Much has been made about the New York Yankees offense in the second half.
The squad is 12-20 after the All-Star Game, and 7-14 in the month of August.
The offense has been, in fact, one of the reasons why the team hasn’t been as sharp as it was before the break.
There has, indeed, been a shortage of offense in recent weeks.
However, the Bombers have won three games in a row and could be on the verge of getting out of their funk.
The best part of it all is that, if you take a close look at the Yankees lineup, it’s still a top unit.
“Let’s say this is the Yankees’ playoff lineup: LF Benintendi; CF Judge; 1B Rizzo; RF Stanton; 3B LeMahieu; DH Carpenter; 2B Gleyber; C Trevino; SS IKF. Those guys have a combined 134 wRC+ this season (for the Yankees). That’s a beautiful thing,” YankeeMetrics tweeted.
Let's say this is the Yankees’ playoff lineup:
LF Benintendi
CF Judge
1B Rizzo
RF Stanton
3B LeMahieu
DH Carpenter
2B Gleyber
C Trevino
SS IKFThose guys have a combined 134 wRC+ this season (for the Yankees). That's a beautiful thing.
— YankeeMetrics (@YankeeMetrics) August 24, 2022
The Yankees Still Have The Goods
That lineup is contingent on Carpenter (15 home runs, 218 wRC+) getting over his injury in time before the playoffs.
Andrew Benintendi and Aaron Judge have been red-hot in recent games; and while Anthony Rizzo has been somewhat cold, he has 28 home runs and is on his way to a career-high in the category.
Giancarlo Stanton will return tomorrow from the injured list, and DJ LeMahieu is one of the most underrated contact hitters in the American League.
The problem with Torres is that while he has played admirably this year, he has a .190/.222/.314 with a .536 OPS and a 51 wRC+ in the second half.
If he doesn’t improve, maybe prospect Oswaldo Cabrera could start to steal some playing time from him.
Jose Trevino has been one of the best catchers in the junior circuit, and if the Yankees wanted, they could replace the light-hitting Isiah Kiner-Falefa (82 wRC+) with Triple-A shortstop Oswald Peraza (17 home runs and 31 stolen bases with a 104 wRC+ in Triple-A).
Overall, the Yankees lineup is still imposing: don’t let their recent slump fool you.
NEXT: Aaron Judge Let Fans Know The Confidence Was Never Lost