Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in an interview with Foul Territory on Friday that Judge will “probably” be No. 3 this season. Coach Boone isn’t making any promises, but for now he’s leaning toward putting Juan Soto in second place and Judge in third.
Judge finished second in all but two starts last season, but adding a hitter of Soto’s caliber will require some adjustments.
Aaron Boone says Juan Soto will bat second and Aaron Judge will bat third
He mentions DJ LeMahieu, Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres as leadoff options pic.twitter.com/r2ekdBu7LE
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) January 19, 2024
Aaron Boone has spent a lot of time thinking about Juan Soto’s place in the Yankees’ lineup, and while there are still a few weeks left before the pitcher and catcher report to Tampa, there’s a direction he’s currently leaning in.
When the Yankees manager was asked about the Yankees’ batting lineup at the beginning of an interview Friday, he hit “foul territory.”
“Juan is probably in the second hole right now and (Aaron Judge) is in the third hole,”
Boone said in response to a question from former big leaguer Todd Frazier, who played for the Yankees in late 2017.
As for the starting spot, Coach Boone mentioned DJ LeMahieu, Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres as candidates. As for Judge and Soto, he expects them to be close in the lineup.
“I see Aaron and Soto hitting back-to-back, one hits two, one hits three, the other hits three, the other hits two, I don’t really know what’s going to happen yet, but who’s actually hitting? It might depend on who you are. ”If you can hit at that starting point, you can hit after the fourth hole,”
Boone offered.
New Yankees teammate Marcus Stroman says Juan Soto is a one-of-a-kind player. Soto, a four-time Silver Slugger, three-time MLB Walk King, and 2020 National League Batting Champion, batted .300 with a .500 on-base percentage, two home runs, and eight walks in 28 at-bats against Stroman.
It is recorded. Soto, a left-hander acquired by the Yankees in a blockbuster trade with the Padres last month, joins a lineup led by Aaron Judge, who Stroman also called one of the best hitters in the major leagues. Stroman has a career ERA of 3.65 but has had even less success against Judge than against Soto.
Judge, a right-handed hitter, has a batting average of .476 and eight home runs in 50 at-bats against Stroman. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is already thinking about the 2024 batting order and the performances of Judge and Soto.
Manager Boone envisions Soto, who currently ranks 19th in MLB history with a career base percentage of .421, to be a better hitter than Judge, who is one season away from hitting an AL record 62 home runs.
That effort would be notable considering Judge played primarily as a second man during his first seven seasons with the Yankees.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Soto was more comfortable in midfield in San Diego last season. Boone also talked Friday about the Yankees’ potential leadoff hitters, including two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu, who hit .220 before the All-Star break and hit .273 in the second half of 2023.
He pointed out that
“We’ll see how the top spot develops,”
Boone said.
“I hope he gets back to being the player he was in the second half and gets on base a lot and gives us the lead.”
The Yankees watched the Astros strengthen their bullpen on Friday, as Houston agreed to a five-year, $95 million contract with superstar closer Josh Hader, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Hader, a three-time National League Reliever of the Year, is coming off a dominant season with the Padres in which he pitched 56.1 innings with a 1.28 ERA and 85 strikeouts.
The Astros already have a multi-All-Star closer in Ryan Pressley, but his 3.58 ERA last season was his worst since 2017.
In terms of total value, Hader’s contract fell short of the record $102 million contract the Mets gave closer Edwin Diaz last offseason. Castillo, 26, played in 97 MLB games with the Pirates and Diamondbacks, hitting .205 with 11 home runs.
In response, the Yankees designated outfielder Jeter Downs for assignment to make the 40-man roster.
The Yankees said Downs, named after former captain Derek Jeter, was cut from the Nationals last month. The Yankees claimed they waived Thompson from Cincinnati two weeks ago.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that based on the leadoff position, Juan Soto would likely go second and Aaron Judge would finish third.
The New York Yankees will have a different lineup for the 2024 season, but one of the big questions is where manager Aaron Boone will put Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.
Regarding the foul area, Boone said it is likely Soto will score the second goal and Judge will score the third.
