The New York Yankees come into the offseason after a 2017 season that was up and down. They were one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 campaign and put together a nice season that culminated with a loss in the American League Championship Series. Even so, they’ll have a new manager as Joe Girardi’s contract expired and the Yankees decided not to renew it – even after nine years and a World Series championship in 2009. Who the Yankees pick as their next manager will have a lot to do with how 2018 (and beyond) goes.
2017 Season Recap
The Yankees went 91-71 in 2017, two games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East, but they beat the Minnesota Twins in the wild-card game to make it back to the playoffs after missing out in 2016. Then, the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians in five games to take the American League Divisional Series, and they fell to the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros in seven games in the American League Championship Series after leading 3-2 in the series. The Yankees were 76-55 as a favorite last season and 22-21 as an underdog as they finished $-100 in terms of profit. They were also 83-76-3 as far as the over/under standings go. They were great at home, going 51-30, and they were 40-41 on the road. The Yankees dominated the National League, going 15-5 in interleague play.
What Went Wrong
It is tough to pinpoint what exactly went wrong for the Yankees. Because they are who they are, expectations were always going to be high, even though they shouldn’t have been because the Yankees came into the 2017 season with a lot of young players and ended up going to the ALCS. If there was one area in which they weren’t great, it was starting pitching, which was 10th in quality starts. Luis Severino was excellent, while C.C. Sabathia was a great veteran leader, but Michael Pineda started just 17 games and had Tommy John surgery in July, while Masahiro Tanaka struggled all season long, even though he had 13 wins. Middle relief was fine for the Yankees, but the closer role was never really settled. Aroldis Chapman had 22 saves, but he was never really convincing and as a team, the Yankees blew 23 saves, which was eighth in the majors.
What Went Right
The Yankees were pretty good when it comes to hitting the ball and driving in runs, to say the least. They were second in the majors in runs scored at 858, third in on-base percentage at .339, fourth in slugging at .447 and seventh in average at .262. Aaron Judge won the Rookie Of The Year and while he led the majors in strikeouts with 208, he was also second in home runs with 52 and sixth in RBIs with 114. Despite his strikeouts, Judge also hit a decent .284 at the plate and when he cuts down on his strikeouts as he gets more experience, an MVP award likely beckons in his future (he was second in MVP voting to Houston’s Jose Altuve this year). But it wasn’t just all about Judge as Didi Gregorius, Gary Sanchez, Starlin Castro and Chase Headley were all very good and while Headley is 33 years, the other three are 27 and younger. Once Greg Bird proves that he can stay healthy, the Yankees’ offense should be good for a long time to come.
In terms of pitching, the Yankees were still very good, ranking second in the majors in batting average at .228, third in WHIP with 1.21 and fifth in ERA at 3.72. Severino was a stellar 14-6 in his first full year as a starter and even though he struggled in the postseason, that is something that comes with experience. Sabathia proved be a solid mentor for the staff and he also had some great games when the Yankees needed him the most. Sonny Gray was fine after he came from Oakland, although he does need to be better in 2017. While the Yankees should be disappointed that they lost to the Astros, they should take to heart that they probably shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
Key Free Agents
Pineda is probably gone as he is a free agent and won’t even be available until the second half of next season due to his surgery. Jaime Garcia had a tough season as he was traded from Atlanta to Minnesota, where he made one start, then was traded to the Yankees and he never looked comfortable. He’ll likely move on, but the Yankees have to make a decision about Sabathia, who is the oldest player on the roster at 37 years old, but he has rebuilt his career after a three-year stretch in which it looked like his career was over, and he is the leader of this team in the clubhouse. Both sides should really come together to work something out because while Sabathia shouldn’t make $25 million like last year, they should be able to agree on something. Todd Frazier said that he would like to come back after his midseason trade from the Chicago White Sox, but he’ll want a long-term deal at 31 years old. Matt Holliday, who is 37 years old, is likely gone.
Where They Need To Find Help
Well, it’s the Yankees, so while they don’t spend the money they used to, they’ll still spend money. Word is that they’re in the lead to bring Shohei Otani from Japan if he wants to come to the United States. They’re also in the mix for Alex Cobb, whom they know very well from Tampa Bay, but durability is a question. Kansas City free agents Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas are in play, maybe Jay Bruce of the New York Mets, even J.D, Martinez of Houston. The Yankees could really use one more quality starter and hope that Chapman takes control of the closer role. But most importantly for the Yankees, they need to pick a good manager that isn’t really going to mess up what they have, which is a good, young team with loads of chemistry and a ton of talent.
The 2017 MLB season has come to a conclusion as the Houston Astros were crowned champions. The 2018 World Series futures are already posted, so if you’re looking at betting lines, click here to bet on MLB (or any other sports) at BetDSI!
