New York — and an entire East Coast that often overlooks baseball stars in the Rocky Mountain time zone — is quickly finding out the caliber of player that DJ LeMahieu is.
In the Yankees’ first 16 games LeMahieu leads the team in average (.377), on-base percentage (.433) and total hits (20), early proof that his batting title and two all-star nods were no Coors Field fluke.
LeMahieu’s torrid early-season hitting — and Gold Glove versatility in the infield, as demonstrated by eight starts at third base — is salt in an open wound for Rockies fans, many of whom are still wondering why Colorado didn’t offer LeMahieu the same two-year, $24 million deal he signed with the Yankees this past offseason.