The "Baby Bombers"?

New York Yankees

Current Record: 65-61 (3rd in AL East)

Projected Record (according to FanGraphs): 83-79 (3rd in AL East)

*RPI (Relative Power Index from ESPN.com): 0.506 (12th in MLB)

The Yankees have 36 games left this season (as I write this) and have spent most of the season until this point hovering around .500. Their inconsistencies have been glaring and their age has finally caught up to them in 2016. However, with a month of the season left, the Yankees seem to have found a way to flip the script turning their Bronx Bombers into the Baby Bombers.

The Yankees have battled injuries all season long, nowhere more evident than the revolving door at 1B. Teixeira has made a few DL stints this season, but even when he has been manning “the other hot corner”, he has been incredibly ineffective posting a .197 AVG with 89 Ks and 10 HRs in 90 games. To put that into perspective, Gary Sanchez has 9 HRs in his first 19 games. At the end of May and into June, Teixeira, Dustin Ackley, Chris Parmelee, Rob Refsnyder each made a start at 1B landing on the DL one after another and ending the seasons of Ackley and Parmelee. The Yanks even tossed around the idea of starting ARod or bringing up Swisher from AAA, before giving Ike Davis a shot (that lasted all of 8 games). Beyond that glaring situation, the starting pitching (besides Tanaka and a few surprising starts from Sabathia) hasn’t been good, and they traded away two of the best closers in baseball at the deadline. So what’s in store for the team from the Bronx?

Smoldering or Extinguished?

SMOLDERING! The Yanks are poised for a new dynasty and the Youth Movement, masterfully constructed by Brian Cashman and led by Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge, is quickly drawing comparisons to the Core 4 (Pettitte, Posada, Jeter, Rivera) that brought the Yankees remarkable success in the late 90s. Even after a trade deadline that saw the Yanks become “sellers” for the first time ever, they’re scoring runs at a much higher clip already with more HRs in August than any one month this season so far. Their faith in Betances is also paying off as he has rewarded their trust with 6 saves in August.

Is there a chance for a spark?

Even though the Yankees are on a huge upswing and the excitement is palpable, they still can’t seem to get on a roll. They’ve won or tied 6 of their last 7 series, but are still barely above .500 and still 5 games back in the Wild Card race. Baltimore and Toronto sit on top of the Wild Card standings with Boston at the top of the AL East and, with 23 of their 36 games against those three teams, there is a lot of potential for shifts in the standings over the past few weeks of the season. It’s becoming extremely likely that three AL East teams will make the playoffs this season (two of them competing in the play-in game), but I see the Yanks falling just short of the postseason this year.

When will it rekindle?

I think we are watching the Yankees rekindle right now, and I love that they aren’t waiting until Spring Training next season to see what they have in their young talent. Sanchez, who has set a Yankees record for most HRs in his first 19 games, has caught 5 base runners stealing in just 105 innings and is being praised by the starting rotation; Aaron Judge and Tyler Austen hit back-to-back HRs in their first MLB at bats, becoming the first duo to accomplish that feat in the history of baseball; Chad Green threw 6 innings of 2 hit ball on August 15th and racked up 11 K’s (he has an incredible 10.3 K/9 and a 12 percent Swinging Strike percentage — according to FanGraphs). Although I’m hopeful (as a Yankees fan), I don’t see the Yankees overcoming their AL East foes and making it to October, but the lineup is really shaping up and if Green, Luis Severino, and Luis Cessa can pull it together to join Pineda (whose peripherals have been serviceable this season despite his lousy record) and Tanaka (who has been lights out, especially on extra rest) then this Yankees team is a World Series contender next season and beyond.  

Fantasy Embers

Rest of season I think it’s going to be tough to figure out which Yankees to sit/start because Girardi is trying to infuse that lineup with youth and that will only increase when the rosters expand in September. You definitely have to start Sanchez, Tanaka, Betances — they are sure things and should be 100 percent owned and 100 percent started. Gregorius and Castro have been solid, especially lately, and Judge will put up some big numbers as well, and if the Yankees stay in the Wild Card race then you can assume they will all be in the lineup every day. If you’re in a dynasty/keeper league then I think you need to consider investing heavily in the Yankees — there should be spots on your team for Sanchez, Judge, Tanaka, Pineda, and potentially for Gregorius, Castro, Bird, Green, Severino, Cessa as fliers for next season. Lastly, Mason Williams, who might get a chance to make an appearance in September, could play a role in 2017 and will definitely be their everyday CF in 2018 and beyond — he is worth a look as a stash if you have a NA slot for Rookies.

* - (according to ESPN.com) The basic formula is 25 percent team winning percentage, 50 percent opponents' average winning percentage, and 25 percent opponents' opponents' average winning percentage.