Giancarlo Getting in a Groove

⚾Being one win away from the World Series in 2017, Yankees fans felt excited that they had a young competitive team to root for, but there was still a sense that they were one piece away from winning it all. That puzzle piece was delivered to New York during the offseason in the form of reigning NL MVP and home run king, 👑Giancarlo Stanton👑. His big bat in the small confines of Yankee Stadium is a match made in heaven for fans in New York, while it is also a recipe for disaster for opposing teams. In one of the most highly anticipated debuts for a baseball player on a new team, Giancarlo delivered in a big way in the season opener vs the Toronto Blue Jays when he 💣hit two mammoth home runs 💣in a Yankees win. After the smoking hot start, Stanton came crashing back down to Earth with one of the worst slumps of his career, which included multiple 5 strikeout games and drew a handful of boos 👎from the crowd at Yankee Stadium.
   
Stanton has flipped the script following this hitting drought as he is absolutely destroying lefty pitching and having much better at-bats in general. This turn around by Stanton is lifting the level of play of his teammates and more importantly is leading to more and more Yankee wins. To cap it all off, Giancarlo Stanton recently had his New York Yankees "SIGNATURE MOMENT" as Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay shouted when Stanton ended a 5-5 tie game with a 🔥monster walk-off blast ☄in the bottom of the 9th inning vs the Tampa Bay Rays. ⚾

4 Factors That Can Cause The Yankees To Miss Out On #28 This Year

With the addition of 2017 National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton to go along with the young core of talented players on the Yankees roster who gained valuable postseason experience after last years premature run, it seems like it is the Yankees time to win now and bring another title back to New York. There are not many things that stand in the way of this Yankees team being the last men standing after this season, but there are some possible concerns:

1. The season gets derailed by injuries to key contributors.
2. End of the rotation starting pitchers can't get through innings for the bullpen to finish the job.
3. Strikeouts overpower the home runs.
4. They get sloppy and beat themselves.

It is extremely tough to beat the 2018 Yankees as long as all of their key players are on the field. But like any good team in any sport they must avoid the injury-bug to keep the success going. Another factor is the starting pitching, which has been solid, but is still one of the weakest links of this team. Ace of the staff, Luis Severino, and veteran starter, CC Sabathia, are consistent but it remains to be seen that the 4th and 5th starting pitchers can be fully trusted to provide valuable innings in the postseason. As long as this powerful lineup matches their strikeouts with long balls and they don't make silly mistakes out in the field, this Yankees team will be a force to be reckon with come October.

All Eyes on The Big Apple

After the unexpected success throughout the 2017 season and especially during the postseason, the Yankees are living up to the hype early on in the 2018 regular season. With the pressure to win ball games night in and night out from the loving, yet ruthless New York Yankee fanbase, this group of young players is not disappointing. This Yankees team has captured the attention of baseball fans around the world because:

• Chicks dig the long ball.
• They bring the heat.
• The young stars play with swag.
• They play in The Big Apple.

The 2018 Yankee roster is loaded from top to bottom and they are extremely well rounded. They have power bats like Judge, Stanton, Sanchez and Gregorious that keep constant pressure on opposing pitchers. They have an ace in Luis Severino with lockdown bullpen guys like Chapman and Betances who consistently hover around the 100mph mark with their fastballs. They have promising young rookies like Torres, Andujar, and Loaisiga who are actively contributing to the teams success. And to top it off, this is all being done on the biggest stage and in front of the some of the most passionate fans in the world.

Aaron Boone Wikipedia

I wanted to investigate Aaron Boone's Wikipedia page to see how the page has been updated since his transition to former MLB player and analyst to first time manager for the New York Yankees. This situation is unique because a manager has such a talented team in their first season. On Boone's Wikipedia page there was only information on his career/personal life and nothing about his first MLB manager job or how he came to acquire such a sought after position.

Original Wikipedia Post:

The New York Yankees acquired Boone from the Reds for Brandon Claussen, Charlie Manning and cash on July 31, 2003.^[11] In 54 games after the trade, he hit .254 with a .720 OPS, six home runs and 31 RBIs.^[12] 

During Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS), Boone hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning, off of Tim Wakefield, which gave the New York Yankees a 6–5 victory over the Boston Red Sox, thus prolonging the Curse of the Bambino. The New York Daily News dubbed the play the "Curse of the Boonebino".^[13] This home run was rated the ninth-best home run of all time on Baseball Tonight.^[14] 

In January 2004, Boone tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a pick-up basketball game, played in violation of his contract with the Yankees.^[15][16] The Yankees released Boone on February 27, 2004.^[12]

My Addition/Changes:

I aimed to speak about what kind of position Aaron Boone is now in and how get got there. I also felt it was important to recognize that it is rare for a first time manager to have a great team to lead right off the bat. Lastly, I wanted to bring up the fact that there is a learning curve when transitioning from former player to manager and Aaron Boone will have to experiment with his lineup and figure those things out like every other manager. The difference with Aaron Boone is that being the manager for the New York Yankees comes with a little more scrutiny and more pressure to win games. 

Updated Wikipedia Post:

The New York Yankees acquired Boone from the Reds for Brandon Claussen, Charlie Manning and cash on July 31, 2003.^[11] In 54 games after the trade, he hit .254 with a .720 OPS, six home runs and 31 RBIs.^[12] 

During Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS), Boone hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning, off of Tim Wakefield, which gave the New York Yankees a 6–5 victory over the Boston Red Sox, thus prolonging the Curse of the Bambino. The New York Daily News dubbed the play the "Curse of the Boonebino".^[13] This home run was rated the ninth-best home run of all time on Baseball Tonight.^[14] 

In January 2004, Boone tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a pick-up basketball game, played in violation of his contract with the Yankees.^[15][16] The Yankees released Boone on February 27, 2004.^[12] 

Aaron Boone continues his Yankee legacy in 2018 as a first time manager for the club. The Yankees parted ways with Joe Girardi following the 2017 season after a 9 year stretch with the team and Boone is set to take over. Boone has big shoes to fill and high expectations to live up to right away since he is taking over for Joe Girardi when a lot of people thought Girardi still deserved to be the Yankees manager. Girardi brought home the World Series trophy to New York in 2009 for the 27th time and was also at the helm of last years team who was a game away from yet another World Series appearance. 

With all the star-power on this 2018 Yankees roster Aaron Boone has a lot of pressure to do well and make a deep playoff run this year and he is off to a fantastic start. He is learning to mix and match lineups to preserve players to be healthy at the end of the year. He is also managing injuries to key players and the bullpen exceptionally well, which is rare to see for a rookie manager. Boone has a lot of experience in the game of baseball and he knows how to handle a clubhouse, which I think will suit him well as he continues this journey as Yankee manager where the spotlight of the biggest city is always on you.

Conclusion:

When I went to learn more about Aaron Boone on his Wikipedia page I was shocked to see how little information there was about him as the new Yankees manager in 2018. Although his career defining moment as a player of when he hit the walk-off home run in game 7 of the ALCS vs the rival Boston Red Sox was discussed, there was very little information regarding this new and extremely important position he is now in with the New York Yankees. As manager he has yet another opportunity to leave a lasting impression on this historic franchise.  

Who Stays? Who Goes?

An interesting article was written for ESPN recently by Coley Harvey regarding the frustrations coming from some Yankee players in the minor league system who believe they deserve to be a part of the major league roster. In particular, Clint Frazier and Brandon Drury have voiced their opinions on the matter.

Frazier is one of the Yankees most talented young prospects and has shown some promise at the major league level, however, he has been unable to carve out a consistent spot due to the plethora of key outfielders the Yankees currently have. Drury started the season at 3rd base but after going on the DL and landing in the minors he has been unable to make his way back to the team because of the undeniable success of the rookie, Miguel Andujar. 

Harvey brings up some good points mentioning how well Frazier and Drury have been doing while in the minors, both batting over the .300 mark for average. This makes the decision to keep them down there even tougher for the Yankee front office.

