While the New York Yankees didn’t make the Fall Classic this season, they have plenty to pick up from this match-up for next year.
The New York Yankees haven’t been to the World Series since 2009 and have had high hopes ever since. Falling short of the playoffs in the past few seasons, the Yankees are lacking a solution to their recent playoff woes.And that’s where the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs come in.
Throughout this entire postseason, these teams have shown dominance in every facet of the game. These teams have taken the sport of baseball and made it interesting again, just like every team should do.
Here are four examples of what the Yankees should take away from watching this season’s World Series:
Don’t Be Afraid To Change The Bullpen Narrative:
This has been prevalent in every level of the playoffs this season. From Clayton Kershaw’s improbable save for the Los Angeles Dodgers to Andrew Miller’s usage in the early innings for Cleveland, the regular bullpen has become a thing of the past.
Aroldis Chapman entered Game 5 to lock down an impressive eight out save. Miller has been consistently called on to secure early leads for the Indians. These teams are not afraid to use their dominant bullpens at the first sign of trouble.
While the Yankees haven’t found those strong arms that could fit this equation, they have a chance to. However, with the potential of three strong relievers in Tyler Clippard, Luis Severino and Dellin Betances, they could start toying around with their rotation in must-win games.
Sure, they can’t play around with the bullpen all season long, but changing up the traditional narrative with the bullpen is also something they could keep in their back pockets when it is necessary.
Let The Young Stars Shine:
The Cubs possess several young talents that have the potential to become superstars. However, early on in the postseason, they struggled. Kris Bryant had two hits in 17 at-bats in the first five games of the World Series. Since then? He cranked out five hits in seven at-bats.
Addison Russell. Anthony Rizzo. These guys had unfortunate slumps but, when given opportunities, they hopped right back into the game.
Sure, young players are going to struggle. But the Yankees need to realize that one bad game does not equate to a bad next month. Aaron Judge came up to the Major Leagues and made a huge impression. However, he started to really struggle and was not given opportunities to try and shine.
These young players have talent and they know how to play the game. Give them the benefit of the doubt, just like teams do for veterans. If they do this, the Yankees will be pleasantly surprised.
Never Give Up:
How many times this season have we sat and watched the Yankees roll over and give up when losing by a few runs?
The answer? Far too many times.
The attitudes we’ve seen on the Yankees when they’re losing are looks of defeat and exhaustion. When the Indians and Cubs are losing, they are hungry. They are eager to get out there and make the game close and take the lead.
Attitude is half the battle on the baseball field. A better attitude will bring about better results. These teams are focused and hungry for the victory. Can we say the same thing about the Yankees?
f the Yankees can learn anything from watching the World Series, they have to adapt the Yogi Berra mentality: It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. Never give up, never back down. And if they do that, they’ll be contenders once again for the Fall Classic.
Big Names Are Not A Necessity:
Even last season, the Yankees were focusing on netting big-name superstars to play in the Bronx. Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez, and Brian McCann were among the big names mixed in the line-up. But in this year’s World Series, it’s all about the lesser known players.
They are just as, if not more, talented. Need proof? They’re in the World Series. Need more proof? They’ve helped win a combined 197 games between the Cubs and Indians in the regular season. While there are a few popular names in the lineups, the majority are players that aren’t recognized by name.
Be honest, did you know all about Javier Baez before the playoffs? What about Lonnie Chisenhall? Probably not, but they helped their teams become contenders.
No more big-name contract signings in the offseason. Taking young and talented players will transform the Yankees into a different team than they’ve been in year’s past. But if the Indians and Cubs are any indications, maybe that is exactly what they need.
Allison once again you missed some various obvious things with some of the good things you mentioned. Avoid Big name stars....then Andrew Miller and Chapman should not have been traded for right.... those were TWO OF THE BIGGEST NAMES AVAILABLE!!! Play the youngsters ...yes to a point BUT there is absolutely no guarantee that any of them will become the players we think they will and can become. WHEN/IF will Judge learn how to hit a breaking ball? Do you think Sanchez is going to hit 50 homers next year. Greg Bird has had less than a year in the big leagues and has been out a year. Does he just pick up the pace again? There are a zillion things that OFTEN go wrong with young unproven talent!!! So, instead of taking this year's results and making them absolutes, it is better to simply acknowledge the FACT there are many ways to win. From where the Yankees are now, they SHOULD bring in a impact bat to supplement their young talent and provide insurance against a myriad of issues facing every young hitter. Then they need to sign a another BIG NAME reliever and team him with Betances and Severino to recreate the monster bullpen they had at the beginning of the year. They should also trade Mccain and gardner for pitching. Building a monster bullpen with stable starters and a dynamic offense NOT completely dependent on un proven talent, is the right course for THIS team. Final word about adding a veteran bat is that it will help accelerate the youth movement by taking some of the pressure off the kids. That is what "Big Poppy" did for Boston when they brought up all there talented young players.