DJ LeMahieu Has Already Cemented Himself as Best Value Contract From This Offseason
By Sean Facey
DJ LeMahieu has been everything the Yankees could have hoped for and more this season. From stellar defense to hitting in the clutch, he's done it all for his new team.
And after slashing .625/.654/1.083 to net himself AL Player of the Week honors, there's little doubt left that the New York Yankees second baseman has cemented himself as the best value signing of the offseason.
DJ LeMahieu was named AL Player of The Week. #Yankees
— Bronx Bombers News (@NewsBronx) July 1, 2019
Between June 24-30 he had a slash line of .625/.654/1.083. He was 15/24 with 8 runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 10 RBI and 2 walks.
Most viewed the two-year, $24 million contract the Yankees signed him to over the winter as nothing more than a depth move to tide the team over until Didi Gregorius returned, but those expectations have been blown to smithereens.
LeMahieu leads the AL with a .345 batting average and owns a .925 OPS. His 3.6 fWAR ranks seventh among all position players and ranks well ahead of the likes of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, two players the Yankees were linked to in the offseason that signed for a combined $630 million.
Overlooked in free agency, DJ LeMahieu has been a godsend for the #Yankees – and perhaps the AL MVP https://t.co/FZNypb3Ame
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 1, 2019
Add in the fact that he's hitting .493 and has posted a 221 wRC+ with runners in scoring position through 81 plate appearances, there's simply no denying that he's given the Yankees everything they could have asked for and more.
At a $12 million annual rate over this year and the next, he's easily giving the Yankees the most bang for their buck of any player for any team.