The New York Yankees have entered an odd part of the season as the calendar approaches mid-August. While still having the second-best record in all of baseball, it seems this team is in a lull both mentally and physically. Their play on the field is showing just that.
The Yanks sit an even 10 games behind division leading Boston, so barring an incredible collapse from the Red Sox, winning the AL East seems out of the question.
At the same time, New York has a fairly comfortable lead in the Wild Card. It sits 3.5 games ahead of Oakland and 6 games in front of Seattle for the last postseason berth. Without the pressure of keeping pace with Boston or extending their lead on the Wild Card contenders, the Yankees don’t seem to be “all in” every single night. Their mediocre 12-11 record since the All-Star Game is proof.
Obviously injuries always play a large part during tough stretches and the Yanks are missing some of their strongest pieces. The 2017 MVP runner-up Aaron Judge has not played since July 26. Starting catcher Gary Sanchez hasn’t played since July 23. CC Sabathia was just placed on the 10-day disabled list for his right knee.
The problem with injuries is every team has them and the schedule doesn’t care. New York has a month and a half of games remaining, and if it doesn’t start to play better, then this season is going to end much sooner than last years.
In order to become true World Series contenders again, the Yankees will need to get their studs rolling again. Judge and Sanchez are absolutely part of that, but maybe not the most important. That title might belong to struggling ace Luis Severino. He hasn’t had a real quality start since July 1 and has seen his ERA grow to 3.27 after his loss Monday night.
The Yankees will also rely on some role guys who maybe aren’t mentioned in the media as much. Every World Series champion has a number of under-the-radar players who catch fire and drastically change a series. New York has several candidates, but these three will stick out down the stretch and have a direct impact on the Yankees’ postseason fortunes.
Neil Walker
Utility players are often vital to any championship run, especially on teams that have several injuries. With the number of holes the Yankees have, Neil Walker will continue to play an important part on this roster.
His versatility on defense gives manager Aaron Boone some options, and with the way Walker has been hitting of late, he’s been a mainstay in the everyday lineup.
The switch-hitter is batting .306 with a .832 OPS since the All-Star break. More importantly, Walker’s been clutch, hitting .292 with runners in scoring position along with 23 RBI in just 65 at-bats. With everyone healthy, Walker could still be a key contributor in the back of the order.
Aaron Hicks
Aaron Hicks is another player who remains less talked about, but is a huge part of the Yankees’ future success. With Judge and Sanchez out, Hicks has moved up in the lineup and been relied on for more production.
Since the break, he’s raised his batting average nearly 20 points and is sporting a .418 OBP. Hicks has bounced around the order, but with some of the power hitters sidelined, he’s been getting more looks in the cleanup spot. He’s taken full advantage and is hitting a strong .364 with an OBP of .543 and .727 SLG percentage.
Like Walker, Hicks’ switch-hitting ability allows Boone some flexibility within the lineup particularly when all the righties are healthy. He’ll need to continue his solid play for the Yankees to get deep in October.
Lance Lynn
Lance Lynn seemed to be the “secondary” pitching acquisition at the trade deadline after Brian Cashman already traded for J.A. Happ. It may turn out that Lynn becomes one of the most important pitchers on the staff.
Sabathia is set to miss more time, Severino is not close to himself, and everyone knows the struggles Sonny Gray is experiencing. Lynn was initially brought in to provide depth, but it seems he’ll be much more.
Thus far, he’s been brilliant in pinstripes. Through 16.2 innings pitched over three games, he’s only surrendered one run while striking out 22 and posting a 0.96 WHIP. It’s unrealistic to believe the 31-year-old will continue to have such impressive numbers, but if he can give the Yankees quality starts that save the bullpen, then Lynn will have a tremendous impact the remainder of the season.
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