As all great things do, they must come to an end - I am talking about the 2018 baseball season. The playoffs have already come and gone, and the Yankees knocked out of the American League Division Series by their most hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox - only beating Boston one time in the best of five series. Those Red Sox would eventually defeat the Houston Astros (4-1) to capture the American League Pennant and the Los Angeles Dodgers (4-1) to win their 9th World Series title - man it hurt to write that.
A quick recap will show you that the Red Sox won the division, setting a franchise record in wins (108) - hard to believe a team that has been around so long has only now won this many games. Alas, with Boston winning the division that left the Yankees to the Wild Card. The Yanks clinched a Wild Card spot on my birthday (September 22 in case anyone wants to send me a card in the future) in a walk-off victory against Baltimore. The Oakland Athletics clinched the second Wild Card shortly thereafter - leaving the entire Yankees fan-verse in suspense - will they have home field advantage for this single elimination playoff game? The answer is YES. Yankees locked up home field against these Boston Red Sox, and won their 100th game of the season. With all the complaining the second half of the season, you would NEVER know the Yankees finished the season 100-62.
They struggled a little bit here and there, but held it together. They lost Aaron Judge for almost a month and a half with a fractured wrist (Judge was hit by a pitch in a game vs. Kansas City). We all were originally told he would be out 3-weeks... but that time came and went and Judge STILL had not returned. But, as you can understand, the Yankees would not want to rush back the face of their franchise. He would finally come back on September 14th, and you could immediately see how much his presence in the lineup would mean to the Yankees. He is clearly their backbone.
But the second half saw a few different things - how deep this team is. How they could lose their primary closer for an extended period of time, and still manage to stay afloat. And you could easily say this about their catchers, and their infield as well. A number of players struggled down the stretch, which saw the emergence of a couple of other players nobody expected much out of. Luke Voit is now a thing, and he became a key player after his acquisition from St. Louis. Severino bounced back and finished semi-strong - although the success didn't quite follow him into the postseason. The Yankees acquired Andrew McCutchen at the August 31st trade deadline, and he quickly supplanted a struggling Brett Gardner in Left Field.
The Yankees made quick work of the Athletics, defeating them 7-2 in the Wild Card game. Behind a first-inning two-run home run from Aaron Judge, strong pitching from Severino and the bullpen, and a 2-run triple from Luke Voit - Oakland could not keep pace. A questionable move from Oakland, deciding to "bullpen" the Wild Card Game almost immediately took them out of the game.
The ALDS, to put it simply - was a major disappointment. The Yankees would lose this series to their most hated rivals 3 to 1. Of the three games the lost - the Yankees were in position to win two of them - bringing the tying and go-ahead run to the plate in each of the games. They clearly had a strategy - get into Boston's bullpen and aside from their lopsided loss in Game 3, all of the groundwork for this strategy paid off. The problem... Boston's bullpen actually performed...
Coming into the series it was well known that if this Boston team had a weakness it was their bullpen. During this series Cora would pull their starter and along with the entire fan base, I would immediately expect the Yankees to score runs and take the lead. I was wrong... that did not happen as the entire bullpen (with the exception of Craig Kimbrel) performed pretty well, holding the Yankee offense in check. Kimbrel actually almost coughed up the lead in both games he pitched, giving up a home run (Game 1) to Aaron Judge, and came within inches of allowing the tying run to score in Game 4 during a 9th inning Yankee rally.
The Yankee starting pitching in this particular postseason series was abysmal. For the outstanding job they did over the course of the regular season, it certainly was not reflected in their postseason performances. Even in the games the Yankees won (Wild Card and Game 2 of the ALDS), no Yankee starter threw more than 5.0 innings. With the starter's coming out early, each game was essentially turned into a bullpen game. The rotation was not built for that. I understand that in 2018, the Yankees had a dominant bullpen - but you have to understand that their bullpen was dominant in compliment with their starting pitching. You cannot rely on your bullpen to get you 18 outs a game in each game of the postseason - you will not get very far. I don't want to compare them to the Red Sox, so I won't. In more general terms, look at the teams that have won the World Series in recent history (and over time), 9.9 times out of 10 your championship team's starting rotation gives you depth and puts you in a position to win every game. That is NOT the responsibility of your bullpen - especially if your pitching staff is built a certain way. The Yankee starting pitchers just simply did not perform, and unfortunately Boston's offense is too good - I'll just stop there.
With the Game 4 loss, and the series loss the Yankees' 2018 season came to a disappointing end. Leaving many question marks for how the team will move forward in the off-season. They lost to a team that had a very successful season - to a team that would eventually win the World Series. This should leave them with a chip on their shoulders going into 2019 - especially since the Red Sox did not really win with grace, as they continued to troll the Yankees throughout the remainder of the postseason and even at their victory parade. Win with class. I would love to say the rivalry has been renewed, but any Yankees-Red Sox game already gives me too much anxiety.
