One of the highlights in a 60-game pandemic season was DJ LeMahieu’s flirtation with .400. If it happened, it would have been a much smaller sample size than Ted Williams hitting .406 in 453 at-bats in a 154-game season in 1941, it still would have been an impressive feat.
LeMahieu did not hit .400 but wound up batting .364 in a shortened season where he was over .400 after 17 of the 50 games, he appeared in. The fact that he led the majors in hitting and posted the highest batting average since Joe Mauer batted .365 in 2009 was among the reasons retaining LeMahieu was the focus of the Yankee offseason in the wake of losing Game 5 of the ALDS to the Tampa Bay Rays.
By late January 2021, LeMahieu was officially signed to a six-year, $90 million deal with the idea that the length of the contract would soften any luxury tax hit.
LeMahieu first became a Yankee in January 2019, signing a two-year, $24 million deal after a “down year” with the Colorado Rockies. In his first two seasons, he posted a .336/.386/.536 batting line while also hitting 36 homers and driving in 129 runs but due to forces beyond his control known as injuries, the Yankees have yet to see similar production.
LeMahieu’s 2021 season ended with a hernia keeping him from playing the wild-card game loss in Boston and during the August swoon, he developed a toe issue that ultimately kept him from playing several games down the stretch and kept him from appearing in the postseason.
In 2021, he batted .268 and last season LeMahieu finished with a .261 average. Other than the .250 he batted in 37 games in 2011 for the Cubs, those are his two lowest batting averages in every season.
And last season was extremely frustrating as LeMahieu developed the toe issue during a series in Boston and could not shake it with rest. Being put on the injured list for a little over three weeks did not help and it seemed possible surgery was an option.
The toe impacted LeMahieu’s performance as you might expect it to adversely impact any player. He batted .292 with 11 homers and 42 RBIs in the first 105 games but then hit .167 with one homer and four RBIs in 30 games from Aug. 3 to the point where the Yankees decided LeMahieu could not be on the postseason roster.
As of now, no surgery is needed and LeMahieu appears to be recovering according to manager Aaron Boone, who told reporters LeMahieu has been passing tests doing baseball activities without pain.
Boone’s positive revelation is a good sign for the Yankees, who treasure his versatility at playing three of the four infield positions (first base, third base, second base). Last year he spent 385 2/3 innings at third base, 312 2/3 innings at second and 265 innings at first base.
Versatility is a good thing since the Yankees have veterans at the corners in Anthony Rizzo and Josh Donaldson.
Rizzo missed time with a back injury right around the same time as LeMahieu’s injured list stint, resulting in the one forgettable game by Ronald Guzman at first base. While Donaldson was good with the glove, his bat showed considerable lack of bat speed and was noticeable in the postseason no matter how many times the Yankees defended him.
Even with Donaldson’s presence, a fully healthy LeMahieu presents a strong case to be the starting third baseman. Donaldson struck out 27.1 percent of his plate appearances, an increase from the 21 percent in 2021 with Minnesota among other issues at the plate.
Despite playing the last two months and missing the postseason with a toe injury, LeMahieu earned a Gold Glove, joining St. Louis infielder Brandon Donovan as the first two players to win the award as utility players. At third base, LeMahieu finished with seven defensive runs save and four outs above average.
When healthy, LeMahieu is among the best contact hitters in the game. Now the Yankees are hoping the fully healthy version of LeMahieu appears in a lineup already considered among the best in the AL even with Donaldson coming off his worst season.
