Desperate times call for desperate measures. That certainly appeared to be the case with the New York Yankees‘ decision to sign Matt Carpenter to a major league contract. Yes, they needed some help with their depth; however, Carpenter had a combined .176/.313/.291 batting line in his 418 plate appearances since the start of 2020, hitting seven homers and 17 doubles. He may have defensive versatility, but that was it.
That changed when Carpenter put on his Yankees jersey. Armed with his new Nestor Cortes-esque moustache, he has suddenly rediscovered his power stroke. He has begun to hit home runs once again, showing that maybe he does have something left after all.
Matt Carpenter an illusion for New York Yankees
Carpenter has been an interesting part of the lineup. He has been on base six times as a member of the Yankees, and has scored five runs. He is finding ways to get on base, drawing two walks and having been hit by a pitch, while hitting three homers in his 19 plate appearances.
The problem is that Carpenter has not done much else. Every one of his hits have left the yard while he has struck out six times. Carpenter has essentially morphed into the poor man’s Joey Gallo, although Gallo has been a shadow of himself. Or maybe Gallo is just an expensive version of Carpenter.
At some point, the magic has to end. Those fly balls will stop going over the fences and the Three True Outcomes will end. For now, Carpenter has been what the Yankees needed in their lineup, but it is fair to wonder how long that will be the case. Even when that happens, he may still be a better option than Gallo.
Matt Carpenter has been a surprise power source for the New York Yankees. They need to hope that this performance is not just an illusion.