TAMPA — In the tunnel outside the Yankees’ clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Reggie Jackson saw Aaron Judge.
“Nice hitting,’’ the Hall of Famer said to the towering right fielder late Friday afternoon.
“Reggie, I want to be like you,’’ Judge said.
Talking to The Post following the exchange, Jackson was blunt.
“I want him to do better than me,’’ Jackson said. “I want him to strike out less.’’
Judge turned the crowd on with a monster home run that almost cleared the big scoreboard in left center in the fifth inning of a 9-4 Yankees win over the Phillies in the first exhibition game of spring training.
The blast followed Judge striking out by swinging at a 2-2 breaking ball in the dirt in the third inning, when he faulted himself for taking a second-pitch fastball.
“I didn’t look at it. I took a swing and started running,’’ Judge said of the 93-mph fastball in the middle of the plate from lefty Elniery Garcia that collided with the structure above the Budweiser sign. “I knew I squared it up and started running.’’
Judge, who turns 25 in April, has been in the Yankees’ system for three years and his calling card has two sides. On the front: Intoxicating power. Strikeouts are on the flip side.
In 348 minor league games, Judge has 1,297 at-bats, 56 homers and 373 whiffs compared to 361 hits. In 27 big league games last season, the 6-foot-7, 282-pounder fanned 42 times in 84 at-bats and hit four homers.
If anyone knows about strikeouts and homers it is Jackson. Thirty years after retiring, Jackson remains the all-time leader in Ks. And his 563 home runs are 14th in baseball history.
“If I had to do it over again I would have put a greater focus on putting the ball in play,’’ said Jackson, who averaged 124 punch outs a year and went down a career high 171 times in 1968, his first full season in the big leagues. Eight of the past nine players to lead the majors in whiffs struck out over 200 times. “Take off a 1,000 [strikeouts] and put the ball in play another 1,000 times.’’
Jackson said he believes Judge making more contact won’t hurt his power.
“That will help him once he gets the confidence of putting the ball in play,’’ Jackson said. “I am not talking about taking two [strikes] and going to right. He is strong enough and smart enough.’’
Publicly, manager Joe Girardi labeled right field an open competition at the start of camp between Aaron Hicks and Judge. But the Yankees are seduced by Judge’s power and likely would turn their head if high strikeout totals were offset by homers.
Nobody is ready to make a judgment on Judge after one game, but he will be watched closely throughout the exhibition schedule with the thought Girardi can start him in right field.
“For me it comes down to being consistent, hitting and on the defensive side,’’ Judge said. “That’s what separates major leaguers from minor leaguers. Guys like [Mark] Teixeira and A-Rod, they were consistent.’’
Twenty-seven games doesn’t make Judge a big leaguer, but it was a taste strong enough that he isn’t taking anything for granted.
“You are never given anything. It’s everyone’s job to take,’’ Judge said. “Nothing is handed out in the game.’’