The New York Yankees are entering a new time for their franchise. Out is the old, and in is the young “Baby Bombers”.
The New York Yankees are undoubtedly the most successful sports franchise in North America. The Yankees have the most championships by any sports team in the major four (baseball, football, basketball, hockey) with 27. New York has appeared in 40 World Series, and has won more than any other team has even appeared in. The Yankees seem to be entering a new era for their club.
In some ways, this Yankee club is reminiscent to the 1996 New York Yankees. From 1982 to 1994 the Yankees had failed to make the postseason. In 1995 they made it, but failed to make it out of the first round. The very next year New York won the World Series, and continued to be a part of October baseball for eleven more years. That 1996 team was very similar to the Yankees now, and while the comparison is certainly hyperbolic, there are similarities between the two.
The ’96 Yankees were led by young talent. Derek Jeter (22), Andy Pettitte (24), Mariano Rivera (26), Bernie Williams (27), and Tino Martinez (29) were all key contributors under the age of thirty. Jorge Posada also played in eight games. While he didn’t contrtibute at the time he laid the groundwork for Yankee catching until 2011. The surplus of young talent allowed the Yankees to be succesful and further bring in big names like Alex Rodriguez in the future.
Compare that to this current Yankees squad. With too many names to name, the Yankees boast a vast amount of young talent in their big league squad. Not only that, they had perhaps the best performance at the trade deadline to bolster their future even further. They still have veteran contributors like Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury, but even at that they are only 32 years old. This New York Yankees squad is built for a long run of success, and with the right moves this team can take their young guns into October as early as 2017.