REDEMPTION CAN BE SWEET!

I think we remember all too well the struggles of the Yankees from the past two years and in particular last season after spending a half a billion dollars in the Steinbrenner's money to bring some veterans in. With the exception of Jacoby Ellsbury, none of the other newly signed players lived up to the expectations. As I thought about the recent Yankees games and took a peek at their stats though, I noticed something... Something we have been waiting for.

Carlos Beltran had an awful 2014 and started 2015 out in much the same manner. But in May, Beltran has shown a glimpse of the very good ballplayer that he is. For the month he is hitting .316 with three home runs and 11 RBI. He has also added a solid seven doubles and scored eight runs. His season average has crept from the .170 range all the way up to .245, where it stands following the Royals series. I'm thrilled for the guy. He was catching a lot of grief but he stuck it out and has really come back to play well. I love it.

Mark Teixeira has also come back in a huge way producing 14 home runs and 35 RBI over the first two months of the season. Not even two full months! He trails just Nelson Cruz in home runs in the AL and is tied for fourth in RBI. His .245 average could improve but the shift is killer for him. So screw the average, keep driving the ball! .245 is just fine to go with the power numbers in the latter years of his career.

When Brian McCann was signed prior to the 2014 season, he was seen as a great defensive catcher and one of the best hitting catchers in the game. He performed decent in 2014 at the plate, but we wanted more. His .239 average is below par, the shift doesn't help, but his six home runs and 29 RBI, including four and 17 respectively in May, are just what the middle of the order needs. He is on pace for over 100 RBI and that works!

Then there is Alex Rodriguez. He did not play a competitive ballgame for over 18 months but has come out in 2015 showing he still has some game. He started off on a tear in the first two weeks of April, cooled off some, but has come back alive as of late. For the month of May, ARod is batting .313 with six dingers and 13 RBI, plus five doubles and 14 runs scored. Not bad for a guy pushing 40! While I'm not the biggest ARod fan, I'm a Yankees fan so I root for his success because it's what's best for the Bombers.

On top of their recent successes, and I'm sure they all want more and more of it, they've all beaten adversity to get here. Whether it be injuries, suspensions, change of teams, age or the damn shift. But don't tell them that. The success must feel that much sweeter knowing that many felt they were done. No more glory days, no more moonshots, no more winning...

But even after a rough stretch, followed by a dominate sweep of the Royals, here are the Yankees, atop (a very mediocre) AL East. Not bad for a "washed up" team with no pitching.

  
Dan Lucia
BYB Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

 






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