Juan Soto-Aaron Judge duo puts last year’s roster to shame even during slump

The 2024 New York Yankees are not the 2023 Yankees. Brian Cashman made sure of that when he brought Juan Soto to New York. 30 games in, Soto has already shown the tremendous difference his presence in the lineup makes. The Yankees now have two of the top hitters in the game.

Although the season is young, the Yankees look strong in a highly competitive division. They’re neck and neck in the AL East standings with the Baltimore Orioles, last season’s division winner. Here’s how the improved lineup has made this possible.

Juan Soto-Aaron Judge duo is the highlight of the Yankees lineup

Aaron Judge has been vocal that he’s always wanted to hit third in the lineup. He has primarily batted second throughout his career. Judge hit third quite a bit in 2021 and spent some time batting leadoff in 2022. Of course, this has depended on who else is in the lineup.

In the offseason, the Yankees traded for Juan Soto. In February, Judge spoke about his placement in the lineup as a guest on Sean Casey’s podcast. “I’d love to hit third, especially with how much Soto gets on [base]. He’s an on-base and base-hit machine,” he said. Soto is a tremendous asset with his lefty bat, consistency, and plate discipline. He can hit for contact or power. Judge emphasized, “I want to hit behind him.” The Soto-Judge duo is a recipe for success.

Judge batting third behind Soto has been a game-changer. Soto creates traffic on the bases. There are powerful hitters like Judge behind him to drive him in. Jack Curry reported that Judge has driven in Soto six times already through 30 games this season. This is more than he drove in any teammate all of last season. The most in 2023 was five: a three-way tie between DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Anthony Volpe. Judge played in 106 games last year.

We all know that Judge hasn’t had the best start to the 2024 season. He’s slashing .212/.343/.425. The fact that he’s already driven in a teammate more times this season than any teammate all of last season while starting the year off with a slump speaks volumes. Soto is off to a strong start to the season, slashing .316/.429/.553. Judge has started to heat up the past few games, and the Yankees are confident this slugger is about to have a breakout. A lineup with Soto and Judge hot at the same will be lethal.

Does this stat say more about last year’s team or more about this year’s team? Probably equal. This is yet another stat that shows why the Yankees were not successful last season. It also shows why they will be more successful this year. This team is fun to watch. The Yankees have put the American League on notice.