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Yankees: 3 biggest surprises of wild 2020 NYY season

By Adam Weinrib |
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 15: Clint Frazier #77 of the New York Yankees bats during the first inning of game two of a double header against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 15, 2019 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 15: Clint Frazier #77 of the New York Yankees bats during the first inning of game two of a double header against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 15, 2019 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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The New York Yankees have gotten some nice surprises in 2020.

Prior to the most recent 10-day stretch, nearly nothing has gone the way the Yankees intended it to.

Offensively, many of the bats the team figured to lean on for production found themselves compromised by injury; even Luke Voit, the team’s possible MVP, has spent the past month holding off his “foot stuff.” On the mound, sparks have come from unexpected sources, though the usual suspects have also been quite good in Gerrit Cole and Masahiro Tanaka.

But you can’t win — even in a shortened season — without some mysterious things going right along the way. No MLB team has ever made a postseason run without at least a few contributions from sources you’d be hard-pressed to find in a preseason yearbook.

In a season of surprises, three in particular have stood out in the Bronx.

Deivi Garcia #83 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Deivi Garcia #83 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

3. Deivi Garcia Being This Ready

Yankees youngster Deivi Garcia was not supposed to be this good, this fast.

The last time we saw Deivi Garcia prior to his midseason promotion, he looked timid in the strike zone, not ready to own the plate with any ferocity. His final Summer Camp tuneup was flat-out unimpressive, featuring several walks and a heavy dose of nibbling against the Phillies, as well as decreased velocity that didn’t seem quite as zippy as what was advertised.

But now? Entirely different story. Who would’ve pegged Garcia as someone whose development would accelerate in a month without a minor league season?

Apparently, the kid revamped his mound positioning, and that one tweak (as well as, we’re sure, several other things) led to a debut that wasn’t just successful, but outright dominant, putting Garcia firmly in the conversation for a potential Game 3 playoff start.

If you saw that coming when he arrived, then you’re lying. Outside of a stinker at Fenway Park on the mound once owned by Garcia’s idol Pedro Martinez, the kid has been spectacular.

The only pitcher who could potentially take that postseason duty away from Garcia? Easily the least-likely man to do so if you’d asked us one month ago, and the only pitching surprise who could ever out-rank Deivi.

J.A. Happ #33 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
J.A. Happ #33 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

2. JA Happ’s Spectacular Run

The Yankees have gotten much more than they anticipated from JA Happ.

Somehow, JA Happ has flipped the conversation from, “How can we make absolutely certain he’s nowhere near the 2021 roster through manipulation?” to, “Hey…uh…do we all kind of sort of want JA Happ back?”

Odds are unlikely it’ll happen, seeing as the lefty was less than thrilled with the way the team attempted to flip-flop his starts around to prevent him from hitting his adjusted milestones, and he will not be returning at the high price that was previously agreed to.

With eight starts under his belt, Happ is rocking a 3.25 ERA, at least a full run lower than even the rosiest projections. He’s also probably tossed … three of the five best starts by any Yankee this year? His 1-0 gem to break at seven-game losing streak against the Mets altered the season’s trajectory, and he similarly dominated the Blue Jays at a severe hitter’s park in Buffalo as well as Boston at the bandbox known as Fenway on Saturday night.

With off days removed from the equation for potential ALDS and ALCS games, Happ will certainly be appearing in any postseason series beyond the three-game Wild Card round. And he’s actually earned our confidence.

Of course, the second he falters, Yankees fans will be back in alarmist mode. It’s what they do. But you can’t say Happ hasn’t been surprisingly excellent more often than not this season.

Clint Frazier #77 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Clint Frazier #77 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

1. Clint Frazier Taking the Starting Gig and Running With It

Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier is here to stay.

Before 2020, there was no room for Clint Frazier without a catastrophic streak of injuries ahead of him.

Now? Frazier is an essential piece of this roster, and all it took was the door to creak open just a bit after a series of soft-tissue maladies.

Many of us Frazier defenders were cautiously optimistic about the kid taking a starting job and running with it, sure, but there were more than enough red flags to keep us wary.

His advancing age. His dissipating prospect status. His defensive misadventures.

Turns out, a final tweak to his stance this offseason has allowed him to utilize his ridiculous bat speed to the fullest extent, and his time in the minors spent “working on his defense” has absolutely paid off. He’s a different man out there, attacking his routes confidently and making the routine plays.

Frazier was named the starting left fielder officially this week following Aaron Judge’s return, and the humble kid said it made him rightfully emotional, sneaking a smile out beneath his facemask.

It’s a shame that facemasks have become a part of the game in 2020, though, and we can’t wait until an adoring Yankee Stadium can properly pay tribute to our No. 1 surprise. He’s earned the ovation.

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