DJ LeMahieu had stellar and lucrative MLB career. What's next for him?
· Yahoo Sports
DJ LeMahieu isn't doing it for the money.
LeMahieu, a four-time Gold Glove winner, three-time All-Star and two-time batting champion in a 15-year major-league career, is coming home to a Metro Detroit dugout near you. On Wednesday, he was named the new manager of the Royal Oak Leprechauns, a college summer ball team.
Visit fish-roadgame.com for more information.
LeMahieu was released from his contract by the New York Yankees last summer, and finally said his goodbyes to the Big Apple in an Instagram post late last month, ahead of Wednesday's announcement.
LeMahieu, 37, will continue to pursue playing opportunities, but until those come (if they do), he will be managing the Leprechauns, who start their Northwoods League season May 25 at home in Royal Oak.
A former star at Birmingham Brother Rice, LeMahieu has been a longtime donor to the Leprechauns.
“DJ has been hands-on throughout the entire offseason, and that’s meant everything to our staff,” Leprechauns general manager Danny Weiss said Wednesday. “As he steps into the field manager role, that same commitment carries over to the players he leads. He cares deeply about building a culture players want to be part of — and that’s going to set the standard for everything we do in 2026 and beyond.”
The Leprechauns play at Royal Oak's Memorial Park, near Woodward Avenue and 13 Mile Road. The field underwent major renovations and upgrades in 2020 and 2021, with LeMahieau's financial backing.
LeMahieu made more than $130 million in salary during his major-league career, including $15 million a year since 2021 from the Yankees. He is still drawing his $15 million salary for 2026. He played most of his career with the Colorado Rockies and Yankees, winning a batting title in both leagues. He broke into the major leagues in 2011 with the Chicago Cubs, who drafted him out of LSU in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft.
View this post on Instagram
This marks the first coaching job for LeMahieu, who hit .289 with 126 RBIs and 663 RBIs in his major-league career. He won a batting title with the Rockies in 2016 (.348) and with the Yankees in the COVID-shortened 2020 season (.364). Mostly a second baseman in his career, LeMahieu battled injuries in 2024 and 2025, before his release.
LeMahieu also owns the Stevens Complex, a baseball training facility in Troy that is home to his old high-school team, Brother Rice, for whom he was a two-time Gatorade player of the year. The Tigers drafted him in the 41st round of the 2007 MLB Draft, but he went to LSU, leading the Tigers to the 2009 College World Series title.
The Northwoods League is made up of 26 teams, including eight in the Great Lakes East Division. The division features the Leprechauns and three other teams in Michigan, in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Traverse City.
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: DJ LeMahieu, ex-Yankees star, has a new job but he still wants to play