Baseball season is officially two months old. The first 60 days of the season have been a roller coaster for the New York Yankees. The Bombers have faced injuries and lack of pitching depth which have forced young players to step up. Their record certainly does not reflect their problems. The Yankees are currently 35-18 with a two game lead in the AL East. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games. New York has won six straight series, and have not lost two games in a row during the month of May.
Second year manager Aaron Boone has his carousel of a locker room buying into their roles. No matter who is on the field, the Yankees seem to succeed. This is a team that always finds themselves in headlines. So far during the 2019 season, these are the five biggest storylines out of the Bronx.
5. First Base Battle
Coming into the season, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Yankees was wondering what they were going to do at first base. Two months in, that question has been answered. Greg Bird played 10 games before going on the IL with a left foot injury. He had 35 at-bats and was hitting .171 with one home run and one RBI. Bird was once a prized prospect for the Yankees, however his inability to stay on the field might cost him his job.
Luke Voit has played the most games for the Yankees with 52. There were questions about his defense coming into the season, however none of that is heard anymore because of his bat. Voit is batting just .254, but has proved to be a legitimate power threat in the middle of the lineup. He has 13 home runs and 37 RBI's. He ranks top two on the team in each category. It is safe to say that there is no more debate about first base.
4. Sanchez is Back
Gary Sanchez burst onto the scene in 2016 as a rookie where he hit 20 home runs in just 53 games. The very next year, he hit .278 with 33 home runs and 90 RBI's. The Yankees thought they had their catcher of the future. In 2018, Sanchez struck fear into the entire organization and their fans. He hit .186 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI's. He struck out 94 times in 89 games. This left New York wondering what kind of player Sanchez actually is.
This season, Sanchez is hitting .265 with 16 home runs and 32 RBI's. Yankee nation can breathe a huge sigh of relief. This season is proving that their superstar catcher is a legitimate threat at the plate. Last season can be put far out of fans' minds.
3. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Didi Gregorius
Quite possibly the three most important Yankees have combined to play 23 games and have 81 at-bats. Giancarlo Stanton is in his second season in the Bronx and was ready to prove he can play in the big city. Didi Gregorius might be the team's leader and has not been on the field yet. Aaron Judge entered 2019 ready to take another step towards becoming one of the best players in baseball.
Without these three juggernauts, the Yankees still sit at the top of the division. When they all return, the Yankees will have one of the deepest lineups in baseball. It will take time for the three of them to get back into a rhythm, however New York is a significantly better team with them on the field.
2. Lack of Pitching
The Yankees have had seven players make a start this season, none are named Luis Severino. Masahiro Tanaka is leading the team in innings pitched with 64.1 and ERA with a 2.94. Domingo German has stepped in to fill a void and has been brilliant. He is 9-1 with a 3.43 ERA. Aside from those two at the top, the starting pitching has been a disappointment.
J.A. Happ has been ineffective. C.C. Sabathia and James Paxton have spent time on the IL. Despite their sparkling bullpen, the Yankees will not be able to win a World Series if they do not figure out their pitching. Expect them to be very aggressive at the trade deadline.
1. Injuries
The Yankees have had the injury bug all season long. It would be easier to name players who have not been on the IL than to name players who have been. Aside from the big three mentioned above, Miguel Andujar will miss the rest of the season. Paxton has missed time after a phenomenal start to the season. Dellin Betances has not taken the mound yet in 2019.
The incredible thing is that the Yankees are still finding ways to win baseball games. The injuries have been devastating, however it gives hope for when their players return. Despite their success, the eye-opening amount of injuries remains the biggest storyline out of the Bronx.
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