Yankees 2017 MVP and the rest of their regular season awards

The Yankees will host the Wild Card game on Tuesday, October 3. That leaves just enough time to hand out our regular season awards.

The Yankees have overachieved in 2017. A team that was supposed to lay the foundation for future success was instead able to build a comfy starter home in Wildcardville. You can bet they’ll want to trade up for something in Division Winner neighborhood next year.

But that’s all in the future. Now, before the playoffs begin, is a moment to look back at the past. And of course hand out hardware. The players who led the Yankees this year need to be acknowledged, as do those who almost derailed the season.

Let’s Get Busy

To start, I have created a special award in honor of Jacoby Ellsbury: The Intra-Season Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Up until about a month ago, the story of Ellsbury’s season seemed a familiar one. He started hot, hitting .281 by May 23rd, but then got injured. He returned to play much worse and lost his starting job; history seemed destined to repeat.

And that seemed carved in stone by August 22nd. Jake was the Yankees fourth or even fifth outfielder by then, slashing just .238/.315/.367. The only way he was getting playing time was if someone got injured.

Then people started getting injured.

So Jacoby took the playing time crumbs he was given and used them to fatten up. Today, he stands at .269/.356/.438 and has recaptured his dynamic playing style. More importantly, he has taken back his starting center field position.

It seems as if the competition has done Ellsbury a world of good. And he’s the Yankees’ ISCPY for 2017.

Now on to the regularly scheduled awards. And we will start with the bad news first.

The MDS: Runners-Up

No one wants to win the Yankees MDS award, yet every year there are several competitors. This year is no different and the list starts with Big Mike.

Michael Pineda

WAR: 0.6

Normally, Pineda could not disappoint the Yankees. The expectations had gotten so low that, had he been cut in Spring Training for poor pitching, the reaction would have been more resignation than shock.

What makes 2017 different is how good Mike was at the start of the season. He looked ready to fight for ace status in spring, and continued to win that mantle in the early going. But he got injured and tried to pitch through it; he couldn’t.

The injury ended his year and subsequent Yankees career. A season that started with such promise for Pineda ended with a 4.39 ERA and WHIP of 1.287. That is his second worst WHIP in his last four years. But it is more of a letdown because he finally, fleetingly, showed just how good he could be.

Matt Holliday

WAR: -0.1

Holliday came into 2017 with a 295 home runs and a career BA over .300. So, the Yankees signed him to be a middle-of-the-order bat. But injuries—a common culprit for Yankees on this list—and ineffectiveness limited Matt to 360 at-bats so far. Worse, he has posted a .231/.318/.428.

His 18 home runs and 17 doubles show he is still a gamer but the skills have eroded too much. More telling is the home run contest he and Gardy were having earlier in the season. That Brett is beating Matt 20-18 so far tells you all you need to know about Holliday’s year.

Today, with the season winding down, Holliday hardly plays. Two years ago the Yankees sat one of their highest paid players in the Wild Card game. That year it was Ellsbury; this year, it will be Holliday.

Greg Bird

WAR: -0.5

Bird spent Spring Training scaring the bejeezus out of opposing pitchers. And exciting Yankees’ fans that the best three-hitter in the game was going to start the season in pinstripes.

But unbeknownst at the time, Bird broke a superfluous bone in his ankle at the end of March. The injury limited his innate ability and Bird spent April struggling. In common parlance, he sucked big time.

And worse, he has had little opportunity to improve. In only 126 AB’s, Greg has slashed just .167/.269/.349 with six home runs, five doubles and 21 RBI’s. Had he been healthy, his numbers project to 30 HR and 100 RBIs.

There is still time for the worm to turn for Bird. He looks better and is hitting for extra bases. But as of this moment, .167 has to be disappointing even for Greg. I’m sure it is for the Yankees.

Chris Carter

WAR: -0.7

The Yankees signed Carter in case anything happened to Bird. They hoped his power would offset his low average; it didn’t. When called upon to play, he was able to muster just a .201/.284/.370 slash. That might have been okay if he had hit more than eight home runs and five doubles.

Because he was signed as a back-up, Chris could never win this award. But he needs to be mentioned because of how much playing time he received at first base (184 ABs).

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.

