The 2016 season marks the 21st-consecutive year in which the New York Yankees have entered the All-Star Break at .500 or better. That is remarkable.
However, the Yankees’ 44-44 record heading into the season’s Midsummer Classic is extremely underwhelming. We’ve seen a lot of ups and downs from the Yankees so far. There have been bright spots. There have been a lot of disappointments. Combine the struggles of some aging veterans and the lack of immediate help coming from the minors, the Yankees look like a team lacking an identity.
Once play resumes Friday, the next few weeks should provide some clarity on what the Yankees will look like for the rest of 2016 and beyond. Until then, I’ve graded the performances of this team so far, position-by-position.
New York Yankees Position Grades
CATCHER: B-
Brian McCann has been the Yankees primary backstop this season, starting 62 games. While his power numbers (14 HR, 38 RBI) are a little low, his average is at .248 – higher than the .232 he posted over his first two years in pinstripes. Despite his numbers looking pedestrian, a couple factors bumped his grade up.
McCann has gotten A LOT of big hits for the Yankees this year. It seems every time the Yankees rallied from a big deficit or won a close game, McCann was one of the guys in the middle of it. The second factor that comes into play is his consistent defense. People will point to his .759 stolen base percentage, and yes, that is high. McCann has never been a guy that throws out a lot of runners. Look at fact that he has only committed two errors and allowed four past balls with a very erratic pitching staff. McCann is a guy pitchers are comfortable throwing to.
Backup catcher was a question mark for the Yankees throughout the spring. Austin Romine has filled that role nicely. He’s started games behind the plate and is hitting .265 with three homers and 16 RBI.
FIRST BASE: D
First base was supposed to be a position of strength for the 2016 Yankees. Mark Teixeira was coming off a very productive 2015 campaign and Greg Bird looked very impressive in his rookie season. Teixeira was the everyday first baseman, but Bird was an insurance policy for the fragile veteran. There was no question the youngster would get plenty of playing time. That all changed when Bird was lost for the season in February with a torn labrum. That left Teixeira as the only real option at first base early on. He has been a total disappointment. Not only has Tex only appeared in just 61 games due to injury, his .193 average and .272 OBP is dreadful. His power has diminished to the tune of seven homers and 20 RBI. His .994 fielding percentage might be the only thing keeping him in the lineup, but that’s not enough for a guy making $22.5 million this year.
Rob Refsnyder came up as a utility player and has gotten 15 starts at first, committing two errors. He has lived up to his billing as a good contact hitter with his .276 average in 99 at bats. Regardless of how the team does in the second half, Refsnyder should continue to get more at bats
SECOND BASE: C
When the Yankees traded for Starlin Castro in December, it was a low-risk move that would hopefully upgrade second base for the present and future. After a torrid start to the season, Castro has cooled off. He’s hitting just .256, with 10 homers and 31 RBI. His 14 doubles are good for third best in the Yankees anemic offense, but so are his 62 strikeouts. If he can find a way to get on base more, he could be a greater asset to the Yankees lineup. Castro’s .985 fielding percentage is very respectable, and he has only committed five errors.
SHORTSTOP: A-
There is no denying that Didi Gregorius has been the Yankees best two-way position player in 2016. His second season in the Bronx nearly earned him his first All-Star appearance. He’s hitting .298 with 41 RBI and his 11 home runs are already a career high. Gregorius is tied for the team lead in hits (89) and is second with 16 doubles. His 12 errors look bad but, they have come in bunches and overall he has been very good defensively. Didi should be able to build on his first half, and finish the season as one off the Bombers’ best players.
THIRD BASE: C
Chase Headley is having a very Chase Headley-type year. What that means is that sometimes, you just flat-out forget he’s on this team. His .255 average, seven home runs and 27 RBI are pretty poor numbers. He’s fourth on the team with four steals (as pathetic as it is), and his 29 walks ties him for third best. After a poor defensive season a year ago, he has bounced back. 2015 saw the shore-handed Headley commit 23 errors. He has just five through 80 games in 2016 to go along with a .978 fielding percentage.
LEFT FIELD: B-
Brett Gardner is having a solid year as the Yankees’ left-fielder. People might be looking for more out of Gardy, but his .257 average is not far off from his career .263 number. Gardner was never a source of power so his five homers are about what you would expect. You’d like to see more than 22 RBI however. The days of him stealing 30+ bases are over, but speed is still a big part of his game. He has swiped 12 bags in the first half of 2016, to go along with 12 doubles and a triple. Gardner’s best offensive attribute has always been his ability to get on base. Despite the low average, Gardner has a .353 OBP, the best on the team. His 40 walks also lead the Bombers. Gardner been great in the outfield. He has a pair of errors to go with two assists.
