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New York Yankees: How do Yanks stack up against top AL contenders?

By Sean Dyer

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 18: Aaron Judge (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 18: Aaron Judge (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 06: Francisco Lindor (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 06: Francisco Lindor (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Shortstops

  1. Francisco Lindor (CLE) – 4 points
  2. Carlos Correa (HOU) – 3 points
  3. Didi Gregorius (NYY) – 2 points
  4. Xander Bogaerts (BOS) – 1 point

What a talented group of shortstops! We’ll get into Xander Bogaerts’s accomplishments in a bit, but the fact that he’s fourth on this list speaks to the quality of this group.

Francisco Lindor has always been a great hitter. He hit .313 as a rookie in 2015 and .301 in 2016. Lindor’s average dropped to .273 in 2017 but the smiling superstar hit a career-high 33 home runs, the most of any shortstop in baseball. Lindor also had 44 doubles and drove in 89 runs.

Lindor’s slick glove, strong arm, and great personality are just added bonuses. The 24-year-old is on his way to being one of the best young stars in the league.

Speaking of young stars, Carlos Correa is a beast. The 23-year-old hit .315 with 24 home runs (he’s hit at least 20 home runs in all three of his major league seasons) and 84 RBI. Oh yeah, and he only played in 109 games. Maybe that’s why he was so fresh for the postseason, hitting .288 with five home runs and 14 RBI in 18 games to help lead the Houston Astros to a World Series championship. The MLB better beware of a full season of Correa.

All of the talk last season was about Aaron Judge’s historic rookie year, and rightfully so, but Yankee fans know how important Didi Gregorius was to their success in both the regular season and postseason.

Gregorius broke Derek Jeter’s record for most home runs in a season by a New York Yankees shortstop with 25 dingers. He also set career highs in batting average (.287), RBI (87), and runs (73). This is all while missing the first month of the season. Didi then hit three massively clutch home runs in the postseason to solidify his spot as a fan favorite. Didi has been so great that fans have almost forgotten about that former Yankee shortstop … almost.

Xander Bogaerts is a World Series champion, All-Star, and two-time Silver Slugger. Yet, few would argue that he’s fourth on this list. Bogaerts had an off year in 2017, especially in the home run department (along with the entire Red Sox offense). With just 10 home runs and 62 RBI, it was a disappointing year for Bogaerts. However, he still hit .273 and is just a year removed from a .294-21-89 season. Expect Bogaerts to bounce back this year.

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