The MVP: Runners-Up

Starlin Castro

WAR: 1.4

Okay, Castro cannot really win this. But we all know who is going to win it and Starlin still deserves notice. His slash of .295/.331/.444 might not make him tops among second basemen, but it’s better than Didi’s.

Add in his fourteen home runs, eighteen doubles, 123 hits, 63 runs, and 57 RBIs in 104 games played, and you have the profile of a player who helps drive every bit of the Yankees offensive engine.

What makes him less valuable than Didi, beyond the home runs, is how he stacks up to his peers; teaser alert. Still, Starlin is in the top half of most AL second basemen offensive categories. And his first half made him an All-Star.

More from Yankees News

• Aaron Judge Time interview scared Yankees as much as it scared you
• Why weren’t Yankees in on Kodai Senga now that we know the price?
• Baseball Reference proves Yankees’ Aaron Judge lives rent free in Boston
• Yankees’ Clay Holmes trade just became even bigger disaster for Pirates
• Mets stealing New York Post’s entire Yankees offseason plan is hilarious

Starlin has lost the contest with Didi to see who stays a Yankee in 2018, but he has still had a season worthy of appreciation.

Didi Gregorius

WAR: 3.5

Didi has gone from an Arizona afterthought to one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball. His line of .289/.322/.491 with 25 home runs and 27 doubles might not seem as good as a few others on the team, but his ranking reveals his real value.

Among AL shortstops, Didi is second in home runs (Lindor 32) and SLG (Lindor .514). And he’s third in average and RBIs (84). Plus, he’s the Yankees’ all-time, single-season SS home run king.

But to even be on this list, you have to do more than just hit. Didi is a great clubhouse guy and one of the two or three real leaders on this Yankees club. He seems to coordinate the dugout celebrations and his emoji-filled tweets speak for the team. But they never speak about Didi.

Didi is not the most valuable player on this team, but he’s close.

Luis Severino

WAR: 5.1

Baseball is all about consistency. And no one has brought his talents to bear more often than Sevvy. His numbers are gaudy enough: ERA of 3.03 and WHIP of 1.046. He’s 13-6 with 221 strikeouts in 187.1 IP with only 146 hits allowed.

Clearly that makes him the ace of the Yankees and earns him the right to pitch the first playoff game. It also makes him fourth in the AL in WAR, ERA, and SOs, as well as eighth in innings pitched and ninth in wins.

That all adds up to being third in the unofficial Cy Young voting and a player truly worthy of Yankees’ MVP consideration.

Gary Sanchez

WAR: 4.0

Gary has two weaknesses as a player. One is that he does not always concentrate; the other is that he needs to work on blocking the ball. But it is hard to complain about a player’s concentration when his slash at this point is .279/.345/.533.

It is also difficult to complain when a guy’s strengths are so overpowering. He leads all catchers in baseball, not just the AL, in home runs (32), RBIs (88), runs (78), WAR, and SLG. And he is first among American League catchers in hits (126), AVG and OBP.

Yo Soy also happens to have the best arm behind any plate. Yes, he missed time with injury and attitude issues, but he was back in time for August, a month he owns for all-time.

Besides, 116 games played for a catcher is probably a blessing in disguise for this year and beyond. Sanchez has already become the best offensive catcher in The MLB and one of the two real power bats in the playoff-bound Yankees’ lineup.

If he stays healthy for a full season, Sanchez’s name might appear below next year.

Winner: Aaron Judge

WAR: 7.1

While it is fun to look at all the Yankees’ top performers, there was never any doubt who the MVP is, and has been almost since the season started.

Judge is slashing .281/.416/.610, but that doesn’t begin to tell his story. He leads the AL in home runs (48); runs scored (122); and, walks (119).

I don’t want this to become a series of numbers, however. Instead, I will focus on his place among the other AL batting leaders. He is second in WAR (Altuve), intentional walks (Trout), on-base (Trout), and slugging (Trout). He’s fourth in RBIs and fifth in both total bases and extra-base hits.

And for the true statheads, who have a lot of influence in voting, Aaron is first in runs created, number of times on base, offensive win percentage and home runs per at-bat.

