DJ Lemahieu

New York Yankees: DJ LeMahieu One Of Few Bright Spots Thus Far

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A lot of people questioned the signing of DJ LeMahieu, but the New York Yankees sure didn’t. He has been one of the few bright spots for the team this season, and a big part of the six wins they have.

An older style of offense

DJ LeMahieu has a style of offense that not many players have in 2019. He’s a pure contact hitter that can hit to all parts of the field. Through 14 games, he has just six strikeouts and his average is near .400. His swing and miss rate is one of the lowest over the past few years among active players.

He had a quiet series finale against the White Sox, but had two hits in game one and a hit in game two. LeMahieu may not have any home runs, but has five doubles and seven RBI’s on the season. He is on pace to have his highest slugging percentage of his career, currently sitting at .500.

Reminder, this was the guy that won the 2016 NL batting title with a .348 average.

A solid defender, too

In 17 games that he has played defense, LeMahieu has two errors with one from second and one from third. He hasn’t had a lot of experience before this year at the hot corner, but has played well so far. The error from third was in the first few games.

He is primarily a second baseman, and played there as a member of the Rockies. That is where he won his three gold gloves.

His solid defense and great hitting thus far has led the Yankees to some wins this year. His WAR is at 0.7 for the year, which is pretty high for this point in the year.

He needs to keep doing what he is doing to continue to help the Yankees. With continuous injuries for the team, it’s important that he is having the success he is. His versatility is so important for the team’s defense, and he can be put anywhere in the lineup and have success.

New York Yankees: Late Rally Falls Short as Yankees Swept by Astros

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New York Yankees, DJ LeMahieu

With the New York Yankees trailing 7-2 entering the eighth, Luke Voit led a late game charge by hitting a two run home run, followed by an RBI double by DJ LeMahieu for his third hit of the game. Quickly after, Clint Frazier hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field that was just feet from leaving the yard. This brought the Yankees to within one.

But, the Yankee bullpen didn’t help any. Zack Britton gave up a run in the bottom of the inning, killing the rally. The Yankees came up with nothing in the ninth, losing to Houston 8-6.

Paxton roughed up

It didn’t take long for the Yankees to get on the board. Brett Gardner hit a leadoff home run off Collin McHugh, the Houston starter. But the bottom of the inning was all Houston, with a home run by Jose Altuve and an RBI triple by Yuli Gurriel. Then, Carlos Correa doubled in a run in the third, before the Astros pulled away.

The Yankees scored a run in the top of the fourth thanks to a sacrifice fly by DJ LeMahieu, but come the fifth, Jose Altuve homered (again), as well as a home run by Carlos Correa. An infield single by Jake Marisnick would make it 7-2, and Paxton was pulled in the midst of it.

In 4+ innings, Paxton gave up eight hits, five runs, and struck out five while walking three. He threw 95 pitches and gave up two home runs. Paxton got first pitch strikes to 13 of his 21 batters faced. He got just one ground ball all night, meaning he was quite off.

LeMahieu is proving the haters wrong

A lot of people said that DJ LeMahieu can only hit in Colorado. So far, he’s told those people otherwise. He is hitting .410 so far with 16 hits in 39 at-bats.

He is currently second in AL average, only to Tim Anderson of the White Sox who comes in town on Friday.

Game one against the White Sox is at 7:05PM on YES Network and FOX Sports Go. JA Happ gets the ball for the Yankees against Lucas Giolito of the White Sox.

New York Yankees Strike Out a Franchise-Record 18 Times in Loss to Detroit

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The New York Yankees struck out a total of 18 times, a franchise record for a nine inning game, and only amassed five hits as they dropped the rubber match of the three game series against Detroit 2-1. The Yankees were an ugly 2-4 during their six game homestand, and also lost Troy Tulowitzki to an injury on Wednesday.

Not getting runners on

The New York Yankees had a 2-for-5 completion rate with runners in scoring position. Judge had an RBI single and Torres had a single that didn’t score a run. LeMahieu, Bird, and Frazier each had singles, making it a total of just five hits for the Yanks. Luke Voit got hits in the three games against the Orioles, but went hitless against the Tigers in three games.

