It seems like forever since the Mets and Yankees each carried so much momentum into a Subway Series. With the Mets taking over — for the time being — as the talk of New York and the Yankees putting their early struggles at the plate behind them, this weekend’s three-game set at Yankee Stadium beginning Friday night makes for a must-watch event.
For those who haven’t been as dialed in to one team or the other, amNewYork has ranked the top 25 hitters between the two clubs based on their 2015 performances. Sorry, Mets fans, but Travis d’Arnaud and David Wright — both on the disabled list — are ineligible.
1. Chris Young (Yankees, LF/RF)
Young sure wasn’t putting up these numbers (.357/.426/.762, 4 HRs, 9 RBIs in 42 ABs) last year in a Mets uniform (.205/.283/.346, 8 HRs, 28 RBIs in 254 ABs). Think he’s forgotten being released in August?
2. Lucas Duda (Mets, 1B)
Can he sustain a .351 batting average for long? Who knows. Can he improve his power numbers — just one home run to date — in the Bronx band box? Absolutely.
3. Alex Rodriguez (Yankees, DH)
Old A-Rod looks nearly as good as vintage A-Rod. At his current pace, he’d smack more than 30 home runs for the first time since 2008. He’ll slow down, but he remains a dangerous presence in the lineup.
4. Mark Teixeira (Yankees, 1B)
OK, so he’s only hitting .196. But with his noteworthy discipline at the plate (11 walks to 11 strikeouts) and power (5 HR), the switch hitter is a threat in every at-bat.
5. Wilmer Flores (Mets, SS)
So what if he’s not a stud in the field? Flores’ production with his bat (.271 average, 3 HRs) makes up for his deficiencies.
6. Brett Gardner (Yankees, LF)
He’s getting on base consistently (.388 OBP), and he’s using his speed to advance (5 SB) and score (11 R).
7. Michael Cuddyer (Mets, LF)
His current .273 clip at the plate is in line with what should be expected. There’s room to improve if he can cut down on strikeouts — 17 so far.
8. Jacoby Ellsbury (Yankees, CF)
He’s been, more or less, a Gardner clone in this young season, although he’s driven in just one run thus far.
9. Stephen Drew (Yankees, 2B/SS)
Take away the four home runs — one a grand slam — and he’s been terrible. But, he did hit those four dingers.
10. Chase Headley (Yankees, 3B)
Headley is swinging away with reckless abandon (19 strikeouts in 62 ABs). At least he’s got nine RBIs to show for it.
11. Juan Lagares (Mets, CF)
12. Curtis Granderson (Mets, RF)
13. John Mayberry Jr. (Mets, RF)
14. Brian McCann (Yankees, C)
15. Eric Campbell (Mets, 3B)
16. Garrett Jones (Yankees, 1B/RF)
17. Kevin Plawecki (Mets, C)
18. John Ryan Murphy (Yankees, C)
19. Daniel Murphy (Mets, 2B)
20. Carlos Beltran (Yankees, RF)
21. Ruben Tejada (Mets, 2B/SS)
22. Gregorio Petit (Yankees, 2B)
23. Didi Gregorius (Yankees, SS)
24. Anthony Recker (Mets, C)
25. Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Mets, LF)
