The Yankees Are Better Than I Thought!

I no longer feel like all is lost when the Yankees fall behind early. Well at least for now. The Yankees have depth in the lineup, a good combo of new and old, and even a catcher who can steal a base. Instead of feeling deflated, I am excited and as we enter the final game of the first series of 2024, I think the Yankees are better than I thought.

Now, I am intentionally choosing to not really focus on the fact that DJ LeMahieu’s injury is now worse than what was anticipated. This is because Oswaldo Cabrera is doing his job at third base. “Since getting the Opening Day nod at third base in place of the injured DJ LeMahieu, Cabrera has gone 6-for-9 (.667) through the season’s first two games, carrying over offensive changes that helped the 25-year-old wrap his spring on a 9-for-24 (.375) hot streak,” reported MLB.com. Yes, this is a very small sample size, but I have to remain optimistic that Cabrera will serve the Yankees well as LeMahieu sits for more time than expected. He did hoist the Yankees back into Saturday’s game with a game tying home run in the top of the 7th. Nothing but smiles for this kid. 

The Yankees even showed some small ball and plate discipline during their opening weekend. Their promising young catcher, Austin Wells, can run. And he can steal bases, giving the Yankees more momentum and speed on the bases. Oh and he can bunt. Wells layed down a beauty in Friday night’s victory against the Astros. 

Juan Soto has shown he can hit, settling in right away with his new team. His towering home run on Saturday’s game against Houston was his first in Yankee pinstripes and certainly not his last. “His process and work ethic and care factor about not just hitting, he takes a lot of pride in his defense,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He wants to be great on defense. He wants to be really good on the bases. And he made a big-time winning play today on defense.” Boone is referring to his game saving throw against the Astros in the first day of the season, allowing the Yankees to take a close come from behind 5-4 victory. 

And I was anxious about starting pitching. Maybe you were too. But guess what, the guys grinded and the bullpen got it done. It was incredible the way things just clicked. From Nestor Cortes to Carlos Rodon to Marcus Stroman- the starters did their job and the relievers rolled right over hitters. Jonathan Loáisiga, Nick Burdi, Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, Victor Gonzalez, Caleb Ferguson and Clayton Beeter all came in and kept hitters quiet. Yeah, the bull pen is better than I thought too. 

I realize I write this piece only watching three games. But I have to say, I was deflated early last season. And I don’t feel that way. I feel like I can trust this team. And if they fall behind early, they have the depth to overcome, unlike last year when the team simply didn’t have enough in the tank. The Yankees are better than I thought, and I really hope it remains that way. 

–Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof