Aaron Boone has hinted at a myriad of ideas for how he would construct the Yankees' lineup, with some seriously interesting decisions he has to make. Both their leadoff hitter and number two hitter from last season's lineup are gone, and they'll have to re-construct their order in a manner that not only ensures their best players are getting the most at-bats but that their skills are being maximized as well.
The Yankees shouldn't just stick to one lineup order, they should adjust based on the matchup but more importantly, make changes as we learn more about various players on the roster. It's not an easy thing to do, but I'm taking my best crack at what I would do with their lineup on Opening Day, very important to distinguish that this is not what I think the Yankees will end up doing.
With explanations for each placement, here is the lineup I'd throw out on Opening Day when the Yankees host the Brewers.
Having a rookie who has not established themselves in the big leagues just yet leadoff for a World Series contending team sounds completely crazy, but I think Jasson Dominguez fits the role perfectly. The 22-year-old switch hitter has both the plate discipline and power to not only work walks but also attack pitches over the heart of the plate and do some serious damage.
He's graded out as above-average in SEAGER across both of his Triple-A seasons, taking a step back in that department this season as he chased a bit more than usual. There are other skills that make Dominguez an attractive leadoff candidate despite my initial hesitation to place that kind of pressure on him, namely his contact and pulled flyball rates. This is an extremely well-rounded hitter who not only will force pitchers to attack the zone if they want to get him out, but also punish those who aren't able to properly execute in-zone.
The Yankees would love for that projected 112 wRC+ to become reality, but the upside here is that Jasson Dominguez hits 20-25 HRs with a .330-.340 OBP as a result of pitchers being unsure how to attack him with the man waiting on the on-deck circle.
The best hitter in baseball, Aaron Judge should hit second instead of third now that Juan Soto is gone because he's going to get more at-bats that way. It's kind of simple. The Yankees would be best off with their best hitter getting as many chances to break a game as possible, and while he prefers hitting third, the numbers just support the theory that your best hitter should bat third. If the Yankees don't decide to hit him second I won't be pissed, but why not take the marginal advantage when you can get it?
It also would avoid having two outs and no one on when Aaron Judge steps to the plate, and given that I have Jasson Dominguez leading off, having a right-handed hitter behind him just makes sense. Part of what makes Dominguez my leadoff hitter is having Aaron Judge behind him to force pitchers to attack the zone often, as we all know that teams will pitch around the Yankees' homegrown superstar now that Juan Soto is gone. Furthermore, with the injury to Giancarlo Stanton (who will be on this lineup), the power threats on the Yankees aren't as prominent as they were last season.
Ultimately hitting Aaron Judge second is just basic math; he'll get more chances in games to hit and the Yankees should want their best guy to have the stick in his hands as often as possible.
A power-hitting infielder who also loves to swing the bat, Jazz Chisholm could feast with the short porch in right field for 81 games in 2025. The Yankees immediately got him to pull the ball in the air more, and while a postseason slump affected the way fans look at Chisholm, the overall home run power is pretty underrated. From 2021-2024, Chisholm averaged 26 HRs per 150 games, and that was while playing at a ballpark that directly impacted his game power.
The tendency to chase could be a problem if teams decide to pitch around Aaron Judge and counter Jazz Chisholm with a tough left-hander, but I think the flaws are outweighed by the benefits here. The Yankees have always wanted to have a power-hitting infielder from the left-handed side and Chisholm is exactly that, with a very real chance that he hits 30 home runs in 2025. The aggressiveness in-zone is going to play with the aforementioned free passes teams will issue Judge to face him, and that could result in a lot of two-run home runs.
I've always believed in what Jazz Chisholm brings to the table; and if he continues pulling the ball in the air the way he did with the Yankees last season, he could be a star.
Assuming that Giancarlo Stanton can get his elbows back in check, the Yankees should keep him as their cleanup hitter in 2025, as his ability to launch the ball out of the yard will prove valuable with runners on. You know what you're going to get at this point; Stanton will be infuriatingly inconsistent but have stretches where he terrorizes pitchers. If those stretches continue in the postseason, everyone will be happy.
Health is a real issue for the aging slugger, who had a good but not great 116 wRC+ last season, and if he has injured elbows that could affect him even more. What provides me some comfort is that he was able to do all that damage in the postseason with his elbow issues and that a torn UCL often doesn't affect a hitter's ability to swing a bat. That being said until Aaron Boone or the Yankees can identify what is exactly wrong and when they can expect Stanton to swing a bat again, there are some real concerns.
A power-hitter with a knack for the big stage, Giancarlo Stanton's spot as the four-hitter is reliant on his ability to stay somewhat healthy.
Cody Bellinger went from someone I had zero interest in acquiring to a hitter who has a unique profile that could work at Yankee Stadium, and this is the perfect spot for him in the offense. The Yankees would be able to deploy Bellinger in a spot where he'll have plenty of RBI opportunities, and his ability to both make contact and hit for power would make for a refreshing middle-of-the-order threat who can pester opposing pitchers. I expect his home run rates to go up as Wrigley Field ate up a lot of his potential damage contact due to bad wind conditions.
As a pulled flyball hitter from the left-handed side, Cody Bellinger could hit 25 HRs in 2025 with a good bill of health, and that would extend a Yankees' lineup that just lost Juan Soto. You could argue for Bellinger to hit third, and I know Boone himself has mentioned the idea of hitting Bellinger first, but I think the fifth spot is just perfect. The other guys in front of him have some more raw thump in their bat, and that matters to me, but the barrel control and contact rates make for an excellent RISP weapon.
The speedy Cody Bellinger has shifted from one of the game's best at barrelling the ball to a crafty pulled flyball machine, and that short right field porch is about to become his best friend.
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Austin Wells mashed 11 home runs over his final 70 games with a .338 OBP and 122 wRC+ as a result of just pulling the ball more, which occurred due to a mechanical change. He shortened up his load from a leg kick to a toe tap, and if that's the version of Wells we get this season, I would expect him to move into the three-hole during the season. Hitting sixth isn't bad at all either, as the Yankees would have some more pop at the bottom of their lineup that could change the game with just one swing.
The big worry with Austin Wells is that he's going to slow down similarly to how he did last season as he just looked out of gas, but the Yankees are taking things slow with him in camp this year. A healthy and rejuvenated Austin Wells could have a 110 wRC+ and 20 home runs, which with his elite glove would make him a contender for the best catcher in the American League. I couldn't be more excited for the youngster in 2025, as after nearly winning AL Rookie of the Year he has a chance to get even better.
A player who could rise up the lineup, Austin Wells made meaningful in-season adjustments that could result in a huge year 2 leap.
If the Yankees face a left-handed pitcher you can just switch Austin Wells and Paul Goldschmidt, but the 2022 NL MVP has a chance to really define this team's offense. If they end up getting the 116 wRC+ that Steamer projects him to put up with 20+ HRs, then this ends up being one of the deepest lineups in the game, if not? Well, we've got some problems, especially from the right-handed side. The Yankees would obviously love for Goldschmidt to produce, but the player himself has some real motivation to get the ball rolling after a disappointing 2024 season.
Does moving to a ballpark that better suits his home run abilities make a difference for Paul Goldschmidt? Maybe, and that possibility does leave me wondering if Brian Cashman will have me and others who questioned the addition eating crow this time next offseason. The power is still there and I think even if Goldschmidt is more mediocre than he is productive offensively, that doing so with the HR ball will make him somewhat valuable for the bottom of the lineup.
The bar he has to beat from last season is low; The Yankees accumulated negative WAR at first base and currently have a homerless streak going at the position that stems back to August of 2024.
Anthony Volpe has provided the Yankees value throughout his first two MLB seasons, but has he done enough to make fans happy? It seems that the answer up to this point is no, and while I get wanting someone who could mash, the Yankees have to be happy with a shortstop who grades out as one of the best defensive players in the sport. If Volpe figures out a way to put the power from his 2023 season together with the contact rates he had in 2024, we might be looking at the dynamic player the organization dreamed of when he initially debuted.
The baserunning value that Anthony Volpe provides makes him pretty valuable to the offense as well, but if we can see a 95-100 wRC+ in 2025, this could be a 4-5 WAR player. I judge players by WAR, not OPS only, so that would make him one of the best homegrown players the organization has had over the last 30 years. He's not here to hit 30 HRs or hit .300, but Anthony Volpe is here to steal 30 bases and play Gold Glove defense at arguably the most important defensive position on the diamond.
He's an excellent player despite being a below-average offensive player; what if his biggest weakness was something Volpe was instead just mediocre at?
Don't feel great about the idea of having two hitters in your offense who are solely there because of their gloves, but I could be more into Oswaldo Cabrera getting regular playing time if he only played against RHPs. With a 107 wRC+ and some pretty decent underlying metrics in those matchups, I buy into what he's doing from the left-handed side, especially with that short porch behind him. The problem here is that Cabrera just doesn't pull the ball in the air enough given his lack of game power, if he does, he'll be a good hitter and the Yankees will love him.
If not, then we're wasting our time here. The Yankees shouldn't rely on Oswaldo Cabrera to play 150 games at third base despite how good of a defender he is at the position. They should make sure he pulls the ball more and more in 2025, there's still no justifiable reason for the switch-hitting utilityman to have abandoned what made him so fun when he first came up in 2022, and if he recaptures that magic we could be talking about a core piece of the roster. Ideally, he's a bench player or the left-handed portion of a platoon this season.