The Major League Baseball season has officially hit the halfway mark, and the New York Yankees currently sit in fourth place in the crowded AL East with a record of 45-39. The Yanks are also seven games back of the first-place Boston Red Sox.Most seasons, being in fourth place this late in the season for the Yanks means drastic roster and coaching changes, but this year’s team is a little different. Injuries to star players like Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Andy Pettite, Mark Texeira and others have forced New York to play unknown players like David Adams and Chris Stewart on a daily basis.
With that, here’s the Yankees midseason report.
Hitting
When you look at the Yankees batting numbers, you can’t help but cringe.Their offense has been pitiful this year. They currently rank 20th in the league in runs, 25th in batting-average, 23rd in on-base percentage, and 24th in slugging-percentage.
But then you have to think about who is actually in the lineup on a day-to-day basis. Injuries have run rampant throughout the Yankees clubhouse this year, and it has resulted in guys who shouldn’t be everyday MLB starters, starting on an everyday basis.
For example, most third-basemen are known for their hitting. More often than not, it’s a power position. However, David Adams is the Yanks starting third-baseman, and he’s hitting .178 with two home runs in 32 games this year.
The Yanks brought in a bunch of veterans this offseason, and they all seemed to get off to great starts. Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner and Lyle Overbay all had great Aprils, but have seriously fallen off since then.
Robinson Cano and Brett Gardner have been the only two consistent hitters for the Yanks this year, with both batting close to .300 on the year.
Overall though, the Yankees offense has been miserable, but what can you realistically expect from a lineup featuring David Adams, Chris Stewart and Jayson Nix?
Pitching
The Yankees pitching staff is the main reason they are still afloat right now, and their bullpen, for the most part, has been exceptional. They rank 12th in the league in ERA, 16th in quality starts, 12th in WHIP and 21st in batting average against.Mariano Rivera has returned from injury and reclaimed his title of “best closer in baseball” instantly. On the season, Rivera has 26 saves and a 1.50 ERA. David Robertson has also been very good this season, holding 18 games and posting a 2.51 ERA.
The starters haven’t been as good as the bullpen, though.
Hiroki Kuroda has emerged as the ace of the staff, posting a quality start in 11 of his 17 outings and an ERA under 3. CC Sabathia has had his ups and downs this year, but has still found a way to win 8 games.
The rest of the rotation has been extremely shaky though. Andy Pettite, Phil Hughes and David Phelps have all been inconsistent. One night, they’ll pitch amazing, and then the next night they’ll give up eight runs in four innings. You just don’t know what you’re going to get.
For the most part, the Yankees pitching has been solid this year, but it definitely has room to improve.
Coaching
I was listening to the Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio the other day, and a caller on the show said Joe Girardi should be fired for the team’s poor performance this year. It was the most ridiculous call I’ve ever heard in my entire life.If anything, Girardi should get an extension for having this Yankees team six games over .500 this late in the season. Do you see the players he has to work with?
The Yankees bench right now is arguably the worst in the league. As a team, the Yankees are batting .241, which ranks 25th in the league. New York’s lineup is so bad that is a miracle the Yanks are still relevant at this point.
If anything has been good this year, it’s been this team's coaching staff.
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