Baseball has returned with spring training games getting underway, and that means the New York Yankees are back in action. Fans have been waiting since the end of last season to get that sour taste of failure out of their mouths, and so far, the Yankees have given them plenty of things to cheer about. Let's take a closer look at how the Bombers are performing down in sunny Florida.
Juan Soto and Aaron Judge look just as good as advertised
Yankees fans have been waiting since December to see the duo of Soto and Judge hitting back-to-back. They did not disappoint. In their first game together, Soto drew a walk, and then Judge laced a double down the left field line. This is the kind of production that the Yankees dream about from their star duo. Later in that game, Soto showed off his power with an opposite-field home run that traveled 420 feet.
Soto’s best ability is his combination of power and patience. The at-bat where he hit his first home run in pinstripes demonstrated this perfectly. He simply refused to swing at any pitch that was not a strike. This forced the pitcher to be more aggressive in locating his pitches over the zone.
Once Soto finally got a pitch in the strike zone that he could do damage with, he unleashed a powerful swing and delivered a bomb into the opposite field bleachers.
No matter what a pitcher does, Soto will find a way to get them in trouble. If they are careful with their pitches and try to paint the corners in an attempt to get him to chase, the new Yankee addition will lay off even the closest pitches and take his freebies.
If the pitcher makes a mistake and leaves one out over the middle, the lefty slugger will crush it for extra bases or a round tripper. If the pitcher is able to to paint the corners, Soto can fight off tough pages to keep the at-bat going. His pitch recognition is incredible, which allows him to watch a ball all the way from the pitcher's hand into the catcher’s mitt without flinching.
Anthony Volpe's new approach appears to be paying dividends
Anthony Volpe had a strong rookie season in many respects, but two things he struggled with were his batting average and on-base percentage. This is due in large part to his struggles with striking out. Volpe talked at length about working to flatten his swing during the off-season, and the early returns give reason for optimism.
The young shortstop might not have the results to show for it early in spring training, but he has been making excellent contact and significantly reducing his strikeouts. This is what the Yankees are looking for. Volpe can hit home runs, but that isn’t his game. His goal should be to get on base and wreak havoc on the base paths.
While he hasn't had a ton of hits this spring, his new approach and flatter swing seem to be working out. He is putting the ball in play consistently, and has managed to rip a few key doubles as well. There’s less swing and miss to his game, and the ball is jumping off of his bat even if he’s hitting more line drives into the gaps than deep fly balls that can leave the park. His new swing appears to be paying off, and this could be huge for Aaron Boone's squad.
If the Yankees could sign up for a 10-homer season from Volpe with a .300 batting average, an OBP in the neighborhood of .400 and 50 or 60 stolen bases, they would opt for that in a heartbeat. His new, flatter swing gives him the potential to have that kind of season.
Spencer Jones reminding fans of Jasson Dominguez last spring
Spencer Jones is having a breakout spring. The 2022 first-round draft pick showed off his prodigious power from the left side in his first spring training game with a mammoth 470-foot home run. Jones continued to hit the ball hard, recording multiple hits over 100 mph.
It appears Jones may be following a similar course to the path that Jasson Dominguez took to the big leagues last year. A year ago, Dominguez mashed in spring training. Although he was ultimately sent down to the minors, he figured things out quickly and mastered AA pitching by the early summer. He dominated AA for an extended period of time and earned a promotion to Triple-A.
Dominguez quickly crushed Triple-A pitching right from the beginning and was called up to the big league club less than two weeks later. If Jones is able to parlay a strong spring training with a quick start to the season at Somerset, he could be in line for an aggressive promotion to Triple-A and potentially a call-up to the big leagues after the All-Star break or when rosters expand in September.
George Lombard Jr. has made quite the first impression
George Lombard Jr. is just 18 years old and in his first big league camp, but he is already making a positive impression. In somewhat of a unique situation, he hit his first professional home run in big league camp, as he only played a handful of games after being drafted and didn’t leave the park in that small sample size.
Early in spring training, he went yard to the opposite field, showing off his natural power at a young age. The 2023 first-round draft pick has struggled somewhat since then, but has done a more than adequate job of acclimating himself to big league and upper-minor league pitching.
This has already been a worthwhile experience for Lombard Jr., giving the young shortstop prospect an idea of what he needs to work on and giving the Yankees something to dream about for the future.
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