Yankees' Girardi compares rookie outfielder Judge to legendary Jeter

While they don't share a position, and Aaron Judge's 6-foot-7 frame would loom large over Derek Jeter's 6-foot-3 stature, it's not enough to quell comparisons between the New York Yankees rookie outfielder and the former face of the franchise.

At least, not in the eyes of Joe Girardi. The Yankees manager says their compete levels and general approach on the field mirror one another in certain ways, according to ESPN's Andrew Marchand.

"He is a little bit like Derek for me," Girardi said. "He has a smile all the time. He loves to play the game. You always think he is going to do the right thing on the field and off the field. He has a presence about him. He plays the game to win all the time and that is the most important thing. It is not about what you did that day."

The loftiness of this comparison is not lost on Girardi, who played with Jeter for several seasons in the 1990s before coaching him at the end of his career.

"I understand that is a big comparison, but I remember Derek when he was young. He grew into that leadership role but that was Derek. Derek loved to have fun, loved to laugh and loved to play the game."

While it may be easy to scream "small sample size" when these inevitable likenesses are made, Judge has had himself a time so far in 2017. He's hit 10 home runs in 22 games, driving in 20 runs in the process.

His hard contact rate sits at a whopping 50 percent. Most impressive may be his overall improvements in plate discipline, striking out in 26.7 percent of his at-bats. While that number is still concerning, it's a step in the right direction compared to the 44.2 percent strikeout clip from a year ago. He's also greatly improved his walk rate.

While 49 career MLB games is definitely too soon to elevate Judge to the same rarefied air as a surefire future Hall Of Famer, Girardi, the Yankees, and fans of the Baby Bombers are right to be excited.