Power Players

Rookies Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger are making their mark with homer after homer.

- Kyle Glaser

When Aaron Judge dispatched Justin Bour in the first round of the Home Run Derby in Miami, he gave Bour a brief hug and pat on the back. When Judge beat Miguel Sano in the finals, he was doused with water and Gatorade by his celebrating teammates.

But when Judge beat Cody Bellinger in the semifinals, the 25-year-old Yankees rookie star did something different. As soon as Judge blasted his 507-foot moonshot to vanquish Bellinger, he made a point to walk over to his fellow rookie slugger, wrap his arms around him and give him a message.

“I just said, ‘Way to put on a show, man. That was awesome,’ ” Judge said. “It’s pretty cool watching him develop this year. When he first came up, what he’s done in this first half, what he did in the Home Run Derby, he’s a special player and a special kid.”

As for Bellinger?

“(Judge) is special,” the 22-year-old Dodgers rookie said. “He was (mis-hitting) balls and putting them where I was hitting them. He’s going to be fun to watch for a lot of years.”

Two of the game’s brightest young stars collided that night in Miami and provided a glimpse of the future. They have each taken the game by storm in the nation’s two largest media markets, hitting home runs at unprecedented rates and propelling their teams to new heights.

Judge and Bellinger met each other for the first time in person the night of the home run Derby. If all goes according to plan, they will be seeing a lot of each other in the future at marketing shoots, All-Star Games and, quite possibly, the World Series.