The team did draw four walks, but they aren’t getting runners in scoring position. Judge did have a stolen base, but Brett Gardner was caught stealing.

They may be able to get on base more and have more success at the plate if they improved their situational hitting. Every single guy goes up to the plate hoping to smack one into Poughkeepsie. That mindset doesn’t work at all. Through six games they have just five home runs, and if they just try to put it in play, good things could happen.

Maybe Aaron Boone needs to try some small ball, like in the bottom of the order. Get a guy on then have someone like Mike Tauchman or Tyler Wade bunt or do a hit and run to try to get runners in a better position, even if it may cause an out for the batter.

Loaisiga and Sanchez

Jonathan Loaisiga started the game on the mound for the Yankees, and despite the fact he only pitched four innings he did well. The Yankees had no intentions to stretch him out, and was removed after just 70 pitches. He struck out four but issued three walks and only gave up one hit. He gave first pitch strikes to nine of his 16 batters while getting three groundouts and five flyouts.

Gary Sanchez already has four errors, and has played just five games. He had another bad throw on a steal attempt, allowing Nick Castellanos to move to third. He really needs to get those throws down and on target.

Another one bites the dust

Troy Tulowitzki was injured in Wednesday’s game against the Tigers with a calf strain and will hit the IL. The team is down another position player, forcing them to call up Thairo Estrada to take Tulo’s place. Estrada has been on the 40 man roster for some time, but hasn’t made his MLB debut.

They need guys like Estrada to step it up during these injuries. It may be early on and generally a low-stress time, but we don’t want these losses to pile up too much.

The Yankees will play the Orioles starting on Thursday at 3:05PM. James Paxton will get the ball for the Yankees against the Orioles’ Alex Cobb.

New York Yankees: Aroldis Chapman Blows Game in Unusual Form, Losing 3-1 Vs Detroit

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

With the game going to the top of the ninth, New York Yankees hard-throwing lefty Aroldis Chapman was called from the bullpen to get three big outs, even though it wasn’t a save situation.

One problem: he didn’t get the job done.

The Detroit Tigers scored two runs off of Chapman before the Yankees were shut down in the ninth inning, losing 3-1.

After a strikeout to John Hicks, Niko Goodrum walked, then Dustin Peterson followed with a double to score Goodrum. Chapman then retired Grayson Greiner, but gave up a single to Jordy Mercer, which scored Peterson before finally retiring the side.

Dismal offense:

You couldn’t say that the Yankees had trouble hitting with runners in scoring position because there were barely any runners in scoring position. They only had three attempts with runners on second and/or third, and converted zilch.

Their only run came off a sacrifice fly by newly recalled Clint Frazier after DJ LeMahieu singled and new Yankee Mike Tauchman hit a ground rule double down the left field line.

Tauchman got his first career Yankee hit, while back-up catcher Austin Romine and also newly recalled Tyler Wade got their first hits of 2019.

Tanaka did his part for the New York Yankees:

Masahiro Tanaka had his second start of the 2019 season, and though he allowed several well hit balls to deep in the park, he got the job done. He pitched 6 2/3 innings while giving up eight hits, allowing one run, and striking out seven.

The 1-2 punch of the splitter and the slider seemed to work well yet again for the right-hander from Hyogo, Japan, getting most of his strikeouts from it along with a few fastballs. The splitter definitely worked the very best, minimizing contact with that pitch. The hard hit balls were with the slider and the fastball. Jeimer Candelario of the Tigers hit a hard double off of a curveball, one of the few he threw all night.

So despite not having his best stuff, anytime you pitch 6 2/3 innings and only give up run, it means that you are doing something right. Another good start for the righty, I just wish there could be more offense.

The rubber match of the series will be Wednesday late-afternoon with a 4:05PM start time.  Jonathan Loaisiga will take the ball against the Tigers’ Matthew Boyd. The game will be on YES Network and Fox Sports Go.

Yankees can’t recover from Happ’s poor start in another loss to Orioles

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New York Yankees, J.A. Happ

JA Happ gave up a three run homerun to Orioles third baseman Renato Nunez in the first inning, and the Yankees weren’t able to recover as they dropped the rubber match to the Orioles, 7-5.