Anyways, enough talk about Boston.
To sum up the 2018 season, the Yankees had a very successful one. I know, the season didn't end how we all had hoped, with a ticker-tape parade, but for a team that was in the second year of their rebuild they did very nice job. The team finished the season with a 100-62 record, and in most seasons that wins you the division. They did this with a very young group of players and a rookie manager, Aaron Boone. You could see much of Boone's managerial inexperience throughout the season, especially with how he handled the pitching staff. Between having a quick hook, and questionable pitching substitutions - he still did a pretty decent job. I know much of this fan-base did not like Boone, but these were the same fans that were probably displeased with Girardi. Look, there are not many managers like Joe Torre, and the Yankees will probably never have another manager like him. But, the game has changed so much since those dynasty years, hence why they hired a guy like Boone.
Coming into the season, the Yankees starting rotation was considered their weakness and with an early injury to Jordan Montgomery, it looked pretty bleak. Outside of Severino's hot start, the rotation's inconsistency was a concern. They however, tightened up - and thanks to some key player acquisitions and that dominant bullpen, the rotation performed pretty well.
The Yankees lineup was projected to score a TON of runs - and they did. Heck, they even set the Franchise Record for home runs this season (267). Just imagine how many more they would have hit if Bird and Sanchez didn't have down years? How many more Judge would have hit if he didn't get hit by that pitch and miss so much time?
And, as of today the Yankees have TWO finalists for Rookie of the Year in Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres. They also had three Gold Glove finalists (Judge, Gardner, + Tanaka) that did not win.
I was going to write up an end of the year report card for each player - in fact I started writing one, and almost a month later I have not made any progress. Albeit, life does happen and this is not my day job - perhaps handing out my not-so-prestigious end of the year awards would be a more efficient use of time.
So, I now would like to announce the 1st Annual Pinstripe Chronicle End of the Year Awards!
TEAM MVP:
AARON JUDGE, RF .278AVG/27HR/67RBI Let me explain my choice. Before his injury, Judge pretty much led this team in all offensive categories. Even with the offseason addition of reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Judge was the backbone of this team, the Yankees were a completely different team in his absence. Judge missed time from July 26th to September 14th. In the 44 games Judge missed, the Yankees went 25-19 (.568 WIN%), compared to 75-43 (.635 WIN%) with him healthy. It is unquestionable what his presence in the lineup does. This, combined with all the intangibles he brings easily makes him this teams most valuable player. Honorable Mention: Miguel Andujar
TEAM CY YOUNG:
LUIS SEVERINO, RHP 19-8/3.39ERA/191.1IP/220SO The first half of the season, Severino was arguably one of the best pitchers in baseball and was well on his way to being in consideration for the AL Cy Young Award - compiling a 14-2 record with a 2.31ERA. Just after the All-Star Break, Severino began to struggle - he looked like the pitcher he was in 2016... lost. He was able to right the ship enough to finish strong. It's still pretty impressive that a guy could have an ERA of 6.58 for the month of July and 4.86 for the month of August, and still finish the season with a 3.39 ERA. This speaks in volumes as to how dominant he was prior to the All-Star break. Hopefully next year he can carry this through the entire season. I almost went with Tanaka here, but his first half was just about as lackluster as Severino's second half. Honorable Mention: Masahiro Tanaka
TEAM ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:
MIGUEL ANDUJAR, 3B .297AVG/27HR/92RBI On April 1st, the Yankees called up Miguel Andujar to replace an injured Brandon Drury, and offensively, he never looked back. Andujar hit so well, you could see why the Yankees held on to him, and it meant you were also willing to overlook his defensive deficiencies at third base. Andujar was probably the most consistent offensive player over the entirety of the season. He went on to smash some of the Yankees' franchise records for a rookie, including Joe DiMaggio's doubles record (44) set in 1936 - finishing the season with 47 (tied with Fred Lynn - who set the AL Record in 1975). The fact that he was consistent for the entirety of the season is what earned this award, and hopefully is what voters will consider when selecting the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Though speculation is the award could go to Angels DH/SP Shohei Ohtani. I could argue why Ohtani does NOT deserve the award all day... but this article is already long enough. Honorable Mention: Gleyber Torres
COMEBACK PLAYER:
