New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge homers on a fly ball to right center field, his 500th extra base hit, … More
The New York Yankees and Mets are up to a combined 18 games and while it is still way early to determine how it looks when both teams complete the marathon 162-game schedule, both are offering decent first impressions a year after nearly engaging in the second “Subway Series” to determine a World Championship and following an offseason when Juan Soto exited the Yankees to join the Mets on a massive 15-year, $765 million contract.
The Yankees are up to six wins in nine games, which if that pace stayed the course would give them 108 wins. The Mets are also at the same pace, though you figure both will slow their respective paces and if all goes according to plan the teams wind up the low to mid-90s in terms of a win total.
Both teams are doing it in different ways, especially at the plate.
Even with not hitting a home run for the first time this season on Sunday, the Yankees lead the American League with 76 runs, are second with 92 hits while their 25 homers lead the league and are two more than the Dodgers, who rarely seem to lose. The Yankees are second in the majors with a .285 average after getting to the World Series last season with a .248 average.
The lineup is fueled by the noisy start from Aaron Judge, who started slowly last season and in 2022 when he still wound up hitting 58 and 62 homers respectively. Not only is Judge hitting .324, but he is also at six homers and 17 RBIs as a non-torpedo bat user.
While Paul Goldschmidt is doing his part as a novice leadoff hitter, the Yankees are actually fielding a lineup of six homegrown regulars and getting decent results. The batting averages tend to fluctuate in the early going but the Yankees are seeing plenty of positive results from the trio of Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe and Ben Rice, a trio who is combining to produce a respectable .257 average with seven homers and 18 RBIs.
The trio is giving the Yankee good at-bats after entering with questions of varying degree.
Volpe entered with inquiries about whether he would hit with average after producing marks of .209 and .243 in the shortstop’s first two seasons. He also entered questions about what his power would be after his homer run total dropped from nine to 12.
The Yankees got their first look at Rice last season after Anthony Rizzo broke his forearm in a collision at Fenway Park on June 16.
While Rice hit three homers July 7 against the Boston Red Sox, he did little else. The condition of Giancarlo Stanton’s elbows opened an opportunity, and he showcased strong exit velocity paired with results at the plate during spring training given the Yankees optimism about regular season results.
Dominguez might have come with more hype since he was nicknamed “The Martian” when he signed as an international free agent in July 2019. He gave the Yankees some highlights in a lost season when he hit four homers in eight games in Sept. 2023 but went down with an elbow injury and when he returned last season was learning the ropes as a novice left fielder.
After a few early struggles in exhibition games, Dominguez seems to be improving defensively though the Yankees still replace him late in games.
As for the Mets, they are winning with a .197 average, which is tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the third-worst mark. What they are doing is finding a way to win as three wins in their current four-game winning streak are by one run and two were decided in the late innings, including Saturday when they were hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position before Jesse Winker hit his second triple of the game in the eighth inning.
New York Mets’ Pete Alonso homers on a fly ball to right field during the first inning of a baseball … More
Perhaps the most sentimental sign of the early positive results is not only the reaction Pete Alonso is getting from the fans but the fact he is off to a good start and his homer was the deciding blow in a much-hyped home opener.
Soto only has one homer and three RBIS through his first 32 at-bats but just last season, his plate appearances represent must see events.
Francisco Lindor is off to a customary slow start with a .172 mark through the first nine, but he built a ton of equity with his strong second half and runner-up finish to Shohei Ohtani in the MVP race, the Mets and everyone following them figures it is matter of time before he gets rolling.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign is the fact the Mets lead the majors with a 1.91 ERA, including a major-league best 1.29 ERA from their relievers. Pitching was considered more of a question mark going into this season with injuries to Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea along with the losses of Luis Severino and Jose Quintana in free agency, but the results are a good development.
The Yankees are winning with a 4.37 ERA and among three winning teams with ERAs over 4.30. They are through two turns through the rotation without Gerrit Cole and are anchored by Carlos Rodon and Max Fried, who have done enough in their outings while seeing Will Warren pitch to a 6.00 ERA in two starts and Marcus Stroman post a 7.27 ERA so far.
The Yankees are getting some help on the horizon with Clarke Schmidt returning sometime next week but seemed likely to be involved in the starting pitching trade market in some shape and form when the season reaches the end of July.
A lot can happen between now and the end of a season but showing some good positive steps early on gives a good impression with an anticipation of an action-packed season for both teams.
