It’s no secret that the New York Yankees can be streaky. They’re either the dominant Bronx Bombers, or a star-studded lineup that turns out a minor league-quality effort. The in-between is practically nonexistent.
As a result, New York fans often gripe about one player or another because, in their eyes, they and they alone are responsible for the lineup’s struggles. Two years ago, it was everyone from Giancarlo Stanton to Josh Donaldson to Gleyber Torres. DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo took their turns last season, joining the eternal list of the Yankees’ many faux-scapegoats.
This year has been no different, particularly with the Yankees not too far removed from going 10-21 over the course of a month. That New York is still tied with Baltimore for first place is nothing short of a miracle, and the schedule finally seems to be softening up.
Given that, the Yankees would love for this small group of players to lock in and be at their best in the thick of the playoff race.
Alex Verdugo. Back on June 14, Verdugo turned in a three-hit night, including a home run, against his former team, the Boston Red Sox. He ended the evening with his batting average at a healthy .266 and was thriving in his role as the Yankees’ spark plug.
Verdugo has looked like a shell of himself since then. For one reason or another, he has hit a meager .200 with a single home run and a .544 OPS since that great night at Fenway. His glove has thankfully remained reliable with a +5 defensive runs saved (DRS) and +3 outs above average (OAA) in left field.
Luckily for Verdugo, something seems to have finally clicked. He’s batting .305 with a .774 OPS in his last 14 games, albeit with no home runs. Still, if he’s staying in the leadoff spot for now, this should be seen as a good sign for the rest of the year.
Marcus Stroman. Interesting timing considering the tough righty just pitched five innings of one-run ball and got the win against the Rangers. However, this was actually Stroman’s first win since June 22 and his sinker looked the best it had in months. His 4.01 ERA is clouded by a 5.16 FIP.
In fact, Stroman arguably overachieved early and this new streaky side of him could now just be par for the course. He entered June with a stellar 2.60 ERA, but a 4.48 FIP. Now factor in his second half ERA last season in Chicago ballooning to 8.63 after a solid 2.96 mark before the Break.
Stroman’s second-half ERA currently stands at 7.16, and Sunday’s performance came after a few extra days of rest. Maybe his struggles were just fatigue and he can hopefully keep work like yesterday’s up into October.
Nestor Cortes. We can make it official, folks. Nestor Cortes’ All-Star season in 2022 was the perfect combination of luck and overachieving. The crafty lefty posted a 2.44 ERA with a 3.12 FIP that year and just hasn’t been the same since. Cortes struggled with injuries in 2023 and has regressed back to the mean this year.
This isn’t to say Nestor Cortes has been absolutely bad. His 4.42 ERA and 4.10 FIP suggest he’s had some bad luck. What’s interesting is that it doesn’t seem to be from Cortes declining, but actually from simple overthrowing.
The big tell is Cortes’ fastball, his primary pitch. Its average velocity for the year is 92 mph, up a tick from 91.8 mph in 2022. And yet, its run value is a meager +1 compared to +31 two years ago. Whether its him being a year older or hitters getting wise to it, Cortes’ fastball should no longer be his top pitch.
If the Yankees want a deep October run—and if Cortes wants to stay in the rotation with Clarke Schmidt’s return looming—the young lefty will reacquaint himself with his offspeed pitches.
Anthony Volpe. On the whole, Volpe has looked a far better player in his second pro season. He’s strikeout prone and streaky, but has kept up the good work in the field and isn’t as all-or-nothing at the plate as he was his rookie year.
This is exactly what has plagued Volpe during this latest slump. He’s 0 for his last 20 in his last five games and the game tape doesn’t lie. Though he should be aiming to pull the ball hard in the air, he’s falling into the bad habit of getting too eager in his swing. Volpe isn’t just trying to pull the ball, but take the cover off of it.
Three words: Relax and reset. With the schedule softening up, we’ll hopefully see Volpe’s true hitting prowess return.
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