MASAHIRO TANAKA, RHP 12-6/3.75ERA/156.0IP/159SO In 2017, Masahiro Tanaka pitched to a line of 13-12/4.74ERA/178.1IP/194SO. In almost every aspect of his game, Tanaka improved, considering that he missed approximately a month in each season. His win percentage increased, his ERA dropped almost an entire run, improved his WHIP, BB/9, HR/9 and so on. In my opinion he went from a number 3/4 starter in 2017 to the quality number 2 starter he was signed to be. Actually, he was signed to be an Ace, but with the emergence of Severino, that didn't last long. Still, in crunch time and in big games, he has performed quite admirably. Honorable Mention: Aroldis Chapman
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER:
DIDI GREGORIUS, SS .987PCT/475TC/160PO/309A/6E I know, I know - Gregorius wasn't even a finalist for a Gold Glove. I find that award to be somewhat biased anyways. And call me partial to middle infielders - being a former middle-infielder myself. But, I don't feel like the eye test lies - Didi has outstanding range, the arm, and the ability to man one of the most demanding positions on the diamond and he does it with flair and ease. Just watch him play. Honorable Mention: Brett Gardner
BIGGEST SURPRISE (BATTERS):
LUKE VOIT, 1B .333AVG/14HR/33RBI (39 games w/NYY) The Yankees acquired Luke Voit in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals just before the July 31st trade deadline. They picked him up as a depth move, since they would trade Tyler Austin to Minnesota and Greg Bird continued to struggle mightily. Before the trade, Voit had only played 8 MLB games, spending most of his time in AAA. Boone gave Voit a shot, and he certainly made the most of it. In the 39 games he played in pinstripes, he took over the starting first base job (Bird only played 7 games in the month of September), mashed 14 homers and captured the hearts of Yankee fans every where. It is uncertain what his role will be moving forward, depending on what (if any) moves the Yankees make in the offseason. But, 2018 for Luke Voit will be one season to remember. Honorable Mention: Miguel Andujar + Gleyber Torres
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT (BATTERS):
GARY SANCHEZ, C .186AVG/18HR/53RBI There were actually a number of options for this award, believe it or not - but I think the standout in my mind (and probably every other fan's) was Sanchez. He shot onto the scene in 2016, and had an excellent 2017 - leaving everyone with incredibly high expectations for the slugger. Sanchez had a number of issues this season, as his value seemed to depreciate on both sides of the ball. His hustle was called into question, his defensive ability as well, and he lacked durability - only playing 89 games due to hamstring injuries. He just looked lost - definitely not what everyone had expected. Probably one reason why Tony Pena should have been retained, but who am I to make those decisions. Somehow, Sanchez managed to smack 18 homers, but outside of that, this season was just a flat out loss. Sanchez was at the top of every Yankee fan's hate-list. I expect him to have a nice bounce back season in 2019, let's hope he can put it all back together. Honorable Mention: Greg Bird, Neil Walker, + Brett Gardner
BIGGEST SURPRISE (PITCHERS):
NONE! I can honestly say that no pitcher's performance significantly surprised me this season - in a positive way.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT (PITCHERS):
SONNY GRAY, RHP 11-9/4.90ERA/130.1IP/123SO When the Yankees traded for Sonny Gray in 2017, I thought this was a brilliant move. Gray was supposed to anchor the rotation, and stick around for a couple years. His 2018 was literally filled with inconsistency. He only seemed to be able to perform against Kansas City and Baltimore - everyone else had him figured out. The Yankees maintained faith in him, as they should have because he is a good pitcher, and hoped he could figure out his mechanics. I don't think he and Larry Rothschild were really a good match. Actually, I am concerned about Rothschild as a whole... maybe it's just me but he doesn't seem to fit in here anymore. Anyways... Gray was removed from the rotation, and hardly pitched down the stretch. There is some speculation that he requested a trade at the deadline. Cashman has almost assuredly stated he will trade Gray during the offseason. I rooted for this guy to turn it around - but not everyone can pitch in New York... Honorable Mention: Jordan Montgomery
BEST RELIEVER:
CHAD GREEN, RHP 8-3/2.50ERA/75.2IP/94SO Dominant. Reliable. All Star snub. I know Chapman had a fantastic year, but he got hurt down the stretch in September. Ever since Chad Green was moved to the bullpen, he's developed into a dominant and consistent reliever. Not really much else to say. Honorable Mention: Dellin Betances + Aroldis Chapman
POSTSEASON MVP:
AARON JUDGE, RF .421AVG/3HR/4RBI Although the Yankees postseason stint in 2018 was a quick 5 games, Aaron Judge certainly made the most of it and performed admirably. Hopefully, this is a sign of many years of productive postseason play. Honorable Mention: BULLPEN, Luke Voit, + Gary Sanchez
What do you think? Did I get any wrong? Or leave anyone out? Please let me know what you think! Hopefully I can get more articles out there during the offseason. However, check me out on twitter as the Hot Stove Season starts to heat up (@tpc_yankeesblog). Winter Meetings are December 9-13 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas this year - hopefully there will be lots to talk about!