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Yankees: DJ LeMahieu has most DJ LeMahieu response ever to AL batting race

Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Yanks Go Yard

DJ LeMahieu #26 of the New York Yankees at bat against the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium on September 12, 2020 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees won 2-1. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Does Yankees Machine DJ LeMahieu want to win the batting title? Yeah, sure. But it’s kind of annoying him.

There’s no one more business-like on the Yankees than DJ LeMahieu, and that could explain why his stint on the IL felt more like a recharge than a rehab.

Once his troublesome thumb healed up about a week ahead of schedule, LeMahieu returned to the lineup on an everyday basis at the tail end of August, and hit exactly as consistently as he had prior to the stumble.

LeMahieu’s streak (Can you even call it a streak when it’s just … his default status?) has him in contention for another batting title, an honor he earned back in 2016 with the Colorado Rockies when he posted a remarkable .348 average.

This season, he’s trading percentage points with White Sox star Tim Anderson, and he could become one of very few players to be the top dog in both leagues. So how’s the Machine feeling about being in rarefied air? It’s cool, he guesses. But just stop asking him about it, alright?

Sure thing, DJ! We’ll write your batting title stories without grabbing quotes. No worries. We can probably fill in the gaps in what you might’ve said anyway.

We’re not sure you could get a thick quote out of LeMahieu on even the most provocative of topics. Mid-East peace? “It’d be nice.” Global warming? “It’s what we have, man.”

This week, MLB just kept piling accolades on him, like Player of the Week and MLB Playoff Clincher, and he wasn’t really fazed by any of it.

Winning awards? Very cool. Celebrating low-key? Less cool, which kind of surprised us to hear, honestly. LeMahieu strikes us as a guy who’d rather sit down for a toast than pop the bottle in someone’s eyes.

The man’s a vault. Imagine a better secret-keeper? For now, let’s give him what he wants. Clearly, the fewer distractions the better.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.