Taking the Positives From the Yankees Early On

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It is no surprise that the New York Yankees are indeed struggling. After being swept away by the Oakland Athletics this past week, the Yankees have fallen to 5-9, their worst season start since 2005.

The team from the Bronx has left 56 men on base over the past six games and are batting a dreadful .197 with runners in scoring position on the season. However, before everyone gets their pitchforks and torches ready, it is only April.

Carlos Beltran is hitting .296 with four home runs, nine RBI and 31 total bases. If the veteran outfielder can continue where he left off last season, he will add yet another year of success to an already Hall of Fame career and help the Yankees offensive production tremendously. He is also hitting .307 (8-for-26) on the home stand.

Another Yankees positive on the offensive end is Brett Gardner. Gardner currently ranks eighth in all of baseball with a .440 on-base percentage and is hitting a solid .300 in 12 games so far this season.

Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius are still a top defensive threat up the middle and although Castro has slowed down, he still leads the team with 10 RBI.

Also on the defensive side of things is outfielder Aaron Hicks. Hicks recorded the fastest throw in Statcast history on Wednesday night firing a ball at 105.5 MPH from leftfield to home plate to get Oakland A’s infielder Danny Valencia who had tagged up from third on the attempt to score.

On Thursday, Hicks was at it again ranging to his right and leaping up against the leftfield side wall snagging a Chris Coghlan foul ball. Hicks also singled in Alex Rodriguez in the second-inning giving the Yankees an early lead.

On the mound, the Yankees have not been great, but also have not been awful. The last outings by Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino were promising. Tanaka went seven innings against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday giving up six hits and two earned runs while striking out six and picking up the win. Severino on the other hand threw six innings allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out four.

The Yankees will obviously need to be better offensively, but the rotation seems to be coming around, the bullpen has been great as expected and the offense took a step in the right direction on Thursday night.

You know what they say, April showers bring May flowers.