Didi Gregorius playing key role this year for the Yankees

Didi Gregorius continues to smack the ball around the yard in recent games after adding another 3-4 performance Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. This has become a commonality in the past eight games for Gregorius, hitting the ball at a .407 clip during that span. It comes as no surprise the shortstop has been able to put up these types of numbers due to the way he ended the 2015 season. In 155 games last year, Gregorius hit .265 with nine home runs and 56 RBIs. He was in his first year with the Yankees and finding his feet under him. Even now the 26-year-old has been known more for his defense, but the bat of Gregorius is playing a key role this year for the Yankees. Carlos Beltran has been the focal point of the offense this season, and rightfully so with a .288 batting average and 18 home runs to lead the Yankees. However, Gregorius is right on his heels with a .287 average this season. Not to mention a power surge from Didi who has blasted six on the season compared to nine all of last year. Gregorius has been able to sustain the numbers over a long period of time this year better at any rate during his career. Over the last 30 games, he has swung the bat to a .333 mark. In his last 15 games, he is .355 at the plate with two home runs. Hitting in the bottom half of the order has allowed him to see more pitches to hit and become more consistent while driving in runs. With 30 runs batted in already this year, he is on pace to surpass the 56 RBIs from a year ago. When Gregorius took over shortstop for the Yankees after Derek Jeter's final season, the question became not if the young infielder could be a force on defense, but the problems surfaced at the plate. Early in his career, Gregorius struggled at the plate with Arizona. In his first full season in 2013 with the Diamondbacks, Didi hit .252 in 357 at-bats. The following season he batted a meager .226. Then he was shipped to New York where he has seen hit average and overall numbers project up while taking over the spot manned by one of the best players to touch a baseball field. Filling in the shoes of a legend like Jeter is no small order, and doing it on the biggest stage in all of sports with the Yankees is a tall task for anyone, even the best of players. But Gregorius has handled it with professionalism and in turn has led him to hold the second highest batting average on the team. The Yankees took a chance on a young prospect who had potential written all over him with stellar play in the minors but had not quite put everything together at the Major League level. With patience from both the organization and Gregorius, both sides are reaping the late benefits the young infielder has provided. Didi Gregorius is not only on pace for the best season in his young career, but he could be one of the main forces in a lineup looking to propel the Yankees into a playoff race.