New York Yankees: The 2010s in review (2015-2019)

Another decade in Yankees history has come to a close. While we start the next one, let’s revisit the last few seasons first. 

The first half of the 2010s marked the end of an era in the history of the New York Yankees, with many icons hanging up their caps and gloves and calling it a career. All the while, the team remained good, but not good enough to win the World Series.

The second half of the decade would see the emergence of fresh young talent, a changing of the guard, personal records, painful memories and a few more stars writing the last chapter of their career.

There were many moments that occurred in the five-year span (2015-19) that people will look back on and remember where they were. Through it all, each year, the Yankees always proved to the rest of baseball that even when they are down, you can never count them out.

Different people donned and took off the pinstripes but each of them seemed to have played at least one important role in keeping the winning tradition alive and well in the Bronx. They all also appeared to have played with a little bit more heart and determination and seemed to have found a little spark when they stepped out onto the Yankee Stadium grass and took center stage.

It’s because of the reputation of the organization and the expectations the fanbase has that drives any Yankee ballplayer to give it their all each and every day. The history and tradition both remain rich and fresh and will continue to do so for years to come.

So without further ado, it’s time to look at the New York Yankees from 2015 to 2019.

2015

Manager- Joe Girardi

Record: 87-75, 2nd in the AL East

Key Acquisitions: Didi Gregorius, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Miller

Key Departures: Derek Jeter, David Robertson, Ichiro Suzuki, Martin Prado, Shane Greene, Francisco Cervelli, Hiroki Kuroda

Expectations were relatively low for the Yankees for the 2015 season. With Derek Jeter retired, the team acquired then 25-year-old Didi Gregorius from the Arizona Diamondbacks, to fill in the void at shortstop. Not much was known about Gregorius, other than the fact that he could be slick with the glove, had good range and a great arm. What he lacked was an electric bat. However, he was finally getting the opportunity to play every day, which was something he had never received in either Arizona or Cincinnati, where he started his career. The Yankees also brought in right-handed starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to replace Hiroki Kuroda, who returned to pitch in Japan and southpaw reliever Andrew Miller, who had signed as a free agent. Arguably, however, the biggest storyline of the season was the return of Alex Rodriguez from his suspension.

To the surprise of many, the team got off to a good start and sat atop the division for most of the first half. At the All-Star break, they were 48-40, 3 ½ games ahead of Tampa Bay. Despite his age and missing all of last season, A-Rod hadn’t appeared to have lost a step and seemed rejuvenated. He was a major producer at the plate. At the break, he had hit 18 home runs and was hitting .278. He also picked up his 3,000th career hit, a home run against the Tigers’ Justin Verlander, in June. Brett Gardner was batting .302 and made the American League All-Star team. After getting off to a slow start, Gregorius was starting to get comfortable both at shortstop and at the plate. On the pitching side, the duo of Dellin Betances and Miller provided a deadly 1-2 bullpen punch and were locking down games for the Yankees.

The Yankees continued to play well when the second half began and they moved to 15 games above .500, 60-45 on August 4. However, their division lead was being threatened by the Toronto Blue Jays, who were starting to catch fire. A pivotal three-game showdown in the Bronx in early August would determine whether these Blue Jays were either pretenders or contenders. Toronto proved that they were no slouch and proceeded to sweep the series, holding the Yankees to just one measly little run over the three games. Toronto was on a roll, having won 11 of their last 12 and they kept it up by sweeping Oakland later on that week. The two teams would meet again in Toronto the next weekend, this time with the Blue Jays leading the division. The Yankees would end up taking two out of three from the Jays to move back into first place. The lead wouldn’t last long, however, as the Yankees entered a slump, one which they would not get out of. After their series win over Toronto, New York played .500 ball the rest of the way (23-23).

The team struggled mightily offensively and took a huge blow during a series against the Minnesota Twins when first baseman Mark Teixeira fractured his leg after fouling a ball off of it. He’d end up missing the rest of the season. His replacement, however, rookie Greg Bird, did a tremendous job of filling in for him. Bird hit .261 and clubbed 11 homers, giving Yankee fans a glimpse of what the farm system possessed. 2015 also saw the emergence of young right-handed starting pitcher Luis Severino, who wound up going 5-3 with a 2.89 in 11 starts for the team.

Ultimately, Toronto ended up taking the division but the Yankees clinched their first playoff berth in three years with a 4-1 win against the Red Sox on October 1 at Yankee Stadium. The team would end up hosting the American League Wild Card game against the upstart Houston Astros. Before the game, however, C.C. Sabathia announced he was checking himself into an alcohol rehab clinic and would not be with the team for the postseason, regardless of how far they went. The Yankees wouldn’t go far at all as they were shut out by eventual AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel. Houston salvaged the game 3-0, but it might as well have been 15-0 as the Yankee offense only mustered three hits the entire game and didn’t get anybody to third base.

Analysis: 2015 had the potential to be something special with the way the season started for the Yankees. However, it seemed everybody ran out of gas by the time August came. It was a sad way to end the season and several key guys who played such a big role in the first half struggled very badly in the second half. After hitting over .300 in the first half, Gardner fell from grace in the second half and hit just .206. He also went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Wild Card Game and was heavily booed by the crowd. A-Rod ended up playing in 151 games in 2015, his most in a season most since his MVP year of 2007 (158 games). He did hit a team-leading 33 home runs but struggled down the stretch. He also failed to come up clutch in the Wild Card Game when he left runners stranded on first and second and flew out to end the bottom of the sixth inning, the only time the Yankees ever threatened offensively in the game. Overall, it was just a depressing way to end a season that could’ve captured the hearts of Yankee fans everywhere. What made it even sourer was that the Mets won the NL Pennant that year.

2016

Manager- Joe Girardi

Record: 84-78, 4th in the AL East

Key Acquisitions: Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks, Aroldis Chapman, Adam Warren, Clint Frazier, Gleyber Torres

Key Departures: Alex Rodriguez, Adam Warren, Ivan Nova, Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman

Once again, nobody knew exactly what to make of the Yankees as the 2016 season got underway. They made a number of moves in the offseason, such as bringing in All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro from the Chicago Cubs, who’d end up moving to second base to allow Didi Gregorius to stay at shortstop. They also acquired outfielder Aaron Hicks in a trade with the Twins. Hicks had built up a reputation as being a tremendous outfielder with great range and a cannon for an arm. Yet,  the biggest move in the offseason was the acquisition of reliever Aroldis Chapman, who would begin the season serving a domestic violence suspension. The team would also be hit with some tough news before the season began when they learned that Greg Bird had a torn labrum and would be out indefinitely.

The Yankees got off to a terrible start, going 9-17 in their first 26 games and sitting in last place in the AL East. The offense was lethargic, scoring more than three runs just seven times. Third baseman Chase Headley was making headlines for not having an extra-base hit through the entire month of April and A-Rod, who was slumping miserably, would end up going on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. All hope already seemed lost after the team completed a 2-7 road trip from late April to early May. However, things began to turn around after a controversial win against the Red Sox on May 6, when Andrew Miller struck out David Ortiz on what appeared to be ball four. Had Ortiz walked, Boston would’ve tied the game. Instead, the Yankees took the game 3-2 and took two out of three from the Red Sox. Slowly but surely, the Yankees began to dig themselves out of the hole and went 31-25 through May and June. However, they were only sitting at .500 with a 39-39 record.

When the season entered July, and when the trade deadline approached, general manager Brian Cashman decided it was time to shake the team up. He made a number of bold moves that sportswriters and analysts identified as him, “waving the white flag.” Cashman ended up trading both Miller and Chapman. Miller headed to the Cleveland Indians and in return, the Yankees got J.P. Feyereisen, Ben Heller, Justus Sheffield, and Clint Frazier. Chapman went to the Chicago Cubs and the Yankees got back Adam Warren in return. However, he wasn’t the prize they were aiming for. Cashman hit the jackpot when he brought in shortstop Gleyber Torres, who was one of the top prospects in all of baseball. It was a clever move by the Yankee GM because Chapman was going to be a free agent anyways at the end of the season.

Although their farm system was revamped, the team continued to play mediocre baseball entering August. However, a shocking announcement came on August 7. Alex Rodriguez held a press conference and announced that August 12, against the Rays at Yankee Stadium would be the final game of his career. A-Rod’s final hit would be an RBI-double against Chris Archer in the bottom of the first inning. The Yankees would go on to win 6-3 and A-Rod received a standing ovation from the stadium crowd when he came off the field after playing third base briefly in the top of the ninth inning. As Rodriguez departed, newcomers arrived the next day. On August 13, the Yankees brought up first baseman Tyler Austin and outfielder Aaron Judge. Both players made an immediate impact and history as they hit back-to-back home runs in their first at-bats. Austin’s home run hooked around the right field foul line while Judge’s was a bomb to dead center.

The debuts of Austin and Judge seemed to ignite a spark in the Yankees, as they played their best baseball of the year. From August 13 to September 10, the team went 16-9 to move 11 games over .500 (76-65). Not only were they back in the wild card hunt, but they made a threat for the division title as well. Another big reason for this surge was due to the emergence of catcher Gary Sanchez. Sanchez, who had come up on August 3, went on a tear, hitting .299 with 20 home runs and 42 runs batted in in just 53 games. He garnered AL Player and Rookie of the Month honors for August and he would end up being the runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

However, everything came crashing down for the Yankees when they embarked on a brutal 11-game road trip in late September. The team suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Red Sox on September 15. They had a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning but Dellin Betances blew the save when he gave up a two-out, game-winning, three-run walk-off home run to Hanley Ramirez. The end result was a 7-5 Boston win and that was the final nail in the coffin for the 2016 Yankees season. They went 3-8 on the road trip and slumped to the finish line. In the end, they went 84-78 and finished in fourth place in the AL East, the lowest they had ever finished in the division since baseball realigned itself in 1994. Mark Teixeira called it a career after the season but he too provided one more memory on September 28, when he hit a game-winning walk-off grand slam against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Although the win was essentially meaningless, it did prevent the Red Sox from celebrating the division title on the field.

Analysis: 2016 was probably the second-wildest year for the Yankees in the 2010s. A lot of change occurred and it was for the betterment of the franchise. The team was old, it needed some youth, and Brian Cashman did a tremendous job of executing that strategy. He deserves a lot of credit for it. Although the season itself wasn’t great from a statistical standpoint, it did provide a lot of moments and it showed that the team was on the rise and returning to postseason contention very soon. Overall, a very bumpy year with highs and lows and a tough way to go out.

2018

Manager- Aaron Boone

Record: 100-62, 2nd in the AL East

Key Acquisitions: Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit, J.A. Happ, Neil Walker, Andrew McCutchen, Lance Lynn, Zack Britton, Brandon Drury

Key Departures: Joe Girardi, Chase Headley, Todd Frazier, Starlin Castro, Matt Holliday, Brandon Drury

Expectations were through the roof for the Yankees’ 2018 campaign, as they were among the favorites to win the World Series. The offseason, however, would bring some drastic changes to the team. The biggest player move was the acquisition of slugging outfielder Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins. Stanton was the reigning NL MVP and was coming off of a season in which he led baseball with 57 home runs. Stanton and Judge in the same lineup? It seemed like heaven on earth for Yankee fans. Another major difference in the team was that Joe Girardi was out as Yankee manager after a decade at the helm. He was replaced by former infielder Aaron Boone, who was best remembered for hitting the walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Red Sox that sent the Yankees to the World Series. How apropos that Boone’s first year managing in the Major Leagues would revolve around the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry, which had become rather dormant during most of the 2010s.

The Yankees started out slow, going 9-9 in their first 18 games. Meanwhile, the Red Sox came out of the gates steamrolling their opponents and began the season with their best start in franchise history at 17-2. One of those two losses was to the Yankees on April 11 at Fenway Park, a game that featured a bench-clearing brawl. Red Sox’ infielder Brock Holt took exception to a slide by Tyler Austin. Austin appeared to have spiked Holt in the leg when he slid into second on a bunt from Yankee infielder Tyler Wade. When Austin came to the plate in his next at-bat against pitcher Joe Kelly, he was plunked and charged the mound. The rivalry had officially been resurrected. The Yankees eventually found their groove and they started to plow through everyone as well. They went on a 17-1 stretch which included them beating the Red Sox two times at Yankee Stadium. This stretch also had some other memorable moments.

During a weekend series against the Cleveland Indians, Yankee rookies took center stage. Yankee third baseman Miguel Andujar hit a walk-off single, while the young star Gleyber Torres hit a walk-off home run. The team appeared to be unstoppable, but so did the Red Sox, who were not slowing down and staying right with the Yankees atop the AL East. Boston had several guys having tremendous seasons. Their outfielder Mookie Betts and their newly acquired designated hitter J.D. Martinez, gave Boston a deadly 1-2 offensive punch that could hurt anyone on any given day.

In addition to that, Boston’s starting rotation was also invincible, anchored by lefty Chris Sale, who was dominating hitters. The Red Sox also had a new manager in Alex Cora, who was a coach on the Astros’ World Series team. Cora implemented a style which combined sabermetrics along with the traditional style of play such as bunting and stealing. And that was one of the big things that ended up distinguishing the two teams. Another big thing was that the Red Sox were more seasoned and many of their players were in the prime of their career.

In July, the Red Sox took control of first place in the division and started to pull away. Nobody could stop them. The Yankees started to struggle and were dealing with injuries to key players such as Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird [again] and Aaron Judge. After getting off to a great start for the season, Luis Severino was starting to struggle. Looking to add some help to the rotation, Cashman traded infielder Brandon Drury and outfielder Billy McKinney to the Blue Jays, for veteran left-hander J.A. Happ. Happ, however, would also end up on the injured list when he was diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease. To help add some pop into the lineup, the team brought in first baseman Luke Voit from the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Yankees’ quest for the division title came to an early end when they were swept by Boston in a four-game series at Fenway in August. The Red Sox were having their best season in history and were on pace for 110 wins. The Yankees meanwhile, struggled to get into any sort of groove. They were so inconsistent during the last two months of the season that it didn’t seem that they’d make it to postseason play but they were because they had played so well too at the beginning of the season. The Yankees finished 2018 with a 100-62 record, their best record since their World Championship year of 2009. Usually, 100 wins would be enough to win a division. But the Red Sox won a ridiculous 108 games to win the AL East for the third straight year.

For the second year in a row and for the third time in four years, the Yankees would have to play in the American League Wild Card Game. They were again the hosts and this time they would face the 97-win Oakland Athletics. For the second year in a row, the Yankees called on Luis Severino to pitch. Severino was much better this time around but was far from great. He gave up only two hits and struck out seven, but only went four innings and walked four. Luckily, the Yankees made plenty of noise against the inferior Oakland pitching staff. New York breezed to a 7-2 victory, setting the stage for the highly anticipated showdown between them and the Red Sox in the ALDS.

J.A. Happ, who went undefeated with a 2.69 ERA with the Yankees, was the starter for Game 1 at Fenway and was immediately hit hard. J.D. Martinez smashed a three-run bomb over the Green Monster in left to give Boston a quick 3-0 lead. 3-0 would eventually turn to 5-0 and Happ was out of there after just two innings. The Yankees, however, fought back and pulled to within one run but came up short, losing 5-4. Down 1-0, they turned to Masahiro Tanaka in Game 2. Tanaka came through, pitching five innings of one-run ball. Gary Sanchez, who missed much of the season with groin strains, smashed two home runs into the Boston night to help propel the Yanks to a Game 2 victory.

