Unexpected Contributions Coming in Abundance for 2015 Yankees
Coming
into this season, there were many questions surrounding the team. Believe it or
not, not all of these questions were centered around Alex Rodriguez. How would
a healthy, gluten free Mark Teixeira perform? Would Chris Young continue his
success he enjoyed in Pinstripes in 2014? Could Brett Gardner hit for a higher
average or was his ceiling in the .270’s? Would Chasen Shreve even make the
major league roster on Opening Day? How would Adam Warren perform in the
starting rotation? Would Justin Wilson return to his 2013 form? And, of course,
the main one, would Alex Rodriguez be remotely the same player he used to be?
Fortunately for the Yankees, all of these questions have been answered with
positive results.
During
the 2014 season, I have to admit that I was one of the more critical fans of
Mark Teixeira. However, the only reason I was so critical of him was because my
expectations were so high, especially after an injury ridden 2013 season where
we saw him hit a dismal .151 with 3 home runs in just 15 games. To my dismay,
Teixeira didn’t perform up to my expectations I had set for him in 2014. But in
2015, that’s a much different story.
After
two down years, I can’t tell you I expected Mark Teixeira to put up the numbers
he claims thus far. With a higher batting average than we’ve seen in previous
years at .251, 18 home runs, and an American League leading 53 RBIs, Tex has
not only earned the right for his name to be mentioned in the mid-summer
classic in Cincinnati, but he’s become a dark horse MVP candidate.
That’s
right; Mark Teixeira is a dark horse most valuable player candidate. You must
take this with a grain of salt due to the competition Teixeira faces in
obtaining the most prestigious award a hitter can earn. With Miguel Cabrera,
Nelson Cruz, Mike Trout, Prince Fielder and even Josh Donaldson in the running,
that alone is why Teixeira isn’t likely to win unless his average skyrockets. Nonetheless,
we may have expected a bounce back season from Tex, but to be putting up the
numbers he is has to be a great success to the Yankees this year.
Chris Young
After
struggling mightily with one New York team – the Mets – Chris Young was designated
for assignment after 88 games with the team. In a questionable and surprising
move to most, Brian Cashman went out and picked up the then almost 29 year old
outfielder. After hitting just .205 with 8 home runs, Young was joining the
Bronx Bombers. To the delight of Yankee fans, alike, the rebirth of Chris Young
began after joining the Yankees in the middle of the 2014 season. In 23 games
with the team, Young hit .282 with 3 home runs, including a clutch walk-off
homer. Young’s surprising contributions led him to signing a 2.5 million dollar
deal with the Yankees for one season this offseason.
Young
began right where he left off in 2014 being one of the Yankees top hitters in
April of 2015. After hitting .305 with 5 home runs in April, Young hit just
.132 with 1 home run in May despite getting nearly identical playing time
across the two months (59 and 53 at bats, respectively). But after 57 at bats
in June so far, Young is hitting as good as he has all season with a .368
average and 4 home runs, including two over the past two days in Houston. Young
is hitting .272 with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs in 68 games to go along with
great defense making him an unlikely contributor to this year’s team.
Brett Gardner
Brett
Gardner hit a career high 17 home runs in 2014 to go along with a career low
.256 batting average and 21 stolen bases, his lowest since his first year in
the league. To say Gardy is an unexpected contributor wouldn’t be fair but the
stellar performance by him likely wasn’t predicted by many. To this point in
2015, Gardner is hitting .300 with 9 HRs and 38 RBIs. He’s also stolen 15 bases
already, far outpacing his totals in nearly every statistical category he put
up in 2014. We always expect Gardner to perform well but to be putting together
a more than deserving All-Star season is slightly surprising.
