DJ LeMahieu in a battle with time that could be nearing Yankees breaking point

DJ LeMahieu is not a Hall of Famer. But his credentials — notably, four Gold Gloves, three All-Star appearances, two batting titles and a pair of top four AL MVP finishes — will land him on the Cooperstown ballot five years after his career concludes.

And while that is not immortality, it is a great accomplishment, signaling a career in the top 10 percent all time.

He has that. And respect. To play with LeMahieu — at LSU, with the Rockies or the Yankees — is to know how fiercely dedicated he is to his craft, and what a good, serious teammate he has been. “From the second he showed up here [in 2019] and he wasn’t even a starting player and ended up leading us to the playoffs playing any position without saying a word,” Aaron Judge said. “He has always been on the top of that list [of admired teammates] in this clubhouse”

“He is a quiet leader,” hitting coach James Rowson said. “He doesn’t say a lot, but he says a lot by how he goes about his business.”