#Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu is raking in same way Derek Jeter did: Sherman

I looked it up just to be sure and the DJ — as in LeMahieu — stands for David John.

Because with each imperturbable at-bat and every opposite-field hit, I was beginning to wonder if his name was actually Derek Jeter LeMahieu.

“There is no doubt how they use right field is similar, even if their swings are a little different,” Rockies manager Bud Black said by phone.

Black’s player career ended just as Jeter’s began, but as first an executive with the Indians and then the Angels pitching coach, he saw plenty of Jeter inside-outing the ball to right over the years. And Black managed LeMahieu his last two years before he signed with the Yankees. In our conversation, Black kept referring to LeMahieu as DJ, and I had to remember which guy he was talking about.

“How you defend them and pitch them is similar,” Black said. “Jeter had a great ability on inside fastballs to bring his hands in and lower that barrel and still get to the ball with authority. DJ doesn’t do that as well as Jeter. What he learned to do is pick a moment and turn on that inside fastball.

“NL West teams tried to pound him in and he started pulling the ball more. And he was able to lay the bat on the ball away from him with authority. If you didn’t get all the way in, like Jeter, he would have a flatter bat path and hit bullets to right field. They both could open up that left hip and step in the bucket and drive the ball to right field.”

Jeter’s best back-to-back seasons offensively were probably 1998-99 when he hit .337 overall. You know what LeMahieu’s average was as a Yankee going into Saturday’s game against the Red Sox? Yep, .337. Jeter’s OPS was 40 percent better than the MLB average factoring in league and park for those two seasons. LeMahieu was at 41 percent better in his two Yankees seasons.

We are essentially watching another lanky righty-hitting Yankees middle infielder relentlessly accumulate hits, often to the opposite field. LeMahieu had 14 more hits to the opposite field since the beginning of last season (82) than anyone else (Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman was second with 68). Jeter had 68 in 1998-99, the fourth most in the majors (data from Baseball Reference with an assist from Eric Nehs from MLB Network’s research department).

LeMahieu finished fourth for the AL MVP in his debut Yankees season and despite missing almost all of spring training 2.0 after contracting COVID-19, LeMahieu has been better this season, leading the AL in hits (30), average (.429) and on-base percentage (.474).

He had done that by going to the opposite field 41.3 percent of the time this year according to Fangraphs, second in the majors. He was up 7.6 percent from last year as he adapts to a home stadium where getting the ball to the opposite field can generate homers (think Jeter and Mr. November).

Because of the short porch, no right field has less playing area than that of Yankee Stadium. Coors Field has among the most in right and the most total in the majors. Thus, Coors should be even easier to accumulate hits in and LeMahieu did win the NL batting title while hitting .348 in 2016 (Jeter’s career-high was .349 in 1999). But watching LeMahieu the past two years and knowing the spaciousness of Coors, I have wondered how LeMahieu did not hit over .300 every year and win a few batting titles. That is why I reached out to Black.

“It is a good question and I am not exactly sure how to answer,” Black said.

The Rockies manager noted that, particularly in 2018 when LeMahieu hit .276, he battled injuries, notably to his thumb. Black said that the Diamondbacks, in particular, shifted him like crazy as if he were a lefty pull hitter with no one positioned in left field.

“Mainly, I think, like a lot of good players who take pride in their performance, they learn how to get better and that is what he has done,” Black said. “There is a maturity as a student of the game and a physical maturity. Early on, he hit the ball to right field. He has a natural bat lag that got the ball to right field. Then you saw him getting stronger and becoming more disciplined. There was a physicality you did not see early in his career. Combine that with his baseball instincts and work ethic and preparation, then you become the hitter that he has become.”

Black added, “What I have seen with the Yankees is a progression in his physical strength and maturity as a hitter. There is more wisdom. … He is one of best instinctual and smart players I have ever been around. Now add that to work ethic and you get this player.”

It sounds like he could be talking about DJ — either one.