Yankees: In a season of inconsistent team play, Mr. Excitement excels

The Yankees 2017 season has been marked by inconsistent team play that often leaves fans on the edge of their seat wondering what will they do next. One player, though, has quietly given the team a steady diet of solid baseball.

The Yankees season has been a series of ups and downs, which if you throw out the 21-9 explosive start they had, leaves reason to wonder how the American League Standings still show the team with a two-game lead as the first Wild Card team and only three games behind the Division leading Red Sox.

But the excitement surrounding the team has never wavered. Nor has the mystery about the team subsided. The Red Sox trade for Chris Sale over the winter and immediately are installed as the favorite to win the Division, hands down. Very few disagreed.

Yankee fans are fed a steady diet from Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman suggesting that 2017 is a “transition” year, and most of us are okay with that because we can see the future ahead of the team.

But something happened along the way that changed everything. They are winning. And when you start to look at the reasons why the glare of players like Aaron Judge and Luis Severino almost blinds you.

More from Yanks Go Yard

• Aaron Judge’s influence on Carlos Rodón shows he’s more powerful than Yankees
• Yankees sign 2022 Red Sox reliever, invite him to spring training
• Yankees trade Lucas Luetge for 2 intriguing Braves prospects after DFA
• Never forget Miguel Andújar wrecked Yankees’ Nolan Arenado trade
• Early prices for Yankees 2022 Bowman Draft cards are absurd

But as we know, 25 men comprise a team. And not all of them are All Stars who create a buzz in the stands when they walk to the plate. Instead, they’re more like Chase Headley who, if you look strictly at his numbers, is a pedestrian ballplayer.

He doesn’t stand out among the rest; he is simply a part of the whole. He shows up for work every day, doesn’t hit bombs for home runs, and willingly makes a U-turn late in his career, moving from the comfort of third base to first base when his manager calls on him.

He’s the kind of player who, as Girardi remembers it,

“The key to it (moving to first base) was when we were in Minnesota and the trade was announced,” Girardi said. “He came into my office and said, ‘I’ll do whatever you want.’ It’s the attitude. He’s embraced it.”

Mr. Excitement Steady As She Goes

Mr. Excitement doesn’t do anything with a flair. He just produces what he can on the field. He’ll come up big when you need him to, as he did on Saturday with a home run enabling the Yankees to bounce back from two very forgettable games against the Cleveland Indians. (view the video)

At the age of 33, Headley has already played in more than 100 games for the Yankees. Steady as she goes, he’s batting .272 with a .353 on base percentage. His power is in a state of decline, and he has one more year to fulfill his contract with the team in 2018.

When rumors circulate about which Yankees are “on the block” to be traded, Headley’s name is sure to be at the top of any list. And this was particularly true over the past winter. But, he’s still with the team. And that’s because both his manager and Brian Cashman recognize his value to the team.

Headley is a player’s player. And along with Brett Gardner and Didi Gregorius, who earn the same description, they form a nucleus of steady play any team needs to win this league. Remove all three from the lineup and what’s left?

Next: Is Girardi losing his patience with Sanchez

The Yankees have a lot of buzz surrounding them. Mr. Excitement is usually not part of it. He doesn’t need to be. He just needs to do what he does, which is more than enough.

As always, I invite you to share your thoughts and comments about this story or anything Yankees on the Yanks Go Yard Facebook page.