The amount of power the New York Yankees have harnessed in their batting order is beyond measure. However, the return of Giancarlo Stanton and 2020 and Miguel Andujar approaching full health should give us an idea of what the team’s numbers might look like.
First, let’s dive into the top sluggers on the New York Yankees and the skill-set the bring to the table:
1.) DJ LeMahieu
Some would say that LeMahieu is more of a contact hitter, and they would be 100% right, but the reality is, he smashed 26 homers in 2019, reaching a career-high and nearly doubling his second-place total (15). If DJ can offer similar numbers in 2020, the Yankees will have arguably the best leadoff hitter in baseball.
2.) Aaron Judge
We all know Judge’s famous trait is his power, and despite only playing in 102 games last year, he posted 27 homers on the season. When fully healthy, Judge is one of the most intimidating batters in the league, and he’s primed for a massive 2020 campaign. If he can flash back to his 2017 form, he could post upwards of 50 homers, which would put the Yankees in the 70-80 homer range with their first two hitters. To put that into perspective, the Miami Marlins earned only 146 homers last season, meaning LeMahieu and Judge would account for nearly half of their overall totals, in this theoretical scenario.
3.) Gleyber Torres
Seeing Torres in the batter’s box might not convince the regular viewer that he holds too much power, but his stance allows him to plant and drive force through his strong legs to generate power. His 38 homers last year was a career-high, and if he continues to build on those numbers, well, the Yankees will be in quite a good spot.
 4.) Giancarlo Stanton
Stanton only enjoyed 72 at-bats last year, meaning his 2019 season was a dud. However, in 2017 and ’18, he posted 59 and 38 homers, respectively. In healthy seasons, the four hitters that have already been mentioned average over 30 homers per season together. Manager Aaron Boone will likely use this exact order in 2020, and we are only listing power-hitters, so you can begin to imagine how strong the Yankees’ lineup really is.
5.) Gary Sanchez
If you were looking for MORE power, you found it. Sanchez set a career-high last season with 34 homers, becoming the third Yankee mentioned in this article with over 25 homers on the year. Again, health is a significant factor to his success, and bringing in new strength and conditioning coach Eric Cressey will undoubtedly help him avoid any soft-tissue injuries.
6.) Luke Voit
Ahh, the man who can bench-press 135-pounds with one arm. Voit only posted 21 homers last season, but he only played in 112 games. A sports hernia suffered later on in the season hurt his productivity. The Yankees have found a way to increase elevation to a point where home runs are only a matter of when. While the hitters are striking out more, they can guarantee run production, which contact hitting can’t do all the time.
7.) Brett Gardner
Hold on, Brett Gardner, what are you doing on a power list? Oh right, you smacked 28 homers in 2019. Old man Brett didn’t hold back from posting his best HR totals in 2019, and at the age of 36, nobody saw this one coming.
Honorable mentions:
- Gio Urshela (21)
- Miguel Andujar from 2018 (27)
- Aaron Hicks 12
- Mike Tauchman (13)