The 2024 New York Yankees season got off to the best possible start. In the first series, they knocked the Houston Astros off their perch and lost four games to them. With a comfortable 4–0 lead, the Yankees have already shown their worth against one of the top teams in the league.
Without a doubt, this Yankee squad is different from what it has been in recent years, especially in light of Juan Soto’s early contributions.
Soto’s worth has been evident in more ways than simply the batter’s box throughout the first four games. In order to hold onto a narrow lead on opening day, he gunned down a runner at home plate, among other excellent defensive plays. He has, meanwhile, also made several diving catches and has already recorded a defensive run save.
Juan Soto has served as the Yankees’ offensive leader.
The 25-year-old is currently the hottest player in the game in terms of offensive production, hitting.529/.600/.765, with four RBIs, one home run, and a 298 wRC+. With a 15% strikeout rate and 10% host rate, he makes every bat look like it could be his last.
Having said that, the Yankees haven’t played to their best potential since star slugger Aaron Judge had a rough start to the season.
The 30-year-old is making contact.125/.211/.188, with a strikeout percentage of 31.6% and one RBI. Naturally, Judge will keep getting better and will appear like his usual self, but the Yankees have been relying a lot on Soto to finish games. The Yankees had little to show for their efforts last year if Judge wasn’t producing, but this year they have a fantastic safety net in place to pull them up when Judge is struggling.
The Yankees will have one of the most potent and formidable offenses in the league once the seasoned MVP champion from 2022 finds his groove. When Judge and Soto bat first, opposing pitchers will have a difficult time getting through this gauntlet.
With Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton behind them, the Yankees will see significant improvements given their past on-base percentages, and they are aware that they haven’t even reached the limits of their potential.
At the absolute least, Steinbrenner has seen firsthand what Soto is capable of, and the likelihood of a blank check is growing. In the end, the Yankees can’t let that go because they’ve finally discovered Houston’s Kryptonite.
