The New York Yankees began their season on March 25 in San Francisco, which culminated in a triumphant sweep of the San Francisco Giants. The Yankees also won the series against the Seattle Mariners in Seattle and the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium.
However, the team has currently hit a rough stretch of losses, with the offense showing inconsistent production and ongoing problematic defensive miscues.
“Every game matters, we know that,” team captain Aaron Judge said. He’s correct, but there are 162 games in a baseball season, so it’s natural to withhold attention in the first few weeks. However, the narrative around the Yankees is that they’re running back the same team as last season, so there is heightened pressure on the “Bronx Bombers” to prove that this was the correct decision.
A recent issue that has plagued the Yankees is the bullpen. The Yankees did not add any meaningful acquisition to the relief corps this past offseason, but three major arms were added by last summer’s trade deadline: David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, who have been inconsistent in their setup and closer roles.
The bullpen has a 2.98 combined earned run average and 1.2 wins above replacement, which is positive on paper, but the stats don’t show the issues the team is dealing with.
The corps could use some much-needed reset periods to help counteract the overwork they’ve been accustomed to at the early start of the season, but the arms mentioned above are being tasked with anchoring the turnaround.
The aforementioned offense and defense also need more consistency. The offense has a combined 0.202 average and 0.308 on base percentage, which are both lousy compared to expected standards.
They also have a combined 93 weighted runs created, below the league average of 100, which shows that the total offensive contribution has been disappointing thus far.
With Judge, Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger leading the way, it’s obligatory for the offense to return to not only league-average levels but stardom levels as well.
Lastly, the defense has struggled with fundamentals.
With a -1.8 defensive rating as a defensive team that is partly attributed to astonishing errors, it is crucial for the team to get their heads in the game on this side of the ball because, as the saying goes, defense wins championships.
The Yankees are by no means a finished product, with a lot to work on. However, with the talent they already have, it comes down to the current team to fix the early inconsistencies and strengthen themselves for a run at the 28th World Series title.
