A New Frame of Mind? Yankees' Strong Start Due to 'Intensity' That's Felt Overdue

NEW YORK – The night before the Yankees home opener, Aaron Judge sent a message in the team group chat, simply saying: "Suits tomorrow." So the team rolled up to the Bronx wearing suits. The clubhouse was fired up to follow the Yankee captain’s directive and continue that momentum onto the field. Their formal wear set the tone for what would end up being a series win against the Miami Marlins in front of a Bronx crowd that loved the new attitude from a team that has played heads-up baseball to start the season. "There’s been an intensity to everything they’ve done, and a focus on every little detail," manager Aaron Boone said this past weekend in a crowded press conference room at Yankee Stadium. "I just think it’s a very hungry, focused group is how I’d describe it. And those guys are driving that." These days, the Yankees are taking everything seriously. Frankly, it’s a frame of mind that’s been missing and badly needed in recent years. Players have talked about wanting to be more aggressive on the basepaths this year, and we’ve already seen fruitful results in the early going. The Yankees enter Tuesday leading the American League in stolen bases, with Judge and, yes, even Giancarlo Stanton, swiping one bag each in their first nine games of the year. On Saturday, Stanton stole his first base in a regular-season game since 2020. He eventually trotted around the bases and scored on a passed ball in the Yankees’ comeback win. Even if it doesn’t always work out, as evidenced by Trent Grisham being thrown out at third base in the eighth inning of Friday’s win, the Yankees pushing the envelope is a positive change for the organization. - [MLB POWER RANKINGS: Where Do The Yankees Stand?] Particularly in recent years under the Boone era, the team has been heavily criticized for their June swoons that feature a complete lack of fundamentals, sloppy play, and an absence of concentration and focus. Their mental mistakes reached the point of becoming a part of their identity. After the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in the 2024 World Series, Los Angeles players said they were simply just waiting for the Bronx Bombers to slip up on the field. So, now, even the Yankees acknowledging their league-wide reputation and attempting to reverse it is refreshing. The most critical part will be maintaining that edge and accountability throughout the year. Slumps are going to happen. But a lack of hustle and poor situational hitting has seemingly become unacceptable for the Yankees, who are eager to win a championship in the Judge-Stanton-Gerrit Cole era. Good teams find ways to win even when they’re not at full strength or playing their best. Take Judge’s early-season performance, for example. The three-time MVP resembled a league-average hitter in the first week of the year, and the Yankees have still managed to put up a 7-2 start. Judge entered Friday hitting .125/.160/.375 in his first six games of the season. Compare that mediocre performance to the start of 2024, when Judge hit .125/.214/.167 in his first six games of the season. Judge actually had a worse start to the ‘24 season than the one he experienced in the short sample this year. In both instances, the Yankees went 5-1 in that stretch. In both instances, Judge hit a home run in his seventh game. In ‘24, of course, Judge won his second-career MVP despite the slow start. This year, too, Judge is the favorite to win the award. There was a time not too long ago when the Yankees lineup was built to depend on year-long, MVP-caliber production from Judge in order to be competitive in the tough AL East. That’s part of why after Judge slammed into the Dodger Stadium bullpen gate and tore a ligament in his right big toe in June 2023, forcing him to miss 42 games that season, the Yankees couldn’t make up for his bat in the lineup. Forget even trying to flourish without the Yankee captain. The team struggled mightily to string wins together, playing under .500 during his absence before eventually missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Now, the Yankees are still dangerous without Judge putting up video-game numbers (yet). First baseman Ben Rice is off to a torrid start. He hit his third home run of the season in Sunday’s loss to the Marlins. He’s batting .370 in eight games, and he leads the major leagues with a 1.380 OPS so far this season. Right-hander Cam Schlittler enters his third start of the year on Tuesday having limited opposing hitters to a 0.79 batting average, which ranks third-lowest across all MLB pitchers. As a staff, Yankees starting pitchers open their series against the Athletics flaunting the best ERA (1.81) in MLB. Yankees starters are throwing so well that, for the most part, they’ve been able to cover up the team’s weaknesses. The bullpen has permitted 10 earned runs in 13.2 innings their last four games entering Tuesday. The Yankees’ 6-9 hitters in Jazz Chisholm, Austin Wells, Jose Caballero and Ryan McMahon have a combined .144 average to start the year. That’s pretty abysmal, and outside of Chisholm, it’s not like those bats are underperforming, either. Normally, the news of left-hander Carlos Rodon having a setback in his rehab would be fresh meat for those that are hyper-critical of the Yankees’ health and training processes. Rodon is recovering from an October surgery that removed loose bodies from his left elbow. On Sunday, after throwing 50 pitches in batting practice, he felt his right hamstring tighten up while running. That’s something worth watching as the southpaw attempts to rejoin the rotation sometime next month. Rodon’s setback was just the latest reminder that the Yankees aren’t even at full strength yet. That will happen when their ace, Cole, returns from Tommy John rehab sometime around late May or early June. In theory, that will also happen when shortstop Anthony Volpe returns to the team after undergoing an October surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. It’s been impressive to see what the Yankees can achieve while playing slapdash baseball. They went to the Fall Classic in 2024 while the rest of the world knew their season-long lack of fundamentals would hurt them. They tied the Blue Jays for the best record in the AL East in 2025, a 94-win season, while baserunning blunders and sloppy defense were a part of their formula. This year, the Yankees are cleaning up their mistakes and improving on the margins. It will be fascinating to see how much stronger they’ll be because of it. If they can hold onto that higher level of execution all year, it could be the difference between an early October exit and a ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes. "In The Dugout" is where we provide an insider's view on the biggest and best storylines surrounding MLB's top players and teams. Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.