New York Yankees: Unsung heroes from the 2010s

P Kerry Wood (2010)

Taking the MLB mound for just the 5th time, Kerry Wood tied the MLB record for most strikeouts in a game in a one-hit performance against the Houston Astros in 1998. The hype machine grew, and many felt that the 21-year-old would become one of baseball’s best hurlers.

Unfortunately, injuries decimated Wood’s rise to superstardom. He ended up having a solid career, with a pair of All-Star appearances, but he never became the dominant ace many in Chicago were hoping he would be.

After a 10-year stint with the Cubs where he eventually transitioned to a bullpen role, Wood signed with the Cleveland Indians. About a year and a half into his time in Cleveland, he was shipped to New York in a trade that would bolster the Yankees mediocre bullpen.

Wood came to the Yankees coming off a pair of trips to the disabled list and a 6.30 ERA in 20 innings. To think he was going to become the setup man for Mariano Rivera couldn’t have been all that realistic.

However, Wood had half a season of magic left in him. In 24 appearances, he posted a sensational 0.69  ERA and helped solidify the backend of the Yankees bullpen.

At the time, the Yankees had talent in the pen but Joba Chamberlain‘s best days were behind him, David Roberston was a year away from his first All-Star season and a young Boone Logan didn’t have manager Joe Girardi‘s trust just yet.

Wood also performed well in the postseason. In the Yankees’ two playoff series, Wood garnered three holds with a 2.25 ERA in 8 innings of work.

It was a short stint in pinstripes for Wood, but the 2010 team was led by a breakout season from Robinson Cano and fantastic seasons from Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia. If the Yankees were able to repeat as champions, Wood might have been remembered much like veterans fans admire from the 1990s dynasty teams.

OF Curtis Granderson (2010-2013)

“The Grandyman can!”

The Yankees shipped top prospect Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy and Phil Coke to acquire Curtis Granderson, a move to help bolster the roster as the organization eyed a 28th World Championship in 2010.

Granderson was merely average in 2010, but it was far from what he would become in his next two seasons in pinstripes. Still, Granderson was a crucial figure in the 2010 postseason run, in game one of ALDS, Granderson came to bat in the sixth with New York down by a run, he mashed a triple to give the Yankees the lead.

As the Yankees took easy care of the Minnesota Twins (of course), Granderson slashed .455/.500/.727.  Throughout the 2010 postseason, Granderson was an on-base machine. As always, performing in the playoffs will make you an easy fan favorite, and it propelled him into two of his best professional seasons in 2011 and 2012.

As our Matt Orso explained in his look back at Granderson’s career in the Bronx, his 2011 and 2012 seasons were among the best feats of power by a Yankees player in a half-century.

Granderson had his best professional season in 2011, mashing 41 homers, a league-leading 119 RBI and a .262/.364/.552 slash line. He finished 4th in MVP voting and made his second All-Star team.

Orso noted that Granderson became the fifth player in franchise history to put up at least 41 homers, 119 RBI and 136 runs in a season, joining Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Alex Rodriguez.

In the next season, Granderson joined the likes of Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Rodriguez (and Jason Giambi) yet again by becoming the sixth player to hit 40 or more homers in multiple seasons. That’s pretty, pretty good company.

Granderson is well-liked among the Yankees fan base for his actions both on and off the field. However, when looking back on the past decade, it is easy to look past his historic stint as a critical member of three playoff teams.

P David Robertson (2008-2014, 2017-2018)

“Houdini” was first etched into the lingo of Yankees fans following David Robertson‘s high-wire escape act in the 2009 ALDS.

With the game tied in the 11th inning, the bases were juiced and a young Delmon Young, who would become a well-documented “Yankee killer” came up to bat. Young, along with Carlos Gomez made outs on consecutive pitches. Following that, a fly ball to center field got him out of the inning, just in time before a “Tex Message” sent the fans home happy.

From that point on, Robertson became a well-liked asset for the Yankees. At just 24, it appeared he would have a long, successful career in New York. And he didn’t disappoint.

