Admit It: This Yankees Team Is Surprising You

Whether you’re ready, to be honest with yourself or not, this Yankees club is far exceeding all of our expectations.

Before the 2017 season began, if someone would have told you that on April 17, the Yankees would be riding a seven-game win streak, sit just half game out of first place behind the Orioles, and have an 8-4 record despite playing the entire season-to-date without Didi Gregorius, and losing Gary Sanchez on April 8, you would have laughed hysterically.

Looking at the current makeup of this roster, there is no way in the world that this club should be six games better than the Blue Jays in the loss column while being without two of their most important players. But here we are.

I honestly think that without the likes of Sanchez and Gregorius, this collection of players is learning to play as a team.

With no real superstar to depend upon, all 24 men are forced to pull their own weight. How else do you explain the Yankees’ pitching staff having the fourth best ERA in the bigs (3.12) and the seventh most strikeouts (117), all the while holding opponents to the sixth-lowest batting average (.220)?

Obviously, we expect Aroldis Chapman and his $96M contract to be a lights out 4-for-4 in save opportunities. But did you really think Adam Warren would be the most dominant long reliever in baseball, having not allowed a hit, walk, or run, on his way to striking out eight in 6.2 innings pitched?

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What about CC Sabathia looking like his 2009 self? The man in search of one final multi-year contract is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 11 K in 18.1 IP.  Or how about the enigma that is Michael Pineda, putting together two stellar starts, one of which saw him take a perfect game into the seventh inning? His 23-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio in 18.1 IP is almost, dare I say, ace-like.

As for the offense, my favorite utility player, Aaron Hicks is putting immense pressure on manager Joe Girardi to find a spot for him in the lineup — having already hit three home runs and eight RBI in only 22 at-bats.

As I mentioned on Twitter the other day, Chase Headley is hitting like his contract expires at the end of this season. Please, no one tell him that he still has another year left to go. I mean, .410/.531/.615 with two homers, 10 walks and 11 runs scored is not the norm for Headley.

Austin Romine is doing a bang-up job in place of Sanchez — batting .368 with one home run and four RBI. Starlin Castro has picked up where he left off in 2016 — 16 hits in 48 at-bats — two long balls and eight RBI.

Even Jacoby Ellsbury, batting out of the cleanup spot of all places, is batting above .300 with one dinger, four stolen bases and 18 total bases.

And when Ronald Torreyes leads your club in RBI with 10, well, all you can really say is wow.

Not all things are perfect in Yankee Land. Masahiro Tanaka only recently had hit first decent outing of the season against the Cardinals. Dellin Betances continues to work himself in and out of jams in the crucial 8th innings of games, and Greg Bird just now showed signs of life with Sunday night’s moon shot.

But to nitpick at a time like this is just foolish. As is continuing to point out the season is still in its infancy. We get it. There is a lot more baseball to come.

Next: What a Change a Week Makes

The point is, 12 games in, especially after a shaky first week, this club is rolling. You can’t buy confidence, but you sure can build upon it. Especially when the Yankees get their two main pieces back in play.