8 BALL :
It felt like the 2016 Yankees were behind the 8 ball all season.
8 GAMES UNDER :
By May 5th the Yanks found themselves 8 games under .500 after losing on the road to the O’s 1-0 in 10 innings, dropping their record to 9-17. The game was a microcosm of the young season, the Yankees were struggling to score runs, and therefore struggling to win games. They spent the rest of the season trying to dig out of that 8 game hole and playing catch-up in the divisional race.
8 / 1 TRADE DEADLINE :
By the end of June the Yankees battled back to .500 at 39-39 and raised their record to 4 games over by July 26th but closed out the month on a 4 game losing streak that dropped them back to .500 and made the Yankees “sellers” at the August 1st trading deadline for the first time since 1989 when they traded off Ricky Henderson.
#8 ON THEIR SLEEVES :
To their credit the Yankees never gave up despite trading off three of their best players .. Chapman, Miller & Beltran.
They wore #8 on their sleeves all season in honor of the passing of the legendary Yogi Berra who always preached …. ” It ain’t over till it’s over”.
The team was revitalized by the “Baby Bombers” that were August Triple A call-ups. Due mostly to the historic home run production of Gary Sanchez, the Yankees climbed to 10 games over .500 by September 13th and went into Fenway Park on Sept.15th to start a 4 game series with the Red Sox within 4 games of 1st place. They had a 5-1 lead in the first game, thanks to another brilliant post all-star break pitching performance by Masahiro Tanaka, but Dellin Betances could not hold a three run 9th inning lead, as Hanley Ramirez hit a devastating walk-off 3 Run Homer that not only cost the Yanks that game, but lead to a 4 game sweep by the Sox, that unofficially ended the Yankees 2016 season.
8TH BEST RECORD :
The Yanks finished the season in 4th place in the AL East. Their 84-78 record was the 8th best record in the A.L. leaving them out of the playoffs (top 5 teams make the postseason) for the third time in the last four years.
Before the season started I pointed out that the offense was a big concern not so much because of the individual players but more because of the fundamental approach to the game. I pointed out that the dynasty teams from ’96-’00 we built on solid starting pitching, a great bullpen and a batting order that prided itself on high on-base % and situational hitting. The 2016 Yankees ranked 25th out of 30 teams in on-base %. Going into the season I expressed my concern that management was not putting any focus on the importance of batting average, and once again they under performed in that department. Of all the regulars, DiDi Gregorius lead the team with only a .276 BA. Not one Yankee ranked in the top 60 in the league in that category.
8 LOSSES – 0 WINS AS A STARTER :
From a pitching standpoint, the main reason for a disappointing season in my opinion, was due to a basic flaw. Luis Severino went into the season with high expectations. Many thought he would be the ace of the staff by mid-season. It turns out he went 0-8 with a 8.58 ERA as a starter in 2016 mainly because of a fundamental mistake. Severino decided to be a two pitcher starter by being allowed to abandon his change-up. To his credit, Luis did excel out of the bullpen, but as a starter,the lack of a third pitch to go with his fastback and slider, made him very inconsistent and hittable. Unfortunately if that sounds familiar, it should. Michael Pineda continued to make the same mistake. Something I also have been warning about for several years. Pineda was 6-12 on the season, and Luis & Michael combined for a disastrous 6-20 record as starters !! You need to look no further than that to find a key reason the Yankees were sellers at the trade deadline. Yet somehow, I don’t believe the Yankees fully realize this key fundamental issue.
8 YEAR CONTRACT COMES TO AN END :
2016 was a season of highs & lows and also hellos & goodbyes. The Baby Bombers exploded on the scene while at the same time we said farewell to Mark Teixeira who finished out his 8 year contract and announced his retirement, along with A-Rod who was released by the Yankees in early August and given a job as a coach / advisor for the minor league prospects. Both star players put up very impressive career offensive stats, and yet managed to frustrate the team and fan base in recent years. However they had one huge positive in common that can not be overlooked .. the NY Yankees would not have won their 28th Championship in 2009 without them.
8TH TRY FOR NUMBER 28 :
2017 will mark the 8th season that the New York Yankees pursue their 28th Championship. 2009 feels like a long time ago & so does the Core 4.
Listen for my upcoming podcasts when I speak about Tex, ARod and all the others, along with analysis of 2016 & a preview of 2017.
As always,
GO NYY !!
