Who was the most impressive so far after a mediocre start for the Yankees?
By Sarah K
Most New York Yankees fans assumed the opening series match-up against the Baltimore Orioles would be an easy way to start, but with so many guys left on base and a complete lack of clutch hitting, the Yankees found themselves on the losing end of that series.
If you listened to our most recent show, we all felt that outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were going to be the stars for opening weekend and the remainder of the year. Although I still believe these two power hitters will be contenders for MVP and hit over 50 home runs by the end of the season, they surprisingly were not the stars this past weekend. Judge had a strikeout streak in Game 3 against the Orioles, with his only saving grace being his single in the 4th driving in 2 runs. Without that hit, Judge would have probably received some very rare “boo’s” from the fans that still stuck around to a pretty much cleared out stadium. Stanton found himself on base more than Judge, being walked at almost every other at bat; however, Stanton had a few at bats this weekend where he had a quick 1–2–3 strikeout. His swing even looked odd, almost as if it was the first time he picked up a bat, possibly giving support to his now bicep injury.
The player that impressed me the most opening weekend, which may surprise some, was newcomer DJ LeMahieu. LeMahieu played 2 out of the 3 games against the Orioles, and in 6 at bats LeMahieu had 4 hits and 2 RBIs. What is most impressive about LeMahieu’s offensive play is that he knows how to get a base hit. The Yankees leave so many guys on base due becasue they swing for the fences. We’ve talked about this issue on “The Roll Call” multiple times, and believe if the Yankees can learn to start getting more base hits versus home runs, we would be raking in the runs. In Game 3 against the Orioles, there was a glimmer of hope when LeMahieu stepped up to the plate. I knew with Greg Bird at second and Gleyber Torres at first, there was a very good chance LeMahieu could score one or both of those guys. And without fail, LeMahieu hit a single and Bird scores. LeMahieu currently sits at a .667 batting average after only 3 games. We all know this number will go down, but if LeMahieu keeps up this run of base hits, the Yankees may have a chance to score a lot more runs. It would be smart for Boone to place LeMahieu higher up in the order and after another frequent base hitter, such as Miguel Andujar, to give us a better chance at getting him to score.
Defensively, LeMahieu had some very impressive plays at third and second base. Troy Tulowitzki also had an impressive defensive weekend, but something about LeMahieu’s performance was different. Being a 3x Gold Glove player definitely showed in Game 2 and 3 against the Orioles, and to be that impressive at both third and second base shows how much of a great athlete this kid is.
If you’re not impressed yet with DJ LeMahieu, keep an eye on him. LeMahieu didn’t have the best of spring trainings, but stepped up when it mattered. LeMahieu may be the secret weapon we’ve all been waiting for, to get us championship win #28. #CMGPodcasts
