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Colorado Rockies: What DJ LeMahieu’s departure means for the franchise

By Ryan Ladika |
SEATTLE, WA - JULY 8: Second baseman DJ LeMahieu #9 of the Colorado Rockies turns a double play after forcing Denard Span #4 of the Seattle Mariners at first base on a ball hit Ryon Healy #27 of the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning of a game at Safeco Field on July 8, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JULY 8: Second baseman DJ LeMahieu #9 of the Colorado Rockies turns a double play after forcing Denard Span #4 of the Seattle Mariners at first base on a ball hit Ryon Healy #27 of the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning of a game at Safeco Field on July 8, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
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PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 29: Infielder DJ LeMahieu #9 of the Colorado Rockies in action during the opening day MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on March 29, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 29: Infielder DJ LeMahieu #9 of the Colorado Rockies in action during the opening day MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on March 29, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Arguably the best second baseman in Colorado Rockies franchise history has found a new home in the Bronx. YES Network’s Jack Curry first reported early Friday morning that longtime Rockie DJ LeMahieu has agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract with the New York Yankees.

The most interesting part of this deal was the fact that DJ LeMahieu signed a contract identical to that of Daniel Murphy, who will try to provide some offensive stability at first base for the Colorado Rockies.

That fact proves that the Rockies were prepared to let LeMahieu walk, and give Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson the opportunity to play for the Opening Day second base job as we progress through Spring Training in a few short months, which is something fans should be excited about.

Don’t get me wrong, DJ was a crucial part of this franchise for the past seven years, winning three Gold Gloves, a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award, a batting title and earning a pair of All-Star appearances during his time in Denver. His clubhouse presence will certainly be missed by the likes of Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon. (LeMahieu even came to rescue his buddy when he was stranded on the side of the road!)

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick included this quote from Arenado in his story about LeMahieu as the Rockies neared the end of the regular season and DJ crept closer to free agency:

“If fans knew how much we appreciate DJ and saw how much we care for him and how important he is to this team, they’d realize what a big factor he is. He sets the standard for us. We go where he goes, really.”

Letting LeMahieu walk, while certainly a difficult decision, was also the right one. The Rockies offensive struggles the past two seasons have been well-documented, and LeMahieu, while still an exceptional defensive second baseman, has seen a decline in offensive production since 2016 when he won his NL Batting Title and finished 15th in MVP voting.

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During that 2016 season, LeMahieu hit .348/.416/.495 with a .911 OPS and an OPS+ of 128. It was the best offensive season of his career, by far. He hit 11 home runs, the second-best mark of his career, and had a wRC+ of 130. He was a 4.4-win player, according to fWAR.

In 2017, LeMahieu had a fine offensive season. It wasn’t anything like his 2016, but it was still good. He slashed .310/.374/.409 with a .783 OPS. OPS+, which is park-adjusted on a scale where 100 is league-average, reported a below-average mark of 93. His fWAR dropped to 1.9.

Last year, LeMahieu took another step back, offensively. He hit .276/.321/.428 with a .749 OPS and an OPS+ of 88. His wRC+ was 86, and he was a 2.0-win player according to fWAR.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for DJ in 2018, though. Last year was the best defensive season he’s ever had, and he was rewarded for it. According to Fangraphs, LeMahieu’s total defensive value (Def) was worth 12.9 runs last year. His second-best mark by that stat? 8.7 runs back in 2014.

ANAHEIM, CA – AUGUST 27: DJ LeMahieu #9 of the Colorado Rockies reacts to hitting a grand slam during the eighth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on August 27, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – AUGUST 27: DJ LeMahieu #9 of the Colorado Rockies reacts to hitting a grand slam during the eighth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on August 27, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

This brings us to why he was attractive to the Yankees, despite such offensive regression. The Yankees were much better than the Rockies offensively in 2018. By wRC+, the Yankees were tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best team in baseball, with a mark of 111. According to baseballreference.com, the Yankees were the third best team in baseball with an OPS+ of 108.

Where the Yankees struggled was in the field. By Fangraphs’ Def stat, the Yankees were the 13th-worst team in baseball, with a mark of -1.9 runs. By Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), the Yankees’ 24 were the 14th-worst mark in the big leagues. This signing is purely to give the Bronx Bombers a boost in defense, and anything LeMahieu provides offensively is icing on the cake. Curry later reported that the Yankees envision a utility role for LeMahieu in order to maximize his defensive value.

Looking back at the Rockies side, McMahon and Hampson will play for the starting second base job as I mentioned before. Hampson has been the model of consistency throughout his time in the Rockies organization. His weighted runs created plus (wRC+), where 100 is league-average, in each level of the minor leagues: 138 in Low-A in 2016, 130 in High-A in 2017, 141 in Double-A in 2018, and 121 in Triple-A in 2018. He was even able to amass 0.2 fWAR in the 24 games he appeared in for the Rockies late last year. He will surely be looking to prove he can continue that kind of offensive production in the big leagues over the course of a full season.

McMahon has also experienced great success in the minors. His wRC+ by level: 147 in Rookie-League in 2013, 137 in Single-A in 2014, 141 in High-A in 2015, 101 in Double-A in 2016, 151 in Double-A in 2017, 161 in Triple-A in 2017, and 123 in Triple-A in 2018. Like Hampson, McMahon has been above average (above 100) at creating runs every season.

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The Rockies are ready to give the youth a chance, and that’s a good thing. As the Rockies embark on another push for their first division title, relying on McMahon and Hampson should give Colorado a much-needed offensive boost.

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