The Yankees have found their new center fielder

The Yankees appeared to have finally figured out their outfield situation. Jacoby Ellsbury has been out since May 24, and Aaron Hicks has stepped up big time. But when Ellsbury comes back, he should be on the bench.

Yankees center fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, was having a solid season before suffering a concussion on May 24. The veteran outfielder was hitting .281/.349/.422 with 14 RBI and 19 runs scored in 39 games played.

With Ellsbury going down, Aaron Hicks was given an opportunity to play every day in his spot. Hicks was already having a solid season but has performed incredibly during Ellsbury’s time out.

Aaron Hicks was coming off the worst season of his life, and expectations were low for the 2017 season. He hit .217/.281/.336 with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 123 games in pinstripes. But he has done a complete 180 in 2017, hitting .317/.429/.584 with ten home runs and 36 RBI.

Hicks is hitting exactly 100 points higher in 2017 and has already surpassed his home run and RBI totals from 2016 in 73 fewer games.

Hicks has been phenomenal during the time in which he has been an everyday starter. In 17 games since May 24, Hicks is hitting .355/.425/.597 with two home runs, 16 RBI, and nine doubles. He has helped lead a recent Yankee power surge, resulting in an incredible stretch as of late.

The Yankees are 11-6 since Hicks took over the centerfield duties, outscoring their opponents 115-60. While credit is due to the pitchers for keeping runners from scoring, a lot of credit has to be given to the offense. Hicks is top five on the Yankees in hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, batting average, OBP and slugging.

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Despite his outstanding season thus far, Hicks has flown under the radar compared to some of his teammates, and that might be a good thing. With Brett Gardner’s power surge and Aaron Judge being super human, Hicks has been that missing link missing in the outfield.

Hicks has been living in the shadows compared to the other outfielders on the roster. While Aaron Judge’s play and physical size towers over him, Ellsbury and Gardner are established veterans, and Hicks was looked at as a liability.

But thus far in 2017 he has proven a lot of people wrong and helped the Yankees stay in first place in the American League East.

While Jacoby Ellsbury has been the Yankees centerfielder since coming to the team in 2014, he hasn’t lived up to his Red Sox days. Ellsbury’s productivity has been on the decline the past few seasons, and now might be out of a job.

Yankees: At what point does the preparation for the playoffs begin

The Yankees have watched the first three months of the season sped by. The next three will go just as fast. Now is the time to prepare for the Playoffs.

Aaron Hicks has proven that he can play every day, and not just as a backup or spot starter. He has earned the right to continue to play every day, and continue this Yankees hot streak.