This season has been a major success for the Bronx franchise. Regardless of whether the New York Yankees reach the 2017 World Series or not.
The Yankees only made it to the playoffs once in the last four years. In that lone appearance back in 2015, New York lost the AL Wild Card to the Houston Astros… the same opponent they are battling against in the ALCS this season. But they finished fourth in the AL East with an 84-78 record, and not many experts believed they could do much better in 2017. But New York proved everyone wrong. Time and time again, they battled adversity and ended reaching a Wild Card berth after ending the regular season with a 91-71 mark.
And that’s when the magic started to become even more real. First of all, the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins in the Wild Card Game. And even though they fell 0-2 against the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS, the Yanks came from behind to advance. History has repeated against in the ALCS; they dropped the first two against Houston, but a three-game winning streak has them nine innings away from returning to the World Series. New York has not won the AL pennant since 2009. That’s quite a long drought for a team with a history as rich as the Yankees’ one.
If we take a look at why the Yankees made it this far this season, there are several factors to point out. Clutch pitching, timely hitting, and a lights-out bullpen could all be mentioned. But some players have performed better than others, and have carried the weight of the team on their shoulders when things got tough.
Offense
And we have to start with Aaron Judge. The 25-year-old outfielder led the American League in home runs with 52 and anchored the team’s lineup throughout the entire season. It’s crazy to think his numbers could have been better, but he went through a prolonged slump that saw him hit .185 in August. He finished the season with 52 homers, 114 RBI, 128 runs scored, and 127 walks. The strikeouts (208) were a problem, but he is young and will probably figure things out. The potential is there, and he should win the AL Rookie Of The Year Award with ease. His season was MVP-worthy by most standards.
Judge, however, hasn’t been the only player who has performed above expectations. For instance, Didi Gregorius established himself as one of the best offensive shortstops in all of baseball. The former Diamondbacks player hit 25 HR and 87 RBI during the regular season and has contributed with a line of .275/.383/.575 with a .958 OPS during the playoffs as well. In short – he is very good.
Gary Sanchez has had his fair share of defensive problems, but there is no question the catcher remains a premier backstop offensively. The 24-year-old Dominican hit 33 homers with 90 RBI during the regular season to go along with a slash line of .278/.345/.531 in 122 games. He is likely to become a full-time DH sooner than later, however, as Austin Romine is a far superior defensive catcher.
Pitching
The Yankees not only thrived on offense, though. They also received some stellar pitching mostly from three players. Severino, C.C. Sabathia, and Dellin Betances. One would think Masahiro Tanaka should deserve praise, but the Japanese weren’t very good during the regular season. He only posted a 13-12 mark with 4.74 ERA in 30 starts (178.1 IP). He has turned it up during the playoffs, though, So hopefully his postseason performances are a sign of things to come going forward.
Severino was the best starting pitcher on the Yankees roster by a mile this season. The 23-year-old Dominican wasn’t a lock to make the roster before training camp, but he enjoyed a career year and quickly became the team’s ace. Severino made the All-Star Team this season and finished the year in top form thanks to a 14-6 record and a 2.98 ERA in 31 starts (193.1 IP). His postseason performances have not been very impressive, though. But we can’t forget this is his first full year as a starter at the MLB level. If anything, he will improve in the next few years. The potential is clearly there.
Sabathia had a great year as well. The 36-year-old defied Father Time and it seems he won. Sabathia posted a 14-5 record and a 3.69 ERA in 27 starts (148.2 IP). It remains to be seen whether he will be a Yankee next year. But if anything, he earned a one-year extension solely because of how good he has been this year.
The bullpen deserves praise as well. Chad Green posted a 1.83 ERA and 5-0 mark with 103 strikeouts in 40 regular-season appearances. Betances added a 2.35 ERA with 100 strikeouts and 10 saves in 66 appearances. And Aroldis Chapman had 22 saves, 69 strikeouts, and a 3.22 ERA in 50.1 innings. That late-inning is one that should give Yankees fans joy for several more years.
Final Thoughts
Buckle up, Yankees fans. This season has already been a major success for the franchise. It seems they have all the pieces they need to become an AL powerhouse again. Just like they have always been.