Happ’s struggles

In his first start of the season, JA Happ did not come out with his best stuff. After more than a three hour rain delay, Happ opened the game by striking out Jonathan Villar. It spiraled downward after that.

Dwight Smith Jr. hit a double to right-center field, then Trey Mancini hit a dumb little chopper down the third base line that Andujar couldn’t get to in time, putting runners on the corners.

Then, Nunez crushed a 2-2 fastball into the bleachers in left field, giving the Orioles a 3-0 lead.

After a 1-2-3 second inning, Trey Mancini launched another fastball, this time into monument park to give Baltimore a 4-0 lead.

Happ worked a 1-2-3 fourth, but the Yankees decided to pull him and put in long reliever Luis Cessa, who gave up one earned run in 3 1/3 innings.

Happ just couldn’t throw the fastball well on Sunday. Both home runs came from it, as well as the double in the first inning by Smith Jr. Happ struck out three while issuing just one walk in his four innings of work, throwing 75 pitches.

Hitting like it’s still 2018

It may be a new season, but the Yankees offensive tendencies are just the same. Too many chased pitches while having a poor average with runners in scoring position. The Yankees were 2-of-12 with runners in scoring position on Sunday, Judge knocking in two on a single in the fourth, and a LeMahieu RBI single in the ninth.

The Yankees were down 7-4 going to the bottom of the ninth after Tommy Kahnle walked the bases loaded, but managed to work out of it.

Bird walked and then Gleyber Torres just inched out an infield single before LeMahieu had his RBI single. Troy Tulowitzki pinch-hit for Brett Gardner, but struck out on a 1-2 slider that he check-swung at.

14 of the Yankees 27 outs were strikeouts, but four of them came from Judge and three came from Sanchez. However, in addition to Judge’s RBI single, Sanchez went yard for the first time in 2019, lining a 1-2 change-up down the left field line in the seventh.

The Yankees will now take on the Detroit Tigers in a three game series to wrap-up a six game homestand. The Tigers split a four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays to open their season. Tyson Ross is expected to start for the Tigers, while the Yankees are expected to have a “bullpen game”. Domingo German is expected to pitch a few innings for the Yankees, but it is unknown if he will be the starter.

Game time is at 6:35PM on YES Network and Fox Sports Go.

Andujar with missed opportunities as Yankees drop first game of season

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

In his first start as a Yankee, southpaw James Paxton pitched well, giving up two runs (one earned) off of four hits with five strikeouts. However, he was credited with a loss as the Yankees couldn’t get much going on offense, dropping the second game against the Orioles by a score of 5 to 3.

Despite having 10 hits, the Yankees only managed to score three runs while going 3-of-9 with runners in scoring position. Their defense sure didn’t help any, having three errors on the game.

The little offense they had:

In the fourth inning, DJ LeMahieu punched one up the middle, barely strong enough to get through, scoring Gleyber Torres.

In the sixth inning, the Orioles put up two runs off a single by Dwight Smith and a throwing error by Gary Sanchez on a double steal attempt. With runners on first and second, Sanchez threw to second on the steal attempt. The throw was in plenty of time, just off target. This would knock Paxton out of the game.

An inning later, Baltimore got one more, this time off of Chad Green. Rio Ruiz doubled, then later scored off a single by Jesus Sucre. Sucre led the Orioles, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

In the ninth inning, Yankee reliever Jonathan Holder made a mess, starting after an error by DJ LeMahieu. With runners on the corners with one out, Sucre knocked one down the left field line, stopping at second and clearing the bases while making the score 5 to 1.

The Yankees sure tried to come back in the bottom of the ninth. Troy Tulowitzki led off with an opposite field home run, then LeMahieu followed with a double. Gardner hit a hard liner to center that was caught for the first out, however Aaron Judge kept it going with a hard single. After a full count strikeout by Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit hit a high fly ball that barely dropped in with the outfield playing back. That scored a run making it 5 to 3, but Miguel Andujar struck out on a 1-2 slider to end the game.

Andujar ruined their two biggest opportunities

Way back in the first inning, Baltimore starting pitcher Nate Karns was in no mood to deal with the big boys. After Gardner was retired to start the inning, Karns walked Judge, Stanton, and Voit to load the bases. After taking a low fastball for a ball, Andujar hit it back to Karns who threw it to Sucre behind the plate, then Trey Mancini at first for a 1-2-3 double-play.