Chasen Shreve
In
an offseason trade that sent Manny Banuelos to Atlanta for David Carpenter and
Chasen Shreve, Shreve was the minor piece of the deal. Shreve was a thrown-in
as it wasn’t clear what to expect from him in the bigs in 2015. Granted, Shreve
pitched outstanding in 12.1 innings in the MLB in 2014 posting a 0.73 ERA. Despite
that, many weren’t sure Shreve would even make the Opening Day roster, and
nearly no-one expected him to outshine Carpenter.
As
we know, the David Carpenter era was a disaster as he was designated for assignment
in early June. Shreve on the other hand has been what I’ve advocated as the
best reliever in the bullpen not named Andrew Miller or Dellin Betances – and his
numbers back it up. Shreve is 5-1 with a 1.72 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 31.1
innings this season. Shreve also hasn’t allowed a run in 10.2 innings in June
as he’s continually called upon in high-pressure situations. Shreve has thrived
in the bullpen this year which is a pleasant surprise to many.
Adam Warren
Adam
Warren enjoyed the best year of his pro career in 2014 as the 7th
inning man for the Yankees. Warren posted an ERA of 2.97 with 76 strikeouts in
78.2 innings last season. Despite not being a starting pitcher since his minor
league days, Ivan Nova’s injury thrusted Warren into the rotation. After a slow
start for Warren with a 4.35 ERA in April, Warren has settled into a grove
lowering his ERA to 3.59 on the season with a record of 5-5. Over his last 10
starts, Warren has consistently lowered his ERA across starts as it’s gone from
4.78 to what it is now at 3.59. With his recent success, it brings up question
marks as to whether he’ll get moved to the bullpen or if another member of the
rotation will, but I’d still expect it to be Warren.
Justin Wilson
Justin
Wilson was one of the best left-handed relief pitchers in the game in 2013 with
the Pittsburgh Pirates going 6-1 with an ERA of 2.08 in 73.2 innings. 2014 was
a different story for Wilson as he went 3-4 with an ERA of 4.20 in 60 innings. His
lack of success forced his way to the trade block in the offseason when the Yankees
dealt backup catcher Francisco Cervelli to Pittsburgh for Wilson. It was yet
another case of a Yankee catcher going to the Pirates (Russell Martin and Chris
Stewart).
Wilson
was an asset to the bullpen early on in the season before posting an ERA of
6.23 in May. This allowed his ERA to reach 5.73 at one point. Following the
injury to Andrew Miller, Wilson got the promotion from the 7th
inning role to the setup, 8th inning role and he hasn’t looked back.
Wilson has yet to allow a run in June across 11.2 innings striking out 10 in
that span. With Wilson thriving, he’s helping the bullpen reach its full
potential.
Alex Rodriguez
As
we all know, Alex Rodriguez missed the 2014 season in its entirety leaving a
myriad of questions coming into this year, the main one wondering if he’d even
make the team. With three years and 61 million dollars left on his deal, Brian
Cashman and the Yankees made the fiscally responsible decision to keep him and
see what they could get out of him in 2015 and beyond.
Surprisingly,
Rodriguez too is putting together an All-Star caliber season. Now I’d be
absolutely surprised to see him in uniform in Cincinnati given his past but a
slash line of .286/.390/.527 and an OPS of .916 alone certainly deserves the
chance to play in the All-Star Game. Rodriguez’s bat speed is also there with a
high exit velocity off the bat allowing him to hit 15 home runs, drive in 44
runs and hit 12 doubles in 70 games so far. As a primary designated hitter, we
may have expected Rodriguez to make the team this year but to perform as good
as he has couldn’t have been predicted by anyone.
Consensus
With
the abundance of unexpected contributions across the board from the lineup to
the rotation to the bullpen, the Yankees have propelled themselves into a
pretty good position with a record of 41-34 and just a half game back of the
Tampa Bay Rays. If the players mentioned can continue thriving in addition to
other players coming together and catching fire, this team has it in them to
take back the American League East crown.
Article
by: Chad Raines
Follow
me on twitter @Chad_Rain
Keep
up with the blog on twitter @BronxBomberBlog
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