Minus a slight cold spell in the end of April, DJ LeMahieu has been absolutely terrific for the New York Yankees. People believed that LeMahieu would struggle being outside of Coors Field, his old home stadium. But, he has clearly proved the haters wrong and has a solid chance to be an all-star.
Well rounded
Over 195 at-bats, LeMahieu has 61 hits, good for a .313 average. He has five home runs and 30 RBIs. On Wednesday against the Padres, he opened up the game with a solo home run, then Luke Voit followed suit batting second.
For most of the season, LeMahieu has been the leadoff hitter, dropping Brett Gardner in the order. 30 RBI at the end of May for a leadoff hitter is fantastic, and that puts him on pace for 90 RBI. The beginning of Friday’s series against the Red Sox begins the middle third of the season.
On defense, LeMahieu has been very good, too. Over three positions, he has just three errors, and two of them were early on. He helps anchor an already great defensive infield.
LeMahieu is also pretty quick, and has two stolen bases this year. On the defensive end, that along with his reaction time makes him a wall in the field.
Overall, DJ LeMahieu’s contributions have greatly benefited the team. His 1.9 WAR is already nearing his 3.0 WAR from last season, and he likely will pass his career high WAR if he continues to play the way he is. His career high WAR was 5.2 in 2016 with the Rockies.