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Alex Verdugo came to the New York Yankees without a set spot in the lineup. He eventually landed sixth in the order and got a decent start. At the end of April, manager Aaron Boone shifted his left fielder to the cleanup spot, taking a chance on tinkering with an overall quality lineup.
It paid immediate dividends and in the games since then, Verdugo has remained the cleanup hitter and produced at an exceptional level. Here's why Verdugo might be the hottest four-hole hitter.
Why Alex Verdugo is a great cleanup hitter for the Yankees
3) Personality
The cleanup hitter is often considered one of the most important. Other players feed off him since he is the one driving in runs. Moving someone with personality and flair, something the Yankees have never had much of, to that spot creates energy for the whole lineup.
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It has yielded better results for Verdugo and a better offensive output for everyone else. It also gives him on average a few more at-bats to potentially spark things up for New York if they're struggling.
2) It perfects the lineup
Lineup construction is important in baseball. Getting the right players in the right order can make a difference. Like many teams, the Yankees like to break up righties and lefties, so bringing in a relief pitcher is a harder decision.
They had a struggling Anthony Rizzo at cleanup. But swapping him and Verdugo keeps the alternating lefty-righty lineup and has sparked better production from both hitters. Others, including Aaron Judge, have hit better as a result.
1) Hot streak
Alex Verdugo has been on a tear since moving to the cleanup spot. The slugger was hitting fine in the sixth spot, where he had been most of the season, but he took off with the lineup change.
He started batting fourth on April 27th. Since then, he's hitting .333 with a .533 slugging percentage. In those seven games (he missed three on the paternity list), he has two home runs and 8 RBI. Over a full season, that would make for one of the top cleanup hitters in baseball.