I cannot say that all of those categories are important. But it is the number of them that impresses so. For those who might think of Judge as second to Trout, note that Judge has played 148 games this year, while Trout has suited up for just 106.

And Judge is now competing with the record books…and winning. He has the most walks ever by a rookie; he has the most home runs by a Yankees rookie (Joe Dimaggio, 29); and, he just broke Mark McGwire’s home run rookie record of 49 — swatting 50 with a week left to play.

Judge was an All-Star, the Home Run Derby Champion, won three of the five Rookies of the Month awards so far and will probably win for September, and has become the face of baseball. And, he is back to form and hitting bombs down the stretch.

Oh, yeah, he’s the Yankees’ MVP all right. He might just be that for all of baseball.

That was fun. Now let’s do two easy ones.

Yankees Best Reliever

This had four competitors, but only two real possible winners.

Runners-Up

Aroldis Chapman

WAR: 0.7

With his up and down season, punctuated by moments when it seemed like he might never find his way back, Chapman could not win this award. But he recently regained his mojo and returned to form, and that is as one of the two or three best closers in the game.

He might still be key to the Yankees winning in the playoffs but this is about what he has done so far. And so far he’s been…okay. Chappy has only pitched in 48 games and closed 38 times; 20 saves is not what the Yankees are paying him for.

His indicators are excellent—37 hits in 46 IP with 65 strikeouts—but it has still been a down year for Aroldis.

Dellin Betances

WAR: 1.4

Speaking of down years, Betances is still trying to bounce back. But like Chapman, even a bad statistical season for Dellin is filled with impressive numbers.

His ERA (3.02) and WHIP (1.253) could and should be better, but there’s nothing wrong about throwing 56.2 innings, surrendering 28 hits, but striking out 98. As always, Betances was able to close, and so saved ten games among his 62 appearances.

Still, the Yankees would probably not be making the playoffs if Betances had been their best reliever. It was down to two, and the first runner-up is…

Chad Green

WAR: 2.5

Many people might pick Green to win this award. And his numbers certainly speak for themselves: ERA of 1.93 with 65 IP, 33 hits and 99 strikeouts. Even better, his WHIP is 0.750.

And among all AL relief pitchers with a minimum 60 IP, Chad is second in ERA and SO (Kimbrel, Boston). He is seventh in ERA and fourth in WHIP. Green has also shown perhaps the most versatility of all Yankees’ relief pitchers, having started, provided middle relief and closed.

The bad news for Chad is that he was just not quite good enough to be named the Yankees’ Best Reliever. The good news, for the Yankees, is that there is actually someone better on the staff. That’s the mark of a great bullpen.

Winner: David Robertson

WAR: 2.6

This might be a controversial choice as Robertson’s overall numbers are not better than Green’s. Please note that I only use numbers players have with the Yankees.

Now, his ERA is better: 1.16. But in part due to his being a mid-season acquisition, his 30 IP with 14 hits and 42 SO are not as big a contribution as Green’s. Their WHIP’s are close enough to be called even (0.767) but Robertson has only made 25 appearances.

There are three things that tipped the scale towards Robby, though. One is that he has played better since coming over from the White Sox, although that is not something Green had a chance to do. Next is his ERA. Being third in the AL (min. 60 IP) is a powerful statistic.

However, Green is second in ERA. But what wins the award for David is that he is already an experienced and trusted closer. Green might have better numbers overall, but Robertson can do it when it counts most. And that’s how you win Yankees’ awards.

Leadership and clubhouse presence are important, especially with a young team. Here’s who led from within the inner sanctum.

The MICP: Runners-Up

Didi Gregorius

Aaron Judge

Matt Holliday

Matt deserves special consideration in this category because of Aaron Judge. There is some correlation between Holliday’s vacation and Judge’s slump. Aaron seems to have returned to being the player he was in the first half as soon as Holliday returned to the team. That’s a powerful presence.

Todd Frazier

WAR: 3.3

Frazier’s numbers are fine: .224/.374/.448 with 11 home runs and four doubles. And that they are better than those during his stint with Chicago this year is strongly in his favor.

But this is about a player’s effect on the Yankees. Frazier has seemingly become a real positive presence in the clubhouse. The way that all the players adopted his thumbs-down tells you how they see him as someone to emulate.

