Andres Chavez
The New York Yankees won an unforgettable game on Tuesday night, with Amed Rosario almost single-handedly willing them to a 5-3 victory over the Athletics with a two-homer night. It was the Bombers’ eight of the year against just two losses, and that’s good enough to be the best record in the American League.
Hot starts aren’t exactly new for the Yankees, but they have to ride the wave while they can and get as many wins as they can because the idea is to win a marathon, not a sprint. The regular season ends in late September, and every win counts.
The Yankees Already Have A Considerable AL-East Lead
Before Wednesday’s results, the Yankees had managed to put together a 3.5-game lead in the always-competitive AL East. That’s the gap that separates the 8-2 Yanks from the 5-6 Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. The 4-7 Toronto Blue Jays and the 3-8 Boston Red Sox have both looked worse than previously imagined, but remain postseason candidates and can turn around their fate at any minute.
Still, any Yankees fan would have signed up for a 3.5-game lead on April 8. Every one of them would have taken this scenario and this situation. And things could improve from a personnel standpoint very soon.
For example, the Yankees boast the best rotation in baseball, and they don’t even have Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt on the active roster. The first two will return before the end of May, and the latter has a chance to be a factor in the stretch run. Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange are developing in Triple-A and could become additional alternatives for manager Aaron Boone’s pitching staff.
Things Can Get Even Better
The Yankees are 8-2 with Aaron Judge hitting .237, and with Jazz Chisholm Jr. sporting a 49 wRC+. Starting catcher Austin Wells has a 60 wRC+, and Trent Grisham, one of the unluckiest hitters in baseball, has an 80 mark. Other starters are below the league average threshold: Jose Caballero (16 wRC+) and Ryan McMahon (31 wRC+).
All these players stand to improve when regression to the mean takes place. Of course, that also means Ben Rice won’t finish with a 284 wRC+, but he’ll be among the finest hitters in the league nonetheless.
Camilo Doval, additionally, should be able to bring that 10.80 ERA somewhat down, at least, and Jake Bird has pitched much better than his 5.40 ERA suggests. This is a good and deep Yankees squad that might have championship aspirations when the injured arms return and when some key players start rounding into form.
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