Now in the ninth inning, the Yankees had Judge on third and Voit on first with Andujar up to bat. After swinging at a 95 MPH fastball for strike one, Oriole reliever Mike Wright threw three straight sliders. Andujar laid off the first one but swung at the next two to end the game.

Andujar finished 1-for-5 with two strikeouts on the afternoon.

The Yankees finish the series with the Orioles on Sunday afternoon at 1:05PM in the Bronx. The game will be televised on YES Network and Fox Sports Go.

 

New York Yankees: What Will DJ LeMahieu’s Role Be In 2019?

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New York Yankees, DJ LeMahieu

The New York Yankees spent the offseason adding essential non-flashy pieces to a team that won 100 wins last season. Why do I mention the 100 wins? Because some believe that the Yanks absolutely ‘needed’ a player like Manny Machado or Bryce Harper.

The New York Yankees addressed areas of concern appropriately:

Instead of signing big names on decade-long contracts, GM Brian Cashman created a smoke-screen to draw attention away from several valuable veteran players that provided immediate value in the short-term. Players like Troy Tulowitzki and DJ LeMahieu were on his radar and eventually signed contracts with the Bombers.

Tulowitzki will feature as the starting shortstop while Didi Gregorius heals from Tommy John surgery, and LeMahieu’s role has been difficult to interpret. It was thought that the former Rockie would act as a rotational player for a majority of the season, but manager Aaron Boone indicated otherwise, stating that he would, in fact, play in around 145 games.

One of the more interesting comparisons is the Yankees vs Phillies offseason acquisitions:

https://twitter.com/davidtabrown/status/1101372994692308992

The Phillies went all-in on massive deals that will haunt them down the line, while the Yanks kept to the short term and provided value in a win-now campaign. Players like Tulo and LeMahieu offer veteran leadership and that extra bit of quality to push the Yankees over the hump.

A realistic point of view:

Realistically, the Yanks could be a 105 win team with one of the best bullpens in baseball and an upgraded infield (defensively). Cashman made the cost-efficient moves without plaguing the team with cap-issues in five years.

DJ’s primary reserve is his hitting, which sounds insane given his numbers – .276/.321/.428. The hit on LeMahieu is where he was batting – Coors Field, a very hitter-friendly stadium. Most are worried that his numbers won’t translate to Yankee Stadium.

But, it’s not all about his batting. He brings three Gold Gloves to an infield that had zero in 2018. They ranked as one of the worst in runs-allowed due to errors. My biggest question is – if DJ is expected to play in 145 games, where’s Gleyber Torres going to feature?

New York Yankees: Highlighting the biggest position battles entering Spring Training

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New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

With Spring Training beginning and position players reporting just days from now, a lot of questions remain for the New York Yankees on how the 25 man roster may play out, and on who may start where. Today we dive into the four biggest position battles the Yankees face this spring.

Left field and the extra outfielder:

It remains very obvious that Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks will start in right field and center field, assuming Brian Cashman doesn’t sign Bryce Harper. After Brett Gardner had a rather poor season and Clint Frazier is healthy again, we have ourselves a rookie vs. veteran for a starting outfield position.

Clint Frazier reported on twitter a few weeks ago that he is “cleared to participate in spring training”. Red Thunder has overall had success in his time called-up from AAA, and had a walk-off home run in 2017. Frazier often served as the Yankees “26th man” on doubleheader days last year, without using a minor league option. Frazier bat .265 last season in the majors in 34 at-bats.

Brett Gardner bat just .236 last season, well below his .261 career average. By the end of last season, it seemed that he couldn’t really hit a thing, and with the acquisition of Andrew McCutchen, he saw his playing time go way down in September. In Game 1 of the ALDS, Aaron Hicks went down with a pulled hamstring, forcing Gardner to start games two and three. He ended up going 0-for-8.

You also have Jacoby Ellsbury. He would be more of an option to be the “extra outfielder”, but with him playing poorly over the years and him already having injury issues this season, he is already behind and prone to get hurt again and struggle.

