- 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.
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.
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.
