Four weeks into the season, the Yankees are 9-13. Yes, they took three out of four from the Cleveland Indians over the weekend. However, just when it began to look as if we could pull our hand away from the panic button, the bats were silenced again on Monday night in Baltimore.
In this first entry for our Yankees Notebook, we’ll start at the top of the lineup with one of the game’s best hitters.
What the heck is wrong with DJ LeMahieu?
If the leadoff hitter sets the tone for the rest of the lineup, then one look at LeMahieu’s numbers tells the story for the rest of the Yankees’ offense.
LeMahieu, a two-time batting champion, has made a career of hitting to the opposite field with great success. He’s a right-handed professional contact hitter that wears opposing pitchers out with his ability to hit line drives to right field.
A .250/.333/.338 bating line associated with LeMahieu looks like a foreign language to me. Is this the same player that’s earned “The Machine” as a nickname? Right now, it’s not even close.
So far this season, LeMahieu has been pull-heavy. He’s not only pulling the ball more than usual; he’s pulling the ball on the ground.
To simplify it, keep an eye on how often he’s hitting the baseball to left field. That’s not the DJ LeMahieu we’ve come to know.
In January, he signed a six year, $90 million deal in free agency to return to the Yankees.
If the 32-year old LeMahieu’s hitting slump continues, don’t be surprised if you begin hearing whispers about his age and if he’s on the wrong side of 30.
LeMahieu’s track record indicates he’ll pick it up sooner than later. The Yankees, however, need him to get right. If “The Machine” gets going, it could be a trickle-down effect on everyone hitting behind him.
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