2016 New York Yankees Season Review
The last few years, the New York Yankees have been in the middle of the pack. While they have been competitive, they haven’t been great, but they haven’t been terrible either. They’ve been a team who you can’t sleep on, but more importantly, no one ever knows what to expect from them; this year was the same story for these Yankees.
Starlin Castro and Aroldis Chapman
The Yankees were one of the quietest teams in free agency a year ago; however, they were very active in the trade market. They acquired Cubs second baseman Starlin Castro for reliever Adam Warren and shortstop Brendan Ryan. Castro, while a below average fielder, is a balanced hitter. While he has the makeup of a power hitter, Castro is a line drive hitter who can get on base. He ended up backing up his play by hitting .270, with 21 homers and driving in 70 runs. They also received good production from closer Aroldis Chapman.
In edition to acquiring Castro, the Yankees acquired Cincinnati Reds closer Chapman. Chapman is the game’s best closer; he’s got a near un-hittable fastball which can hit as high 105 miles per hour on the radar. In terms of closers, Chapman is as elite as it gets. He added to what was an already stellar bullpen.
He joined lefty Andrew Miller, who had a breakout year as the team’s closer, and setup man Dellin Betances; however, the Yankees new bullpen wasn’t enough to get them out to a quick start.
A Slow start for the Yankees
The Yankees came out of the gates very slowly winning only 8 of their first 24 games; however, they were able to eventually get their record above five hundred, and became very competitive as the young season went on. Their early season revival was thanks to their elite bullpen of course, but also the surprise season that veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran put together. After two mediocre seasons, Beltran had a very productive year with the Yankees. He hit over .300 for most the year, and has was the Yankees most consistent hitter; however, while Beltran was highly successful last season, two other veterans struggled.
The Decline of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira
As the Yankees played their way back to respectability, two key veterans held them back from making that playoff run – Rodriguez and Teixeira. While both players were on the back nine of their careers, they both hit under .210 and were even benched at times due to lack of production at the plate. The situation with Rodriguez even escalated to the point where the two sides reached an agreement to have him retire in mid August.
Rodriguez and Teixeira’s lack of offensive production held the Yankees back from making a true playoff run, and they were both a big part of the reasoning for the the teams’ trade deadline fire sale.
Trade Deadline Fire Sale
The Yankees were faced with a dilemma at the trade deadline. Should they play for the playoffs, or go into official rebuild mode? They chose to rebuild. They dealt away relievers Miller and Chapman, as well as starter Ivan Nova and outfielder Beltran. Everyone but Miller was an impending free agent, and the Yankees felt they couldn’t contend, so they went out and tried to get something for them while they could. It was a clear sign that the Yankees were ready to go into rebuilding mode; however, after their mid-season fire sale, they began to play with a spark led by phenom catcher Gary Sanchez.
The Rise of Sanchez
When the Yankees dealt away the house at the deadline, it paved the way for them to bring up some of their young props prospects. First baseman Tyler Austin, outfielder Aaron Judge, and most notably, Sanchez were amongst the call-ups. Sanchez thrived at levels that no one would’ve thought possible. While he has been considered by some as the Yankees best catching prospect, no one thought by any stretch, that he would go off in the way he did.
In his 53 appearances, Sanchez hit 20 home runs and drove in 42 runs, while hitting .299 at the plate. Sanchez became one of the more exciting players in all of baseball, and has given the Yankees organization and fan base a reason for hope going forward. While he did propel the Yankees to come within one game of a Wild Card spot in early September, it wasn’t enough to get them over the hump; however, despite their postseason aspirations coming up short, Sanchez made the Yankees exciting again, and he will be a player who the Yankees will look to build around going forward.
Yankees Season in a Nutshell
The Yankees finished the season with an 84 and 78 record, coming in fourth in the AL East. Their season was a rollercoaster ride, which featured streaky runs, veteran players both progressing and declining, as well as a fire sale, and even featured the rise of a young phenom. Looking at it from all facets, the 2016 season was a wild ride for the New York Yankees.
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