Which New York Yankees players’ stock is up/down after first month of the MLB season

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 28: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees at bat during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 28, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Yankees defeated the Brewers 15-5. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
By Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner
May 2, 2024

BALTIMORE — The start of the New York Yankees’ season has been a success by just about anyone’s standard.

When they wake up Thursday morning, they’ll be tied for first place in the American League East. They’ll have spent 26 of 32 days either atop the division or tied for the lead.

For manager Aaron Boone, that’s a welcomed change. Last year, they finished April at 15-15, and they were on the way to a fourth-place finish and missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

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Now? So much has changed. Juan Soto’s arrival has been key. They have made do without ace Gerrit Cole (elbow inflammation), who may not return until July. They haven’t had their starting third baseman DJ LeMahieu, and big pieces of their bullpen have missed time.

“I know we’re just kind of scratching the surface on the season,” Boone said. “We’ve got a long way to go.”

Here are two players whose stocks are rising, and two whose stocks have taken a hit through the start of the season.

Stock up

Juan Soto

Here’s how good Soto has been for the Yankees this season: As of Wednesday, without his production, the Yankees would have the 11th-best offense in the sport with a 105 wRC+. With Soto in the lineup, the Yankees have the fifth-best offense and a 116 wRC+.

There’s been a narrative online that the Yankees’ offense is just Soto and the 2023 roster. That’s not accurate. Last year’s team had just four regulars at or above league average, and both Anthony Rizzo (100 wRC+) and DJ LeMahieu (101 wRC+) were bad for large chunks of the season. This year, the Yankees have seven players with at least a 115 wRC+.

But make no mistake: Soto has already carried the offense in several games this season. If the American League MVP award was given out in April, Soto would be a prime candidate to win.

Most of the attention on Soto is on what he can do at the plate, but he’s also been impressive in the field. He’s currently tied for second in both defensive runs saved and outs above average for all right fielders.

With Soto a free agent at the end of the year, he’s done nothing but raise his value through the first month of the season. — Kirschner

Carlos Rodon

Isn’t this more like it?

Rodón (2-1, 2.48 ERA, six starts) has been exactly what the Yankees needed. Going into the regular season, all eyes were on the 31-year-old left-hander to carry a heavier load in the absence of Cole. It seemed like an iffy ask, considering just how poorly things went for Rodón last season — the first of his six-year, $162-million contract.

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Instead, Rodón has so far given the Yankees everything he didn’t in 2023. He’s been healthy. He’s controlled his emotions on the mound. And he’s been effective, even if he hasn’t been the blow-’em-away pitcher who finished in the top six of the Cy Young vote in 2022 and 2021.

Actually, he’s been quite different.

“I just want him to keep going,” manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday in Milwaukee. “He’s not one-dimensional.”

Instead of racking up strikeouts, Rodón has added a cutter to his vaunted fastball-slider combo, and it’s paid dividends. He’s allowed just a .125 batting average with it, jamming the hands of righty sluggers. It may be alarming that Rodón’s fastball isn’t the swing-and-miss machine it used to be (16.8 percent whiff rate, league average is 22 percent). But if he keeps pitching like this, who cares? — Kuty

Stock down

Gleyber Torres

It has been 52 games, dating back to Sept. 7 last season, since Torres homered in a regular season game.

It’s not just the lack of power that’s been missing from Torres, but his inability to drive the ball has been noticeable, too. He’s hit just two pitches over 350 feet this season, and both were regular flyouts. Only Luis Arraez, not known for his power, has more plate appearances in the majors this year without a home run.

Torres’ ability to make damage contact has decreased since 2022. His barrel rate in 2022 was 10.7 percent, dropped to 7.9 percent last season and is now down to a paltry 2.3 percent this year. His hard-hit rate went from 45.3 percent in 2022 to 31 percent this year.

Torres ranks in the bottom 15 percentile in xWOBA, xBA, xSLG, barrel rate and hard hit rate. There’s currently nothing in Torres’ profile that would suggest a turnaround is coming. The only thing Torres and the Yankees can lean on is his track record. Only in 2021 did Torres finish the season as a below-average hitter.

But until Torres shows he can hit the ball hard once again, we’ll likely continue seeing weak grounders and pop outs out of the Yankees’ second baseman. — Kirschner

Aaron Judge

Look, nobody is doubting that Judge will bounce back. He has said he’s healthy. There have been flashes of his usual thump, in particular the 417-foot bomb to center field that he hit over the weekend against the Brewers, seemingly flicking his wrists and walloping a slider near the bottom of the zone.

But the numbers speak for themselves. Despite the addition of Soto, Judge’s production at the plate has been underwhelming by his lofty expectations.

Through 32 games, he is hitting just .200 with six homers, 18 RBI and a .731 OPS. His 10 ground-ball double plays are by far the most in the majors — Bryce Harper’s seven rank second. And he’s just not making the type of contact the Yankees are used to seeing. Going into Wednesday, his 12.7 percent barrel rate was far down from his career average of 21.4 percent, even if his exit velocity (94.6 mph) hasn’t been too far off his career mark (95.6 mph).Asked whether he felt comfortable with his swing Monday, Judge offered a curt response: “No.”Still, there are reasons for optimism. As of Wednesday, he was still drawing plenty of walks (16.3 percent) and his strikeout rate (27 percent) is actually lower than his career average (28.6 percent). — Kuty

(Top photo of Aaron Judge: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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