The New York Yankees hit a bump in the road on Thursday afternoon in Kansas City but they’re still sitting pretty atop Major League Baseball at 49-22. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto lead the league in OPS and the rest of the lineup have contributed their share as well.
Audacy MLB Insider Bret Boone joined WFAN’s BT & Sal to talk about the Yankees’ dominance and what he’s seen out of his brother Aaron’s squad.
“Here’s the key for me to that offense, and it has been for a long time: Giancarlo Stanton. He’s not the MVP that a Soto or an Aaron Judge is but his mere presence in that lineup, that they can’t just dismiss as an out, he’s got 17 home runs right now,” Boone said. “Stanton being a constant in the middle of that lineup and being a threat I think is the key, to me.”
Stanton struggled in 2023, batting just .191 with 24 home runs. His average is up to .233 this year and he already has those 17 home runs Boone mentioned.
The presence of Stanton’s bat in the middle of the lineup only helps Judge hitting in front of him.
“He’s unbelievable. For me, he’s the most dynamic player. I think he affects his team more than any other player in Major League Baseball on the offensive side. He’s locked in,” Boone said. “The difference between Aaron Judge and everybody else is when he’s feeling good and he’s getting pitches to hit it’s not like it’s a base hit, it is kind of Bonds-ish where if you miss with Aaron Judge right now it’s not coming back. The rest of us are hitting a bullet in the gap or a base hit. No, Judge is going deep.
“The way he started and where he is right now; he had a bad April. Going into May you’re thinking ‘C’mon, when’s Judge going to get it going?’ I think he’s gotten it going right now and he’s probably the MVP right now as we speak.”
Boone saw greatness firsthand during his playing days as a teammate of Ken Griffey Jr. and an opponent of Barry Bonds.
“I think Aaron Judge right now is doing the closest imitation we’ve seen since Bonds. Unbelievable to watch,” he said. “And look at Soto and what he’s doing at the top of that lineup hitting second and then Judge comes. Now Judge is hot. That one-two combo, I’d put them up against anybody in the league.”
Soto is enjoying his first year in pinstripes but is set to become a free agent this offseason.
“I think Juan Soto’s proven in the past – he turned down $400 million from the Washington Nationals – and he’s kind of on tour right now. Everything’s going great, his team’s the best team, he’s having an MVP-caliber year,” Boone said. “But he’s proven he will test the market and I think he’s going to stick to that.”
Soto has earned the right to test the market but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be back with the Yankees for years to come. For now, he and the rest of the Bronx Bombers are enjoying life atop MLB.
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