LeMahieu 'excited' to turn the page, battle to bat leadoff
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This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch's Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
TAMPA, Fla. -- The line drives off DJ LeMahieu’s bat look more “explosive” this spring, according to manager Aaron Boone, who already seems prepared to anoint a favorite in the camp battle to serve as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter.
Even before a Grapefruit League game has been played, Boone acknowledged that his preference would be to slot the 35-year-old LeMahieu as the table-setter in the top spot, getting on base to create traffic ahead of Juan Soto, captain Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo.
“When I’m going, I think I can really help us in the leadoff spot,” LeMahieu said on Wednesday. “We’ll just kind of see how the lineup shakes out, but I’m just excited to be part of this lineup in general -- more excited to be part of this lineup than in a little while.”
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That’s because after more than a calendar year battling lower-half woes, LeMahieu finally feels he has a solid base underneath him, which he believes can restore his above-average ability to drive and spray the ball.
"I’m feeling a big year out of DJ again,” Judge said. “Just the work he’s put in, the laser focus he always has. I feel like he’s picked it up a notch even this year coming into camp, which I’m excited about.”
Better health permitted LeMahieu to show signs of improvement in the second half last year, when he posted a .273 batting average with an .809 OPS in 60 games, a marked improvement over the .220 batting average and .642 OPS that LeMahieu compiled in 76 games before the All-Star break.
“Listen, last year was a bad year,” LeMahieu said. “But I definitely could take some positives away from the second half, at least. Overall, I’m just looking to turn the page on last year, collectively and individually.”
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Yankees ace Gerrit Cole called LeMahieu “a quiet leader who has a ton of respect in the room."
"He shows up every day,” Cole said. “He puts on a stoic persona, whether he’s feeling great or he’s not feeling great; whether he’s having success or he’s not. His abilities at the front of the lineup are well-known. His on-base percentage should float somewhere around .400.
“He obviously has tremendous opposite-field ability and power, which plays really well in our stadium. His veteran leadership and gamesmanship fit really well in that role as leadoff; his ability to communicate and see pitches, and also drive in runs. To see him thriving in the leadoff spot would be really good for the Yankees.”
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LeMahieu said he worked throughout the offseason, resuming training shortly after the Yanks’ season-ending loss on Oct. 1 in Kansas City. He spent much of the winter at the Yankees’ player development facility in Tampa.
“The Yankees do a great job with having people available to the guys that are down here,” LeMahieu said. “It’s made me want to spend a lot more time down here, especially because of the Minor League coaches that are here. We’re able to hit, run, get in training, get in the weight room.
“Everything we need is down here. So for me, there’s really no better place to be, with all the resources we have down here and all the people that want to help us get on the right track."