CENTER FIELD: B
Jacoby Ellsbury was brought to the New York Yankees to be the next great center-fielder to don the pinstripes. At least that’s what fans were told. The reality was the 2013 Yankees missed the playoffs, and in true Yankees’ fashion, Cashman and Co. had to go out and make a free agent splash. One of those guys was Jacoby Ellsbury. I won’t go on about the bad contract or anything else. Bottom line is Ellsbury is not the elite, dynamic player he was in Boston. Let’s accept that before looking at his numbers for this season.
Ellsbury has been pretty healthy this season (79 games). His average is respectable for a leadoff hitter (.279). His .347 OBP is tied with McCann for second on the team. He’s also tied for second on the team in walks. Like Gardner, Ellsbury’s game is still based around speed. He leads all Yankees with 16 steals, although he’s been caught seven times. Only five players have more triples than Jacoby’s five. Ellsbury is playing solid defense in center. He pairs a .986 fielding percentage with three assists and two errors.
RIGHT FIELD: B+
For all intents and purposes, I’m using Carlos Beltran as the primary Right-fielder and Alex Rodriguez as the primary DH.
Carlos Beltran is having a turn-back-the-clock season. The 39-year-old is leading the Yankees in almost every offensive category including hits (89), doubles (18), home runs (19), RBI (56), average (.299), slugging percentage (.550) and OPS (.888). Beltran is putting up All-Star numbers while splitting time between right field and DH. But how much longer will he be in the Bronx? He’s one of the hottest names on the trade market right now.
Aaron Hicks was brought in to be the fourth outfielder and provide some youth for an outfield full of aging veterans. Hicks has hit just .197 with a .262 OBP, three homers and 17 RBI, but does have 10 doubles in 183 at bats. His .991 fielding percentage looks great, but he consistently takes poor routes to the ball.
DESIGNATED HITTER: D
No one knew if Alex Rodriguez could duplicate his 2015, but it seemed he still had something left in the tank. So far, that has not proven to be the case. A-Rod is hitting just .220 with eight homers and 28 RBI. He has just 14 extra base hits to go with 56 strikeouts and 10 walks. Rodriguez hasn’t homered since June 18.
STARTING ROTATION: D
The Yankees came into 2016 with major questions surrounding their starting pitchers. Would Masahiro Tanaka stay healthy? Could Luis Severino build on his strong rookie campaign? Could Nathan Eovaldi be the same guy he was before his 2015 injury? Which Michael Pineda would we see? And what role, if any would C.C. Sabathia have? Halfway through 2016 we’ve gotten some answers. For the most part however, fans probably don’t like them.
Tanaka hasn’t quite pitched like an ace. His 3.23 ERA is a little inflated due to a handful of outings where he got knocked around. He either dominates opposing lineups, or it seems like he’s telling them what’s coming. Despite his inconsistencies, when he’s been good, he’s been REALLY good. Tanaka has easily been the bombers best starter this year.
Severino lasted all of seven starts. He went 0-6 and pitched to a 7.46 ERA. He’s back in the minors trying to regain his 2015 form. Severino was replaced in the rotation with Ivan Nova who hasn’t been great either (12 starts, 6-5, 5.18 ERA).
Through 16 starts, Eovaldi looks nothing like the pitcher he was a year ago. He’s 7-6 with a 5.18 ERA. He has allowed 19 home runs. The only reason he has a winning record is because the Yankees managed to pull out a few slugfests. Eovaldi showed a ton of promise last season. At 26 years of age, he still has time to regain that form, and the Yankees desperately need him to.
Michael Pineda continues to be an enigma for the Yankees. When you consider the kind of stuff he has, he looks like a total waste of talent. Yes, he has shown flashes of dominance, but going 3-8 through 17 starts and pitching to a 5.38 ERA just doesn’t cut it. Like Eovaldi, Pineda has been killed by the long ball. He has allowed 15 homers in 95 innings.
C.C. Sabathia was not guaranteed a spot in the 2016 rotation. He started the season off a little rough, but seemed to figure it out when he returned from injury on May 20. In six starts from May 20 to June 16, Sabathia went 3-2 and lowered his ERA from 3.81 to 2.20. Only once in six starts did Sabathia allow more than one earned run (two earned against Toronto on May 31). It seemed the big guy had finally figured out how to pitch without having plus-stuff anymore. Then the bottom fell out. Sabathia has allowed at least five earned runs in each of his last four starts, and his ERA has climbed back to 3.77. If it wasn’t for that six-start stretch, the Yankees could be in much worse shape than they are now. Hopefully the time off will help C.C. get back on track in the second half.
BULLPEN: A-
The back of the bullpen has been one of the lone bright spots for the Yankees this year, along with being their strongest asset. When Aroldis Chapman returned from suspension, Joe Girardi was able to unleash his three-headed monster. If the Yankees have the lead after six innings, they are almost a lock to win. Chapman, along with Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances have proven to be one of the best late-game trios ever. Besides the Big Three, they Yankees haven’t gotten great production from the rest of the pen – guys like Chasen Shreve, Kirby Yates and Nick Goody. However, having three guys at the back end that can dominate day-in and day-out is a huge luxury, one that most likely won’t be around much longer.
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