Long way for young guys
card spots entering the final weekend.
And while all the “would have,” “could have” and “should have” scenarios are just conversation at this point, it should be noted that the Yankees went 31-24 since August 1, when they finished their pre-deadline fire sale that saw Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova all traded away for a dozen prospects.
“I think we’ve got a lot of young guys that are ready to contribute at this level, and I feel like we have some veteran guys here in place that are still capable of getting the job done,” Brett Gardner said. “I feel like we have a good group of guys. I think we’re good enough to be in a better position than we are today.”
Could a starting nine of Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, Starlin Castro, Didi Gregorius, Headley, Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Aaron Judge and Brian McCann compete in the American League East next season? Based on what they did the past two months — sub out Bird for Mark Teixeira and it’s been pretty much the same team — there’s no reason to think they couldn’t.
Remember, on September 10, the Yankees were just one game out of a wild card spot, but their hellacious 3-8 swing through Boston, Tampa Bay and Toronto effectively ended their postseason hopes.
Another year of experience could make a difference.
“I think this group, we could have gotten it done, but we didn’t,” Girardi said. “We had a shot to make the playoffs, we had a tough road trip that we lost some games that were difficult, but it was in front of us. I believe there’s a lot of talent in that room.”
Let’s not forget that the Yankees still have some more talent waiting in the wings in the minors, namely Clint Frazier, who could challenge Judge for a job next spring.
But between Sanchez, Castro, Gregorius and others, the Yankees have a solid nucleus to build around.
“The young guys have gotten a taste now,” Headley said. “They see what it’s all about, experienced some success and some failure and now they know what to expect. They know they can play here. With the current mix, it’s a small sample size, but we played well.”
If only they had done it for six months instead of five, they might be looking forward to something else besides 2017.