After the ’09 World Series run, Roberston held key roles as a late-inning reliever looking to hand the keys to Rivera. From 2010-2014, Robertson posted a 2.51 ERA in 319.1 innings, striking out 425 batters(12.0 K/9).

Robertson’s best season came in 2011. He held a 1.03 ERA, in 66.2 innings. He had career bests in FIP, HR/9, K/9 and ERA+. To date, it is Robertson’s lone All-Star season.

In his return to pinstripes as the headliner of a trade deadline acquisition in 2017, Robertson picked up right where he left off. He, alongside the plethora of pinstriped hurlers, helped keep the Yankees alive in the AL Wildcard game.

Robertson was the bridge of that game, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out five. His performance in that game alone made general manager Brian Cashman’s decision to trade for him look brilliant.

Robertson was a top-tier reliever in New York for a long time. He was part of a championship team and a key contributor to essentially every playoff run this decade.

Plus, who doesn’t love the high socks and “Sweet Home Alabama” blaring in the Bronx?

P Hiroki Kuroda (2012-2014)

While Robertson and Granderson made All-Star teams with the Yankees, an understated and underrated player early in the decade was veteran right-hander Hiroki Kuroda.

Kuroda began his MLB career at the age of 33, performing well for the Los Angeles Dodgers for four seasons after a long career in Japan. In 2012, the Yankees signed Kuroda at the age of 37 and despite a ton of innings on his arm, he continued to be a reliable option.

Along with Kuroda, the Yankees aimed to bolster their rotation further with the addition of Michael Pineda, with Kuroda appearing as more of a stopgap, Pineda looked to be the one with front-end starter potential.

That’s not how their Yankees careers would play out as injuries and inconsistency marred Pineda’s tenure, while Kuroda was a consistent performer, averaging 200+ innings and a 3.44 ERA with New York, with his ERA never jumping higher than the 3s.

The veteran was part of some subpar Yankees teams in ’13 and ’14 but he was certainly a bright spot and would have garnered much more praise if he was given postseason opportunities. In 2012, he pitched in two playoff games, going 8.1 innings in one start and 7.2 innings in the next.

Unfortunately, the Yanks would miss the postseason in his remaining years with the team and his two other strong campaigns were overshadowed by farewell tours of Yankees greats. Kuroda ran out of gas at the tail end of the 2014 season but he was the perfect three or four starter in the rotation.

P Rafael Soriano (2011-2012)

After signing a 3-year, $35 million contract before the 2011 season, Rafael Soriano was expected to be the setup man for Mariano Rivera. He was coming off a All-Star season with the Tampa Bay Rays where he led the league in saves (45), helping the Rays win the AL East.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get off to a strong start in New York. He dealt with injuries in his first season in New York, only throwing 39.1 innings with a 4.12 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 105 ERA+. To say the least, it looked like another disappointing bullpen acquisition for the Yanks.

A year or so later, in May of 2012, Rivera tore his ACL shagging a fly ball at the warning track of Kauffman Stadium, it’s video footage that no Yankees fan could bare watching again. At the time it looked like the end of a Hall of Fame career. Luckily, Rivera had more innings in him but for the 2012 team, it could have meant a season without playoff baseball in the Bronx.

In a wild turn, Soriano regained his All-Star form in the wake of the Rivera injury. Although his numbers are slightly worse on paper, 2012 is arguably Soriano’s best year. He earned 42 saves, posted a 2.26 ERA and struck out 69 batters (Who can forget untucking his jersey after saves!).

Soriano’s heroics were well-documented during the 2012 season but with all of the fantastic bullpen arms to head to New York since, it’s easy to see why Soriano got lost in the mix. It may have been a bit of a one-hit wonder for him in the Bronx, but his timing was impeccable.

INF Ronald Torreyes (2016-2018)

Toe!

While Ronald Torreyes certainly has plenty of admirers in the Yankees fan base, it is easy to overlook how well he played in New York.

Torreyes bounced around the league before he came to the Yanks, literally. He started 2015 with the Astros, then the Blue Jays, finally heading to Dodgers when shipped to the Bronx.  Oh, that’s just the beginning.

