In 2019, New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu fell just short of Tim Anderson for the AL batting title. Now in 2020, LeMahieu is at it with Anderson once again for the title.
LeMahieu had an opportunity to win it in 2019 up until the very end. However, two 0-for-3 games to end the season ruined his hopes, placing him second in the American League and third in the MLB.
Entering Thursday, both Anderson and LeMahieu are sitting atop the MLB with a .373 average, .021 points above the next closest. That would be Freddie Freeman behind them, the frontrunner for NL MVP.
In his short two years as a Yankee, LeMahieu is certainly proving himself to be a top player in the American League. He finished fourth in the 2019 MVP voting, finishing with a .327 average, 26 home runs, and 102 runs batted in. In 2020, LeMahieu has nine home runs and 22 runs batted in, and that’s with spending two weeks on the IL in August.
However, it’s been just as of late since the power came. Six of his nine home runs are in September to a tune of a .352 average. He also has a .410 average at home, and a .396 average in games that the Yankees win.
All DJ LeMahieu does is hit. For the second straight season, he’s battling Tim Anderson of the White Sox for an American League title. LeMahieu’s play of late has helped lift the Yankees out of their cold spell, and the team has now won seven games in a row.
The offseason is looming, and LeMahieu’s contract is expiring. The Yankees need to do all that they can to retain him this winter and sign him to more of a long-term deal.