Yankee fans hoping to see Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton batting back-to-back in the lineup this season may not like Aaron Boone’s latest comments.
The Yankee manager spoke with reporters prior to Tuesday’s spring training game and said that the plan heading into the 2021 season is for Aaron Hicks to be batting third in what figures to be a stacked lineup. Aaron Judge has long been the team’s No. 2 hitter, which would likely put either Stanton or Luke Voit in line to bat cleanup with the regular season begins in April.
Hicks primarily batted third last season, though Judge and Stanton were rarely in the lineup together due to injuries. Hicks batted third in 32 games last season, good for 135 plate appearances, and hit .229 in that spot. His next highest spot was leadoff, where he appeared in eight games, then fifth, where he played in five.
Hicks batted leadoff on Opening Day last season, with Gleyber Torres batting third between Judge and Stanton. Hicks also presents the lone Yankee to be able to bat from the left side in the current projected lineup as the team’s only switch hitter.
Hicks hasn’t shown the consistent power numbers of a typical No. 3 hitter, going deep six times last season and 12 the year before in just 59 games, but he did hit a career-high 27 home runs in 2018, when he played in 137 games. He also has been consistently among the league leaders in working full counts in recent years.
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