New York Yankees: 2016 season in review
Even though the New York Yankees missed the playoffs, there was plenty to take away from their 2016 season
2016 was all about transitioning for the New York Yankees. Transitioning from the old guard into the new generation.
In the off-season, the Yankees didn’t sign a free agent for the first time in forever it felt like, however they did add Starlin Castro in a trade. They also managed to obtain Aroldis Chapman after the Dodgers backed out of a trade once his domestic violence allegations came to light.
Chapman would be suspended for the first 30 games, but once he came back, No Runs DMC would be born. Chapman combined with Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances formed a lockdown trio.
Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira were both counted on to have productive seasons, like they had in 2015 but neither lived up to that expectation.
In fact, as the Yankees began their transition phase, Rodriguez ended up retiring and taking a job with the Yankees front office. Texieira would become more of a bench player.
By the deadline, Miller, Chapman and Carlos Beltran, who at 39 was their best player, were all dealt for prospects. The team brought back old Yankees Tyler Clippard and Adam Warren to help balance out the bullpen. Prospects like Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge were called up as the club finally got younger and looked more towards the future for the first time in decades.
With Sanchez and Judge up, Greg Bird on his way back from injury and Clint Frazier coming up as soon as next year, the future looks very bright in the Bronx.
The Good
Didi Gregorius– The Yankees best player in 2016 was Didi Gregorius. The 26 year old set career highs in all offensive categories and tied for the team lead in RBI with 70. Gregorius and Starlin Castro became the Yankees first keystone combination to hit 20 plus homers each. The Yankees have shortstop prospects like Jorge Mateo and Gleyber Torres, but they may have to play other positions if they make the majors.
The kids– The Yankees finally embraced some youth on the roster for the first time in years. Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge got their shots. Judge displayed his insane power. Austin showed opposite field power that will serve him well at Yankee Stadium. Meanwhile, Sanchez became the reason to tune into Yankees game down the stretch as he hit .299 with a 1.032 OPS in just 53 games.
Tanaka– Masahiro Tanaka stayed healthy amid fears he would need Tommy John surgery and led the Yankees in innings and wins and was top 10 in the league in ERA, WHIP and WAR. 2017 is going to be interesting for Tanaka with his ability to opt out after the season ends. If he produces another season like 2016 he certainly could. Could he leave the Yankees?
Luis Severino– Severino was looked at as a part of the Yankees rotation after coming up in 2015 and being a part of the Yankees making the Wild Card game. Severino was excellent coming out of the bullpen, posting a 0.39 ERA. As a starter he was 0-8 with an 8.50 ERA. He gave up 70 hits in 47.2 innings. 2017 will be a very important year in Severino’s development. Can he develop an effective third pitch?
The injury bug– Every team has injuries, but the Yankees seemed to just get injuries at the wrong time. Greg Bird was lost before the season began. Bryan Mitchell got hurt during spring training and wouldn’t return until September. Dustin Ackley was supposed to play a big role and was lost for the year after 28 games. Aaron Hicks got hurt just as it seemed he started to get it going a little more with the bat. Nathan Eovaldi is out for 2017 with Tommy John surgery.
Post No Runs DMC– The guys that were brought in after the trades of Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller simply were not that good. Kirby Yates and Blake Parker are already off the team. Young guys like Nick Goody, Jonathan Holder, Ben Heller and Johnny Barbato were not good either. The team is going to have to address this area in the off-season or hope one or two of these guys take the next step.
The offense– The Bronx Bombers were anything but in 2016. They were 19th in homers, 22nd in runs, 20th in average, 25th in OBP, 21st in slugging and 21st in WRC+. Carlos Beltran led the team in homers and he was traded two months before the season ended. Granted, having Gary Sanchez along with some of the younger players will help, but the Yankees need a more productive offense.
The starters– Outside of Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees starting staff wasn’t much to write home about. Nathan Eovaldi is out for next season. Michael Pineda continues to be inconsistent. CC Sabathia is serviceable, but nothing more at this point. Chad Green came up but also got injured. The Yankees need to add one or possibly even two starters to this staff in the off-season.
Next: Royals Offseason To-Do List
Betances in September– It may have been just fatigue but combining that and the inability to hold baserunners, Dellin Betances’ ugly September was a big part of why the Yankees missed the playoffs. Betances posted an ERA of 9.64 and gave up 13 runs in just 9.1 innings. Since 2014, Betances has appeared in the sixth most games of any reliever and that use may have had a bit to do with it.