New York Yankees: 2019 letter grades for each player
By Manny Gómez
Despite being eliminated from the postseason prematurely, the New York Yankees had a uniquely successful MLB season. Let’s look at how each player did in 2019.
Even though the New York Yankees outplayed the Houston Astros by every statistical measure, they were eliminated during the ALCS. Because of this, the 2010s will officially be the first decade since the 1910s that the franchise will miss the World Series.
For some, that may seem like a massive failure since in New York, fans expect a championship or bust. However, when you consider the circumstances of the 2019 season, this year was a major accomplishment for the team.
Let’s begin with the fact that way back on August 30th, the Yankees set the all-time record for the most injured team in history. At the time, 29 different Yankee players had landed on the IL.
Among those players were Giancarlo Stanton (played 18 G), Aaron Hicks (played 59 G), Luis Severino (only 3 GS), Dellin Betances (played 1 G), Didi Gregorius (played 82 G), and more.
Despite this fact, the Yankees managed to win 103 games, securing their first division title since 2012, and taking the best team in baseball to the final out of game six of the ALCS.
To fully understand just how the New York Yankees managed to string together such a successful season, we need to take a deep dive look at how the players performed.
To start, let’s look at the Yankee infielders.