The Yankees’ left-handed pitchers provide a problem for the lineup.
The sample size is growing to the point where it is concerning for the team’s lack of strength versus southpaws. The Yankees’ ability to handle southpaws has come under closer scrutiny as they prepare to face three straight left-handed starters this week. Their record versus left-handed starts is currently 14–20 after they lost back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday against starters Tarik Skubal and Matthew Boyd, followed by an explosive offensive performance on Tuesday night.
It’s crucial to remember that the bottom two categories take into account the stats from the relief pitchers who came in after the left- or right-handed starters throughout the full game. The team’s batting average and slugging against lefties are far below the league average; the league’s overall slash line is.244/.313/.401. Nor is the Yankees’ deficiency in this area indicative of a league-wide trend. Pitching from the left side isn’t having a particularly strong season. This represents the 2024 league average platoon split. As with most tales about the Yankees’ lineup in 2024, the difficulty rests beyond Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, who both hold pretty balanced platoon splits. Notably, Soto is hitting lefties at a rate far higher than his career average. The judge’s
50% on-base rate versus lefties in 504 helps explain why, despite facing southpaws, the team’s overall on-base statistics are still strong. This is how the remaining lineup regulars compare in their slash lines. To provide a more comprehensive sample for their platoon preferences, I’ve also included their career numbers. I added Jose Trevino and Jazz Chisholm to the list of the Yankees’ most often used hitters when facing left-handed pitching. All things considered, the squad prefers to see righties outside of the two studs in the lineup. The most well-known vulnerability against lefties is Austin Wells, whose startling.341 OPS difference makes him a dangerous opponent. Alex Verdugo is hitting lefties with a rough.286 in other places. The possibility that Stanton may return to his career tendencies is one reason to be hopeful.