The New York Yankees can boast pretty impressive lineups, even in Spring Training.
They have a few of the premier players in the game, and occasionally, those stars share the same lineup during the spring session. They’ve done so today, and there’s been a fun addition to fill out the lineup.
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have excited fans
Spring Training always sees minor leaguers or non-impact players filling out a lineup, and that’s true today with shortstop Jeter Downs, a player whose name carries a lot of weight in the Bronx.
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The lineup with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and some form of Jeter has fans salivating. All around, they just love seeing the names Judge and Soto back-to-back in their batting order.
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The sight of a Jeter at shortstop brings back fond memories of Derek Jeter, who spent the better part of two decades manning shortstop and batting at the top of the lineup as the Yanks won five championships.
Naturally, Jeter Downs won’t top the batting order and he won’t likely be playing much if at all. Unless he has a terrific spring, he’ll probably be in the minor leagues this year.
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto give the Yankees a top tandem
It could be argued that both Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are top five players in the game. At worst, it’s hard to say they’re not both top 10. That gives the New York Yankees a duo rivaled perhaps only by the Los Angeles Dodgers with Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani.
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are a great tandem
Aaron Boone has stated that he will probably bat Soto second all year, with Judge behind him at third. That will be an imposing task for any starting pitcher they face, even if the leadoff hitter is DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Volpe or Alex Verdugo. Facing those two in an inning is a tall order.
They bat from opposite sides and both have extremely good on-base percentages and plenty of pop. It’s going to be a nightmare for opposing hurlers and for managers who have to decide whether to bring in a lefty for Soto or a righty for Judge.
