THE YANKEES HAVE A "BEST OF THE BEST" INFIELDER

We have to admit, we are a little bit biased when it comes to our Yankees around here. We bleed blue after all. So for us to write about how much we like a Yankee isn't unusual. We all have our own favorites and biased opinions about certain players. This time, another name we all know just happens to agree with me.

I am a BIG fan of DJ LeMahieu, and I know I am not the only one. We all know how much of a difference maker he has been. I can sit here and write about how important he is and why he is a great infielder, but someone else did it for me. If you are an ESPN+ subscriber, check out Buster Olney's column HERE.

If you aren't, you wont be able to read the best parts but I can break it down for you. Olney basically broke down the best second baseman in the game of baseball....and DJ was ranked number ONE beating out dirty cheating ASSTRO Jose Altuve.

His 2019 season was phenomenal, and we all know it. I just wasn't expecting Olney to rank him first. Think about it, the Yankees envisioned DJ to be fill a super utility role. He didn't have a designated home. He played everywhere the Yankees asked him to and still succeeded no matter what the role. So as I break down the numbers and see that the number one ranked second baseman only played 75 games in the position....I think that is HUGE.

And while he was playing in a super utility role, he still put up career best numbers with 26 home runs, 102 RBI's, earned his first silver slugger award. His .327 batting average was fourth best in the American League, had the lowest swing-and-miss rate and somehow still finished fourth in American League MVP voting. I still can't get over he finished fourth because his numbers are clearly better than fourth.....but that's an entirely different topic to write about.

We all know how important DJ is to this team, so now we sit and wait for him to come back to play. He tested positive for Coronavirus last week and is still asymptomatic, and hope that he will stay that way. Hopefully he gets two negative test results sooner rather than later because this season, he's not a super utility player, he's our second-to-no one second baseman.

Here's Olney's list of top-ten second basemen, in case you are curious:

1. DJ LeMahieu, New York Yankees

2. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

3. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

4. Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers

5. Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves

6. Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals

7. David Fletcher, Los Angeles Angels

8. Keston Hiura, Milwaukee Brewers

9. Jean Segura, Philadelphia Phillies

10. Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays

So this season is definitely a different approach for DJ. It's crazy to think about but Last year DJ wasn't even in the Yankees starting lineup on Opening Day. But once healthy, Aaron Boone will have him penciled into the lineup somewhere. It's amazing what a difference a year can make. It's nice to see DJ ranked at the top by someone else. 

No bias in those rankings, but a lot of respect and I dig it.

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj