Even though games aren’t played on paper, something the 27-time world-champion New York Yankees always pride themselves on, is fielding a championship team. However, if you look at the team as currently constructed, I can’t imagine how you would think this is a championship-caliber team. This wasn’t the case the last few years (2017-2020) as the Bombers had great teams, and great seasons but could never get over the hump. All teams have championship windows, but the Yankees have never gone into full on “rebuilding mode”, rather keep winning on the fly. However, this begs the question, is the Yankees time with core group of players coming to an end, or can they make a last run at a championship, before some roster overhaul has to take place?
Now I say this, because GM Brian Cashman said he’s trying to get the band he had last season, mostly back together in 2021, but that’s easier said than done, as the Yankees have some big decisions to make this offseason, which has seen 83 days go by with no action.
Yankees roster right now:
1B: Luke Voit
2B: Tyler Wade
SS: Gleyber Torres
3B: Gio Urshela
LF: Clint Frazier
CF: Aaron Hicks
RF: Aaron Judge
C: Kyle Higashioka
DH: Giancarlo Stanton
Rotation:
Gerrit Cole
Jordan Montgomery
Devi Garcia
Micheal King
Jonathan Losiga
Bullpen
Aroldis Chapman
Zack Brittion
Adam Ottavino
Chad Green
Luis Cessa
Clarke Schmidt
Nick Nelson
Domingo German
Bench:
Mike Tauchman
Mike Ford
Gary Sanchez
Thairo Estrada
You may look at this roster, and ask “What’s wrong?”, but to fully understand the context behind this, we must go back and look at their 2020 attempt championship, how it turned out, and what did the World Series teams do, that New York didn’t.
REGULAR SEASON:
Part 1: 16-6(2-1 @WSH, 2-0@BAL, 3-0vsBOS, 1-0vs Philly, 1-2@Philly, 1-3@TB, 2-0 vsATL, 3-0 , 4-0 vs BOS):
The season started as expected; Aaron Judge was hitting homers almost every day, Giancarlo Stanton was turning into the player the Yankees are paying him to be, Gerrit Cole was pitching like an ace, Luke Voit had begun a season where he would finish with a league-leading 22 home runs, and the bullpen was “lights-out”, with Zack Britton, and Aroldis Chapman locking games at the back end of the bullpen.
PART2: The atrocious 5-15 stretch(0-3 vs TB, 0-2@ATL, 3-2 vs NYM, 1-2vsTB, 0-1@NYM, 1-3@BAL, 0-2@TOR)
Whatever this test accomplished early in the year, the opposite happened. Injuries started to pile up, (with Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton, Zack Brittion, Gleyber Torres, and James Paxton all going on the IL this year), players regressed with Adam Ottavino becoming a shell of his former self, and Gary Sanchez who was arguably the best catcher in baseball last year, looked like a rookie just trying to stay afloat in this league while at the plate, but was very good defensively.
Meanwhile, Masahiro Tanaka, and JA Happ struggled, making Yankees fan wish every day was “Cole day.”
Overall, the Yankees record fell to 21-21, falling behind the Rays, and “Buffalo” Blue Jays in the AL East, while also falling behind Cleveland for the seventh seed, only holding a slim 1.5 game lead over Baltimore, in the AL Wild Card race for the eight seed. Yes, their was serious doubt that this team, every under the expanded playoff format the MLB introduced for this year, that the New York Yankees would miss the playoffs, and maybe have a losing record for the first time in 28 seasons.
PART 3: The 10 game win streak, and a playoff spot(1-0 @TOR, 4-0 vs BAL, 3-0 vs TOR, 2-0 @BOS)
This all began with an “At last” win in Buffalo, before catapulting in the Bronx. The Yankees then, punched Baltimore out of the playoff race, with a four game sweep, including a Gerrit Cole complete game shutout (Albeit 7 innings). Up next, were the pesky Jays again, where the Bombers looked to vault into the “Runner-ups tier” of the postseason bracket, as per the MLB playoff 2020 format, if you finish second in your division, your seeded in the “4-6 range” for the best-of-3 Wild Card series.
