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Yankees’ New Year’s resolutions for the 2017 season

Yankees' New Year's resolutions for the 2017 season
Sep 16, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (24) watches his RBI double hit the wall in left field during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
  • Player: Jacoby Ellsbury
  • Resolution: Become consistent

When New York’s $153 million man goes off, so does their overall output. Going off longer and more frequently, however, is Jacoby Ellsbury’s resolution.

From Opening Day to May 3, the centerfielder slashed a mere .247/.293/.366 with five stolen bases and an OPS of .659.[sc name=”Yankees Center Right” ]

As Ellsbury stumbled out of the gate, the Yankees did as well, kicking their campaign off with an 8-16 record, good enough for last place in the AL East with already a narrow 12 percent chance to reach the postseason.

On May 4, Ellsbury commenced a surge in which he slashed .337/.407/.526 with an OPS of .934, 17 runs scored, and a .380 BAbip (batting average on balls in play) leading up to play on June 8 (28 games).

Thanks to the improvement of output, New York was able to go on a 17-11 run and overcame the .500 two games later to pull out of the gutter in the division.

For those who might not know how good 17-11 is, that’s a 98-win proportion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX9vPbRe6GM

Following this concise hot streak, the 33-year old collapsed into a 43 game dejection in which he went 38-for-164 (.232) while maintaining an OPS of .574. With that, New York was never truly able to fling themselves over the .500 plateau and sold at the trade deadline with a record of 52-52.

From Aug. 1 to Sept. 10, Ellsbury slashed .288/.351/.447 with nine doubles, four home runs, and 20 RBI in 34 games. With some help from rookie phenom, Gary Sanchez, the rebuilding Yankees went on a 23-11 stretch to pull within one game of a postseason spot.

Unfortunately, the wheels fell off yet again (Ellsbury would bat .209 in the 19 remaining games) and New York would go 7-12 to conclude the year on the outside of the playoff bracket for the third time in four years.

[sc name=”Yankees Link Slideshow” link=”elitesportsny.com/2017/01/02/yankees-new-years-resolutions-2017-season/5″ text=”Luis Severino” ]
Christian Kouroupakis
Christian Kouroupakis

Christian Kouroupakis covers the New York Yankees and is the Editorial Director for ESNY. Interact with him and view his daily work by “liking” his facebook page and follow him on Twitter. All statistics are courtesy of Baseball Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Don’t hesitate to shoot him an email with any questions, criticisms, or concerns.