The leadoff spot will be decided between Judge and Soto, who will play second or third, but Boone is considering DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo as leadoff options.
During the offseason, the Yankees quickly filled out their outfield by acquiring Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox in an unusual trade between the rivals. After a strong season with 35 home runs and a 155 wRC+, Soto, a left-handed superstar, is the perfect complement to 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge.
Soto has had the best OBP (.421) in baseball since his debut in 2018, and Judge has the most home runs over the past three seasons despite missing a significant portion of 2023 with an injury. I hit.
There’s no doubt that manager Aaron Boone will have Soto and Judge, arguably two of the best hitters in baseball, in consecutive at-bats in the lineup.
DJ LeMahieu is expected to be the Yankees’ primary leadoff choice in 2024. Despite having a modest 101 wRC+ last season, the 35-year-old infielder only posted a 101 wRC+ last season, but he showed good performance in the second half and gained favor with the organization.
If LeMahieu struggles in that role, the Yankees have other options mentioned by Boone.
Gleyber Torres appeared in 158 games last season, posting a .347 OBP and 123 wRC+, making him the team’s second-leading hitter behind Judge. Another option for the leadership spot is newly signed outfielder Alex Verdugo.
It’s unclear where he’ll fit in the Yankees’ lineup, but playing at Yankee Stadium could improve his skill and overall performance.
Fans reacted as follows:
Giancarlo still striking out at 4?
— dustin (@DJ_DoesSports) January 19, 2024
I’d consider batting Soto 1 and Judge 2. I want a guy with a career .420 OBP in front of another player who hits 40-50 HR a year.
— Baseball History Through Stats and Pics (@robert09160618) January 19, 2024
He’s basing it on the leadoff hitter… Then let Verdugo Leadoff, so that Judge gets protection from Soto. L,R,L
— Rob Féliz (@Robfeliz) January 19, 2024
Stats: Soto hits better in the 3 hole, Judge hits better in the 2 hole
Boone: Yeah uh we’ll prolly put Juan in the 2 hole with Judge in the 3
….🙃— Brett (@Brett_Olson_) January 19, 2024
Classic Boone. Everyone knows Judge likes to bat second and Soto likes to bat third.
— HENDRXX (@X2Pluto) January 19, 2024
This will be the Yankees lineup based on what he said.
DJ
Soto
Judge
Rizzo
Stanton
Verdugo
Gleyber
Wells
VolpeA very balanced R/L lineup.
— BMC (@BMC24k) January 19, 2024
Verdugo is not leading off. He’s the 7th hitter
— dr. meep (@Kobehater420) January 19, 2024
Volpe will end up having the most games in leadoff spot this year
— Seton Hall Caesar (@SetonCaesar) January 19, 2024
Season hasn’t started and Boone already showing how bad he is at making a lineup
— Jeremy McCants (@JermM7) January 19, 2024
Soto hits much better in the 3 hole why is he doing that???
— Andy Savage ⚡️ (@AndyTheSavage24) January 19, 2024
Now Judge’s protection will once again be rizzo or stanton smh
— Tyler Ross 12345678910111213 (@TylerRoss123456) January 19, 2024
Took him 7 years to realize that Judge( The best hitter of the team) should be hitting 3rd in the lineup? Amazing..
💯🇵🇷🎸🥃🍻🍺🎵🎼🎶 pic.twitter.com/0D63FACI47— JULIO C. (El Bohemio) (@diazjulio054) January 19, 2024
I like this. What’s the point of a Judge solo homerun and then Soto to walk after to be stranded.
— Dominick Bayo (@dom_bayo) January 19, 2024
That’s going to affect Judge. His percentages are higher on the 2nd spot that on the 3rd spot plus when they bat around, he’s got better chances of getting an extra at bat
— some random dude (@atomantpr) January 19, 2024
I don’t want to see DJ or Gleyber(low avg guy ) as a leadoff anymore. I want an old school leadoff finally. This guy is infuriating with the damn lineups
— ShawnyB (@jokershawn37) January 20, 2024
