As the New York Yankees look to further themselves in the most improbable of postseason runs, they are making themselves look very scary toward their American League counterparts.
No one expected a “Why The Rest Of Baseball Should Fear The New York Yankees” slideshow to come at any point after the trade deadline. Yet, here it is.
Ever since New York had a 52-52 record and the bartering of their two best relievers, their best hitter, and one of their starting pitchers, the baseball world saw the Yankees enter a rebuild.
With that, up came the kids and down went the expectations as the Bombers were envisioning a sub-.500 season for the first time since 1992.
Then, one of the most remote runs in contemporary memory began as the re-constructing Yankees would commence a burst no one saw coming.
Since the fire sale, New York is 23-13 which is good enough for a tie with the defending World Series Champions, the Kansas City Royals, for the best record in the American League in that span.
Following Friday night’s 7-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays — their sixth straight win — the Yankees pulled themselves within one game out of the second Wild Card spot.
Somehow, the Yankees are as legitimate as anyone and the league is, or at least should be, taking note. This has become one of those special runs in which anything and everything starts to go their way.
Do you think Toronto, Baltimore, or Boston want to contend with a team like that?
ESNY has rationalization as to why the rest of baseball should fear the now-scary New York Yankees team as baseball’s postseason race is about to hit prime time.
Shield your eyes, baseball fans. This could be pretty horrifying for you.
Begin Slideshow
The Kids
There is no possibility the Yankees would be where they are at this moment without the help of the “Baby Bombers.”
Gary Sanchez’s permanent promotion on August 3 kicked off the youth movement along with the rebuild and boy it has been fun to watch.
Since the day the Kraken became the next Yankees’ starting catcher, they have had the best record (22-12) in the American League while only the only team in baseball that has a better mark in that span are the Chicago Cubs.
That is essentially thanks to Gary’s .341/.417/.707 slash line with 12 home runs but don’t think for a second that Sanchez is the only baby doing some bombing.
In September, Tyler Austin is 7-for-19 (.368) with two home runs — one bomb, one walk off — and an extraordinary OPS of 1.244.
Aaron Judge has had his struggles, but it’s undeniable that his enormous strikeout rate (38 K’s in 85 PA) won’t decrease just like you shouldn’t think he is not critical to the Yankees’ playoff chase.
One could even make the argument that if Judge heats up, the youngsters could singlehandedly bring New York to the playoffs themselves.
Perhaps major league pitching has yet to figure them out. Perhaps they are too innocent to feel the pressure of a playoff race. Or maybe they really are the next great Yankees’ core of young talent.
One thing is for sure, though, this Yankees team would still be in the cellar without these red-hot prospects.
The Ace
Masahiro Tanaka
Where would the Yankees be without their ace, Masahiro Tanaka?
Given the fact that they are 21-7 in games in which their ace starts and haven’t lost a game that featured the righty since August 2, New York would be everything except in the hunt for a chance to take home title number 28.
To sidetrack for a second, translating the Yankees record with Tanaka on the mound to a 162-game span, they would be 122-40. OK, back to business.
Since Aug. 2, Tanaka is 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA with 38 strikeouts compared to just four walks with an opponents batting average of .226.
Beyond the numbers, though, this is a time in which the Yankees need Tanaka the most. Someone to step up and be their trustworthy go-to guy as they progress in their march.
Without him, by no means would the Bombers be where they are now. If anything, the Yankees are actually a sub-.500 team without their $155-million ace from Japan.
With him, however, the Yankees are a team that can turn to an utterly dominant ace in any start. If they were to nab that second Wild Card spot, one could argue if home field advantage really matters.
Tanaka and his 2.18 ERA on the road will quiet even the rowdiest crowds in baseball. Yes, even in the hostile Rogers Centre.
Bullpen
Stellar Bullpen
What if I were to tell you: this unit is actually better than the unit that contained “No Runs DMC?”
Now, before the angry mob arrives, understand just how surprisingly good the Yankees’ pen has been over the second half of 2016.
