The New York Yankees are slumping. Their once seemingly insurmountable American League East lead has shrunk considerably. The Tampa Bay Rays sit just 5 games back of the Yankees, while the Blue Jays are 7 games back as of this story's publication. Their recent blowout loss against the Rays even caused manager Aaron Boone to say that the Yankees hit “rock bottom.” With all of this being said, the Yankees are still in a good position to win the division.
Let's take a look at 3 reasons why the Yankees will win the AL East over the Rays and Blue Jays.
Yankees home run power
The Yankees have always been known for their home run prowess. They currently lead baseball in homers with a mark of 205. Aaron Judge has already smashed more than 50 home runs.
New York's ability to consistently hit the long ball will serve them well. In past years, the Yankees hit a lot of solo shots. But in 2022, they rank fifth in OBP. If the Yankees can continue getting runners on base and then hitting home runs, their offense will be fine moving forward.
The lineup has gone through their share of struggles over the past few weeks. But keeping an offense consisting of superstars like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton down for long is a difficult task to accomplish.
New York's pitching
The Yankees still feature a quality pitching rotation. Various injuries to pitchers such as Nestor Cortes and Jameson Taillon have led to recent concerns. But Taillon is expected to make his next scheduled start and Nestor Cortes doesn't believe he will be on the injured list for long.
Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole is the anchor of the staff. He's dealt with ups and downs in 2022, but the right-hander is still having an all-around good season.
With starting pitching depth such as Frankie Montas, Domingo German, and Clarke Schmidt, the Yankees rotation will figure things out.
The bullpen has been hampered by injuries. But there are still a number of quality arms remaining. Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Lou Trivino are capable options. The team hopes to have more relievers return down the stretch as well.
The Yankees pitching projects to be good enough to consistently keep them in games.
Perspective
For most teams, a 5 game lead to open September would not be concerning. Obviously, the Yankees have been laboring which has led to concern in New York. But they need to put things in perspective. They are still a very talented team with a sizable lead in the AL East.
The bigger concern is the postseason. Will the Yankees be able to replicate their early season success come playoff time? That is a question that is difficult to answer right now.
But the Yankees should be able to wrap up this division. Their roster has too much talent for a complete collapse.
In summary, there is reason for concern. The Yankees lineup has floundered over the past few weeks and injuries have been an issue.
But Aaron Judge is an anchor in the lineup. Gerrit Cole is a reliable arm in the rotation. Their depth will benefit them down the stretch. The Yankees need to take a breath, put things in perspective, and relax. The Yankees will win the American League East as long as they trust their ability.