First Base:

The Yankees have a two-man race for the first base position, and from what we saw last season, Yankees fans assume that it will be Luke Voit starting at first base over Greg Bird.

In all of 2018 (Cardinals and Yankees), Luke Voit bat .322 with 15 home runs in 143 at-bats. His incredible strength and power helped fill the slack of the injured Aaron Judge when he joined, but the success didn’t stop once Judge returned. Having Voit in the lineup gives the Yankees three players who can hit the ball all the way into downtown Manhattan.

Greg Bird has been, well……. playing rather poor in his MLB career. He is batting a career .214 in 576 at-bats, and bat just .199 last season. Voit had double the stats of Bird last season in about half as many at-bats. If Bird has a poor spring, could this finally be the end for Bird with the Yankees? Sending him down may be a bad option, the Yankees actually have two great first basemen at the AAA level in Mike Ford and Ryan McBroom, Ford being invited to the major league camp. It’s always possible that the super-underdog could steal the show.

DJ Lemahieu does remain a viable option, but he will focus more on the middle infield. Aaron Boone did say in his first press conference something along the lines of Andujar learning first base a bit, but it isn’t a focus for him or the team. Any way in which the Yankees choose to go; there will be depth.

The middle-infield cluster

The Yankees have four middle infielders for just two starting spots. Those players are Troy Tulowitzki, DJ Lemahieu, Gleybar Torres, and Tyler Wade.

The Yankees kinda shocked the baseball world and signed Troy Tulowitzki for a one year deal, to help fill-in for the injured Didi Gregorius, who appears to be making great progress in his recovery. But Tulo himself has had injury problems, and his stats have been on a decline over the last four years. His fielding, however, remains one of the best in the league. Could he maybe start at shortstop this season? Anything is possible.

Then there is last years starting second base sensation, Gleybar Torres. Remember, he came up as a shortstop and moved to second base due to Didi Gregorius. So with that, he may be the Yankees opening day shortstop with Lemahieu or possibly Wade at second.

Lemahieu remains the most likely option for the opening day second base spot, as that’s where he played with the Rockies for the most part. The only concern in the play of Lemahieu is his struggles away from Coors Field, where he hit so well it. But many Yankees players who can deal with the New York pressure hit well at Yankees Stadium with the short porches making the stadium extremely hitter-friendly.

Tyler Wade will likely not be a starter for the Yankees but should find his way onto the team and the field. He has a pretty solid glove, is a great base-runner, and his versatility can take him out of the infield and into the outfield when need be. His hitting has struggled big time in the majors, but he should be a solid non-offensive option.

A middle relief spot or two is still available

The Yankees have a lot of power guys that are known to help in the final innings but still lack a few middle relief options. Your power relievers are Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Zack Britton, and Adam Ottavino. Chad Green and Jonathan holder are high leverage, middle relief guys. You have one or two spots available for low leverage situations, let’s see what they have:

In 2017, the Yankees acquired Tommy Kahnle in a trade with the White Sox. He was great in 2017, but an early-season injury in 2018 derailed his season. Once he returned, he never got his high 90s velocity back and spent most of the season in AAA. This season would be a perfect time for a comeback season.

Danny Farquhar missed most of the 2018 season with the White Sox with a brain aneurysm. The Yankees signed him to a minor league deal this Winter with an invite to camp. His career ERA is 3.93, and is pitching with a chip on his shoulder this season. He could be a valuable asset for the Yankees bullpen, too.

Chance Adams pitched just one game last season: an emergency start against the Red Sox, and struggled as presumed. He had ups and downs last season at AAA, but I don’t think he is MLB ready yet. He would be used however as a long reliever if he made the club.

Stephen Tarpley started last season in AA, but made it up all the way come September. Once he got adjusted, he was actually really good, especially against lefties. He would be a great lefty specialist option. If he pitched like he did last season, he should have a good shot at the MLB club.

My 25 man roster prediction:

SP: Severino, Tanaka, Paxton, Happ, CC

RP: Chapman, Betances, Britton, Ottavino, Green, Holder, Tarpley

C: Sanchez, Romine

INF: Voit, Torres, DJ, Wade, Tulo, Andujar

OF/DH: Judge, Stanton, Hicks, Gardner, Frazier

26th man: Ellsbury? Kahnle?