The MLB Draft is usually a time in which lots of scouting reports fly around and reach media and fans, who are more than willing to read them and form their own opinions about certain prospects.
The 2013 MLB Draft produced one of the best players currently starring in the majors: New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
The Bombers took him around the end of the first round, with the 32nd overall pick.
In these scouting reports, talent evaluators often highlight the players’ strengths and weakness, and his chances of overcoming those flaws and becoming an effective major leaguer.
Scouts often include a player comparison: this is a player they feel the prospect in question has a similar profile and ceiling to.
In Judge’s case, they compared him to Nolan Reimold, a former Baltimore Orioles outfielder who played in MLB from 2009 to 2016.
Reimold was also a tall guy like Judge who played the outfield corners and had a bit of an issue making contact.
The Comparison Looks Hilarious Right Now
It’s fair to say, however, that Judge’s career took off in ways that Reimold’s just…didn’t.
The comparison, at this point, is actually hilarious.
“Gonna go out on a limb and say that this player comparison was slightly off,” @CalicoJoeMLB tweeted.
Gonna go out on a limb and say that this player comparison was slightly off pic.twitter.com/Bco3GH1Hpg
— Calico Joe (@CalicoJoeMLB) September 30, 2022
To be fair, it made at least some sense at the time: Judge was nowhere near this current level; a team would have taken him well before the end of the first round otherwise.
But the Yankees helped mold him into the hitter he is today, one capable of hitting 61 homers in a season and challenging for the Triple Crown.
Reimold’s best season, his rookie year in 2009, resulted in 15 round-trippers.
He finished his career as a league-average hitter (99 wRC+), but there is no comparison with Judge at this point.
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