The New York Yankees bursted onto the scene in 2022, winning games at a historical pace. Shades of previous championship teams from the iconic Yankees franchise were evident in the Bronx during the first half. The second half of the season following the all-star break has presented a rollercoaster of outcomes and emotions for the Yankees, however. From trade deadline acquisitions not panning out to a slumping offense, some worry has struck the heart of Yankees fans.
The divisional standings in the AL East had not been competitive at the top until the Yankees started to lose consistently in the month of August. New York had built a lead as large as 15 1/2 games on July 8. Fast forward two months to Sept. 9 and that lead had been trimmed to just 3 1/2 games. Their lead currently stands at 5 1/2 games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays and 6 1/2 over the Tampa Bay Rays. With just 16 games left for the Yankees, they will likely hold this lead to take the AL East crown.
One Man Show
One constant for the New York Yankees has been superstar outfielder Aaron Judge. While much of the offense has struggled over the course of the 2022 season, Judge has put together one of the greatest offensive seasons the league has ever seen. He leads all of MLB with 59 home runs and 127 RBI, while scoring a league-high 122 runs as well. His .316/.419/.701/1.120 slash line is impossible to overlook, as he leads the league in all categories but batting average. The home run record among non-steroid users is 61, achieved by Roger Maris in 1961. If Judge can continue his torrid September, the record is all but his.
Despite the astonishing performance of Aaron Judge that has captivated the league, the rest of the Yankee lineup has had its fair share of struggles. The only other Yankee regular to hit at a well above average rate this season has been Anthony Rizzo. The 33-year-old first baseman has had his best season offensively since 2019 with the Chicago Cubs. Rizzo has hit 31 home runs, just one shy of his career high that he has accomplished three separate times. He has forfeited a little bit of his well-known plate discipline in favor of more power. His home run percentage of 6.3 is a career best, whilst his strikeout percentage of 18.8 is also a career high, excluding his rookie season in 2011. The overall production is still impressive for Rizzo, especially compared to the rest of the league, with a 137 OPS+ in 2022.
The rejuvenated bat of Matt Carpenter was a welcome sign for the Yankees, as he was part the offensive onslaught toward the beginning of the year for New York. Signing as a free agent in late May, the 36-year old exploded onto the scene with 15 home runs in just 128 at-bats. Carpenter also has a .305/.412/.727/1.138 slash line that is otherworldly but also unsustainable given the lack of consistent at-bats. His status for a potential return from a foot fracture remains in limbo.
Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and infielders Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu have all been slightly above league average offensively. However, none of them have produced at levels they have in past seasons. Stanton is in the midst of unquestionably his worst season offensively. The 6-foot-6 veteran has posted career lows in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. Stanton is hitting the ball to the opposite field and on the ground more than he has in previous years. His 20.9 line drive percentage is the lowest of his career since 2011.
Torres has had a rough two-year stretch with only 30 home runs in 1044 at-bats. Comparatively, he hit 62 home runs in his first two seasons in the league spanning 1088 at-bats. He has actually hit the ball harder on average than in any other season in his career. He ranks in the 75th percentile or higher in average exit velocity and hart hit percentage, according to Baseball Savant. A problem for Torres that has lead to his underwhelming offensive performance has been his inability to draw walks. In 528 plate appearances, he has walked just 33 times with 119 strikeouts. With an on-base percentage of .296, Torres has had a difficult time getting on base and creating run scoring opportunities for New York.
Similar to Torres, LeMahieu has been in a multi-year funk offensively for the Yankees. After a phenomenal start in New York in 2019 and 2020, the 34-year-old has regressed significantly. LeMahieu finished in the top four in AL MVP voting during his first two seasons as a Yankee, with 2020 being arguably his best in the big leagues. Despite it being a shortened season, he slashed .364/.421/.590 with an AL-best 178 OPS+ in 50 games. The last two years for LeMahieu have been uncharacteristic. He has always hit for high average throughout his career, with two batting titles and a career .297 batting average to show for it. In 2021 he hit for his lowest average since 2014 at a .268 clip. He has followed that up with an even lower .262 average in 2022.
Other regulars in the lineup that have not looked the part offensively include the likes of veteran Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Aaron Hicks and Jose Trevino. Each of these players have posted an OPS+ below 100, meaning they have been below league average hitters in 2022.
Deadline Dud
The major trade deadline acquisition for the New York Yankees was starting pitcher Frankie Montas from the Oakland Athletics. Montas had a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts with Oakland prior to the trade. In eight starts with New York, he has a 6.35 ERA with well over a 1.5 WHIP. To make matters worse for New York, the starting pitcher they traded away has been terrific with his new team. Jordan Montgomery had a 3.69 ERA with the Yankees before being dealt to St. Louis. He has since pitched to the tune of a 2.35 ERA and 1.043 WHIP in nine starts with the Cardinals.
