Three things that need to go right for Yankees to stay in first place

The Yankees sit atop the American League East through 34 games, but they are not running away with it by any means. If they hope to keep first place and not fall behind, some key things must go right for the Bombers.

Flukes, or the real deal?

The Yankees were expected to have a good offense this season, but not many thought they would have the best. The Bombers currently lead all MLB teams with a .816 team OPS, and that is largely thanks to some unsung heroes. 

When entering 2025, the outfield seemed to be set, with Trent Grisham being the odd man out. Grisham didn't let this stop him, though, as he has started his season red hot, already crushing eight home runs to pair with his .979 OPS through 28 games. The 28-year-old flipped his script of being a defensive replacement off the bench to being one of New York's biggest producers thus far.

Following closely behind Grisham as one of the largest breakouts in the Yankees lineup is first baseman Ben Rice. After adding over 10 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-2 frame, Rice has been turning heads all spring. The 26-year-old went from not having a definite role on the team to being a powerhouse for the Bombers, being in the 95th percentile or higher in average exit velocity, barrel percentage and hard-hit percentage. In the short 119 plate appearances Rice has had so far, he is hitting the ball very, very hard. 

In a lineup full of players wanting to crush long home runs, Paul Goldschmidt has brought a great change of pace to the Yanks' batting order. The 37-year-old was highly overlooked during the offseason after the Bombers had acquired big names such as Cody Bellinger, Max Fried and Devin Williams, but he has played a bigger role thus far than almost anybody could have imagined. 

Some days batting leadoff and others batting cleanup, Goldschmidt has been able to get the job done for the Yankees this season, currently posting the second-highest batting average across MLB (.349), and already driving in 17 runs for the Bombers. 

If the Yankees were to hold onto first place, it would take similar contributions from these three players for the rest of the season, but can the Bombers count on two breakout seasons and the resurgence of a veteran player? Those are hard odds to bet on.