Strong & getting stronger
But Yanks still need pitching
In 2015, the Toronto Blue Jays approached the trade deadline with a strong offense, a struggling rotation, and a middling record. Despite hovering around .500 fairly late into July, and trailing the Yankees in the division by eight games, the Jays were outscoring their opponents pretty soundly and thus, there was some hope that better times were ahead. But their first move, curiously, was trading for then-offensive star Troy Tulowitzki on July 28th.
Today’s Yankees made a similar move in a similar spot by acquiring Edwin Encarnación from the Mariners for pitching prospect Juan Then, adding the powerful designated hitter and American League home run leader to a lineup that doesn’t appear to have an obvious need for him. Though they are performing much better than those Jays, racing to a 43-27 win-loss record and a half-game lead over the Rays, they’re living up to their Bronx Bombers namesake. So far, the Yankees have jacked 111 home runs, fourth in the American League, and just five behind the league-leading Astros.
Meanwhile, the Yankees’ pitching has been thin on the front line and unreliable in the pen. Twin behemoths Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge will man the corner outfield spots in the coming days, with the 2017 National League MVP rejoining the big league team on Tuesday. The need seems to lie elsewhere.
Why then, would the Yankees go and add a bat instead of an arm? Because, for the Yankees, getting better pitching doesn’t have to conflict with getting better, period. And Encarnación’s gigantic bat should take a strong lineup and make it dominant.
The team’s flawed pitching doesn’t diminish what Encarnación does: punishes pitchers with power and flair. According to Fangraphs, his full offensive output is 39% better than the league’s — only Gary Sánchez, in the middle of a monster year himself, ranks higher among qualified Yankees. Though Encarnación’s batting average is low at .241, the league-wide batting average is just .250 this season.
The Yankees’ offense is good, but what if it were merciless? Judge and Stanton’s return already could push Sánchez down to the fifth spot. Didi Gregorius, who often hit third last season and is off to a hot start (.385 average), could find himself anchoring the bottom third of the lineup.
Gleyber Torres made the AllStar team last year as a rookie and is on pace for cleanupready 35 home runs and 83 RBI. He could easily slot in at ninth.
Moreover, lengthening the Yankee lineup with Encarnación’s career .353 on-base percentage gives everyone else more chances. Every time Encarnación hits a booming drive or works a walk, the other former and future All-Stars (like Luke Voit, who is leading AL first basemen in the All-Star vote) get more chances to shine. Encarnación doesn’t make an excessive amount of outs, allowing Torres and Gregorious to get plenty of at-bats despite being in the bottom of the order.
Starting pitching still has the biggest room for improvement. Between Mashairo Tanaka and CC Sabathia getting knocked around, and lingering injury concerns for the rest of the staff, the need is obvious. Per Fangraphs, Yankees starters have pitched to a 4.13 ERA that is 10% better than the league’s when factoring in league’s home run explosion and their cozy home park — but the Astros, Twins and Rays have superior staffs. If the Yankees make a pennant run, they need to beat playoff demigod Justin Verlander, break-out star Jake Odorizzi, and reigning Cy Young-winner Blake Snell head-on.
The money in the late George Steinbrenner’s swear jar could have brought the star pitching talent the team craves. The richest team in baseball shouldn’t lose Dallas Keuchel to