The New York Yankees starting outfield of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo amassed 112 home runs in 2024. But with Soto defecting to the Mets and Verdugo likely being replaced by Jasson Dominguez, the Bombers’ outfield seems highly unlikely to be as powerful as it was last season.
However, a quick numbers crunch indicates otherwise. Considering the fact that Judge hit more than half of those 2024 long balls (58), the math even points toward a possible increase in Yankee outfielder homers next year.
Assuming Judge can replicate his 2024 dinger output, Soto and Verdugo’s replacements only have to hit 27 homers apiece to match last season’s outfield squad. It’s not hard to envision Cody Bellinger and Dominguez, the presumed heirs to center and left field, respectively, putting up at least 54 round-trippers between them.
Even if Judge can’t hit another 58 homers in 2025 — and let’s be honest, he’s unlikely to — it’s not completely crazy to imagine Bellinger and Dominguez combining for more than 60 dingers to pick up the slack.
Bellinger, whose power has significantly dwindled in his mid and late 20s, still hit 26 homers as recently as 2023. Plus, the lefty swinger is likely to see an uptick in batted balls making the seats as he plays half his games at Yankee Stadium, where popups down the right field line routinely leave the yard.
And then there’s Dominguez. Should he win the starting left field job in spring training, he’ll bring along a bat that’s more than capable of contributing to a more powerful Yankees outfield next year. Here’s conclusive proof:
In less than half a season across the minors and MLB in 2024 (76 games), Dominguez crushed 13 long balls. Prorate that number across a full season, add extra muscle as he passes his 22nd birthday in February, and the Martian can easily get to 27+ HRs in his rookie campaign.
Yankees fans have a lot to look forward to in 2025. And if all goes well in the new (possibly improved) outfield, they’ll quickly forget all about Juan Soto.