Entering Friday night, the bullpen’s overall ERA with “No-Runs DMC” was 3.78 and since the break has been at a steadfast 2.95. The home run rate has declined, the batting average against has reduced significantly, and even the percentage of runners left on base has shot up.
Even though Dellin Betances has struggled as of late, his strikeout rate is still at a startling 15.9 while his walks per nine innings have decreased from 4.3 last season to 3.1 right now.
Throw that, the sneaky yet incredible addition of Tyler Clippard (0.53 ERA, 17 INN, 18 K’s) along with manager Joe Girardi’s impeccable ability to mix and match pitchers in their most fitting match-ups, this is one scary bullpen.
Leadership
Veteran Leadership
For those who don’t realize this: the Yankees would have lost on Thursday night and on Friday night if it weren’t for two veteran sluggers.
In the first of four between the Rays, Brian McCann slugged an estimated 413-foot blast into the suite level above the second deck in right in the second inning and hit another in his next at-bat in the fourth.
His second homer gave the Yankees the lead and he even added a single in the sixth inning for his third three-hit game since Aug. 27. Over his last three games, the 32-year old has hit three home runs and had just two in his previous 38 games.
It’s not just McCann, though.
In last night’s 7-5 win, Mark Teixeira delivered career grand slam number 11 in the fourth inning succeeded by a curtain call as the stadium was chanting his name.
If these veteran hitters could get hot at the right time, the Yankees lineup would be even more dynamic than it is at this very moment.
Beyond that, what McCann, Teixeira, and even CC Sabathia can provide the kids with precious veteran experience. After all, these guys have been there, done that.
They can help them not press throughout this stressful stretch, teach them what’s the right way to operate during a hunt like this (and how to win a World Series), and even help deliver them to the postseason.
There are other aspects that make this team so incredible, too. Starlin Castro and Chase Headley’s incredible second half, their feisty utility man Ronald Torreyes, and their somehow component rotation that ranks third in the AL with a 3.73 ERA this month.
Will this team win the World Series? That is highly unlikely. However, so was getting to this moment following a 2% chance to reach the playoffs at the deadline, according to MLB.com.
However, there are reasons why this happened. Reasons why this team cannot be ignored. If this hot streak continues, who says they can’t further their season? After all, there have been plenty of mediocre teams use a spark to carry them to the commissioner’s trophy before.
This team is not mediocre. In fact, this team is the best team in the AL since August 3. Give them a slot in this year’s playoffs, they might just get you.
But to the experts who still say this Yankees’ team is destined for another postseason-less year, Gary Sanchez has a message for you:
Absolutely right! What's amusing is that right now, they're 76-65 (7 straight wins) and only 1/2 game behind the second wild card slot 1 and yet ESPN pegs their chances at making the playoffs at just 13.5% (really?) while the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles (both at 76-64) are at 36.3% and 55.8% respectively. One of those teams will go down to 76-65 and tied with the Yankees as they're playing each other tonight.
If they sweep the Rays tomorrow Sunday and wind up at 77-65, and if Orioles and Tigers split their 2 games for tonight and tomorrow, then the THREE of them would be 77-65 and tied for the 2nd wild card slot. And Yankees would be at most 3 games behind Boston for the AL East lead. In fact, if the Blue Jays beat them tomorrow, the Jays and Bosox would be tied for the AL East Lead at 79-63, just TWO games ahead of the Yankees! And the Yankees play Boston 7 more times and Toronto 4 more times this season. They could even win the AL East! Maybe that's the 13.5% chances we are talking about, winning the division. But making the postseason as a wild card? I think by now it is as high as 40-50%!
All they're doing with these low predictions is to make it an even more epic story when the Yankees DO make the postseason. Now they were at 52-52 when they did the firesale and are 24-13 since then. But even better, they were at 56-56 after 112 games AND THEN really started getting got. They are 20-9 ever since. If they just win 14 of their last 21 games (meaning, win every remaining series they play this year, and it is NOT unrealistic for them to do that the way they're plah=ying), then they'll be at 90-72 for the season. Certainly enough to make a Wild Card spot, perhaps even win the Division as the Bosox are themselves on pace to win 90-91 games this season, not more.
GO YANKEES and thanks for this article!