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TAMPA – As the game of baseball has changed, the majority of the batters have also changed.
With the Mets in 2015, Daniel Murphy became the poster for a growing group that decided to try to raise the ball in order to hit more circuits, changing the approach that had led them to the big leagues. Murphy, the king of touch in baseball, has transformed as soon as the wickets before have begun to value power more than ever.
Now, as teams begin to realize that their team 's lineup may be a bit too biased in favor of "all – or – nothing" hitters, the man Murphy has replaced in Colorado could be happy to see the team. have kept the same status.
"Oh yes, it's tempting," says DJ LeMahieu, one of the many additions to the Yankees' field. "Absolutely, and I'm working on it, it's something I'm working on, but at the same time, it's what makes me a good hitter, and for me to change and change." 39, try to be someone that I am not, it makes me worse. "
LeMahieu arrived in New York this off-season for a $ 24 million contract, spread over two years. He was not the base player who hoped Brian Cashman would sign. Instead, he was the opposite opposite: a career hitter who had made a living by posing as a team leaning heavily on flying balloons in their high altitude stadium.
For the Yankees, this could be invaluable.
"I think the ability to put the ball in play is a real interest, especially nowadays with the meetings and pitchers to miss the stick," says manager Aaron Boone. "It gives us a bit of a different and unique look."
No, LeMahieu is not as good as Manny Machado. But at $ 12 million a year, to a team that uses low-contact boppers like Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron JudgeYou may need LeMahieu to put an end to the downward trend of proofmaking.
In 2016, the Yankees ranked fourth in contact rate majors at 79.8%. In 2017, their batters made contact with 76.2% of the shots they tipped, good for the 21st. Last season, they finished 24th with 75.7%. The same story can be told about their production with men on base. Their average baton dipped 0.226 to 0.263 to 0.251.
LeMahieu will begin his first season with the Yankees as a .305 hitter with the riders and a pillar at the top of the touchdown table by touch with a mark of 87.2%. He will have the opportunity to bring diversity to a team that has relied heavily on home racing over the past decade.
"You have to have a little balance," says Lemahieu. "We can not do everything in contact, then we are on three points and it's a huge hill to climb at the same time, with a lot of circuits, the starting shots come in. So from time to time, you need these games for guys to get on the base. "
The Yankees may not have added one of the big bats available this winter, but they have added another to diversify their lineup. Even though the headlines have made Troy Tulowitzki, which will open as starter at short stop after Didi Gregorius & # 39; injury, Lemahieu's approach to the plate could justify a little more play time.
Maybe there will not be so many solo circuits this year.
CARELLI: Why the Yankees could have a hard time maximizing the value of DJ LeMahieu >> Read More
HARPER: Yankees general manager Brian Cashman defends decision not to sign Manny Machado >> Read more
HARPER: The presence of veterans of Troy Tulowitzki is already felt at the spring training >> Read more
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