Yankees Breakdown: The Secret Stache

With a months' worth a games already in the books, the Yankees have earned baseball's title of the "Surprise Team". New York began the year with a weak 3-6 start, and the city and its fans were questioning the talent in the lineup in early April, and most importantly, pondering where this Yankee squad would stand by the All Star break. Fortunately, New York discovered their identity after a sluggish start to the season, and now in mid-May, they find themselves in first place in the East, holding a tie for the most wins in the American League with the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros at 20.  The catalyst to this hot streak has not been one specific player or pitcher. Instead, it has been a mustache- a rally mustache that the entire team is growing while the bats and gloves are still warm. Since the inception of the Bronx Stache in Tampa Bay last month, the Yankees went on to sweep the Rays and take three of four in Detroit against the potent Tigers. In a 13-game span, New York lost only three contests, closing out April with a 13-9 record. The first week of May opened up a seven game road trip between the Red Sox and Blue Jays, where the Yanks took four games in six tries. In a brief four day home stand with Baltimore, New York claimed three games this past weekend, and sit on top the American League East with a 20-12 record. Despite the rally mustache playing a part in the sudden surge of success, the Yankees have shocked the baseball world, largely in thanks to a few elements on the field. 

Here's a breakdown of the first month:

A Healthy Lineup

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The last two seasons have held records for the most roster transactions in franchise history, but so far this season, the lineup has shown no signs of regression or injury (knock on wood). The health of Mark Teixeira was in question last winter after serving long stints on the disabled list with wrist and leg complications, but with a new diet and healthier lifestyle, Teixeira has returned to the player of old, appearing more patient at the plate and more aggressive on the basepaths. Teixeira has been notorious for his sluggish starts to the season, but with an impressive 10 homers and 25 RBIs, there are at least a few reasons to stay optimistic about his future in the Bronx.  To name another player with a laundry list of injuries, Alex Rodriguez has exceeded the front office's expectations on and off the field, and with his contributions in the starting lineup, a weight has been lifted off of the shoulders of Brian McCann and Chase Headley. Last Thursday against Baltimore, Rodriguez surpassed Willy Mays for fourth place on the all-time home runs list with 661, and regardless of how many of the homers were legitimate or tainted, Rodriguez has taken the humble approach, which has shown that perhaps A-Rod's massive ego has found a touch of maturity. With Rodriguez in mind, he and Teixeira's production has been largely in credit to both Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner's on-base percentage. Ellsbury is currently leading the team in hits (43), batting average (.341), and on-base percentage (.415), while Gardner is hitting .313 with seven doubles and ten stolen bases. Timely hitting has been the key component to the Yankees' production at the plate. 

The Betances/Miller Combo

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Last season, the stellar performance of rookie Dellin Betances complemented closer David Robertson. This year, we have seen Betances in the same role, but as the set up man for New York's new closer, Andrew Miller.  In 2014, Robertson collected 12 saves and 30 strikeouts along with a 3.18 ERA by the end of May.  For Miller in 2015, he has already earned 13 saves, 26 strikeouts, and a 0.00 ERA in 15 games played. Betances' statistics have been one and the same, despite brief doubts of confidence in the early weeks of this past April. Betances recorded 51 strikeouts in his first 22 games in the big leagues, and now in his second year in pinstripes, has tallied an even 30 strikeouts in 17 outings. Both duos hold stellar numbers, but the key difference has been Miller's ability to deny any runs to the opposition in the latter innings. Robertson was responsible for five blown saves in 44 attempts last year, but despite those dominant numbers, it has been clear that allowing Robertson to walk was a more cheaper and effective solution, as Miller has filled the shoes as the Yankees' closer for a more reasonable cost. Miller was expected to serve as the bullpen's lefty specialist that would appear in four or five games a week with Betances as the closer, but with Miller's sweeping slider and fastball command, it is more than likely that Joe Girardi will stick with Miller in the ninth inning for the remainder of the season. 

Pineda's Power

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Remember the 2012 trade between the Yanks and Mariners that shipped young catcher Jesus Montero to Seattle in exchange for then AL Rookie of the Year Michael Pineda? The 2013 campaign was lost on Pineda due to injuries, but the first glimpse of his talent was shown last season, as the promising Dominican star went 5-5 with an impressive 1.89 ERA in 13 outings. So far this season, Pineda has already matched his win mark with a 5-0 start, while also leading the pitching staff in ERA (2.72) and strikeouts (54). In his last outing against the Orioles, Pineda struck out 16 batters in seven innings, earning the American League Player of the Week award for his star performance. The overall state of the Yankees' starting rotation has been in question due to Masahiro Tanaka's recent arm injury and CC Sabathia's lackluster 0-5 start, thus making Pineda's production well appreciated by the players and coaching staff. Pineda is not expected to consistently be recognized as a powerful strikeout arm, but with his hot hand, he has approached the mound with confidence, confidence that the Yankees desperately need in order to compete for a divisional crown. 

W2W4

Whenever a certain hitter is hot for an extended period of time, it is expected for the hitter to eventually cool off.  With a .341 average, Ellsbury holds that hot bat, and hopefully, he will be able to pass along the baton to another man in the lineup.  One of the Yankees' strong suits has been the power arms in the bullpen, and with the starting rotation struggling to complete games, both Betances and Miller will be held accountable to finish the job in any given situation. The Yankees will begin a ten game road trip this Monday in St. Petersburg against the Rays, and will then travel to Kansas City to face the red hot Royals and D.C. for a two-game set against the Nationals.  New York is currently 11-3 in their road grey's, and have managed to control opponents with timely hitting and limited errors in the field, which will be a harder task to complete with five months remaining in the season.