From Bryan Hoch:
This portion of the baseball calendar serves as a pulse check, as clubs historically use the Memorial Day milepost to take stock of performance. The standings generally show more contenders than pretenders, yet it’s not too early for the strongest rosters to separate themselves from the pack. That’s exactly what the Yankees are doing.
Scanning the pregame work ahead of Monday’s series opener, Aaron Boone was provided an opportunity to evaluate his team’s progress. The manager declined to throw any parades for the defending American League champions, calling their results “incomplete,” but Boone acknowledged: “We’ve got a lot of reasons to believe we have a chance to be a really good team.”
We’d argue they already are. Anthony Volpe delivered a bases-clearing double and unexpected rotation find Ryan Yarbrough provided another six strong innings, helping lead the Yankees to a 5-1 victory over the Angels. The Yankees are wrapping the month on a strong note, having won 14 of their last 18 games.
Have the Yankees’ recent opponents not exactly been the scariest? Sure, that’s fair, but the Yankees also took two of three from the Mets before the Rangers, Rockies, and Angels.
The craziest thing is how SUSTAINABLE the whole thing looks, with the starters just being basically pretty darn good right now, and the offense doing just enough to win most games. I assume that will trigger a series of shitty starts, of course.
Ryan Yarbrough giving you SIX good innings is INSANE. Luke Weaver came in in a non-save situation (to be fair, the Yankees made it a non-save situation by scoring an insurance run in the 8th, so I’m sure Weaver was already up), and he struggled a bit again. No runs, though, so it’s all good, but I bet he WANTED to pitch to get over his shitty Colorado outing, and if his intent was to calm any concerns, it didn’t do that (I’m not saying I AM concerned, but just saying that if your intent was to say, “Don’t worry, I’m fine,” giving up two hits to the back of the Angels lineup isn’t going to get that across). I suspect that Devin Williams is the Yankees closer for the next two games. Do note that this season already looks way different if Devin Williams wasn’t bizarrely awful to start the season. They’d be, like, 36-17.
Yarbrough gets the featured image, celebrating the final out of his outing, a wonderful defensive play by Peraza at third (if only he could hit even CLOSE to how well he fields).
Yarbrough’s been terrific, but given that he’s been providing 4 or 5 innings for weeks now, seeing him stretched out to… 6 is not especially stunning.
How WELL he’s pitching, though – that’s pretty stunning!
Oh, sure, any pitcher COULD go six, I mean six GOOD innings is CRAZY from a dude who was your long man to start the year, and who, as we’ve been repeatedly noting, was DFAed by a team that needs pitching three days before Opening Day!!
I don’t think the Yankees need starters at this point. Gil will be back, Stroman will be back (he won’t be good but he can give them innings), they have a couple guys in the minors.
He’s probably not gonna be ready this season but I think they should try Lombard at third.
And how could I have left out Carrasco
It’s tricky. With how well the team has been playing, a righthanded stud to pitch Game 2 between Fried and Rodon would exponentially increase their playoff chances, since they sure seem like they can start planning about how to handle the playoffs rather than, “Will we even make it?” So I could see the logic in something like that. But yes, unless you think the guy you’re getting will pitch ahead of Rodon in the playoffs, what is even the point? Use your assets to get a righthanded third baseman.
Yeah. And you know Lombard is going to be part of the package for a starter. I’m okay with trading him for a big league controllable 3B, but I don’t know who that would be. Arenado? He’s old and he sucks
I am pretty sure Lombard has reached untouchable territory. Everyone else BUT Lombard is tradeable. I think they’d just as soon start him at third himself rather than ever trade him for a third baseman.
Please spare us Stroman’s innings!
Right now, Wells is at 99 OPS+. LeMahieu and Peraza are at 82 and 51 (are you kidding me with that shit, Peraza?), respectively.
EVERY OTHER YANKEE REGULAR (plus the extra guy in the Bellinger/Dominguez/Grisham/Rice/Goldy platoon) is over 100.
Wow.
Escarra is even 115!
Escarra is probably just having a career year but I’m glad it’s this year! And 99 for Wells is perfectly cromulent for a catcher
“99 for Wells is perfectly cromulent for a catcher”
FGas, you and I remember Budapest very differently.
didn’t peg you for a Marvel fan
It’s a good line )
Fried already with 2.7 bWAR!
Judge is already 4.3. We are 1/3 of the way thru the season. I can see judge getting to 12 or 13. Not sure fried can get to 8, but it would be amazing.
Let’s get Judge safely through the Dodgers minefield outfield.
Judge should just DH all three games, for serious.
That takes either bird or Goldie out of the lineup. Not optimal.
Rice can sit for two games to make sure Judge is okay (and Goldy for one). It’s not like the guys who WOULD play (Grisham, Bellinger, and Dominguez) are slouches.
I like that everyone is clicking on the pitching staff so far. With the exception of 3rd, I don’t dislike any of Cashman’s moves from the offseason. And even with 3rd, I admire giving the kids a chance there given the production from the rest of the lineup. I am hesitant about injecting DJLM and Stanton into a lineup that’s been doing pretty well.
More than hesitant!