Why the Yankees are on top

They continue to demonstrate the consummate home run or bust offense and have so far shown just marginal improvement in their base-running acumen which last year was among the sloppiest in the game. And yet there can be no mistaking this is a vastly better Yankee team than last season. A team that went into the weekend boasting the best record in baseball, and if you’re wondering why, well, there are numerous factors that cannot be denied.

Pitching

Going into the weekend, the Yankees’ overall 2.75 team ERA ranked third in baseball, their 2.51 bullpen ERA second. Most impressive, however, has been the uncanny consistency of their starting pitchers. After April 21, when the Yankees were 7-6, Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jameson Taillon and Jordan Montgomery all made four starts apiece — 16 in all — and in none of them did they give up more than two earned runs. The lone exception in the rotation was Luis Severino, who gave up one, four, three and three earned runs in his four starts over that span. Equally important is the fact that none of them have missed a start this year.

Health

The Yankees so far have been the most injury-free team in baseball — quite a contrast from the last few seasons when they seemingly were hardly ever with the starting lineup intact. Since the start of the season they’ve had only one player — reserve outfielder Tim Locastro — go on the IL (By contrast, the Rays, last year’s AL East champs, currently have 10 pitchers alone on the IL) Heck, even Aaron Hicks has stayed healthy (if not productive) all year!

Rizzo’s bat

Though he, nor anyone around the Yankees, would ever admit it, Anthony Rizzo was never the same player after he contracted COVID last year. He hit just five homers after returning from the COVID list on Aug. 18. For that reason, the Yankees had reservations about re-signing him, first pursuing Freddie Freeman on the free-agent market and also inquiring about a trade for the A’s Matt Olson. The Yankees as a team had just 53 homers from the left side in ‘21, the 26th fewest in the majors. This year Rizzo has nine alone.

Defense

Cashman didn’t do a whole lot of remaking the club this offseason but what he did do — the trade of Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Josh Donaldson and catcher Ben Rortvedt — was significant. The athletic Kiner-Falefa has provided steady defense at short, allowing the Yankees to move Gleyber Torres back to second where he has proved far more comfortable while slowly regaining the form that made him an All-Star his first two seasons in the majors (three of his five home runs either tied or gave the Yankees the lead).