Keys for Yankees Second Half Success

The New York Yankees have struggled mightily over the past month and a half, and for them to turn it around there are a few key things to happen. The Yankees need to figure out a lot of different things, ranked here from most important to least important. All of these “keys to success” must be addressed and/or figured out or the Yankees can kiss their season goodbye. For any of the problems listed below to have any major implications, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are going to have to continue to play at elite levels. If the two Yankee superstars do not continue to play at this level, it is going to be a very difficult task for the Yankees to be relevant in October.

The Infield: The Yankees thought through the first two months of the season that Anthony Volpe turned the corner and was becoming the player they envisioned him being when they decided not to trade him for multiple big stars, with one of those stars being his now teammate, Juan Soto. Volpe struggled mightily over June and July, seeing his average fall to .220 and .128 in those two months. Those averages are a significant drop off from the .293 average he held throughout May and even his .253 average throughout April. Volpe has been moved from the leadoff spot, a spot that he took from the other major infield issue the Yankees have, Gleyber Torres. Volpe is now batting 7th, where he started the season. If the Yankees want to be serious about winning a World Series, Volpe is going to have to play better because he has not played like a major league baseball player at the Dish recently.

This leads to the next infield issue the Yankees have, which is their second baseman, Gleyber Torres. The Yankees and their fans were expecting a big year from Gleyber Torres coming off a solid 2023 campaign, and it being a contract year for Torres. Torres has been extremely lazy at times, is not the greatest fielding second baseman, and has struggled all year at the dish, especially when it comes to his power numbers. The Yankees must move Torres and replace him with someone different. Torres can be a good ball player; it’s just not going to be for the New York Yankees.

The problem to fix? Upgrade at second base by trading Gleyber, and let Volpe figure out his issues batting 7^th or 8^th in the order.

The Bullpen: The Yankees have glaring holes all over the field and the bullpen may just be the biggest one. When it comes to winning playoff games in October, you need to have a strong bullpen. This includes having many arms that allow you to have extremely high confidence are going to get the job done when called upon. As we sit here on July 18th, 2024, Yankee fans all over the tri-state area can confidently say they only trust one person out of the bullpen, All-Star Clay Holmes. For the Yankees to have success in the second half of the season and the post-season, they must add at least two top level relievers. Guys like Mason Miller and Tanner Scott can solve the Yankees’ issue in the bullpen, and if the Yankees do not get at least one of them with another reliever, it will be a massive trade deadline failure for the organization.

The problem to fix? Add bullpen depth, including at least two elite-level relievers.

The Hot Corner: The Yankees have not seen any production from the third base position all season. With the constant rotation of DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera mostly manning the hot corner, the Yankees have gotten little to no production from the position. For the Yankees to have second-half success and a successful post season run, they are going to have to address third base via the trade deadline. Third base is usually a power-productive position in a lineup, and if the Yankees don’t figure out a way to get production out of the third base, it is going to be an uphill battle over the next two to three months of baseball.

The problem to fix? Acquire a productive third baseman at the trade deadline.

Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil: The Yankees need Cole to return to form following edema in his throwing elbow. For the Yankees to realistically be World Series contenders, they are going to have to have their ace, well, be an ace. Starting pitching matters in October, and the Yankees need their bulldog to be in mid-season form by the time a playoff series rolls around. Cole’s health will be one of the most important factors on whether the Yankees will be a serious threat to win a World Series or not.

Luis Gil is the Yankees’ second-best pitcher when Cole is healthy, and despite great games against the Red Sox and Orioles before the All-Star break, Gil had a three-game stretch where he looked awful. The Yankees need Gil’s bad stretch to just be a bad stretch and have him return to be the pitcher he has been for most of the year. If Gil can do that, the Yankees will have a dominant one, two-punch when teams face them this October.

What problem to fix? Health and consistency.

Giancarlo Stanton’s Productivity and Health: Giancarlo Stanton was having a decent year in the middle of the Yankees lineup before a hamstring injury forced him to go on the IL. The Yankees need Stanton to be healthy and play at a high level because no matter what fans want to say about him and his contract, the Yankees need him to be productive to win. Stanton has the ability to carry a team when he is hot, and the team will need more of that once he gets healthy if they want to right the ship.

The problem to fix? Health and consistency.

Up until this point in the year there have been a few early round fantasy baseball players that have struggled. Here we are going to look at the six best buy low options as we approach the midway point of the season.

Click HERE to see the top fantasy baseball players to sell high on right now.

Julio was widely taken as a top 3 selection in fantasy drafts, but has completely underperformed up to this point. Rodriguez did something similar last year after a slow start and really excelled towards the end of the year. Expecting that again, Julio could certainly be the most valuable fantasy piece in the trade market over the course of the summer if you’re able to get him for a good price. Julio offers power and speed upside hitting all five categories and if you’re able to get him before he goes on his hot streak, you can reap all of Julio’s benefits without paying his hefty first round price tag.

Lopez was drafted as a top 10-20 pitcher in drafts this past spring and has been abysmal through the first 2 months. Lopez has pitched to a 5.63 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP through 80 innings so far but taking a risk on him to turn it around may be worth it. Trading for Lopez may cost you a mid-level hitter but if you can get him for a player like Nico Hoerner, or Jurickson Profar it may be worth it. Guys get off to slow starts, but if you’re smart about your moves you can take advantage of players’ slowly starts and turn them into great value for your team.

Arozarena has been brutal through the first half of the season but has been an extremely consistent fantasy player over recent years. Arozarena has hit to a .191 average with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs through almost the midway point of the season with only 10 steals. Arozarena was likely taken in the fourth round of fantasy drafts this past spring and has certainly not returned that value up until this point. If you are looking for steals and average for the rest of the year, Arozarena may be able to return to form considering he’s a career .255 hitter and figures to end the year close to that number. That means that he will be returning great value in average the rest of the way. He’s already starting to turn his season around as he is hitting .275 in the month of June and has dropped his strikeout rate to 13 percent after it was 28 percent or more through the first 2 months of the year. If you take the chance and buy low in Arozarena it may just pay off over the final 3 months of the year.

Springer is on the list because he will probably be the cheapest player to get out of the 5 players listed. Springer, if healthy, is usually a fantasy stalwart but has been borderline droppable through the first 2 and a half months of the season. Springer has accumulated 5 homers, 15 RBIs, and a .194 average through the early portion of the year but could be in for a monster second half, giving the buy low buyer the potential for really great value. Age for Springer, unlike Machado, plays a much bigger role in his potential decline but trading for Springer would cost much less than it would if you traded for Machado.