The strength of the Yankees starting rotation is without a doubt $324 million-ace Gerrit Cole. The right-hander has had a difficult time preventing the long ball this season with 29 home runs allowed, leading the AL. This can be explained by a career-high 29.4 percent fly ball percentage that plays a factor at Yankee Stadium given the short right field dimensions. His ability to miss bats remains elite, however. With a MLB-high 239 strikeouts, opposing batters are hitting just .208 on the year off Cole. While he has not looked like the pitcher that finished in the top five of AL CY Young voting in each of the past four seasons, he has shown flashes of dominance throughout the year.
Since joining the Yankees for a second go around, Nestor Cortes has broken out. The 27-year-old left-hander has impressed in back-to-back seasons posting a sub-three ERA in both. In 140 innings in 2022, Cortes has punched out 142 batters while giving up home runs and walks at career-low rates. His WHIP of .950 ranks first among Yankee starting pitchers.
Fellow starting pitchers Jameson Taillon and Luis Severino, who is currently injured, have each been solid, but not at the level of a top-of-the-rotation caliber pitcher. Taillon has a 4.04 ERA in 158 innings with a 1.133 WHIP. Severino, who has been out since the middle of July, has a 3.45 ERA in 86 innings with a near 10 strikeout per nine inning rate.
Domingo German has made 11 starts for New York this season and has a career-best 3.12 ERA. He is actually striking hitters out at a much lower rate in 2022 than in any other year. His 4.20 FIP would suggest he has been a bit lucky with his batting average against on balls in play.
New Closer Leads the Way
With the struggles of Aroldis Chapman this season, a new closer has emerged for the New York Yankees. Chapman has career highs in ERA, FIP, WHIP and walk rate, among other things. He has also set a career low with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings, 4.5 fewer than his career average. Chapman has since been removed from the closer position that he has held for almost his entire career since he entered the league in 2010.
Though his time on the field with the Pittsburgh Pirates was not memorable, Clay Holmes has turned into a reliable arm out of the Yankees bullpen since arriving via trade a year ago. With a 2.25 ERA in 84 appearances with New York, Holmes has been called upon to close games in 2022. He also flashes a 2.68 FIP and 1.05 WHIP in 60 innings of work this season.
A pair of southpaws have stepped up nicely to cover for the poor performance of Chapman. Wandy Peralta and Lucas Luetge have had very similar seasons with ERAs of 2.72 and 2.75, respectively. In over 108 innings, the two have only given up six combined home runs. Peralta and Luetge each have a FIP at three or lower and an ERA+ higher than 140. Luetge made his first MLB appearance since 2015 when he took the mound for the Yankees a year ago.
In his debut season, Ron Marinaccio has been stellar out of the bullpen. In 34 games, the 27-year-old has a 1.88 ERA and a strikeout rate of 11.5 per nine innings. He has limited opposing hitters to a paltry .147 batting average while only surrendering two home runs on the year.
With a steady workload for the first time in his career, Clarke Schmidt has impressed for New York. The 26-year-old has a 2.82 ERA in 51 innings on the season. Between 2020 and 2021, Schmidt made just two starts in five total appearances. He has only allowed three home runs and opponents have just a .634 OPS against him.
A big loss for the bullpen is the absence of Michael King. In the middle of a breakout campaign, the right-hander fractured his elbow and was declared out for the season. King had a 2.29 ERA in 51 innings with 66 strikeouts. To help stabilize the bullpen following the injury, The Yankees acquired veteran Lou Trivino as part of the Montas trade with Oakland. After a disastrous start to the year with the A’s, Trivino has turned his season around emphatically. He has a 1.13 ERA with New York in 19 games and has yet to give up a home run in 16 innings of work.
Evil Empire Returns?
There is no doubt the scorching hot bat of Judge has played a significant role in getting the New York Yankees to the point they are at in the 2022 season. For the Bronx Bombers to live up to their name, it will likely take more than the heroic play of Judge to will them to a World Series. The likes of Donaldson and Rizzo will need to find the postseason magic they once had on their former clubs to help balance the lineup come playoff time. Stanton has been a very streaky hitter over the course of his career. If he can flip the switch, this lineup could be a nightmare to face at just right time.
The organization has had its fair share of brutal playoff experiences in recent years, none worse than Jose Altuve’s walk-off home run in the ALCS in 2019 that sent the Yankees packing. The 27-time champions have failed to make the World Series since 2009 when they bested the Philadelphia Phillies. After such a hot start to the season this year, another failed run at a championship could lead to some changes within the organization. Manager Aaron Boone could be in his final season at the helm for the Yankees if things go awry in October.