Although this is the case where the Yankees have an embarrassment of riches, moves will have to be made soon by GM Brian Cashman before this situation starts negatively effecting team morale. Unless more injuries at the major league level come into play where players like Frazier and Drury could come in and have an instant impact, I think the Yankees should seriously consider moving some of these young pieces for other needs like starting pitching as the trade deadline approaches.

Missing Piece to the Puzzle

The Yankees have been firing on all cylinders recently as they currently have the best winning percentage in the MLB with a 42-19 record as they approach the all-star break. I believe that the Yankees are one more solid starting pitcher away from becoming truly dominant. 

With the young lefty, Jordan Montgomery, on the DL with an elbow injury that could keep him sidelined for a good portion of the season the Yankees are in need of some talent to beef up their starting rotation. Bullpen pitcher Domingo German has taken over the role of the fifth starter and although he has been somewhat serviceable I don't think it is his time yet to be full time starter, especially come playoff time.

With all the young assets in the Yankees farm system I believe it could be beneficial for GM Brian Cashman to make a trade deadline deal for a veteran arm like Cole Hamels (Rangers). Another strategy could be to go after someone like Chris Archer (Rays) or Marcus Stroman (Blue Jays) who are coming to the end of their contracts and play for struggling teams who may find it smart to get something of value in return for them while they still can. On the flip side, building up the farm system is what has the Yankees in this current position to win games and trading young players away could have a negative impact on future success of the team. Plus there is no guarantee that if you trade for a pitcher they won't just leave the next year in free agency.

In my opinion it would be in the best interest of the Yankees to go after a solid starting pitcher at the trade deadline even if it means parting ways with some young talent because the most important thing is the present and winning now.

Baby Bombers Right the Ship

After entering the 2018 season with high expectations to win, the Yankees were sitting in the middle of the pack with a measly 9-9 record. Giancarlo Stanton burst onto the scene with a 2 homerun game in his Yankees debut, but instantly cooled off with multiple 5 strikeout games in the opening weeks of the season (after never having 5 K's in a game in his first 8 years in the majors). The bats were off to a slow start, key players like Greg Bird, Brandon Drury and Aaron Hicks were on the DL, and the bullpen could not close out games, which was supposed to be one of the Yankees biggest strengths this year.

Manager Aaron Boone decided to start experimenting with lineup changes and giving playing time to some of the younger players including two rookies, Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres. Andujar was promoted from the minors to help out with third base duties after Drury went on the DL and he did not disappoint. Early on the 23 year old joined Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio as the only Yankees under the age of 24 to have extra base hits in 7 straight games.

On April 22, Gleyber Torres, the 21 year old rookie, made his Yankees and MLB debut at second base. Torres has been a highly regarded prospect around the bigs for a while now and after recovering from Tommy John Surgery in the offseason he was healthy and ready to help the team win. Torres earned the respect of his teammates and coaches by the way he plays like a veteran and his timely hitting at the bottom of the order, including a walk-off 3 run homerun vs the Twins on May 6.

These two rookies rejuvenated the Yankees lineup as they went on to win 16 of their next 18 games after the sluggish start to the year. These young ball players continue to prove that they belong day after day.

New Look Yankees

Yankees fans were pleasantly surprised by the performance of their team in 2017, especially in the postseason as they were a game away from playing in the World Series. With such a young group of players many figured it would be a rebuilding year in the Bronx. Coming into 2018 these Yankees are no longer flying under the radar since the young core from 2017 is still intact and now they have some playoff experience under their belts.

If that wasn't enough to please Yankee fans, General Manager Brian Cashman made some major offseason moves to bring this team to the next level. The addition of the 2017 National League MVP and MLB home run king, Giancarlo Stanton, to pair with the American League rookie of the year and slugger, Aaron Judge has MLB pitchers on edge. Cashman also brought in Yankee postseason legend Aaron Boone to lead the charge as a first time manager.

This Yankee team has all the pieces to make another deep postseason run and considering their 37-17 start to this long season, which is the earliest in a season for the NYY to reach 20 games over .500 since 1998, there is no reason not to expect greatness once again from this storied franchise.