Unsurprisingly, New York Yankees‘ second baseman DJ LeMahieu has gotten off to a hot start this Spring Training. After placing in the top-5 of MVP voting in back-to-back seasons, it seems that LeMahieu hasn’t skipped a beat since the end of 2020.
In nine plate appearances thus far, LeMahieu is 4-of-8 with a walk and zero strikeouts.
LeMahieu had gotten two plate appearances in each of his first three spring games, but Friday’s game against the Tigers was the first time where had three plate appearances. Leading off, LeMahieu went down 1-2 in the count but managed to work his way back and draw a walk. Each of his next two at-bats saw him rip singles to right, ending his day without being retired.
So far, all of LeMahieu’s hits have been singles. However, his hot start gives him a .500 slugging and a .556 OPS on the spring.
Although it’s just March, it’s encouraging to see LeMahieu hitting the ball well once again. After being the Yankees’ offensive centerpiece the past two seasons, the team focused most of their winter efforts on making sure LeMahieu would return for years to come. After long negotiations, LeMahieu agreed to a 6-year, $90 million deal to stay in pinstripes through 2026.
As the month progresses, LeMahieu and other Yankee stars should begin to get more at-bats. With the condensed 2020 season, it’s important to make sure players aren’t being rushed back into action. By the end of March, players will likely be playing full games.
DJ LeMahieu’s hot spring start is encouraging in the fact that maybe he can continue his MVP caliber play into 2021.