CC Sabathia

WAR: 2.5

CC is no longer the best pitcher on the staff and might be in his last year with the Yankees. But his ERA of 3.81, WHIP of 1.299 and 25 starts are far more than respectable.

His biggest contribution to the Yankees, though, is in that clubhouse, where he wears one of only two 2009 championship rings. His is a quietly loud voice that everyone, especially the Yankees’ young pitchers, hear. They listen, they learn, and the entire Yankees team is better for it.

Winner: Brett Gardner

WAR: 4.5

To be a leader in the clubhouse, you have to be a leader on the field. Gardy might not be the best player on the team but he has been one its most consistent producers. His line of .265/.350/.424 is good but not great, although his 20 home runs and 23 doubles are very good.

However, Gardy also has four triples, tying the team lead (C. Frazier) and, most importantly, 573 at-bats. This Yankees team lost a lot of players to injury; Brett was not one of them.

All of that gives him a certain cache in that room. But what makes his the most important contribution is that he not only has the other 2009 ring but also that he is the longest tenured homegrown Yankees player.

The other players all credit him with being the one who now delivers the emotional attaboy speeches. He is also likely the first one to let a player know if he is not doing things the Yankee way.

Gardy has been telling the players they will soon be riding on his back, now and through the playoffs. And it is that kind of attitude that wins the Yankees’ 2017 Most Important Clubhouse Presence.

Finally, we finish with one of my favorite categories.

The BRP

It takes a lot of guys willing to get their uniforms dirty to make a successful season. And most of them never make the All-Star Game or become the face of baseball. But no team can do well without a lot of those role players playing at a high level in often limited opportunities.

Fortunately, in 2017, the Yankees have had a bunch of them.

Runners-Up

Todd Frazier

Ronald Torreyes

WAR: 0.3

We don’t see Little Toe too much anymore but we will before this season ends if no more than to honor his effort in 2017. Torreyes has to be the easiest player on the team to root for, getting every inch of talent out of his limited inches.

But before he gave way to more talented players, Toe put up a slash of .286/.307/.362 in 304 at-bats. The Yankees could not have made it through all those first half—and second half—injuries and slumps without the steady and sometimes spectacular play of Ronald Torreyes.

Austin Romine

WAR: -0.6

Romine’s WAR and slash (.219/.275/.292) eliminate him from any chance of winning this award. But his never back down, tough as Munson attitude at least nominates him for it.

That and his superlative defense. Romine has a .998 fielding percentage in 2017. Only one catcher in the AL with minimum 60 games played has a higher average: Bruce Maxwell, Oakland, 1.000%.

Romine knew he wasn’t going to get that many chances to shine. But he never ever gives one of those chances away. And he gives up his body every day only to end the season with his medicine cabinet more full than his trophy case.

The Yankees farm system has produced a number of good young catchers. Some of them are having more success on other teams. But Romine has managed to remain on the Yankees, while others were traded. Or faded. That’s the role Romine has relished most.

Winner: Chase Headley

WAR: 2.0

Headley had a hot April and a terrible May. But he arrives at the end of the season with a slash of .278/.358/.416 with 12 home runs and 30 doubles.

However, Chase is no longer an everyday player; thus a role player. But I wish every regular player had his attitude. He has gone from the starting third baseman to starting first baseman, to splitting his time between first, third, and the bench.

Through it all, Headley has shown up every day with a gutsy, gritty attitude. He plays hard, works to get the best from his waning talents, and always pulls for the team first.

And he wins this award because he is the only player on this list who came into the season with the Yankees thinking he was going to play every day.

The Days of Wine and Roses

Those days are almost gone now.

By this time next week, the regular season will be over and we will all be waiting for Tuesday night’s first pitch. But this surprising 2017 New York Yankees team would not have completed their successful regular season journey without all of these players playing at a high level, and more.

Next: Now Read Why Joe Girardi Deserves an Award all His Own

They won’t all be around for the playoffs. But the Yankees would not have qualified for the Postseason without them. And making the playoffs is the only award any player, or fan, ever really cares about.

So, congratulations to all of them, your 2017 New York Yankees. And let’s hope these aren’t the only awards they win this year.