When people across America think of post-season baseball the first thing that comes to mind is the New York Yankees and their 27 World Championships. The Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Athletics, Tigers, Braves, Dodgers, and Rays are all in the playoffs but where are the Yankees? At this moment most of Yankees players are probably watching the games from the comfort of their own home with their families. Some players might be playing golf in Florida or going on vacation because we know they aren’t playing in the playoffs.
The Yankees, who are notorious for stacked rosters, could be compared to a Triple A team this year. The Yankees finished 85-77 on the year and didn’t make the playoffs for only the second time since 1995. Joe Girardi, the Yankee’s manager, saw the season as “a year where there’s probably more areas to address than there has been in a long time.” Derek Jeter, known as the Captain, was sidelined most of the year because of injuries. Jeter, one of the best shortstops in his prime, now is old and doesn’t have the athletic ability he used to. The Yankee’s suffered their worst win percentage since 1993 for many reasons. The Yankee’s pitching staff was horribly inconsistent. Hiroki Kuroda was probably their ace and he isn’t a guy you want to depend on for a W. CC, Hughes, and Chamberlain had bad years. Only Mariano Rivera, the Sand Man, pitched well in finishing off his legendary career. Andy Pettitte pitched well down the stretch, but his retirement is well timed. Alex Rodriguez, who dimed out other players on the Yankees and MLB, was a giant distraction for their organization throughout the year. This accused drug abusing third baseman isn’t good for any organization, especially not the Yankees whose every move is under a microscope.
In the 2013 season the only reliable position player was Robinson Cano. Cano, who is arguably the best second baseman in the game, had a solid season but when he has no players around him, all of his efforts go down the drain. Now the Yankees have to decide how much they are willing to spend to keep Cano. Is he worth 300 million dollars? Probably not.
Other than second base, every other position was filled with any mediocre player that could be scavenged from free agency. By the end of the season the Yankees were physically and mentally drained. Players didn’t have any motivation or hope when losing became far too familiar. The Yankees, a previous consistent World Series contender, are nowhere to be found in October and probably won’t be for the next few years. As a Yankee fan myself, I hope to see vast improvement and change in the style of baseball played in the Bronx.