Yankee Dominance Continues

Checking in on one of the Best Teams in Baseball and How They’ve Gotten There

We are almost 40 games into the Major League Baseball season, and just like every season before it, we’ve had surprises, disappointments, rising stars, fading stars, etc. Today however, we will be discussing one of the bigger surprises of the season, the New York Yankees. Now you may be saying to yourself, how exactly are they a surprise? They’ve consistently been contenders for years. Well this year isn’t every other year.

The New York Yankees entered this season with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira all having extended stays on the disabled list. Since the season has begun they’ve added Kevin Youkilis, Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova, and Joba Chamberlain. So to recap, that’s their starting shortstop, third baseman, centerfielder, first baseman, catcher, replacement at third base, a back end starter, and an important piece from the bullpen. How that doesn’t devastate a team into a tailspin is beyond me. They’ve not only managed to keep their ship afloat, they’re racing ahead of everyone else and watching them get further and further into the distance. So how exactly did we get to this point?

For starters, let’s begin with the starters. The Yankees are in the top 5 of the American League in ERA thanks to a career year from Hiroki Kuroda thus far and a dominant bullpen. Sabathia, Pettitte, Hughes, and Phelps have done admirable work. Pettitte started out well and has slumped as of late and Sabathia started slow but is starting to come on and be the Sabathia Yankee fans love, even if his velocity still isn’t where it should be. Having Mariano Rivera back and as good as ever is a huge deal for this team because now everyone can slip back into the roles they are comfortable with and been successful in. They lead the league in saves thanks to Rivera; they are in the top half of the league in strikeouts, and near the bottom of the league in walks given up. With those stats, they are exactly where teams would like to be, getting outs and not surrendering free passes. Another stat that speaks to the dominance of the bullpen is the Yankees league leading 7-1 record in one run games. They have no trouble keeping a lead once they get it.

Another huge reason for the success of this team is GM Brian Cashman’s continued ability to find guys on the scrap heap or guys not getting the playing time with their team and bringing them on board, and they just put up numbers. Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay, and Vernon Wells are this year’s examples. When Hafner was signed Cashman saw a power hitter who could succeed with the short porch in right field, and knowing Hafner’s injury history, told him don’t even bring a glove because we will not have you play the field. Hafner also doesn’t get many starts against left handed pitching, so he’s being put in a situation where it is almost impossible to fail. Lyle Overbay was cut by the Red Sox and quickly scooped up by Cashman for his ability to hit balls into the gap and a defensive prowess that, while it isn’t on the level of Teixeira, there is not a huge dropoff. Overbay thus far has hit 8 doubles, 6 home runs, and driven in 22 runs. Considering the early season slumps that Mark Teixeira is known for Overbay may actually be producing at a higher clip than Teixeira would have thus far. Finally, there is Vernon Wells. Wells doesn’t come cheap as the Yankees are paying 14 million to him this year and next, even after the Angels agreed to pay the majority of his salary just to rid themselves of another outfield option they would really have no use for. With Trout, Trumbo, Bourjos, and Hamilton they knew Wells would hardly ever play so when the Yankees came calling the Angels were willing to part ways with Wells, and boy has it paid off. Wells has done nothing short of resurrect his career since donning the pinstripes. Hitting just under .300 with 9 home runs and 22 RBI, Wells has been the Yankees second best offensive player behind perennial MVP candidate Robinson Cano. Speaking of Cano, he could very well win that MVP Award this year as his numbers are where they usually are, and he is the rock and anchor of this team with all the injuries. New York has enjoyed a stellar run so far this year with the Knicks and Rangers both playing into the second round of the playoffs, and with the success of the Yankees to date with reinforcements on the way, there’s no reason for that to change.