The Yankees' top defensive plays of June

07/03/2024 08:30 AM

A pair of Alex Verdugo catches headline the Yankees best plays of June.

The top defensive plays of June are led by an outfield that put their bodies on the line for much of the month to produce some highlight-worthy plays. The outfield wall took a beating as well on the other end. Alex Verdugo and his propensity to come face-to-face with his enemy (in the form of concrete and blue padding) help bring us to the Yankees' top plays of June.

June 29th: Grisham's Grab

Trent Grisham is a former Gold Glove Award winner, and it shows. Watching an athlete smoothly track down a baseball in center field will never get old. On this play, Grisham gets a good read on the ball off of Bo Bichette's bat and glides into the gap to make the diving catch. The last replay shows how still his head is while tracking the baseball, even as his body moves into a diving position. His eyes stay locked on the ball as it enters the glove, and his body looks calm and relaxed while doing it. It was a difficult play made to look easy by a quality defender.

June 5th: Watch Out Juan

When an outfielder approaches the wall in foul territory there is always a chance for fan interaction. That is exactly what makes this Juan Soto play so impressive. As he nears the wall he quickly glances to see how much room he has, then attacks the baseball while bumping into the wall. In the slow-motion replay, you can see two fans recognize that Soto is approaching and alertly begin to pull back, but out of nowhere comes a man armed with a green bucket hat ready to get himself a souvenir at all costs. Soto had other ideas, and the focus to avoid that obstacle and still make the catch lands this play on our list.

June 19th: Slick Pick by Volpe

It wouldn't be a Top Plays of the Month list without Volpe, who continues to make great plays at shortstop for the Yankees. Volpe gets caught in between off the bat and makes the split-second decision to backtrack. The ball then short-hops off the outer edges of the infield and Volpe snags it on his backhand. His athleticism and great hands allow him to field the ball on a knee and in one fluid motion, spin and fire to get the runner. That is a Gold Glove play.

June 5th: Wall Encounter #1

Even though it was only the first week of June, I penciled this play in for this article. Tracking a baseball at full speed knowing you are getting closer to the wall takes guts. What saves Verdugo is that he pulls up slightly as he hits the warning track, but he is content with the impact that he's about to endure as he continues to go after the baseball. It is a tricky corner out there, where the wall for the stands meets the bullpen. Verdugo needed every inch of his glove to make that play as his lower half hit the padded area, propelling his face into the glass while still hanging on to the ball.

June 19th: Wall Encounter #2

The context of a top play matters, as not all situations are created equal. Bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning against a divisional opponent constitutes a big moment. This ball was absolutely crushed at 106 mph by Anthony Santander, and there was a hush in the boisterous crowd as the ball was cracked off the bat.

The game was on the line, as a ball in the gap would clear the bases and essentially put the game out of reach, with the Yankees trailing 5-4. Unlike the previous play, Verdugo does not slow down and runs full speed into the wall, leaving his hat looking like Sidney Deane in White Men Can't Jump. According to Statcast, there was only a 45% catch probability on that play. The Yankees would go on to tie the game in the ninth but would ultimately fall to the Orioles in extras. It would have been poetic if the Yankees came back and won that game given the effort displayed by Verdugo, but it doesn't take away from the top play of the month.