DJ LeMahieu receiving an award or recognition for his offensive excellence in 2020 shouldn’t be a surprising development. The man raked to the tune of a .364/.421/.590, a .429 wOBA, and a 177 wRC+ in the shortened season. The New York Yankees‘ second baseman received a Silver Slugger award on Thursday, just a few days after it was revealed that he is a finalist for the MVP award in the American League.
LeMahieu not only paced the New York Yankees in wRC+, wOBA, average, and fWAR (with 2.5, the second consecutive season in which he leads the team in the category) but he also had the top batting average in the Major Leagues, with .364.
The guy is an offensive machine and the Yankees should do everything in their power to retain his services. The two-year, $24 million contract he signed before the 2019 season has already expired, and he is now a free agent.
There is mutual interest in a reunion, so it is only a matter of the Yankees recognizing that they have to pay the man.
Even at 32 years old, LeMahieu should have at least a couple of years of elite offensive (and defensive) production, and the Yankees shouldn’t let him leave New York under any circumstances.
If you were wondering who else won a Silver Slugger award, here are the rest of the winners, per MLB.com:
OUTFIELD
NL winners:
Juan Soto (WSH)
Mookie Betts (LAD)
Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL)
AL winners:
Mike Trout (LAA)
Teoscar Hernández (TOR)
Eloy Jiménez (CWS)
FIRST BASE
NL winner: Freddie Freeman (ATL)
AL winner: José Abreu (CWS)
SECOND BASE
NL winner: Donovan Solano (SF)
AL winner: DJ LeMahieu (New York Yankees)
SHORTSTOP
AL winner: Tim Anderson (CWS)
NL winner: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD)
THIRD BASE
NL winner: Manny Machado (SD)
AL winner: José RamÃrez (CLE)
CATCHER
AL winner: Salvador Perez (KC)
NL winner: Travis d’Arnaud (ATL)
DESIGNATED HITTER
NL winner: Marcell Ozuna (ATL)
AL winner: Nelson Cruz (MIN)