Heading back to the Bronx for the next two games and tied at one game apiece, the Yankees and their fans had to have felt good about their chances. But those good feelings were crushed in Game 3 which quickly turned into a massacre of indescribable proportions. Luis Severino and the Yankee pitching staff were lit up like a Christmas tree. The Yankee offense was helpless against their former mate, Nathan Eovaldi. Things got so bad that backup catcher Austin Romine had to pitch. The final score, 16-1 Red Sox. It was the worst postseason loss in Yankee history.

With their backs to the wall, C.C. Sabathia was called on in Game 4 to save the Yankee season. Sabathia fought through the pain but the Sox again struck first and eventually had a 4-1 lead heading into the ninth inning. The Yankees, however, fought back and made it 4-3. With two outs and runners on, Gleyber Torres faced Craig Kimbrel. Torres grounded out [on a replay review] and the Sox won 4-3 and the series three games to one. The hated rivals partied on Yankee Stadium’s soil like there was no tomorrow. Boston’s dream season continued as they plowed through the defending World Champion Astros and NL Champion Dodgers to win their ninth World Series title in franchise history.

Analysis: Boy am I glad that’s over. This year was BY FAR, the worst year as a Yankee fan. Any time you lose to the hated Red Sox, there’s a sting that just doesn’t go away. Not only did the Sox celebrate the Division Series win on Yankee Stadium soil, they clinched the division itself on Yankee Stadium soil. Everything, literally EVERYTHING went the Red Sox’ way in 2018 it was ludicrous. Suffice it to say, 2018 [at least for me] is the most painful defeat of the decade for the Yankees and one of the worst in franchise history.

2019

Manager- Aaron Boone

Record: 103-59, 1st in the AL East

Key Acquisitions: James Paxton, DJ LeMahieu, Gio Urshela, Cameron Maybin, Mike Tauchman, Adam Ottavino, Troy Tulowitzki, Edwin Encarnacion

Key Departures: Sonny Gray, David Robertson, Neil Walker, Justus Sheffield

Coming off one of their more painful defeats in recent history, the Yankees turned the page and really worked to make 2019 better. They brought in some more pitching help by acquiring James Paxton from Seattle and resigning J.A. Happ to a two-year deal. They also improved their bullpen by bringing in Adam Ottavino from Colorado. In addition to that, they also worked on providing more depth all around the organization. They brought in veteran experience like DJ LeMahieu. And they also gave an opportunity to Gio Urshela, a third baseman from the Cleveland Indians, who had a reputation of having a great glove, but not a great bat.

The 2019 Yankees season would turn into one of the most outrageous yet inspiring seasons in club history. Right out of the gate, the Yankees were being hit with injuries. Luis Severino, Aaron Hicks, Dellin Betances, and Didi Gregorius were all out to begin the season. Soon after the season began, Miguel Andujar, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Troy Tulowitzki, Greg Bird [AGAIN], Aaron Judge, Clint Frazier, and James Paxton would all join them on the IL. It was an incredulous amount of injuries coming at a rate that nobody expected.

What people did expect was for the Yankees to be good. But they didn’t expect guys like LeMahieu and Urshela to lead the charge. Both guys arguably, provided the deadliest 1-2 combination in the Majors from April to June. Urshela wasn’t even on the Opening Day roster but because of a freak injury to Andujar, which required him to miss the rest of the season, Urshela got his chance and made the most of it. He and LeMahieu both hit well over .300 and LeMahieu was the key guy to drive in runs with his low strikeout and high contact rate. On the pitching side, right-hander Domingo German was exceeding expectations by filling in for the injured Severino. He showed great poise and command on the mound and was leading the league in wins.

The bullpen, as advertised, was virtually unhittable. If a starter gave them at least five innings, Boone would go to Ottavino for the sixth, Kahnle for the seventh, Zack Britton for the eighth, and Chapman for the ninth. The game was basically over by the fifth if the Yankees had the lead. The team took control of the division in mid-May and never relinquished it. No team would come within five games of them the rest of the way. The Yankees also made some history as they and the Red Sox played the first-ever Major League Baseball games in Europe. The two of them played a two-game set in the United Kingdom from June 29-30, with the Yankees winning both games and further proving that 2019 was different than 2018.

