In contrast to the home runs typical of the Yankees, a stolen base will be the biggest moment for the Yanks
The New York Yankees led the American League in home runs with 267. They finished 12th out of 15 in stolen bases with 63. It seems like stealing a base would be the least of the consideration for the Yankees in the MLB playoffs with everything on the line.
With a loaded roster overall, only three Yankees have stolen 10+ bases on the season. Speed is not a forte of team in general, but one thing that manager Aaron Boone has done well is sending his top guys selectively. He also has Andrew McCutchen who may not be the fastest guy in the game anymore, but he’s still very sharp in his instincts when to run.
In 2004, a stolen base was the turning point for the last Red Sox/Yankees playoff matchup. The Yankees could turn the tables this time, and while they don’t have a dedicated base-stealer on the postseason roster, a guy like Brett Gardner is likely going to be coming off of the bench in many games and could be the perfect veteran with moxie to steal a base.
One guy that many don’t remember is Gleyber Torres, who was graded an above-average to plus runner as a prospect. He could be a very interesting guy to watch when he’s on base in this series.
Of course, part of this prediction is also that being caught stealing a base could be the significant moment as well…