What happened next wasn’t only historic, it saved the season, the fanbase, and probably management from having an egg on their face early in the offseason. Game one, was a 20-6(20 runs!!!!) Bombers rout, with six homers(Two from Luke Voit), and at one point, 12 unanswered runs. Game two, brought even more fireworks, as the hosts outdid themselves, by blasting seven home-runs,(three by catcher Kyle Higashioka, two by DJ, and one by Voit), while Gerrit Cole pitched a gem in a 13-2 Yankees drubbing.
But if you think that was fun, the series finale was even more astonishing, with the Bombers blasting an astounding five(5!!) home-runs in the fourth, with Brett Gardener DJ LeMahieu, and Luke Voit hitting three straight. That historic frame accounted for seven runs, with the Yankees wrapping up the series with a 10-7 win, and some new records to flex about.
•Most home runs in a three game span 19(6,7,6)
•Most runs scored in a three game span(43)
•Most Homers ever hit at the new Yankee Stadium in one game (7)
•First time ever, a team has hit six homers in three straight games.
Yankees universe was resting easy after that “Blue Jays bashing”, knowing it was only a matter of time until this team clinched a playoff spot, which they did a few days later in Boston, but not before running their win-streak to 10, and clinching a winning record for the 27th straight season.
PART 4: The 2-6 finish(0-1 @BOS, 1-2@BUF, 1-2 vs MIA)
To say this team “slumped” into the playoffs would be an understatement, as they were terrible. Fortunately, this didn’t hurt them as much as it may have should’ve, as the Yankees lost the rights to the four seed, and could’ve would up as the eighth seed on the final day of the regular season, but a Blue Jays loss to the Orioles, sealed the Yankees fate. They finished 2020, with a 32-28 record, and as the five seed, were headed to Cleveland, for a Wild Card series date with the fourth seeded Indians.
PLAYOFF TREE:
Before we take a deep-dive into the Yankee-Indians clash, let’s take a look at the rest of the Wild Card round.
AL:
1 Rays (40-20) over 8 Blue Jays (31-27) 3-2, 8-2.
6 Astros (25-31) over 3 Twins (36-24) 4-1, 3-1
2 A’s(36-24) over 7 White Sox (35-25) 1-4, 5-3, 6-4
NL:
1 Dodgers(43-17) over 8 Brewers(29-31) 4-2, 3-0
4 Padres over 5 Cardinals 2-6, 11-9, 4-0
6 Marlins over 3 Cubs 3-1, 2-0
2 Braves over 7 Reds 1-0, 5-0
PART 5: TRIBING IN CLEVELAND:
This was a dream series for Yankees fans.
Game one saw Gerrit Cole take the hill for the Yankees, who had a nice regular season going 7-3 with a 2.84ERA, which was good for fourth in the CY Young race.
However, taking the hill at Progressive Field for Cleveland, was the 2020 unanimous Cy Young award, and pitching triple crown winner, Shane Bieber; who had 8 wins, a 1.80 regular season ERA, and 122 strikeouts, which all led baseball.
But nobody told the Bombers that, as two batters into the game we saw Aaron Judge blast a two run shot, to give the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.
In the third, a DJ LeMahieu RBI double stretched the lead to 3-0, before a Jose Ramirez RBI double, got Cleveland on the board.
But if you thought Bieber was going to find his rhythm, the visiting bats made sure he didn’t, as fourth inning knocks by Gardner and LeMahieu, stretched the advantage to 5-1.
Cole would serve up a bomb to Josh Naylor, but that would be the last run, he gave up, as backed by an electric offense l, Gerrit was astounding, and brilliant in his Yankees playoff debut, going 7 innings of 2 run ball, with an abundance of strikeouts credited, with 13.
After Bieber departed in the 5th, courtesy of a Gleyber Torres two run shot, the Bombers would pile it on, with Gardner, and Giancarlo Stanton hitting long balls, while Gio Urshela, and Gleyber Torres got some runs with some “small ball” as well. When the final out was recorded, the Yankees had made their presence known, with a convincing 12-3 game one victory.
Game two, was one of the best playoff games I’ve ever seen, but it didn’t look so promising for Néw York early, as they suffered through two early rain-delays, and saw Masahiro Tanaka serve up a four run first, as the Tribe took an early lead.
But against Carlos Carrasco, a Stantonian blast, a dramatic Gio Urshela grand slam off James Karenchek and a Giancarlo sac fly out the Yankees in front 6-4.
