New York Yankees - Season in Review

The 2015 season came to disappointing finish after a 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card Game. Despite this disappointment, the Yankees still managed to accomplish a lot more than many expected of them this season. Here are some of the Yankees biggest surprises and disappointments of the year.

Surprises

Nathan Eovaldi was acquired by the Yankees to fill the vacant hole in the rotation coming into the season and many were skeptical if h could viably contribute to the club. Those sentiments were erased when he lead the team in wins and established himself as the most effective pitcher out in the rotation for most of the second half. If it were not for an inflamed elbow, the Yankees may have stood a much greater chance to win the AL East.

Alex Rodriguez was not expected to be a contributing factor this year, especially since he had missed an entire year of baseball after his suspension in 2014. Not only did he lead the club in homers (33) he also brought a stable right handed bat to the offense. Unfortunately his hitting slowed down tremendously in August and September, most likely to to his age and missed time. Nonetheless, Rodriguez certainly was a bright spot no one saw coming.

The appearance of young prospects Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Rob Refsnyder, and Slade Heathcott is a major plus for a once devoid farm system. It's a far cry from years past when the Yankees would have traded them away for a marquee player. Hopefully this is a sign that the team is ready to begin the process of building a contender from within, which history has shown could work out very well in the years to come.

Didi Gregorius had a rough beginning to his Yankee career as he hit .238 through the first half to go along with one too many errors at short. However, after making a few adjustments (and a pep talk from Derek Jeter) he was able to put together a stout second half hitting .295 (second on the team behind Beltran) and flashed a much steadier glove. If this is a sign of things to come, Didi may just carve out a place for himself on the roster for the foreseeable future.

The Yankees found a great bullpen tandem in Betances and Miller, one that was nearly untouchable for the first two months. If Miller had been healthy in June and Betances had not been so overworked, they could have easily carried the Yankees to few more crucial wins which may have helped decide the division

Disappointments

Brett Gardner had as big of an up and down year as one could imagine. After hitting .302 through mid-July and earning an All Star nod, he completely bottomed out in the second half. His .206 average and high strikeout propensity through September caused fans to grow very impatient and agitated as they was showered with resentment in the final game.

Everything was going quite well for Mark Teixeira, He had 31 home runs, and was poised to put up the fantastic numbers, Unfortunately, that did not come to pass as a fateful foul tip fractured his leg, ending his season. These untimely injuries have become far too frequent for the five time gold glover and it has to equally as frustrating to the team as it is for him. He will certainly need lady luck on his side in 2016, or the Yankees could turn to Greg Bird as the everyday player much sooner than one may think.

Despite hitting 17 home runs, the 32 year old infielder Stephen Drew struggled to hit .200 all season long. There were many times where he looked completely lost at the plate, leaving many Yankee faithful wondering why he was still on the roster. Joe Girardi put his faith in Drew from the start of spring training, which did annoy some fans who believed Refsnyder should have been given the opportunity. After a concussion brought his season to an end, it may be time to move on to a younger, more stable counterpart.

It wasn't a season to remember for CC Sabathia as he won just six games to 4.73 ERA, only looking better in the final month. To add to things, he has entered alcohol rehab for an issue that unfortunately reared it's ugly head this year. With so much invested in him through 2017 ($48 million with a $25 million option), the Yankees hope that Sabathia can work through his personal troubles and bounce back in a big way next season.