The Yankees would then designate Torreyes for assignment, he then was claimed by the Angels before the Yankees would again claim him again after he was DFA’d by Los Angeles.

Could you keep up with that? The bottom line is, he would be in pinstripes for the next three seasons. And for those three seasons, Torreyes was a strong utility man.

In 2016 with the Yanks looking towards Pete Kozma and Rob Refsnyder as the other options to backup the Yankees infield, Torreyes quickly found himself on the roster to begin the season and he wouldn’t find himself back in Scranton for an extended period for two seasons.

His first season in pinstripes was up and down, he had a few scorching hot streaks but slumps with the bat made it hard to predict that he was more than an expendable glove heading into 2017.

Alike many other unsung heroes of the decade, Torreyes sprung into a fan favorite out of nowhere. He began swinging the bat extremely well as the Yankees quickly became contenders in 2017.

Never a power threat, Torreyes slapped singles and found himself on base all season. Throw in walk-off heroics and he found himself being the talk of the town. He played in 108 games in 2017, hitting .292 with a significant 336 plate appearances.

Listed at a very generous 5’8″, “Toe” is one of the smallest players in the majors and with the emergence of the giant Aaron Judge in 2017, he was all over social media and became fan favorite. Although his fake interviews and small stature will be remembered, his work on the field helped bring the Yankees to the cusp of a World Series.

3B Gio Urshela (2019-Present)

The Yankees 2019 season was filled with unsung heroes but none more than Gio Urshela. Coming into the year, he was thought of as nothing more than a “quadruple A” player, one not quite good enough to hold down a long-term role at the Major League level.

Urshela entered spring training as a non-roster invitee. After an early-season injury to Miguel Andujar, Urshela got his chance and he didn’t look back. Throughout 2019, Urshela transformed from a .220 hitter to .300 bat with 20-plus homer power.

As injuries took their toll, a number of backups stepped up to the plate. Clint Frazier, Mike Ford, Mike Tauchman and others were able to hold down the fort as a multitude of Yankees stars found themselves on the injured list. However, Urshela was good enough to hold down a starting position for the entire season.

Defensively, Urshela was his typical self. Although defensive metrics show he wasn’t elite in the field, the eye test contradicts what any advanced metrics say. Urshela made incredible plays all year and committed just 13 errors. To say he was an improvement over Andujar’s 2018 fiasco in the field is an understatement.

Where Urshela crushed expectations was at the plate. Pick an offensive stat any stat  you can imagine, 2019 likely marked Urshela’s career-high. He mashed for 21 homers, 34 doubles and 74 RBI with a .314/.355/.534 line.

Just a season ago Urshela entered the camp as a non-roster invitee, now he has the chance to solidify himself as the Yankees long-term answer at the hot corner with a strong 2020.

In the end, New York general manager Brian Cashman put it well. Cashman described Urshela as, “a gift from God.”

OF Brett Gardner (2008-Present)

The longest-tenured New York Yankee is the team’s penultimate unsung hero of the last decade. Brett Gardner has patrolled the outfield in the Bronx for well over a decade now and as the team has evolved over the decade, one constant remained, that was “Gardy.”

Of late, the Yankees have begun prepping to limit Gardner’s playing time, making additions in the outfield in recent years. However, the injury bug has hit and in his mid-to-late 30s Gardner continues to play full seasons in the outfield.

Throughout the decade, Gardner posted a .260/.344/.405 slash line, made an All-Star team and won a Gold Glove. He also grew into a clubhouse leader alongside C.C. Sabathia.

Even heading into 2020, Gardner remains the heart and soul of this Yankees team. He has experience with the Derek Jeter-era teams, winning his lone World Series ring in 2009 and he has helped keep show new stars, like Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres, the ropes as they begin to cement their legacies.

For his entire career, Gardner has put his head down and gone to work. He was never the most physically gifted, he doesn’t hit towering home runs or make flashy, highlight-reel plays. He gives his all each night and that is something that over the years Yankees fans have come to respect.