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.
