Aaron Judge could have been with A’s

Aaron Judge stood out in rightfield for the Yankees, wearing his pinstriped jersey with No. 99 on the back. The fans in “The Judge’s Chambers” section looked in from behind the XL-sized rookie sensation during Saturday’s matinee at Yankee Stadium.

But Judge could have been playing for the other side if he had just said yes the first time.

He could have been standing out there in road gray with an A’s cap on top of his 6-7, 282-pound frame.

“I could have, yeah,” Judge said, standing in the dugout before the Yankees claimed a 3-2 win.

“The Judge’s Chambers” could have been located at the Coliseum in Oakland, about an hour and a half west of his hometown of Linden, California. Back in June 2010, the A’s drafted a first baseman from Linden High in the 30th round. That was Judge. But he said no and went to play at Fresno State.

Regrets? Not even a few.

“In high school, I knew I wasn’t ready for pro ball,” said Judge, who was taken by the Yankees with the 32nd pick of the first round in 2013. “Oakland gave me a shot. They thought I was worthy enough for a draft pick, which was something I was very appreciative of and humbled by.

“But I wanted to go to school and further my education a little bit. I wasn’t mature enough, not only as a player but as a person, to kind of handle being on my own in professional baseball.”

His parents, Wayne and Patty, were teachers who had attended Fresno State. They endorsed the college route, too.

“They kind of left the decision up to me, but 18 years old, I’m trying to lean on my parents as much as possible,” Judge said. “I know I’m too young to make big decisions like that. So they were a big part of that.

“They said, ‘Hey, we’ll give you our opinion if you want to hear it. But other than that, it’s your decision.’ I kind of asked them, ‘Well, what do you guys think?’ They said, ‘You know what? It would probably be best if you went to school and start your education and have something to kind of fall back on.”

But he didn’t just have baseball going for him. He could have run the football option. Notre Dame, Michigan State and UCLA were among those that expressed interest in the receiver/defensive end. Some coaches mentioned converting him to another offensive position.

“I remember I went to a Cal football camp,” Judge said. “I was talking to some of the coaches there. I was a receiver, but they said, ‘You know what? We’d probably put about 30, 40 pounds on you and make you a tight end.’ ”

Judge, who grew up a San Francisco Giants fan, was more into baseball, though, so he was off to Fresno. Coach Mike Batesole knew about his football past and wanted to put Judge in the outfield, telling him, “I know you were a receiver in football, so if you can run down a football, you can run down a baseball.’ ”

The Bulldogs also had Jordan Ribera, the nation’s leading home run hitter, returning at first base. So it was either the outfield or the bench.

“It motivated me a little bit to go out there and work on my defense in the outfield and work on my jump,” Judge said.

He made All-American as a junior and had a .346 average, 17 homers and 35 steals in his three seasons before being drafted again. Judge plans to return at some point to finish up his degree in kinesiology.

“I’m glad I was able to go for three years and be on my own a little bit, [learn] how to kind of survive on my own,” Judge said. “It was great. No money is worth a college experience. I couldn’t really put a money price on that.”

The Yankees first summoned Judge last Aug. 13. He homered in his first major-league plate appearance but ended up striking out half the time, fanning 42 times in 84 at-bats on the way to hitting .179 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 27 games.

“I think that the way that he handled himself last year with not having success probably spoke more to me than the actual results on the field, and that was he handled it really well,” Chase Headley said.

Now Judge rules as the people’s choice, popular with the fans, gracious with the media and dangerous with a bat in his hands. He has a .316/.421/.665 slash line, 15 homers and 30 RBIs in 44 games. He went 0-for-3 Saturday but excelled in the field.

“His impact has been huge, but it hasn’t just been offensively,” Joe Girardi said. “It’s been defensively. It’s been on the basepaths. He’s very athletic. He’s a middle-of-the-order hitter for us, and I think that tells you the impact that he has.”

The A’s had to live without him. He’s very happy to be playing for the Yankees. Said Judge, “There’s no other place I’d rather be.”