TAMPA — This is a quiz. So put on your thinking cap.
Which of the following two quotes did Aaron Boone say about DJ LeMahieu on Wednesday, pitcher and catcher report day?
A) “To me, he’s more explosive in the batting cage. It’s very noticeable. I felt like he started working on some things in the second half of last season and putting together a stronger second half. But to me, he’s even in much better shape physically than he was then and probably than at any time in the last few years.”
or …
B) “I’m really excited to see where DJ is. That’s something we always pay close attention to. But he’s in a pretty good position for a while. He’s been here for a while. He’s He looks great and moves really well.”
The answer is that Mr. Boone said A on Wednesday. But if you knew he said B on Thursday, that’s extra credit.
This fits Mr. Boone’s optimistic personality. The Yankees manager has shown in public that he is more likely to take motor oil shots than criticize his players. And this is his LeMahieu. His stoic gamer demeanor means, in the words of Gerrit Cole, that “he commands a lot of respect here.” Therefore, it is likely that the Yankees will first meet LeMahieu cordially.
Even if YES was collecting information for “Yankeegraphy”, that’s fine. But Boone talked about LeMahieu batting leadoff in the most ideal lineup in 2024. With Juan Soto and Aaron Judge following in his footsteps, this is no small thing. So you need a leadoff man who gets on base often and makes pitching from second to his third harder and easier to score.
LeMahieu was ideal in 2019-20. That’s because his DJ could fill in for Derek Jeter, as his unwavering personality and opposite-field approach brought him to the MVP race both years. But the statistical and physical setbacks since then are hard to miss, even in the mind.
To bet on LeMahieu now, you have to ignore his age. At 35 years old, he is currently the 11th oldest position player on the 40-man roster (that could change if Brandon Belt, J.D. Martinez, etc. are signed). Unless Josh Donaldson or Evan Longoria takes the full-time job, that’s not likely to change, as LeMahieu, 36, is ticketed as a third baseman as of July, making him the oldest player in the majors. This means he will be a regular infielder, not playing first base. .
And to bet on LeMahieu now, a broken right foot explains his precipitous decline in late 2022, and whether it’s early last season or still affecting him immediately after Boone’s positive attitude in February. I have to believe that I was giving.
LeMahieu was Jekyll/Hyde 2023. In 305 at-bats in the first half, he had a .220 batting average, a .643 OPS, a 7.9 walk rate, and a 23.3 whiff rate. In the second half, LeMahieu batted .273 with an OPS of .809, a walk rate of 14.0, and a strikeout rate of 21.0 in 257 at-bats.
A second-half guy whose on-base percentage has increased from .285 to .377 would be close to ideal for hitting in front of Soto/Judge (apart from his lack of speed). In 2022, before his foot injury, LeMahieu had the eighth-best walk rate (13.7) among eligible batters, despite hitting in front of the judges on his way to 62 home runs. It was a time when he had to sharpen his eyes because no pitcher wanted to walk the batter in front of the judge. At this point, Soto was second in the majors in on-base percentage, LeMahieu was sixth, and Judge was seventh. So we can see that (if everything goes right) this Yankees have the potential to shatter pitchers from the top of their lineup.
And if someone works as hard as LeMahieu and cares just as much, I wouldn’t bet against him. But even in his better second half, his 21.0 percent strikeout rate was far higher than his combined 13.1 percent in his first four seasons with the Yankees. His 9.1 percent increase was the largest from 2022 to 2023 among players with at least 400 at-bats each season. Is that time approaching?
season. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Plus, LeMahieu fits right into the Yankees theme. Will they get Jekyll or Hyde from 2023 in their 2024 lineup? For example, is Anthony Rizzo closer to his pre-concussion (.880 OPS) or his post-concussion (.496 OPS)? Is Alex Verdugo a first half (.817) or a second half (.635)? Is Soto more like a very good producer (.883 batting average) until August last season, or is he more like the guy who played in garbage time for the Padres in September (.156 batting average)? With a very small sample of buckets his size, would it be Austin Wells’ first 11 games (.372) or his last 8 games (1.214)?
But it starts at the top — will the Yanks get LeMahieu in the first half before Soto/Judge, or second?
“LeMahieu looks really good,” Brian Cashman said. “We are certainly optimistic that he will return to the form he showed at the end of last year. It will probably take none of us to overcome the injury issues he had to deal with. It may have taken him a little longer than he would have liked. Late last year, there were signs that he was getting back on track. This winter, he really looked like his usual self. That’s something we can look forward to. So it’s exciting for us.”
Is that February optimism? Or reality?
