The Yankees have suffered numerous injuries to begin the 2018 season, however, they should be lucky that it is only April.
Yankees fans around the world are losing their collective minds…
Injuries. The ‘untouchable’ bullpen, has been very touchable. The ‘scary’ lineup has looked just about as pedestrian as possible.
But here’s the good news; It’s April!
It’s been somewhat of a tough go so far this baseball season. Most Yankees fans stayed awake until the witching hours of the morning to watch Jonathan Holder give up a grand slam in the 14th inning right after Gary Sanchez leaves the game with calf tightness, and it’s by no means ideal to have Jace Peterson as your starting left-fielder in game three of a divisional matchup, no matter what time of the year it is, but again, it’s April.
This is where the Yankees have to show the magic that they displayed last season. A team who has been famously hated by baseball fans for generations, was the lovable, underdog story of last season. Aaron Judge came into his own batting at a .284 clip with 52 bombs, Gary Sanchez showed that he’s amongst the top players in baseball; not just catchers with another incredible season, Luis Severino silenced all the doubters by nearly winning the Cy Young and the team was so much fun to watch. This team this year so far through 8 games have lacked a lot of luster, and the injuries are much to blame.
At times they’ve seemed fun to watch again with a bit of the ‘magic’ from last season; especially with the heroics of Sir Didi Gregorius so far, but everyone else has seemed very ‘average’.
Judge has come around as of the last few games getting a bit hotter and hotter, but there has to be more production.
A lot of the lineup is taking fastballs, hanging off-speed pitches, right down the middle of the plate and burying themselves in 0-2, 1-2 counts and causing some very uncharacteristic at-bats, especially from the likes of the always consistent, Brett Gardner.
Another alarming issue is the fact that the bullpen has given up two grand slams through these first 10 games, causing a couple of losses, but this lineup is just as much to blame. Far too much talent to be putting up three runs versus below average big league teams.
But again, it is APRIL. Baseball is a game of adjustments and this team is going to make theirs. They are one of the best teams in baseball without a question and if you ask me, through 10 games this season, it’s a good sign their still winning some games with the adversity that’s been plagued on them.
The Bombers have lost FIVE key contributors so far this season and at least four of these guys were supposed to be pretty big pieces for this teams success.
Starting 1B – Greg Bird
Starting 3B- Brandon Drury
Outfielders – Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier, Jacoby Ellsbury, Billy McKinney
Hicks was supposed to be a key piece, by in the very least, platooning in centerfield, but in all likelihood, starting.
Frazier and Ellsbury were supposed to be in the VERY least, big time bats off the bench.
Drury has been starting since opening day, and of late he’s been slumping, but the report came out that he’s been suffering from severe migraines and had to be placed on the 10-Day DL.
Bird, a player we all want to succeed so bad, has just been so overwhelmed by injuries most of the last three seasons, and it gives Yankees fans the worry that he might be that talent we’re all going to wonder “what he could have been”, if he wasn’t plagued by injuries. We won’t see Bird until late May, early June in all likelihood.
The good news is that we should see Hicks back in the lineup this week. Frazier is beginning his rehab stint. Drury’s only out for 10 days. Ellsbury is a bit of a mystery but some believe he isn’t far off either. Bird should be back for the vital part of the MLB season and playoff run.
And trust me, I didn’t forget about CC Sabathia left Friday’s game with a ‘hip strain’, and the Yankees placed him on the 10-Day DL as well, but he won’t miss any extended period of time.
In a time like this with the Yankees need their homegrown talent and new additions to step up. Tyler Austin, Tyler Wade, Miguel Andujar, and oh I think there’s some decent addition we made… I believe his name is Giancarlo Stanton!?
Even with a rather slow start for a player of his prowess, Stanton has still has produced more than most of this Yankees lineup thus far and he will adjust, that’s a guarantee. Coming to the Bronx and putting those pinstripes on affect basically everyone who’s ever come to New York, it’s intimating, but in no time, Giancarlo will get RED hot.
All of these guys; This whole lineup; has to step up big time and show the baseball world that even with the injuries; they still have a viable and productive MLB lineup.
We’re all guilty of freaking out because of this underwhelming start for our Bronx Bombers, but we have to remain confident. Injuries have plagued this team like we’ve never seen before.The baseball season is a marathon, a long beautiful marathon; and being that it’s only April, we all need to take a step back, relax, and watch the Yankees show some of that magic we all saw last season and rattle off some wins regardless of the adversity the baseball gods have put upon us.