Well it looks like this year’s baseball postseason will be starting without the Yankees. Seemingly mortgaging the present for the future this season won’t produce their usual championship run. However, the future looks bright with the young players coming up this year. However will we really need shades when we look at the team’s future?
The release of Alex Rodriguez and the announcement of Mark Texeira’s retirement created an opportunity for the younger players. Gary Sanchez has set records for his hitting and his arm isn’t too bad either. Aaron Judge, Rob Refsnyder, and Tyler Austin have all shown flashes of good play. The chance to play now has only helped their progress. Greg Bird, who came up at the end of last season but was out this year, will also be back. Continued improvement is needed from them because they will be given a chance to play. However you don’t know how good you are until the other guy sees you play.
While the offense has shown potential, the pitchers haven’t done as well. Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda and C.C. Sabathia are the mainstays. Luis Cessa has shown good thing in his starts. Chad Green was ok before going on the DL. Brian Mitchell has pitched solidly in his few opportunities. From the bullpen, Dellin Betances has been good except he won’t have to make space for his gold glove on his mantle. Luis Severino has helped out here after his return from a minor league stint. Ineffective as a starter this year, he has been better as a reliever. Overall the inability of the offense to score has placed a burden on the staff. They aren’t pitching that bad, they just aren’t pitching that good.
Staying in the playoff race until the final week has helped the organization immensely. Watching the youngsters in pressure games can definitely help in their evaluation. Possibly keeping Carlos Beltran could have helped this season down the stretch. His bat might have given them better pitches to hit as they would have pitched around him. There has been a lot of pressure for them to produce. Will another “Core Four” come from this group? Time will tell. Let’s hope the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t an oncoming train.
The Guru Speaks
