Six Yankees do what they must in order find greatness

The 2017 New York Yankees are making it hard to be pessimistic. Especially since so many players are off to more than just great starts, and almost all unexpectedly. Each player, from Aaron Hicks to Big Mike, had a different obstacle to overcome. But what is so amazing is that so many players are all having career years at the same time, and all for disparate reasons.

The Yankees season so far has been…well, you don’t need me to describe what you can see with your own two eyes. This team is young, fun and bursting with talent. And, more importantly, they bring that talent to bear every night.

But what is not so plain to see is why so many players are having so much success at the same time. This team has most of the same players from last year: Luis Severino, Brett Gardner, Michael Pineda, the Aaron Boys, etc. There is a clear and powerful difference, however, between the 2016 Yankees versions of these players and the 2017 versions.

Last year at this time, the Yankees record was 29-30 after 59 games; this year it is 36-23. The improvement and impact of at least six Yankees is even more impressive considering two of 2016’s best—Masahiro Tanaka and Gary Sanchez—have contributed less than expected.

Gary is starting to Sanchize, but it is still a fair statement at this point in the season.

Before we take a peek behind the curtain, a quick word about a player not on this list: CC Sabathia. He is having an improved season and is leading this team again; he epitomizes Yankees who have overcome obstacles. But his career arc, recent struggles, and renaissance season are heroic and worthy of a more than a few short lines. I will return to him in a separate piece.

Which means it’s time to start with perhaps the biggest improvement, and surprise, Aaron Hicks.

Red Sox Helping Yankees

The up and down nature of Severino’s last two years with the Yankees does not need repeating. And one of the reasons for his struggles has also already been covered in an earlier piece. In summary, he needed to control his emotions. He was too hyped up for his second season and cratered when he experienced difficulties.

One of the big keys for his success this year is that he has controlled his heart rate. If he gives up a walk or does not get a call, he takes a moment to calm himself before he gets back up on the rubber…and completely dominates. Oh yeah, the force is strong in this one.

Another reason for the change is that he sought out, and worked with, Pedro Martinez in the off-season. Pedro takes some perverse pleasure in the Yankees doing well and has helped Luis find his best stuff. My guess is that he helped him find his confidence again, too. Always nice to help your daddy, I guess.

On A Clear Day, You can See 1986

I knew those two reasons when I conceived of this piece. Watching the Fox broadcast on Saturday (June 10^th), followed by a little research, led me to this great piece from Andrew Marchand.

They collectively reported that Sevvy had gained 15 pounds of muscle going into the 2016 season. Are you paying attention Mets fans? Can you see where this is going already? This decision robbed him of too much flexibility. My guess is that he, the Yankees, and Pedro Martinez all agreed. So in this last off-season, he took it off again.

And guess what? He looks like the most dominating young pitcher in baseball and has the highest average velocity on his fastball, again, in all of baseball. Now, it seems to me there was a guy in that situation this year who also plays in the NYC. Tall, blond kid whose nickname is straight outta mythology. He decided to add fifteen pounds of muscle, and this time it is no guess that his team did not agree.

And guess what? That unnamed gentleman is currently spending the bulk of the season on the disabled list, and his team is paying the price, a thunderbolt of despair for the long-suffering fans. The Yankees got lucky with Severino but, in baseball, luck always plays a role.

Return of the Kraken

Which brings us to a quick word on Gary Sanchez, one I also heard on that same broadcast. He, too, put on extra muscle and weight in the off-season thinking bigger is better. Like Severino, he learned that he needed his flexibility to be his best, crouching, rising and throwing as often as

does.

That is not a claim that his extra weight had any impact on his early season offensive struggles. But he was not as spry and effective defensively earlier in the year, in keeping with a story of the 2017 Yankees season.

It’s a story so far about how many players have improved both before and during the season, and The Kraken deserves mention.

Which means it is time to look at Starlin Castro and Brett Gardner, where the real guesswork begins.

The Last of the Old Young Yankees

There is no question that the 2017 version of Brett Gardner is the best we have seen in a while. He has his highest average (.269) since 2013 (.273) and his highest slugging ever (.509). And he has hit more home runs already–13–than in seven of his nine seasons; his career high is 17.

The question is why. To figure it out, I am going to engage in the worst kind of disreputable, pseudo-psychology imaginable. It’s unreliable and amounts to no more than charlatainian guesswork.

But you’re the one who has chosen to read this claptrap, so, isn’t that more on you?

I did use some methodology, however: a process of elimination. It seems unlikely that Brett needed to change his swing or work harder. He has always played the game hard, so no more effort required, and I doubt he just started watching film. Clearly, he is a different player, not just from last year, but from the last few years.

There has to be a reason why he is suddenly better at 33 than he was at 30, and even he is probably guessing at it. And my guess is that his career year is nothing more than being energized by the new, young Yankees. I think their energy has restored some of his. And I think it is natural and subconscious as opposed to planned and on purpose.

Gardy has always been a high energy overperformer—remember he was a walk-on at College of Charleston—and he is riding the youthful, winning vibe to one of his best years. I don’t think he is trying to do better; I think he is just doing better.

The Eye Test

But if you think I am wrong about what I think about Gardy, then you will have another think coming when you read what I think about Starlin Castro. The consensus is that Starlin is more successful due to better plate discipline; that, and his two-handed, G.I. Joe baseball bat power grip. And I agree that he is more selective on the high pitches out of the zone.

There is different change, though, that he made to his low-pitch approach. Instead of being more selective on the low pitches, it seems the biggest difference between last year and this is plate coverage.

When I watch his at-bats, I see a player more able to get to pitches out of the zone low. This might account for part of his reduction in strikeouts, that he spoils low pitches this year that he flailed at last year.

It might also account for his increased home runs. When you can get to the low pitches, you create a huge advantage in loft. This can lead to more homers if the player gets there with power. Starlin is getting there with plenty of power. I mean, just look at the picture.

Yankees Fans are the Kindest Critics of All, Right?

I could be wrong, and I look forward to readers’ feedback; that was not an ironic statement. But what I like about this perceived adjustment is that he is taking his greatest weakness and turning it into his biggest strength. Starlin might have recognized it would be too against his instincts to stop offering at those low pitches; he is convinced he can reach them.

So instead of trying to change his mental approach, he changed his physical one. He has done whatever necessary in stance or timing or swing to provide for more plate coverage. He doesn’t have to drive all of those pitches; he just needs to make sure he is not struck out on one he does not offer at.

The reason is a guess, but the results are what matters. Time to get back on solid ground with Aaron Judge and Michael Pineda.

Inside the Mind of the Yankees Michael Pineda

Big Mike has truly arrived. He always had the stuff to be the pitcher we now see every five days, but he could not seem to put it together consistently. It’s why his ERA for the last few years has been in decline. Oh god, was it in decline during his last three full seasons: 2011/3.74; 2015/4.37; 2016/4.82.

Not this year, for those of you who just joined the article and did not yet know the theme. It always seemed clear to most observers that Pineda was not finishing innings or batters. He would get to two strikes or two outs, and something would change. The same pitcher who looked untouchable a moment before was suddenly getting tattooed with the word home run on his generous right hand.

A Freudian Slip

Now, I don’t know the exact psychological problem. It might have been something akin to unsuccessful public speakers. They know how to start a sentence with force and hit the middle words well, but they tend to tail off towards the end of the sentence, finishing in a much more quiet and less-assured voice. That’s not a loss of focus, more of consistent vitality. Perhaps that was Pineda’s problem.

Loss of focus might have been the problem, though. Pineda would not be the first person who, once he completes the bulk of one task, moves on mentally to the next. He might have needed to work on focusing on each pitch of each at-bat before mentally moving on to the next batter.

Whatever the problem was, Pineda finally realized it, admitted it, and solved it. Bravo; his best performance yet. And no guess work here as I have heard the man say it himself in an off-season, YES Network interview. He just didn’t get into the whole psychology thing in the interview; bummer.

That means it is time to discuss the Judge.

Yankees Future is Now

The 2016 version of Aaron Judge looked more likely to be a bust rather than the best young player in baseball. But that’s what the 2017 version looks like. He is not just mashing; he is hitting. And he is running the bases well and making great plays in the outfield, and no one runs on his right arm.

This is not the player we saw with the Yankees last year.

Like Hicks, the first and perhaps most important reason for the 2017 version of Judge is hard work. You don’t go from striking out in half of your AB’s to a slash of .344/.450/.718 without a lot of labor. Developing his Jeterian, inside-out swing to be able to hammer inside pitches is an example of just one adjustment, as is keeping his bat in the zone longer. He has commented on both changes.

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Another big reason has to be just getting used to the league. Many players are a bit overwhelmed when they get to The Show. And we have seen enough of Judge’s, aw-schucks, no sleep ‘til Mayberry personality to imagine just how intimidated he must have felt. But I think the biggest cause for his improvement is a different mental challenge.

And I will take Aaron Judge as my source. He said in an early season article after his first week struggles were over and he was mashing by May, that he was not aggressive enough. His patience was not the issue as he had already reduced the K’s, but he was not doing any damage. Judge was getting his pitch but taking tentative swings.

Don’t Ya Know

It reminds me of Robby, Robinson Cano, in his first three years. He would do phenomenal damage during the regular season but become a singles hitter with a low average in the playoffs. Cano would later say he was just trying to make contact. But, after a conversation with A-Rod, Cano changed his focus from making contact to doing damage.

It seems like Judge had the same conversation with himself. The results have the fans yelling incredibly premature MVP chants.

Next: How Aaron Judge is Already Impacting the Legacy of Mickey Mantle

Yankees and Yankees fans are thrilled with the changes that Judge, and all these players, have made. Each had a unique challenge, and it took each player to recognize those problems and be able, and willing, to solve them. What has made this season so spectacular is that so many players are all maximizing their potential at the same time.

I have a theory about how to fix Masahiro Tanaka but not even you would read that article, and you’ll read anything. That’s on you.