Throughout the season however, the injuries kept persisting. Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge would all return in June. But Stanton would quickly reinjure himself and wouldn’t be back until September. Aaron Hicks returned on May 15, only to reinjure himself on August 3. Gary Sanchez again had a hard time staying healthy as he kept dealing with groin issues. Edwin Encarnacion, whom the Yankees obtained from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash and pitcher Juan Then, would miss some time when he had his wrist fractured in the first game of a doubleheader against Boston on August 3. Despite all of this, Boone and the Yankees embraced the motto of, “Next Man Up,” and the fact that they were a bunch of “savages.” They lived up to those nicknames as they had the best team batting average and scored more runs than anyone.

There were so many other unsung heroes such as outfielders Mike Tauchman and Cameron Maybin and first baseman Mike Ford. It truly was remarkable how well the Yankees played throughout the year. They breezed through the regular season with 103 wins and were rarely challenged. They also conquered the American League East title for the first time since 2012. They’d enter the postseason with another date against the Minnesota Twins. Again, the Yankees were barely challenged by the Twinks, as Didi Gregorius’ Game 2 grand slam pretty much sealed the deal. Severino, who returned to the team with just weeks left in the season, won Game 3 and the Yanks were back in the ALCS for the second time in three years. And for the second time in three years, they’d be facing the Astros, who were coming off of a 107-win season and had a deadly 1-2 pitching punch in Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, both favorites for the CY Young Award.

The Yankees dominated the Stros in Game 1 in Houston by winning 7-0 and led 2-1 in Game 2, before George Springer and Carlos Correa’s home runs tied the series at a game apiece. The series shifted to Yankee Stadium and the Yankees wasted many opportunities to do damage at the plate and played very sloppy defense. Houston won Games 3 and 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. During Game 4, C.C. Sabathia pitched in what would be the final game of his Hall of Fame career. He blew his arm and walked off the field to a standing ovation. Facing elimination in Game 5, the Yankees turned to James Paxton and he delivered big time. The Yankees also finally beat Verlander in a postseason game for the first time ever thanks in part to a humongous three-run home run by the unexpected Aaron Hicks which clanged off the right field foul pole.

The Yanks won Game 5, 4-1 to send the series back to Houston. In Game 6, the Yankees went to their bullpen, beginning with Chad Green. Green immediately put the Yankees in a hole when he gave up a three-run home run to Yuli Gurriel in the bottom of the first inning. The Yankees made it 3-1 in the second when Gary Sanchez, who was having a dreadful series, finally came through with an RBI hit. The Yankees would add another run to make it 3-2 but Houston would make it 4-2. Down to their last three outs in the top of the ninth inning, Gio Urshela led off with a single to left field off of Houston closer Roberto Osuna. DJ LeMahieu came to the plate with one out and Urshela at first. After a long at-bat, LeMahieu hit a long fly ball to right field that just got over the wall for a game-tying home run. The Yankees were back in the game as it was 4-4. However, the season came to a devastating end the next inning, when with one on and two out, Jose Altuve smashed a game-winning and series-winning walk-off home run to left field off of Aroldis Chapman to give Houston the 6-4 win and pennant.

Analysis: This season was so amazing and it had so many moments and feel-good stories. So many guys on this team contributed and they played with all of the heart and passion in the world. However, like so many teams before them, they couldn’t deliver when it mattered most. So many guys struggled at the plate against Houston, notably Gary Sanchez and Edwin Encarnacion, who both were seemingly trying to hit a home run every time they stepped to the plate. I definitely feel that if this team won the World Series, it would’ve been regarded as one of the most inspirational stories in baseball history. It was just a sad ending in a very underachieving decade.

Overall thoughts: If you asked me, the 2010s weren’t a bad decade for the Yankees. They still won more games than any other team in baseball, they just couldn’t win it all. And that happens. Baseball is a cruel sport and you’re going to lose more than you win. I think as a Yankee fan, I’ve learned that losing is the best teacher because you have to go through the tough times to enjoy the good times that are ahead. And I do believe good times are ahead in the 2020s for the New York Yankees.