The New York Yankees are projected to have one of the strongest outfields in Major League Baseball for the 2026 season, according to FanGraphs’ Depth Chart projections. The Yankees’ outfield is expected to combine for 12.3 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), which is the highest among all teams and places them ahead of the Padres, Braves, Mariners, and Cubs.
Aaron Judge remains a central figure for the team’s outfield success, but much attention is now focused on Trent Grisham. Since joining the Yankees two years ago as part of the Juan Soto trade, Grisham has shifted from being known primarily as an elite defensive player to becoming a leading slugger.
Grisham accepted a one-year qualifying offer worth $22.025 million for 2026 after a season in which he hit a career-high 34 home runs. This performance ranked him seventh among all MLB outfielders last year, trailing only Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Jo Adell, Riley Greene, Taylor Ward, and Byron Buxton.
Most of Grisham’s value now comes from his offense rather than his defense. His increase in home run production is tied to changes in his hitting approach—specifically pulling more fly balls to right field. This shift suits left-handed hitters at Yankee Stadium and contributed significantly to his power numbers last season.
“Grisham was one of seven left-handed hitters with at least 25 pulled home runs last season. The Yankees had three of those hitters — Grisham, Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr.”
In previous seasons, Grisham did not reach such high numbers for pulled home runs. He has consistently hit about 60% of his batted balls in the air throughout his career but has increased both how often he pulls the ball and how often those pulled balls are hit in the air.
“Grisham pulls the ball more every year. And he pulls the ball in the air more every year.”
The increase in his pull rate is specifically driven by more fly balls rather than ground balls. Five years ago, Grisham was below average among Major League hitters for pulling fly balls; now he ranks inside the top quarter.
If Grisham continues this approach at the plate—focusing on driving fly balls to right field—the Yankees could see another productive year from their outfielders. Last season, they led Major League Baseball with 112 home runs from their outfielders.
“As long as he keeps doing that, Grisham will be in for another strong slugging season for the Yankees in 2026. And that means the Bronx Bombers’ powerful outfield — which led the Majors with 112 home runs last season — might well be in for a repeat.”
