The Yankees currently sit atop the American League East, and at Fanatics Fest yesterday three-time World Series Champion David Ortiz and five-time World Series Champion Derek Jeter held a panel. The former rivals spoke about their time in the heated Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, and in the conversation, the topic of the 2024 team came up, where Big Papi sang the praises of the turnaround they’ve made. Coming off of a disappointing 82-80 finish, the Yankees would go out and acquire superstar outfielder Juan Soto to improve an offense that finished in the bottom half of the league in OPS.
Alongside another historic season from Aaron Judge, the two have formed baseball’s best duo, and David Ortiz didn’t mince words about his worry that the Yankees could bring home a 28th World Series Championship.
David Ortiz Fears the Championship-Caliber Yankees
Right now the Yankees lead the American League in Runs Scored (633) while sitting at the top of the league in wRC+ (119) on the season, and that’s thanks in large part to their two best players. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are first and second in OBP, OPS, and wRC+ among qualified hitters, and while Soto hasn’t been the best player on his own team, his impact has been greatly felt especially in high-leverage situations.
Hitting .352 with a 1.163 OPS with Runners in Scoring Position, Juan Soto has been a hero on this team, leading all of baseball in Win Probability Added as a result of his clutch performances. Big Papi raved about Juan Soto and the effect the 25-year-old superstar has had on the Bronx Bombers:
“That boy Soto man…I’m telling you…One guy cannot carry a whole team, but one guy can change a team.”
Change a team he has, and Juan Soto has earned himself a potentially record-setting deal after the 2024 season. The Yankees are seeing a historic season from Aaron Judge, who could end up with the highest single-season wRC+ for a hitter since Babe Ruth, but that doesn’t take away from just how good Soto has been. A dramatic increase in Barrel Rate has allowed Soto to drive the baseball with authority, and he’s one home run shy of tying his career-high (35).
The effect that Juan Soto has had on the Yankees is impossible to ignore, and while this team is far from perfect, they’re currently at the top of the league in terms of team record and run differential. While the Baltimore Orioles have been hot on their tail all season for the American League East crown, with the two teams going back and forth exchanging places in first place, David Ortiz seems to be especially scared of this 2024 squad.
“I remember telling Derek last year…man when I watch the Yankees I don’t see the chemistry with the team that I used to when you guys where there…this year I see a different Yankees team, I see the chemistry…I’m scared, I’m telling you they got something going on over there.”
Over their last 18 games, only the San Diego Padres have been hotter than the New York Yankees, who have played some really strong baseball as of late. They’ve stumbled to some underwhelming teams, somehow losing a series to the Los Angeles Angels in blowout fashion, but for the most part, they’ve rebounded nicely from an atrocious sweep at the hand of the New York Mets last month.
The pitching is still questionable, but strong starts from the likes of Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, and Gerrit Cole lately have inspired some confidence in this group. Giancarlo Stanton and Austin Wells have done a job driving in Judge and Soto, but they’ll have to hold their own without Jazz Chisholm Jr. for now. Jasson Dominguez has strung together some good games after a nasty slide, so perhaps he can get it going and earn a promotion in September.
It feels like the league is wide-open, and while the Yankees’ standing atop the league and division could change in just one afternoon, they’ve started to find their form again after an ice-cold start to their summer.
All quotes in this article were captured by Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media.