New York Yankees: Didi Gregorius Among Shortstop Elite

After years of solid defense but no offense, Didi Gregorius came to the New York Yankees with not much promise. Now in his fourth year with the Bombers, the 28-year-old has become one of the game’s premier shortstop’s.

The days of overlooking New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius should be a thing of the past. I mean, seriously, like very far in the past.

.368. That’s the 28-year-old’s average as of Sunday, April 29th, 2018. It isn’t just tops in the American League. It’s the best average in all of baseball.

He’s tied with none other than Mike Trout for the lead in home run’s across all of baseball with 10. He also happens to be the MLB’s leader in RBI’s (30), total bases (72), and WAR (2.4).

For those of you who didn’t see this coming, you’re in the minority. You see, Didi has shown steady progression ever since he was traded to the Yankees (for Shane Greene!). Looking at you, Brian Cashman.

Lets take a look at his batting average and power numbers since coming to the Yankees.

2015 – .265 BA, 9 HR’s, 56 RBI’s, 155 games

2016 – .276 BA, 20 HR’s, 70 RBI’s. 153 games

2017 – .287 BA, 25 HR’s, 87 RBI’s, 136 games

2018 – .368 BA, 10 HR’s, 30 RBI’s, 25 games

His 2017 season sticks out in particular. Despite missing almost all of April, he still put up excellent numbers and a 20th place finish in AL Most Valuable Player voting.

His remarkable start to the 2018 season looks not like a surprise, but his continuation from a project into a bonafide superstar.

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It’s no wonder why columnists are talking about Gregorius as an early frontrunner for the 2018 AL MVP.

It’s okay if you’re not convinced. Just remember that as of April 29th, he baseball’s leader in Offensive WAR (2.2), slugging % (.828) and OBP (1.286).

He’s increased his walk-rate, too, with 17 free-passes in 25 games.

It’s a massive leap from last year, when he walked just 25 times in 136 games.

Let me make it perfectly clear; Gregorius has been baseball’s most valuable player up to this point.

Of course, though, it’s near certain that he will not continue to produce at this pace.

But, his production has warranted another thing; his leap into the upper-echelon of the game’s shortstops.

He is without a doubt up there with names such as Carlos Correa, Manny Machado, Corey Seager and Francisco Lindor.

Despite all of this, it appears the baseball world still might not fully believe in Gregorius’s stardom. A colleague of mine tried to convince me Andrelton Simmons has been the better player over the last few years.

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You can guess how that conversation turned out.