Bleeding Yankee Blue: ARE THE J&S BOYS LIKE THE M&M BOYS?

Friday, February 9, 2018

ARE THE J&S BOYS LIKE THE M&M BOYS?

Photo: MLB.com

The M&M boys was amazing time in Yankee history. Mickey Mantle. Roger Maris. Friends. Teammates and a terrific combination in the Yankee lineup.

I'm too young to remember, yet it's a time I find myself deeply interested in. As a child and into adulthood Mickey Mantle has been a hero of mine. The 1961 season with Mickey and Roger Maris is a season ingrained in baseball and American history. In this piece from the New York Daily News, this coming Yankee season might be a time when we see two teammates replicate what happened back in '61. Aaron Judge. Giancarlo Stanton. Friends. Teammates, and perhaps a terrific combination in a Yankee lineup again...

"As now-Yankee teammates Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge sat next to each other at the BBWAA awards dinner on Sunday night, it was easy to wonder: just how many homers are these guys going to hit next season? Stanton (MLB-high 59) and Judge (AL-high 52) combined for 111 homers a year ago, and have already drawn comparisons to Roger Maris (61) and Mickey Mantle (54), who combined for 115 homers in 1961.

Photo: Sporting News

Stanton and Judge, both hulking right fielders who changed their stances en route to historic power results — most successfully out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup — each possess the ability to break records. "

Now, truly in comparison of the 2 couples, the only thing I really see that will be a possibly replication of home runs hit. I really don't see anything else when comparing Aaron and Stanton to that Mantle and Maris combo. Of course, that just might be because those times are basically folklore to me now.

Look, don't get me wrong. Aaron Judge is a great player and I'm excited to have Giancarlo as a Yankee. I want them both, as I'm sure you do, to have a great year. I just see their batting averages being closer to that Maris, .269, than the .317 Mantle hit. I also think that they both could end up striking out more than the 179 Mantle-Maris had combined.

It might just be me, but I've never liked the comparisons of different eras in the game. Baseball has changed so much since those days, and it's like comparing apples to oranges.

The one thing I really hope we can compare to is the 1961 championship season. I hope for sure we can win it all in 2018.

Comparing M&M to J&S? I'd rather not. Let's just see what happens first before we all get nutty. After all, the season hasn't even started yet.