The New York Yankees lost Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez, but their lineup remains excellent and they added third baseman Josh Donaldson to an impressive unit.
Monday’s lineup for the spring training game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Tampa is another reminder that the Bombers have some impressive offensive weapons.
Taking on the Phillies in Tampa Today 👇 pic.twitter.com/Bm31WJLsou
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 21, 2022
DJ LeMahieu is batting leadoff and handling second base duties, while sluggers Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo, and Giancarlo Stanton are second, third, and fourth, respectively.
Donaldson is fifth, and that foursome from 2-5 are all capable of hitting 35+ home runs in 2022.
Aaron Hicks spent the majority of the 2021 season recovering from wrist surgery, but has been a very productive hitter in the past.
He accumulated 8.4 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) between 2017 and 2018.
The Weak Links In An Otherwise Impressive Unit
Kyle Higashioka is expected to get most of the starts at catcher at the moment, but most of his contributions are defensive.
He does have some occasional power and could hit 10-15 home runs with regular playing time.
Phil Evans and Oswald Peraza are expected to open the season in the minors: the latter, however, is one of the Yankees’ prized prospects whose presence convinced the Yankees’ brass not to spend too many resources on a star player at the position.
Anthony Rizzo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are expected to be the regulars at first base and shortstop, respectively.
Rizzo is expected to be a middle-of-the-order producer with a high OBP.
All things considered, the Yankees’ lineup is impressive, and most of their current issues are tied to pitching depth.
Yes, they could have used upgrades at catcher and shortstop, but if they are able to extend Judge, the blow will be lessened somewhat.
NEXT: Yankees Manager Aaron Boone Comments On His 2022 Outlook
