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Perspectives: Winning Is Fun

Writer's picture: Paul SemendingerPaul Semendinger

by Paul Semendinger

June 4, 2023

***

There have been a lot of reasons to doubt the 2023 Yankees. A lot. We've written about many of them on these pages...

  • There have been a ton of injuries

  • The Yankees lack left-handed hitting

  • The Yankees' lineup isn't all that great

  • The Yankees don't have an everyday left fielder

  • The bullpen seems to be a patchwork of guys...

I could go on and on.


And yet...


Here we are.


The Yankees are ten games over .500. With a win tonight, they'll match their season high of being eleven games over.


Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, Frankie Montas, Carlos Rodon, Harrison Bader, Aaron Judge, Jose Trevino... on and on, have all been on the IL.


And yet...


Here we are.


The Yankees have won 35 of their first 60 games. They are on pace to win 95 games this season.


Only three teams in all of baseball, the Rays (41), the Orioles (36), and the Rangers (37) have won more games than the Yankees this season.


Not once have the Yankees had their entire roster whole, and yet only three teams have won more games than them this year.


The 2023 Yankees have never been under .500.


The Yankees have no .300 hitters in the lineup. In fact, the Yankees offense has a lot of holes.


The following players have accumulated at least 50 plate appearances and are (or were) hitting 220 or below:

  • Franchie Cordero (56 PA, .148)

  • Aaron Hicks (76 PA, .188)

  • Kyle Higashioka (93 PA, .218)

  • Jose Trevino (112 PA, .210)

  • Isiah Kiner-Falefa (131 PA, .220)

  • Oswaldo Cabrera (169 PA, .200)

  • Anthony Volpe (231 PA, .188)

YIKES!


Basically, the Yankees are getting very little offense out the catcher, shortstop, and left field positions. But somehow, they are staying competitive and... winning.


On the pitching side, almost every starting pitcher not named Gerrit Cole (2.82) has an ERA over 5.00. This includes:

  • Nestor Cortes, 5.16

  • Clarke Schmidt, 5.01

  • Jhony Brito, 5.58

  • Luis Severino, 5.28

The only starter who has an ERA under 5.00 is Domingo German (3.98).


And yet....


Here we are.


The Yankees, somehow, somehow... keep winning.


There are a lot of reasons to not believe in the 2023 Yankees, but the more I watch, the more I see that this team, in spite of all the reasons they should be losing... aren't.


And, at season's end, that is what matters.


I have been very reluctant to put my hopes in the 2023 Yankees. I can find so many reasons to be skeptical.


And yet...


They keep winning.


They might just make a believer out of me yet.


Let's Go Yankees!

16 comments

16 Comments


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Dec 17, 2024

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Unknown member
Dec 17, 2024
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Mike Whiteman
Jun 04, 2023

Sometimes I wonder if I was a happier fan when I was a kid, when I just believed without reluctance. I swore that Dan Pasqua would hit 40 home runs, that Mike Pagliarulo was the next Graig Nettles, Ray Fontenot was the next great Yankee pitcher, etc. They let me down but I would jump back in the next year with both feet!

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Paul Semendinger
Paul Semendinger
Jun 05, 2023
Replying to

I was thrilled when the Yankees got Jack Clark!

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yankeesblog
Jun 04, 2023

Is the whole more than the sum of its parts or is it still over dependent on two stars: Cole and Judge?


Last night Fox showed the Yankees' won and lost record with and without Judge in the lineup. It was pretty telling. I think the winning percentage for games Cole starts vs those started by other pitchers is likely just as telling.

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fuster
Jun 04, 2023
Replying to

skepticism is usually good


but the record shows injuries but also great talent and success


thus far into the season, they've got the injury part squared away


let's look forward to the talent/success part

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fuster
Jun 04, 2023

looking at the schedule for June and I have a fairly strong feeling that the Yanks will be 15 or more games over by the end of the month, especially if they win tonight.


and the rest of the starters not named Cole look a fair bit better than their ERAs would indicate.


looking to see the starters produce better results...and also looking to see Rodon

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