It’s easy to sweep them under the rug but this year’s unsung heroes for the New York Yankees are the reason where they are right now.
Gary Sanchez was the story of the 2016 season. Aaron Judge was the headline of the first half of the 2017 season. Now, who is leading the New York Yankees?
The second half, it isn’t Judge. Sanchez is incredibly inconsistent. The Yankees are getting production from the unlikeliest of heroes, the names that don’t make the headlines far too often.
They have Aaron Hicks pimping home runs in the most clutch moments. They have Didi Gregorius putting up MVP-like numbers. They have utility man Ronald Torreyes consistently getting on base.
They have a crop of stars who aren’t named Judge and Sanchez. And these stars are the ones the Yankees least expected to lead the charge at the start of this season.
While all eyes were on Judge and Sanchez early, these Yankees benefited from the lack of spotlight on their performances. And they’ve excelled when the Yankees needed a pick-me-up during Judge and Sanchez’s struggles.
You can argue that the Yankees wouldn’t be sitting in second place in the American League East without Judge this season. But the truth of the matter is, this team is so much more than one monster and several background players.
These guys have been proving that more and more lately.
Gregorius is batting over .300 and playing stellar defense, continuing his hot hitting from this year’s World Baseball Classic. Torreyes has been an unlikely everyday player who is raking a solid .285 and coming into his own on defense.
Aaron Hicks has been a story in himself this season. It can be argued that if Judge wasn’t having the high-caliber season he is, Hicks would be the most valuable Aaron on the squad.
As the season started, these guys were on the backburner. If you predicted that Gregorius, Torreyes and Hicks would be the guys leading the charge, you might as well start playing the lottery.
But now, the Yankees can’t seem to do it without them. The Emoji Knight has the second-most hits on the team this season, even after missing a month due to injury. Torreyes has only struck out 34 times the entire season. Hicks sits in third for most stolen bases on the team in only 66 games played.
They are playing a huge role in an even bigger production that is Yankees baseball in the Bronx. With the star being Judge, it is easy for everyone else to get lost in the shuffle. These guys are playing far beyond their roles and exceeding all expectations.
And that’s the way it has to be moving forward. There’s no way that Judge can carry this team by himself. When he struggles, the Yankees can’t continue to rely solely on his bat to win games.
These underrated guys are the secret to the Yankees’ success. They may not be launching 500 foot home runs out of stadiums but they are utilizing their strengths to put the Yankees in a position to win.
We knew what we were getting from the Baby Bombers. We had no idea what we would get from the smaller players on the team and we were in for a pleasant surprise.
Hicks, Torreyes and Gregorius have been on point all season long for the Yankees and it’s about time they realize that these three are playing the biggest role in the Yankees success this year.
