and Chet Peterman / Special to The Post / USA TODAY NETWORK

At the beginning of the 2017 season, New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge hadn't shown anything particularly special in the big leagues.

In an unmemorable 27-game cup of coffee in 2016, Judge slashed .179/.263/.345. He was getting old for a prospect, too, with his 25th birthday looming in April of '17.

Fortunately for the Yankees, Hall of Fame right fielder Reggie Jackson vouched for Judge to owner Hal Steinbrenner—and the rest is history.

In a Monday night interview with Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Jackson recalled what he said before that fateful '17 season.

"Well, if you can deal with 200 strikeouts, and he can deal with 200 strikeouts, he’s going to hit 15 home runs and 15 more fly balls that are going to land on the other side of the fence," Jackson remembered telling Steinbrenner.

Judge did strike out 208 times in his rookie season—but he easily compensated by hitting 52 home runs and driving in 114 RBIs. Now, seven years later, the 32-year-old is one home run away from becoming baseball's 162nd 300-home run man.

“(Judge) has put himself in the realm of (Hall of Famers Babe) Ruth and (Lou) Gehrig,” Yankees great Reggie Jackson told The Post.