How the Yankees have survived their disappearing lefty power

Ten on my mind:

1. Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks homered Sunday. It underscored a Yankee rarity — just the second time the 2019 Yankees had two homers hit left-handed in the same game.

Gardner and Mike Tauchman did it April 19. In fact the organization of Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Berra and Reggie had just one lefty homer in the previous 10 games before Sunday and three in the previous 21. They went into the finale against the Rays with the lowest batting average (.190), third worst on-base percentage (.297), second worst slugging percentage and fifth fewest homers (12) by lefties.

This has been years in the making as the Yanks stopped prioritizing lefty power despite the favorable stadium dimensions because the shift robbed so much of what did not leave the park and because Brian Cashman’s administration favored best player in the draft (Aaron Judge), internationally (Gary Sanchez), in big trades (Gleyber Torres) and small (Luke Voit). If those players had power to right field, all the better.

The tilt became more prominent this year with injuries that kept Hicks out until the last week, Didi Gregorius all season and Greg Bird most of the season. The Yanks’ 450 lefty plate appearances were the sixth fewest in the majors. Yet, as in the past few seasons, this has not derailed the Yankees against righty pitching. They were 23-13 when an opponent starts a righty through Sunday, tied for third best.

Three of the Yankees better right-on-right hitters from 2018 (70-47 when a righty started against them) — Miguel Andujar, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton — have hardly played this year. But the S-T-U-V of Sanchez, (Gleyber) Torres, (Gio) Urshela and Voit have been very good. For Sanchez, the flip is stark: a .171 average and .636 OPS vs. righties in 2018 and a .272/.971 this year.

2. Lineup balance still remains valuable to, at minimum, make relief decisions tougher for opposing managers. So it is good for the Yankees to have Hicks back and Gregorius’ rehab from Tommy John surgery going so well that a June return is possible.

3. One of the recent lefty homers by the Yankees was from Kendrys Morales, who also had two RBIs on Sunday. He is the latest low buy that has brought rewards.

The initials DFA in the majors stand for Designated For Assignment. For the Yankees, though, it could represent Definitely Finding Assets.

The Yanks made a small trade with the A’s after Morales was designated. Urshela was DFAd twice last year. Nelson Cortes Jr. once. The Yankees once DFAd Domingo German and Austin Romine and signed both back as non-roster players. This is 20 percent of their current roster.

4. The Mets have many problems, but being bad in this area — unearthing helpful gems undervalued or discarded elsewhere — has persistently hurt their depth and left them without the good vibes that emanate from out-of-nowhere success.

During Omar Minaya’s GM tenure the club was fine at this with Marlon Anderson, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Fernando Tatis, Jose Valentin and R.A. Dickey providing a jolt or considerably more. The Mets had pretty much none of this during the Sandy Alderson administration. J.D. Davis is a nice start for Brodie Van Wagenen, but much more is needed with so many big additions faltering and jamming a tight payroll in the near future.

5. This time of year MLB teams more earnestly cycle scouts through Japan to eye potential imports. But major league front offices sense top players will not be coming this offseason.

Baseball returns as a gold medal sport to the 2020 Olympics, which is in Tokyo, and Nippon Professional Baseball will allow its best players to participate. Thus, pressure is being exerted on those players to stay through next year to represent Japan because major leaguers will not be permitted to leave in late July to play in the Olympics.

MLB teams have been keeping a particular eye on Fukuoka Softbank Hawks outfielder Yuki Yanagita, Yakult Swallows second baseman Tetsuto Yamada, Seibu Lions outfielder Shogo Akiyama and Yokohama Bay Stars outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo. Rakuten Golden Eagles Takahiro Norimoto has yet to pitch this season after undergoing elbow clean-up surgery.

6. A record-smashing pace continues for homers in a season and walks are at their highest rate since 2000. Yet Astros reliever Ryan Pressly has appeared in 18 games covering 20 innings without issuing a homer or walk.

Noah Syndergaard opened 2017 at 26 innings without yielding a walk or homer. Pressly is the longest by a reliever since Paul Quantrill’s 23 innings in 2001 (thanks to Nate Purinton of the MLB Network). Last Friday, Pressly set the major league record for consecutive scoreless outings at 39.

7. Five pitchers actually had worked more innings than Pressly without surrendering a homer: the Braves’ Mike Soroka (36.2), the Angels’ Ty Buttrey (23.2), the Athletics’ Joakim Soria (21), the Padres’ Kirby Yates (21) and Pressly’s teammate Roberto Osuna (20.1).

Pressly and Osuna had combined to work 40 1/3 innings, allowing no homers, one run and two walks.

8. Dodger Cody Bellinger completed the weekend hitting .405, the latest anyone has been over .400 since Chipper Jones went 73 games in 2008. It would be a barometer for baseball’s popularity if a month from now Bellinger were still over .400. Would it catch national day-to-day, must-follow interest in the way Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa chasing Roger Maris’ homer chase did in 1998?

After all, Ted Williams’ .406 in 1941 (the last time .400 was eclipsed) holds a place of distinction similar to Maris’ 61 homers in 1961.

9. Gary Sanchez legged out a triple Sunday, the first of his career after 1,101 at-bats. Seattle’s Ryon Healy remains the active leader with 1,505 at-bats. But the three-baser is vanishing in general. The 2019 season is on pace to have the lowest triples percentage ever.

Through the weekend the Indians and Marlins were yet to produce a triple. The lowest ever in a season since 1900 was five by the 2017 Blue Jays. There were nine teams with fewer than five, including the Yankees with three.

10. If the season ended Sunday, the 2018 AL playoff teams that would not repeat would be the champion Red Sox and A’s. The wild card would be the Rays hosting the Indians with the Yankees, Twins and Astros division champs. In the NL, the Brewers would host the Pirates in the wild card with the Phillies, Cubs and Dodgers as champs.

Yep, just 28 percent of the season has been played.

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