Yankees 2017 MVP and the rest of their regular season awards

(Photo by Richard W. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
(Photo by Richard W. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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Yankees
(Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

Tyler Clippard

WAR: -0.1

Before there was Bryan Mitchell to not trust, there was Tyler Clippard. Tyler was signed as the final piece in a new dominating Yankees’ bullpen, but after 40 games, his ERA (4.95) and WHIP (1.294) were underwhelming.

Clippard was worse than a throw-in trade piece by the deadline. The White Sox were forced to accept him or lose out on acquiring Blake Rutherford. He played his way out of town, and he knew it.

Aaron Hicks

WAR: 3.3

There was a time in the 2017 Yankees season when Hicks would have been vying for team MVP. When you fall from those heights, it’s, well, disappointing.

Aaron looked like an All-Star for the first two months of the season; on June first, he was slashing .317/.437/.539. But injuries, once again, limited his play and sapped his vitality.

Hicks has amassed a mere 287 ABs and currently holds a .265/.367/.463 line. And neither he nor the Yankees hoped he would smack just thirteen home runs and eighteen doubles, while he collected 76 hits by September 24th.

Winner: Masahiro Tanaka

WAR: 0.7

What makes Tanaka’s season such a letdown is that he entered spring as the ace; he’s not ending the season with the same status. Although he has started a healthy 29 games, it is his ERA that is sick: 4.94. And his WHIP (1.272) serves as another sad reflection of Tanaka’s truly disappointing year.

Comparisons can be so illuminating, and Tanaka’s stats are no different. The Yankees hoped Masahiro would compete with the best pitchers in the game, such as Corey Kluber. Kluber, however, currently has a WAR of 7.8.

And Tanaka’s biggest weakness this year has been susceptibility to the home run. Hiro has given up 35 dingers this year, while Kluber has surrendered but 20; that’s a 43 percent improvement. Tanaka wasn’t an ace this year, but he did win the Yankees’ Most Disappointing Season award.

That was unpleasant. So, let’s turn to those who have done the most to lead this team to the playoffs.

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