Who is Aaron Judge and Why Is Everyone Talking About Him?

If you were paying attention to social media last night (or merely glancing at it as you shoved salty snacks in your face while watching TV, like I was), you saw a lot of people talking about some kind of judge who plays sports.

Maybe you knew right away what was happening. And maybe you didn’t.

If you fall into the latter category, I’m here to answer a couple of questions, from one non-sports watcher to another.

Who is Aaron Judge?

Aaron Judge is a professional baseball player. He’s currently on a team called the New York Yankees. Apparently he’s pretty good at making home runs, which will be important in a minute.

Why are people talking about this guy?

Last night, there was an event in baseball called the Home Run Derby. It’s basically a televised contest to see who in major league baseball can hit the most home runs. Aaron Judge won this contest.

So? Shouldn’t baseball players hit home runs all the time?

I have no idea. Probably. But watching them do it a buncha times in a row is pretty cool, I guess.

What made this Home Run Derby so tweet-worthy?

Apparently the Derby used be super boring, and they found a way to make it better. If you read this article by Yahoo sports writer (and occasional FresYes.com contributor) Mike Oz, you’ll get a clear understanding of what changed. TL;DR: Players used to wait for good pitches before swinging, now there’s a timer, so they try to hit as many balls as possible before the clock runs out. 

Okay, so why are all my friends and family losing their minds over this Aaron Judge guy? Who cares about a dude who plays for a New York team?

First of all, because Aaron Judge is really good at sports. He was so good at football (a different sport), a bunch of colleges tried to recruit him. Instead—and here’s where this post suddenly makes sense—he chose to play baseball at Fresno State instead.

And that’s really why everyone you know was going crazy on social media last night. Not only is this guy remarkable at his job, he’s a hometown athlete and people like that.

And now you’re all caught up! If you want to see Aaron Judge in action for yourself, he will be playing in tonight’s All-Star Game on Fox. It starts at 5 p.m. 

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Jason Farris

Head YES man at FresYes.com

I grew up in Fresno. Relaxed in its calm breezes, listened with my dad to the crack of the bat at little league baseball games when I was a kid and now take my son to do the same at minor league games. I broadened my mind at its schools (I went to high school right here at San Joaquin Memorial, and to college at Fresno State!) I love that if I drive for two hours in one direction, I can be in the mountains. For two hours in another, luxuriating on a California beach. I can enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of San Francisco or Los Angeles, but still be able to come home to relaxation, calm, and quiet.

I love where I live, and I also love what I do. I'm lucky to be able to work in a profession in which I get to build relationships; one that has me meeting new people each and every day and helping them to build new lives in my beloved city. I'm lucky enough to work in a profession in which I can marry cutting-edge technologies and marketing techniques to good, old-fashioned, nose-to-the-grindstone work. I am lucky enough to work in a profession that allows me to work as an advocate for my clients; to use every tool at my disposal to get a job done well for them, and with as little stress and expense as possible.

I love my city. I love my job. One inspires my excellence for the other.

Fresno? I say FresYES

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