Aaron Judge is far from being the favorite player of any Boston Red Sox fans. He’s given the team headaches more than anything else — the New York Yankees star has been right there with Shohei Ohtani as the best player in baseball for years now.
That being said, if Boston fans were told they could have their own version of Judge, they’d happily jump on the opportunity. With that in mind, the comments of a certain top prospect should have fans salivating.
Justin Gonzales has been on the map for a few years now due to his incredible size and power potential. Entering last season, Gonzales was listed at 6’4”, 210 lbs. Still just 19, it shouldn’t shock anyone that the Dominican Republic native wasn’t done growing.
According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, Gonzales is now measuring in at 6’6”, 277 pounds. (subscription required). That’s absurdly massive and eerily close to the 6’7”, 282 pounds that Judge measures.
Red Sox prospect Justin Gonzales aspires to be an Aaron Judge-type player — and he may be able to do it
It’s not just the size that has Gonzales compared to Judge, but the aforementioned light tower power. Gonzales slashed .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, and four home runs in 81 games in Single-A last season before being promoted to High-A for the last two weeks of the year. He drove in 27 runs, scored 45 more, and stole 11 bases.
Like Judge, Gonzales has good athleticism for his size. That athleticism helped him look solid in the outfield last season, even managing to handle center field (although he profiles more as a corner outfielder or at first base, which he played for the majority of the 2024 season but none of the 2025 season).
Gonzales only struck out 14.6% of the time in Single-A, while taking a base on balls 9.8% of the time. And while the four home runs might not pop out at you too much, it’s important to acknowledge that Salem’s ballpark is notoriously not hitter-friendly. The fact that Gonzales put up such a slash line at his age is impressive (look at what Roman Anthony did in Single-A, and you’ll understand).
The size and power of Gonzales drew comparisons to Judge from fans and scouts. It felt like an obvious fit. Now we’re seeing the Big Dog make the connection himself.
Judge is not an easy player to copy. The 33-year-old has been a Rookie of the Year, is a five-time Silver Slugger, and has won the MVP three times (including back-to-back honors).
That’s one of the reasons to stay away from comparisons. You’re not putting someone in a spot where it will be disappointing if they don’t become an all-time great, like Judge. That doesn’t mean aspirations are a bad thing, though, and it's nice to see Gonzales recognize the similarities and set high ambitions for himself.