Aaron Judge: 'I wouldn't be a New York Yankee if it wasn't for my mom'

One of baseball's most promising rookies has his mother to thank for his early-career success with the New York Yankees.

Ahead of Mother's Day on Sunday, outfielder Aaron Judge touched on the impact his mom, Patty Judge, had on his life after being adopted one day after being born in 1992.

"I know I wouldn't be a New York Yankee if it wasn't for my mom," Judge said, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. "The guidance she gave me as a kid growing up, knowing the difference from right and wrong, how to treat people, and how to go the extra mile and put in extra work, all that kind of stuff. She's molded me into the person that I am today."

Aaron's parents - retired school teachers Patty and Wayne - preached an early focus on education.

It wasn't until elementary school that he ask about his real parents, though he admits it was never a concern.

"I think it was like, 'I don't look like you, mom. I don't look like you, dad. Like, what's going on here?'" Judge said. "They just kind of told me I was adopted. I was like, 'OK, that's fine with me. You're still my mom, the only mom I know. You're still my dad, the only dad I know.'

"Nothing really changed. I honestly can't even remember too much, because it wasn't that big of a deal. They just told me I was adopted, and I said, 'OK, can I go outside and play?'"

Perhaps constantly playing outdoors helped the hulking Judge grow into the athlete he is today. He was heavily recruited as a football player but maintained his desire to play baseball and ended up being drafted by the Yankees in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2013 draft.

The move has paid dividends for Judge and the Yankees, at least early on.