Ignoring the fact that the Yankees blew a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 9th against an upstart Kansas City Royals team that would’ve sealed a 4-game sweep on the road, the New York Yankees have been playing some of the best ball we’ve seen in years. They’re playing better than the team that started 61-23 in 2022 or the teams of 2018 and 2019 that both won over 100 games. And they’re certainly playing better than last year’s 82-80 team that missed the playoffs.
It might be hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this team so dominant because, well, they’re dominant in all facets of the game. The Bronx Bombers currently rank 1st in the MLB in Runs Scored, ERA, Opponent Batting Average, Overall Record, Run Differential (by 20 runs) and are top five in many more Offensive and Defensive categories. All of this was on display in Games 2 and 3 of their series in Kansas City where they would built 10-0 and 11-2 leads, respectively.
During the KC series, Yankees starting pitchers gave up a combined 5 earned runs over 25 innings. Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Cody Poteet & Nestor Cortes all continued to perform at levels that Yankee fans have come to expect from their starting rotation. We might be spoiled by how good, how consistent, and how reliable (for the most part) this starting rotation has been this year.
The Yankees also boast the best 1-2 punch, not just in the MLB but in all of sports, with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. When the Yankees traded for Juan Soto on December 6th of 2023, the idea of these two in the same lineup, let alone hitting back-to-back, seemed like a pipe dream. So far, they have far exceeded expectations. Juan Soto has been the player we all expected him to be (unfortunate for whoever has to pay him this offseason, cough cough Hal Steinbrenner).
Aaron Judge, after a rough April, has not only turned it around but has been playing the best ball of his career (even better than his 2022 MVP season). Since May 15, Judge ranks 1st in the majors in Home runs, RBIs, Total Bases, OBP, SLG and WRC+. Judge and Soto both rank 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the majors in OPS. Given Soto’s knack for getting on base (1st in OBP) and Judge’s ability to hit absolute nukes (1st in SLG), it’s not surprising these guys are at the top of the leaderboard in OPS.
While Judge and Soto are the driving force of the AL East-leading Yankees, one cannot ignore the improvement of Anthony Volpe and resurgence of Giancarlo Stanton. Through 70 games, Volpe is sustaining a higher BA, OBP, SLG and therefore a higher OPS (OBP + SLG) than his rookie year. His hitting adjustments can also be seen in the 21-game hitting streak he put together earlier in the year and the fact that he’s projected to hit less home runs this year, but more hits.
The resurgence, or renaissance, of Giancarlo Stanton can best be described in the following way: Stanton will go 0-4 for 5 straight games and then on the 6th game hit a ball so far and so hard that you forget about the previous 20 ABs that resulted in nothing. The biggest gripe I’ve had with Stanton during his time with the Yankees is his availability. When the dude plays, he’s a beast. The problem is he’s missed substantial amount of time in 3 of his seasons in pinstripes, including 50+ games in the last two years.
In 2024, however, Stanton has for the most part been here and been healthy. Could it be him being the Yankees’ primary DH that has allowed him to avoid injury so far? Who knows. And it does not matter. The Yankees do not need him to play the field to be successful. They do, however, need him in the lineup batting behind and providing protection for Judge (not that Judge needs it), while smacking balls halfway to Mars. And so far he’s smacked 17, which is good for 6th best in the majors.
Finally, let’s get to Clay Holmes. The guy that cost the Yankees the final game of their series in Kansas City this week by allowing 2 runs in the bottom of 9th, but also the guy who has closed out 19 games for the Yankees this year. Holmes has been pretty lights out for the Yankees so far this year and most of his Yankee career (since they acquired him via trade from Pittsburgh in 2021). Holmes has an impressive 1.80 ERA (1.23 before that last game in KC) across 30 innings of work. Although his relief appearances are never easy to get through, he almost always shuts the door. He’s built himself a reputation as one of the best relievers in today’s game and we should not let one outing paint a black cloud over the rest of the work he’s done so far this year.
The Yankees leave Kansas City to fly to the worst place on Earth, Boston (just kidding), for a 3-game set with the Red Sox. For some reason, it is the middle of June and this is the first time the Yankees and Red Sox are playing this year. It seems like the MLB wants to pack the summer with as much Yankee-Red Sox action as they can. I don’t blame them. This is, after all, the best rivalry in sports.
The Red Sox have hovered around .500 all year, but whenever they get together with the Yankees, the games just mean more. With Friday’s projected pitching matchup of young guns Luis Gil and Brayan Bello, it’s hard to imagine the baseball world’s focus being anywhere other than Fenway Park at 6:30pm EST.
