Yankees' Aaron Judge invited to participate in 2017 Home Run Derby

Aaron Judge leads the American League in All-Star Game votes, but it looks like the Yankees' rookie sensation could be showcased at Marlins Park a day before the Midsummer Classic on July 11. According to the Associated Press, Judge -- who has a league-leading 23 home runs this season -- received an invitation to participate in next month's Home Run Derby in Miami last week, and has yet to decide on whether he'll take part in the contest on July 10. In mid-April, prior to his torrid hitting pace, Judge expressed some interest in the Derby, and told NJ.com's Randy Miller that he would likely participate if given the invitation. Just last week, the 25-year-old told Miller the same. "The Home Run Derby is awesome,” said Judge, who won the 2012 College Home Run Derby as a sophomore at Fresno State. "I’ve been in them before and I just take my normal swing that I do in batting practice and hopefully it would all work out. I’d just go out there and have fun. I wouldn’t change anything. But it would be a fun thing to do.” More importantly, Yankees manager Joe Girardi has given Judge his blessing to participate.  "You watch him doing his work in BP, there are a lot of homers going to right and there are a lot of homers going to center,” Joe Girardi told Miller. “It’s just not pull, pull, pull, pull, pull. Sometimes you worry about the physical nature of [a Home Run Derby] … them getting hurt. Sometimes you worry about them doing something they don’t do in the course of a game. “But you watch [Judge in] BP, his first round he’s hitting balls out of right field. Some guys are working line drives or groundballs. He’s hitting them out. So that’s why [I’m OK with it], because to me it would be a normal BP.” If Judge accepts the invitation, he would compete against Marlins' slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who won the Derby at Petco Park in San Diego last July. Judge would also be the first Yankee to appear in the Derby since Robinson Cano (2011, 2012, 2013). If you want to connect with Tom Hanslin, email him at thanslin@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @tomhanslin.