18 Aug Getting to Know DJ LeMahieu
DJ LeMahieu landed on the 10-day IL this past Sunday with a sprained left thumb suffered on a swing in Saturday’s win over the Red Sox. The Yankees now have three of their top hitters on the IL, with LeMahieu joining Aaron Judge (right calf strain) and Giancarlo Stanton (left hamstring). The three have the highest OPS in the Yankees’ lineup. Miguel Andujar was recalled from the team’s alternate site in Scranton to take LeMahieu’s spot on the roster. In 2018, LeMahieu suffered a similar injury and missed 2 ½ weeks.
Nickname: LeMachine
Born: July 13, 1988 (age 32) in Visalia, California
MLB debut: May 30, 2011, for the Chicago Cubs
Teams: Chicago Cubs (2011) Colorado Rockies (2012–2018) New York Yankees (2019–present)
College: Louisiana State University
Salary: $16,444,444 for 2020
Education: Louisiana State University, Brother Rice High School
Favorite Player Growing up: Derek Jeter
How do you like playing in New York? I love it. To me, it’s Major League Baseball at its best. I had been in a routine for seven years out in Colorado, so spring training was a bit of an adjustment for me. But once baseball started, baseball’s baseball.
What drives you? Competition. I love the game of baseball. I love to hit the ball. It was my goal to make it to the major leagues, and now it’s to win and have a good career and be a good teammate.
As a Yankee, you seem to be hitting a lot more home runs. Are you turning into a power hitter? Are the Bronx Bombers rubbing off on you? I think, to hit for power, you have to be a good hitter. You don’t see too many guys that hit for a ton of homers that are bad hitters. So, for me, just being a good hitter, having competitive at-bats, I think the power comes naturally, at least that’s what I hope for. First and foremost, I want to be a good hitter, and I want to be a competitive guy in the box that pitchers don’t want to face. When you get to this level, you realize that with the pitching nowadays, runs are so important, and it’s just that for me, I’m always trying to get on base. But when there are guys in scoring position or guys on base, it’s kind of my chance to make a mark on the game.
With only 60 games this season, do you think you can hit .400? I think it’s possible. I’m definitely not focused on that. Baseball is way too hard to try to do that. In two months of baseball, there’s going to be some eye-popping stats and a lot of surprises.
Why do you think you have been so successful as a New York Yankee? It just seems like I’ve had a lot of guys on base in front of me. I just feel like it’s a really good lineup, and I don’t feel like the game is resting on my shoulders. Watching these guys day in and day out, and watching their compete level no matter the situation, I feel if I don’t get the job done, the next guy will. If I can just get on base and have good at-bats, I feel like that sets up the inning well.
What would you say is your goal this year? Definitely to win a World Series and continue to get better as a player. We have such a great team and I’m proud to be here.