DJ LeMahieu has batted almost exclusively leadoff this year, and with good reason. No Yankee is better at making contact than LeMahieu, which is the leadoff man’s chief job. If he gets on base, the rest of the order can drive him in and send him home. In kind, LeMahieu leads the Yankees with 50 runs scored this year.
Interestingly though, LeMahieu’s on-base percentage isn’t that impressive for an All-Star leadoff hitter, at .360. That’s only 46 points higher than his batting average. When you look at it deeper, it kind of makes sense – LeMahieu’s walk rate is below average at 6.