Five overreactions and underreactions to the Yankees' hot 2025 start

Overreaction: The torpedo bats give the Yankees an unfair advantage

The hardest thing to do in sports is hit a baseball, whether that's with a normal bat, a torpedo bat or a whiffle ball bat. It just so happens that the first time these bats were brought up on the live broadcast was also when the team scored 20 runs in a game. 

Players used these bats last year. Giancarlo Stanton and former Yankee Jose Trevino both had said they used the torpedo bats last season. No one seemed to notice then, that's because the bats didn't magically change Stanton as a hitter. 

This type of bat is not new, we are only seeing it used on a wider scale now. Players are getting fitted for bats the same way they get fitted for a glove. 

Underreaction: The Yankees need more production out of their starters

In their opening series, Carlos Rodon, Max Fried and Marcus Stroman took the bump, going 5.1, 4.2 and 4.2 innings, respectively. 

Rodon had a good outing, only allowing one run on four hits. Fried and Stroman both failed to qualify for the win in their first starts of the season. Fried allowed six runs, although only two earned, while Stroman allowed three earned runs. 

Errors derailed Fried's start, but he and Stroman are contact pitchers. They've never been big strikeout guys, but strikeouts aren't what's needed. The Yankees' rotation needs more consistent length in their outings. That goes for more than just Fried and Stroman. The entire rotation needs to step up.

Overreaction: The Yankees won't be as good without Juan Soto

After losing out on the Soto sweepstakes, the Yankees rebounded with several offseason moves. So far the signing of Paul Goldschmidt and trading for Cody Bellinger have been great for the team. 

The pair of new Yankees provided a huge spark in the first and second spots in the order. Goldschmidt has been getting on base at a .389 clip and Bellinger ranks second on the team with six RBI. 

Last season Soto had 41 home runs and 109 RBI. Goldschmidt or Bellinger won't replicate that kind of production alone, but if the two of them can continue to hit like they are now, they may combine to reach Soto's production. 

Underreaction: The Yankees need to clean up their defense

It's early in the season, but in Fried's start on Saturday, errors were an issue. One or two errors in a game are excusable and can be disregarded as an isolated incident. Five errors in a game may be a cause for concern. 

Although the Yankees didn't make any errors in either of their other two games, it's something the team needs to be aware of. Especially when defensive mistakes played a part in their World Series collapse last season. 

Proper Reaction: Aaron Judge might break his AL home run record

Judge continues to prove he's the best hitter in baseball. Receiving his thirteenth AL Player of the Week honor, Judge crushed four home runs with 11 RBI and had a .545 AVG. 

Since 2020, no one has been better than Judge. He ranks first in home runs (209), slugging (.641), OPS (1.056) and OPS+ (190) while ranking second in OBP (.415) and RBI (481). 

What prevented Judge from breaking his home run record last season was his slow start in March and April. This season Judge is hot out of the gates and it looks like 63 home runs is possible this year.