Yankees' Aaron Judge in chambers of another sort in Stockton Tuesday
All rise!
The Judge has entered the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors' chambers.
Linden High graduate Aaron Judge, who went on to play baseball at Fresno State before taking the major leagues by storm last year with this Rookie of the Year campaign for the New York Yankees, was honored by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday for his accomplishments.
Judge, along with his parents, was on hand to receive the award.
"Any time I receive an award or is presented an award, it's never an individual effort," he said. "It's always a team effort."
He thanked his community for its support.
"I don't take it for granted," he said. "I think about it every day when I take the field."
Judge, who plays right field and is listed at 6-foot-7 and 282 pounds, clubbed an MLB rookie record 52 home runs and drove in 114 RBIs while producing a slash line of .282/.422/.627. HIs 52 home runs broke the single-season rookie record (49) held by Oakland's Mark McGwire in 1987.
At the All-Star Game in Miami, Judge won the fan-favorite Home Run Derby, outslugging hometown favorite Giancarlo Stanton, who led the MLB last season with 59 round trippers.
The Yankees acquired Stanton in an offseason trade and he and Judge will form the most fearsome one-two punch, since, perhaps, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Judge and the Yankees qualified for the playoffs as a wild-card team and took the eventual American League champion Houston Astros to a seventh game, coming one victory away from the World Series.
The Yankees are the current favorite to win the 2018 World Series, according to multiple online betting sites.
As a high school player in the Stanislaus District, Judge batted .436 with 11 home runs in 48 games played. As a senior, he hit .500 with seven round-trippers and 32 RBIs and led the Lions to the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs.
He was aced out for The Bee's Player of the Year honor in 2010 by Turlock High pitcher Vince Wheeland.
This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Yankees' Aaron Judge in chambers of another sort in Stockton Tuesday."