Another day, another victory for the New York Yankees in an exhibition game. Hopefully, they can carry this incredible burst of offensive power into the regular season on July 23 against the Washington Nationals. However, let us bask in the good feelings of beating the New York Mets on Sunday evening.
The Yankees overcame the lowly Mets 6-0 on the backs of five home runs. The slugger showed up in the Bronx, launching every homerun further than 400 feet. It seems like the Yankees are in midseason form after having just two games of live play against an actual opponent.
Let’s take a look at the winner and loser from the victory over the Mets:
LOSER: Matt Duffy
While Duffy was brought in as a supplemental piece at the very most for the Yankees, he had a tough night on Sunday. Over four at-bats, Duffy struck out on three of them. He also committed an error at third base, attempting to scoop a badly hopping ground ball that ricocheted off his left arm.
Despite his mishap, Duffy has experience on a World Series team with the San Francisco Giants. His best offensive season came in 2015 when he batted .295 with 12 homers and 77 RBIs over 573 at-bats. That year, he ranked second in Rookie of the Year voting.
In addition, he has been a consistent fielder throughout his career, despite posting a .933 fielding percentage at third base in 2019. He’s more than capable of holding his own and might be a better option to supplement a player like Gio Urshela at third base over Miguel Andujar. Nonetheless, he struggled against the Mets and is still battling for a spot on the active roster.
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WINNER: Aaron Judge/Jordan Montgomery
There could’ve been several winners from Sunday night, including Jordan Montgomery, who pitched five innings and allowed just two hits. He recorded six strikeouts, showing off his power and accuracy after playing in just four games last year.
While this was a tough choice, I’m willing to split the victory between Montgomery and Aaron Judge.
Judge looked like he hadn’t missed a beat the past few months. Over four at-bats, he hit two home runs, driving in three runs in the process. He also looked more than fine in right field, which only gives us hope that he will be prepared to take the field on Thursday.
The former 2017 Rookie of the Year looks dialed in at the plate, as the injuries he had been previously dealing with seem to be a thing of the past. If the slugger can remain healthy, he has the ability to dominate in 2020.
He clearly is eyeing the massive contract extension we are wondering about. The injuries he has sustained have certainly dampened the mood on that end, but a successful 2020 season and a bigger sample size in 2021 will give the Yankees all the information they need to invest long-term.