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The New York Yankees, reigning AL champs, are back in the conversation about the top team in the American League. But as the latest episode of “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” discusses, confidence in the Bronx Bombers is sometimes as shaky as their bullpen walk rate.
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Host Jake Mintz led the pro-Yankees charge, saying flatly, “Have you seen Aaron Judge play before? … Aaron Judge is the best player in the world. It’s not close.”
What’s more: “Ben Rice is the second-best player in the world, apparently.”
The numbers back that up: Even with disappointing starts from Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm and merely average output from Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells, the Yankees’ offense boasts a monstrous 131 OPS+.
“That’s the bit,” Mintz said. “The bit is that Aaron Judge is unbelievable.”
Shusterman was quick with a reality check. “This is just a roster that once again is trending toward fitting together in a very strange way,” he said.
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With DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton working back into the mix, and Rice somehow posting a four-digit OPS, Shusterman questioned the sustainability of New York’s offense beyond Judge’s superhuman exploits. He expressed concerns about Rice catching, Bellinger hitting third and Paul Goldschmidt’s consistency with the bat.
“I think this is just still a very bizarrely constructed roster,” he concluded.
There are also legitimate worries about the Yankees’ pitching depth and a bullpen that “walks a lot of guys. A lot. So many walks,” as Shusterman noted. At the same time, as Mintz pointed out, “Max Fried might be a top-five pitcher in the American League. He looks unbelievable.”
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Despite the flaws, this is still the Yankees. They won ugly last year, made it to the World Series and employ the literal best player on the planet. “This team doesn’t have to be the best team in baseball. They just have to be the best team in the American League. And they just did that, doing the same exact shtick,” Mintz reminded listeners.
Are Judge’s shoulders (and bat) broad enough to carry the Yankees to another AL crown? History says yes. But the recurring flaws serve as a warning sign for New York — and anyone penciling them in to return to the Fall Classic.
For more on the Yankees and other baseball debates, tune in to “Baseball-Bar-B-Cast” on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
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