New York Yankees: Unsung heroes from the 2010s
By Ryan Doyle
Here’s a look at eight unsung New York Yankees heroes from the past decade.
Through the grueling 162-game schedule of a Major League Baseball season, franchises cannot rely on just a handful of players if they want to raise the World Series trophy. Unheralded prospects and veterans on their last legs must produce to keep a season alive.
For the last 10 years, a number of unsung heroes have etched themselves into New York Yankees lore. From trade deadline acquisitions who helped carry the Yanks to the postseason, to players who stepped up when injuries took down a superstar.
Along the way, these uncelebrated players have been critical pieces for New York and due to the team falling short, they were never given the credit they rightfully deserved.
The 2010s were a disappointing decade for Yankees fans. Yes, New York made the postseason seven times and the ALCS four times but the team never made it to the World Series, marking the first decade where a Yankees team didn’t make a World Series since the 1910s.
Typically the Yankees rosters of the 2010s were a few pieces shy, ending up as the bridesmaids of the decade but never the brides. Early in the decade, veteran-heavy squads scratched their way to deep playoff runs while more recently the team’s young stars have been the key to its success.
At the end of the road, the following players will be mentioned in conversations for decades. Typically starting with, “Man, do you remember how solid Hiroki Kuroda was?” These players were stellar for stretches and with some becoming distant memories of past seasons.