Up next, the bullpen had to hold the lead, which Chad Green hoped to do, but gave up a game-tying two run double in the bottom half of the 5th, tied the game at 6.
However, the team would rally after Gary Sanchez picked the right time to snap out of slump, and just clear the right field fence, for an 8-6 NY lead. That lead was once again short lived, as Jonathan Losiga, and Zack Brittion couldn’t hold the lead, and the game went to the ninth with the Yankees trailing 9-8.
At that moment, it seemed we would get a JA Happ-Zach Pleasc decisive game three, especially since one of the best relievers in 2020, Brad Hand was onto the close it out for the tribe.
But an inning-ending double play by an acrobatic Gio Urshela, turned things around, and lifted the Yankees spirits up, as the bats went to face Hand.
A walk to Stanton, and singles by Urshela a Gleyber Torres, loaded the bases for Brett Gardner, but a strikeout record the first out. However, a Sanchez sac fly, and an 0-2 RBI single by the red-hot, and super-clutch DJ LeMahieu singled to give the Yankees a 10-9 lead. This set the stage for Aroldis Chapman, who closed the deal, and the series was won, as after all that they had been through, the Yankees were headed to the ALDS.
BUBBLE PARTY:
The playoffs went into bubble mode, with all the LDS series taking place in a neutral location.
Braves-Marlins was in Houston, Dodgers-Padres was in Texas, A’s-Astros was in LA, and Yankees-Rays was in San Diego.
PART 6: RAY’D UP
The Yankees mindset was “Its a new season”, and the 2-8 regular season record against the AL-East winning Rays didn’t matter. They certainly showed that in game one, as Gerrit Cole went 6 innings of 3 run ball with 8 k’s, and the Bombers received homers from Clint Frazier, backup catcher Kyle Higashioka(In because of his amazing chemistry with Cole), and a game-breaking 9th inning grand slam by Giancarlo Stanton, in a 9-3 Yankees victory.
Having made a statement in game one, the Yankees bats erupted again, as Giancarlo Stanton homered twice, and had four RBIs, DJ LeMahieu had a couple hits, but the Yankees hats couldn’t get that big hit when it mattered, in a 7-5 game two defeat. But the problem wasn’t the offense, it was the pitching, as short on depth, the Yankees sent rookie Devi Garcia to the mound, but shockingly pulled him out after just one inning, and a Randy Arozerena solo homer. Whatever the reason for the move was(certainly not injury), it backfired with lefty JA Happ coming in and surrendering four runs, that put New York in a hole they could never climb out of.
Game three was the “Randy show”, as he went 4 for 5, with another home-run, as the Rays jumped all over Tanaka, in an 8-4 win, pushing NY to the brink. Once again though, Stanton went deep for the Yankees.
But showing their resolve they had all year, New York received help from an unlikely sources Jordan Montgomery pitched, well, Luke Voit , and Gleyber Torres went deep, and the bullpen went four scoreless innings with Chapman. Coming through in the last two, as the Bombers forced a winner-take-all game 5, with Gerri Cole on the mound, after a 5-1 game 4 win.
Both teams gave it their all in this one, with Cole yet again, owning up to that 9 year $324 million contract, and pitching for the first time on three days rest, he went 5.1 innings of 1 run, 1 hit ball(A Mike Zunino homer with nine punch-outs. After 1.1 innings out of Zack Britton, and the game still tied at 1, with the Rays bullpen doing their part having already pitched an defective five innings, with the only blemish being a Judge solo shot in the 5th Aroldis Chapman faced off against Mike Broasseu, with two out in the 8th.
The at-bat lasted a 10 pitches, with the last one being the turning point of the series, as Mike launched a go-ahead blast, that ultimately, stood up as the winner, with the Tampa bullpen finishing off a stellar 6.2 innings of amazing ball, that made their team ALCS-bound, and sent the Yankees home.
REST OF PLAYOFFS:
Yankees universe watched the Rays, and the rest of the postseason on the couch, and here’s how it went.
FROM THE ALCS:
It seemed like all but a sure thing for the Rays, after they took the first three games from the Houston Astros(2-1,4-2, 5-2), but that was before Houston stormed back to take three straight themselves(4-3,4-3,7-4), and force a game 7 for the right go to the World Series. But an early Randy Arozerena blast, and a great pitching performance by Charlie Morton sent the Rays to the World Series, with a 4-2 game seven win.
