The Yankees are 58 games into the season sitting in third place in the AL East with a record of 34-24. Aaron Judge sits on top of the team leaderboard with 18 home runs (same as last May), 39 RBIs and a .410 OBP. First baseman Anthony Rizzo is also hanging out on top with a .304 batting average and 62 hits, but after suffering a neck injury from a collision with the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr., Rizzo missed the series in Seattle and is listed as “day to day.” Rizzo and Harrison Bader’s injuries put into perspective the growing list of injuries a third of the way into the season. There’s no reason to panic with 104 games to go, so what does the rest of the season look like for the Yanks?
Sitting Pretty
Third place in the AL East with a .586 win percentage doesn’t look great at first glance, especially after losing a series to the Orioles, who are now sitting right above the Yankees in second place and behind a hot Tampa Bay team. All this to say, our division is stacked. Even the last place Red Sox are sitting at above .500 right now. No other division has all teams above .500. The Yankees are sitting right in the middle of the pack in the division, at fourth place overall in the American League. They are within striking distance, yet at the same time within distance of being struck down. They’re sitting pretty right now, but some serious holes need to be patched up if the the team is looking to continue playing into the postseason. They also need to make some serious changes so they don’t get swept by the Astros in the ALCS … again.
Patch up the holes
Defense wins games, and the Bronx Bombers just don’t have that defense. Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes hold down the fort while Clarke Schmidt, Domingo German, and Jhony Brito bring up the rear with 11 losses combined. Count your blessings in Wandy Peralta, Michael King and Clay Holmes, because they are putting in overtime with 11 saves. Of course, we’re all waiting for more Severino. Is two starts enough to see what the man can do on the mound? Most, I’m assuming, will say no. Severino will get his third start of the season against the Dodgers on Friday, which will give the fans a better idea of how Severino performs in pinstripes. My fingers are crossed.
When I say “patch up the holes,” I mean literally patch up the holes. The Yankees have one of the highest numbers of fielding errors (34) in the American League, with the three teams directly above them having 25 errors or less. Most of the errors are made in the black hole that is shortstop and second base. Yes, Gleyber, I’m looking at you. You too, Volpe. At what point do the hits and runs generated by these two get canceled out by the number of errors they make? I’m mostly looking at Volpe’s .194 batting average, .272 OBP, and almost as many errors as home runs when I say these things. If these error numbers continue, then batting and pitching will need to skyrocket in order to compensate.
Oswaldo Cabrera and Franchy Cordero were optioned to Triple-A after the loss to Seattle on Wednesday. Personally, I’m hoping these two can get back to their usual slugging antics and patch up the batting. The question is, can the Yankees bring back the light that the Red Sox drained out of Franchy Cordero? The jury is still out on that one.
The Last 100 or so
In my opinion, the team is running the gauntlet in June, which may expose the team’s weaknesses. June starts off with a tough matchup against the Dodgers, then the White Sox, followed by a Boston Red Sox series sandwich with the Mets in the middle. Boston may be last in the division, but don’t underestimate the power of the rivalry. And don’t underestimate the Mets, who are not happy sitting in second behind the Braves in the NL East.
In the back half of June, the Yankees play Seattle, a strong Texas Rangers team sitting at third overall in the AL, and then take a breather with a matchup against the Oakland A’s. I suggest that everybody strap in and prepare yourselves, because our record coming out of June could be make or break. The team’s performance in these 23 games will be an indicator of the second half of the season, where they face the Mets, Orioles, Rays, and Astros consecutively.
June is the litmus test. There are a number of things that could happen in June that alter the course of the season. My hope is that they come out on the other side a better team and a solid postseason competitor. Will they pull together the injuries and defensive woes? Or will this be another forgettable season for the Yankees?
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