Yankees: Who was their Most Valuable Player in April?

The Yankees currently have 13 players on the IL but somehow that hasn’t stopped from posting an impressive 17-11 record to start the season. As they get set to play their final game in April tonight it’s time to pick who their most valuable player has been through the first month of the season.

It’s hard to pick one player who’s stood out more than the rest when you look all the unsung heroes that have helped the Yankees overcome this never-ending onslaught of injuries. Players who we never thought we’d see on the big league roster this season have stepped up and thrived since being given the chance to play on a consistent basis.

It’s been a total team effort but without the exploits of one player, in particular, the Yankees would not be sitting where they are today. Before we get to the MVP of April first we must recognize the players who have also played an integral part in the team’s hot start.

Gio Urshela

Urshela has been a revelation since being called up after the injury to Miguel Andujar and has proven to be much more than just a gold glove caliber third basemen. In 57 at-bats Urshela is hitting a team-leading .351 with 6 RBI and a .924 OPS. Coming into this season he was a career .225 hitter but after he had a terrific spring training with the bat he has carried over that success into the regular season and raised his career average to .239.

Urshela is currently day to day after he was hit on the left hand with a pitch during Sunday’s win but X-Rays thankfully came back negative. Hopefully, he can return to the lineup tonight because if he misses any extended time the Yankees are pretty much out of internal options to replace him in the lineup.

D.J. LeMahieu

LeMahieu is also day to day after leaving Sunday’s game with right knee soreness. He underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed inflammation in his knee but it doesn’t look like he is going to have to go on the IL. That would be huge because LeMahieu has been a savior for the Yankees so far this season.

After starting the year as a utility player LeMahieu has gone back to being an everyday player, spending most of his time back at second base. He’s also played some third here and there but his biggest contributions have come at the plate. LeMahieu leads the Yankees in hits with 31 and average with RISP (.435). His opposite field approach and commitment to putting the ball in play has benefited the lineup greatly through the first month. Even when Troy Tulowitzki and Miguel Andujar return to the lineup LeMahieu will continue to play every day. He’s earned that right.

Gary Sanchez

Sanchez has looked like the Kraken of old so far in 2019 even though he missed a week and a half of games with a strained left calf. In just 15 games, Sanchez has been a huge power source for the Yanks hitting a team-leading 8 home runs and driving in 18. He might not have one of best averages on the team but he continues to show that he’s the most dangerous hitter in the lineup they have going right now. because with one swing he can change the outcome of a game.

James Paxton

Paxton’s Yankee tenure started off slowly but since his first start of the season against the Red Sox he’s been the ace of the staff. The turnaround started when he struck out 12 Boston hitters over eight dominant shutout innings on April 16th. He followed that up with another 12 K outing against the Royals and on Friday he picked up his third win of the year after a solid outing against the Giants.

With Luis Severino still another two months away from a potential return the Yankees need Paxton to continue to pitch like an ace. The same goes for our next honorable mention.

Domingo German

German wasn’t supposed to begin the year in the starting rotation but once Sevy and CC Sabathia went down he was the first in line to fill a spot. Credit the Yankees for sticking with him instead of calling up the recently released Gio Gonzalez because through his first five starts German has been one of the top breakout pitchers in baseball.

After picking up another win on Sunday German is now 5-1 with 32 K’s in 31.2 IP. His 2.56 ERA and .157 OPP BA leads the rotation as does his 0.85 WHIP. German has always had the stuff to shut down a big league lineup but so far this season his control has been the main reason for his success.

Now onto the real MVP of April…

Luke Voit

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Dating all the way back to around Mid-August of 2018 Luke Voit has been the Yankees MVP. He’s done nothing but hit since coming to the Bronx and has proven that his performance last season was certainly no fluke. I don’t think anyone who watched him tear up the league late last summer thought he was a one-hit wonder, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any pressure on him to have a strong April.

The Yankees have had six players from their Opening Day lineup land on the DL (five currently) this month and without them, Voit has been a steadying force in the heart of the order. He leads the team in RBI with 25 and is tied for home runs with 8.

He started off very slowly hitting .189 through his first 10 games but he’s raised his average all the way up to .283 and on Monday he was named AL Player of the Week. His OBP is also outstanding at a .397 clip and his on-base streak dating back to last season has now reached 39 straight games.

Voit has been invaluable for the Yankees thus far and is playing like an All-Star. Without him, their record would probably be .500 or worse and there’s no way they would sit only two games back of the Rays for the division lead. As I said it’s been a team effort for the Yankees all month, but Voit has been the main leader during this stretch and their most valuable player.