NLCS:
After going up 3-2, all the Atlanta Braves needed, was one more win but game five saw Dodgers catcher Will Smith homer off reliever Will Smith, Walker Buhler went “beast mode” in game six, with 12 strikeouts in seven innings of one run ball, and Cody Bellinger blasted a late game seven home-run, that lifted the Dodgers to the World Series, against the Rays(1-5, 7-8, 6-2, 2-10, 7-3, 3-1, 4-3).
WORLD SERIES:
In the end, the Dodgers were to good, as it was finally their time, and led by future hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buhler, Julio Urias, and superstars Mookie Betts, Belinger, NLCS and World Series MVP, Corey Seager, Max Muncy, relivers Blake Treinin, and Kenley Jansen, they ousted the Rays in six games at Globe Life Field in Texas, (8-3, 4-6,6-2,7-8,4-2,3-1), for their first title since 1988. However, their will only be one game people will remember, was not a game the world champions, rather an affair the runner-ups for the first time since 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays. Game four will forever be known, as the “Brett Phillips game”, with his pinch-hit knock bringing in two runs, after the ball got away from Will Smith, scoring coring Randy(watch)
Speaking of Arozerena, he was the postseason MVP, coming out of nowhere to make headlines, with the 25 year old rookie having the greatest postseason of all time, hitting 10 homers, and notching 33 hits. It was astonishing to watch him hit, and continue to rewrite the history books game after game.
OFFSEASON:
So now what? With a strange, and historic 2020 season in the review mirror, what do the Yankees need to do now in order to try to be the best team they can be in 2021, and win the World Series.
RESIGNED DJ LEMAHIEU:
There’s no way around this, you let him go, you should rebuild. Why? Well, he’s coming off two incredible years as the team MVP, won the 2020 batting title with a .364 batting average, has been the most clutch , and most consistent Yankee as as of late on both sides of the ball, and can play almost every position in the infield. The Yankees brass, fans, and players know there’s no way they would’ve gotten to the ALCS last year, and the ALDS last year without him, and the team was lucky he was on only a 2 years $24 million deal, because he undoubtedly outdid himself. Reports say, he’s asking for a 5 year,$125 million deal, go do it at all costs, before you do anything else this offseason. He’s the glue to the offense, he’s not a power hitter, he’s a “hitters hitter”, and that’s what makes him DJ LeMahieu. Make sure he doesn’t Yankees, let’s go!
GET PITCHING: We say this every year, and thought we would stop when Gerrit Cole arrived in the Bronx next year, but with Luis Severino still on the shelf due to Tommy Jhon surgery, and the injury-prone James Paxton, and the declining JA Happ, as well as Masahiro Tanaka hitting free agency, this rotation after Cole, looks atrocious. Personally, I would they need at least one starter, because your getting Domingo German back from his 81 game suspension, and Luis Severino in August, so I would say you need sign a starter as well, with the easiest rout being to get Tanaka back here. He can hold the fort long enough for the other guys to get into their groove, and come into their own, as the Yankees look to pitch their way to a championship as well.
SURE UP THE BULLPEN:
Just hoping Adam Ottavino bounced back here in his contract year, because that was an awful 2020 campaign. His 5.89 ERA, is a far cry from 1.90 the year before, so here’s too hoping he rights the ship in 2021. The team signed Adam Warren, and Nestor Cortes JR, to make up for the losses of Jonathan Holder to the Cubs, and the injured Tommy Kahlene to the Dodgers. Overall, if we can stay healthy, and stay consistent, this bullpen should be fine.
SO WHERE IS THIS CURRENT TEAM?
Right now, I would say because of the top-heavy talent this team posses, 95-67, and a Wild Card berth. But it’s just that, they’re not a World Series, or ALCS team, which is what makes free agency in 2020 so important, for the 27-time World champion New York Yankees.
AWARDS:
MVP: JOSE ABREU, FREDDIE FREEMAN
CY YOUNG: SHHANE BIEBER, TREVOR BAUER
ROY: LUIS ROBERT, KYLE LEWIS(PADRES)
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