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Anything short of the franchise's 28th World Series title will be considered a failure for the New York Yankees in 2022. Regardless of all the talent on the roster, it takes more than that to win a championship. If the Yankees expect to make a run for a World Series, they'll need everyone playing up to their potential.
Right now, that is far from the case. Of course, the Yankees have enjoyed prolific seasons from their starting rotation, as well as Aaron Judge who leads MLB in home runs, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, and Anthony Rizzo, among others. But there are also players who have been an overall net negative for the team.
A few Yankees players have been virtually an automatic out this season at the plate, or just an absolute liability on the mound, and they will need to turn things around in the second half of the Yankees are to reach, and win, the World Series.
With all that in mind, here are three Yankees players who need to bounce back after the MLB All-Star break and have a strong second half of the season.
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3 Yankees players who must bounce back after All-Star break
3. Aaron Hicks
Aaron Hicks has shown some signs of life lately, but ultimately it's been an abysmal season for the Yankees outfielder. Hicks seemingly has had all of the power sapped out of his swing. The 32-year-old has hit just 3 home runs throughout his first 69 games this year, putting together a slash line of .221/.342/.284. In all, he's driven in 20 RBI, scored 26 runs, and has 7 stolen bases, and he's racked up 55 strikeouts.
After hitting .127 throughout the month of May, Hicks was frequently greeted by a chorus of boos at Yankee Stadium. He began to turn things around in June, batting .247 for the month and driving in 11 of his 20 RBI on the season. Still, his inability to provide an offensive spark has been problematic for the Yankees. Of his 45 hits this season, only six went for extra bases.
It doesn't seem like the Yankees have plans to reduce his role this season, so they'll be relying on him to heat up at the plate, and improve in the outfield.
Aroldis Chapman has seen his role as the Yankees' closer usurped by Clay Holmes. Honestly, it's about time. Chapman is no longer the flamethrower he was during his heyday, and he's proven that time and time again during the 2022 MLB season. At his best, Chapman is able to pinpoint a fastball that reaches triple-digits with ease. This 2022 version of Chapman is rarely even hitting 100 MPH on the radar gun, and has had control issues all year.
Chapman's first outing back from injury was very worrying for Yankees fans. He failed to record a single out and walked three batters in a row against the Cleveland Guardians. Not only was he unable to keep his fastball from running out of the zone, but his secondary pitches were useless as well. His inability to throw for strikes has become a real issue for the Yankees this year, and it didn't go away with a short stint on the IL.
This season, Chapman has a 5.14 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP. He's walked 13 batters in 14 innings, and has given up 13 hits, too. Right now, Chapman may be the least reliable option out of the Yankees bullpen, and if he doesn't turn things around, it's hard to envision what type of role he'll have down the stretch.
1. Joey Gallo
Gallo has been the Yankees' worst player this season, and quite frankly, it's not close. Typically one of baseball's biggest sluggers, Gallo has been anything but that in 2022. The outfielder is slashing .165/.277/.325 with 9 home runs and 18 RBI across 66 games this season. He has 89 strikeouts on the year, alongside 30 walks.
There's not really a gentle way to put it. Gallo has been a disaster in 2022, yet he's still maintaining his role in the starting lineup. Not only is Gallo not producing, but he's actually blocking Miguel Andujar's path to playing time at the big-league level. Another recipient of boo birds from the unforgiving Yankees fans, Gallo needs to turn things around, and fast, before the Yankees are forced to make some difficult decisions.
Gallo hit 38 home runs in an All-Star campaign in 2021, though only 13 of those came with the Yankees. While he seemed like the ideal player to launch home runs over the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, he's been more of an easy out than anything this season. The team will be relying on him to figure out his issues at the plate in the second half of the season.
