Seton Hall
The current state of the New York Yankees
Date: June 21, 2019By: Ben Harris
The New York Yankees have kind of a problem, which is that they have too many good players. The Yankees are the hottest team in baseball right now, winning their past six games, and are currently holding a four-game lead in the AL East. The four-game lead is over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays, who they just swept in a three-game series.
One of those games included a short afternoon for the 2018 AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, where the Bombers immediately slapped six runs on the scoreboard and got him off the mound after just one-third of an inning. That is the shortest start in history for a pitcher coming off a Cy Young season. The Bombers do not and should not have any fear for their divisional opponents, at least for the time being. The Yankees have gotten to this point by fighting through a ton of adversity.
No other team has had to power through over 14 injuries. But, starting today with the return of Aaron Judge, most of the Yanks position players of prominence are back on the roster and ready to contribute. The only injuries of concern still holding them back are on the pitching staff, as the club awaits recoveries from the likes of Jordan Montgomery, Domingo German, Luis Severino, and Dellin Betances.
Now with most of the squad healthy, they are going to have a seemingly simple obstacle to get over: who to play. However, deciding who to play might be an incredibly difficult day-to-day decision for Aaron Boone to make.With as many injuries as the Yankees have had to fight through this season, players who were originally just expected to be rotational have exceeded expectations, getting the club to the top so far this season.
Players like Gio Urshela and Cameron Maybin were not expected to become the high-level contributors that they have. Urshela is having an incredible season, with career highs in almost every batting category including a .306 average, along with assisting in 14 double plays defensively. Maybin has been another animal as of late as well.
The 32-year-old multi-position filling outfielder reworked his swing in the offseason, and just had four-straight games with a home run and is putting up a career-high .383 on-base percentage. With the returns of Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton and Judge and the trade acquisition of Edwin Encarnacion, the field is looking crowded.
Many would suggest the Bombers trade one of their surplus position players for a consistent starting pitcher. Targets like the Mets' Zach Wheeler, Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, and Cleveland's Trevor Bauer are some of the potential names floating around.
Would it be nice to have another top-quality starter to join James Paxton and eventually Severino? Of course. But at the same time… "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This injury-plagued pitching staff has, in assistance to the deepest stable of hitters in baseball, been able to place the Bombers comfortably atop the East.
With the hit-squad healthy, there must be some concern from the players about playing time. Some of these problems have already shown themselves, as due to a value-trade for big-bat designated hitter Encarnacion, promising young outfielder Clint Frazier was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was not happy about his demotion.
If other players end up getting sent down to the minors, or simply not getting the playing time they feel they deserve, it could cause some chemistry issues in the clubhouse. There are going to be some difficult lineup management decisions for Boone, but if he can manage his crowded locker room to a championship, he will most likely be in Manager of the Year conversations.
All things considered, having this many capable bats are a luxurious problem to have, and many organizations would love to be in similar scenarios. The crazy part is that Boone and company still have over half of the season to figure out what works and what does not.
If any of these Yankee hitters cool down by late July, do not be surprised to see them exchanged for a starting pitcher. But as of right now, let us just sit back and enjoy some exciting, home run filled Yankee baseball.
Ben Harris can be reached at benjamin.harris@student.shu.edu.
