Can Yankees keep up the pace?
The New York Yankees were a tough team to figure at the start of the 2015 Major League Baseball season. In so many spots, the Yankees were aging and appeared to be on the way down. Manager Joe Girardi was going to have a tough time, perhaps looking at a team destined to finish in last place of the American League East.
Then the season began, and some of the players who were supposed to be in a rocking chair decided to have another quality campaign. Leading that brigade is third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who at 39 years old is hitting .278 with 19 home runs and 52 RBI. Rodriguez was suspended for all of the 2014 season due to use of performance enhancing drugs, and many believed he would be nothing but an expensive retiree-in-waiting. Instead, Rodriguez has helped New York to a 49-41 record, leading the division by 3.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Another player in that same vein is first baseman Mark Teixeira. The man known as Tex by those in the Bronx has found his swing once more. Despite a low average of .242, Teixeira is leading the team with 22 home runs and 62 RBI, proving power in the middle of the order for a team that desperately needed that in 2014.
Catcher Brian McCann is also having a bounce-back season. After looking like a massive mistake in free agency for general manager Brian Cashman last year, the backstop has come to life with 15 homers and 58 RBI. McCann is giving added punch for a group that suddenly looks like the Bronx Bombers of old.
Still, can the Yankees continue to play well without breaking down with injuries as the dog days of summer hit?
Looking at this group, age is absolutely a problem. Teixeira and Rodriguez both have histories of being sidelined for long periods of time. If either goes down, New York has major issues. Then there are regular starters like Didi Gregorius and Stephen Drew. Gregorius is hitting .238 with a .292 on-base percentage, while Drew is putting a truly horrific campaign. The second baseman is hitting .182 in 247 at-bats, somehow continuing to get chances.
In the rotation, the Yankees have a pair of youngsters holding down the fort. Michael Pineda was once a top prospect in the Seattle Mariners organization before being dealt to New York for Miguel Montero. The trade has finally begun to pay off, with Pineda sporting nine wins and 113 strikeouts to lead the Yankees in both categories.
Adam Warren has also been giving solid outings. In 21 starts this year, Warren has posted 14 quality starts and a 1.7 Wins Above Replacement. However, the back end has been a mess with Nathan Eovaldi and C.C. Sabathia each notching hideous ERAs of 4.50 and 5.47, respectively.
Can the Yankees keep marching toward the postseason? Yes, but injuries consistently loom.
