Yankees - Who's Hot, Who's Not 2

Who's Hot:

Nathan Eovaldi

Photo: Jim McIsaac Getty Images

After a shaky start, Eovaldi has put together some solid outings over the last two weeks earning victories in each of his last four starts while lowering his ERA from 5.46 to 3.95. It appears that he may have regained the confidence that propelled him last season before the untimely injury but with plenty of games left, the jury is still out. For now, the Yankees should be very pleased with his progression

CC Sabathia

Photo: Jim McIsaac Getty Images

In a shocking twist that not many saw coming, Sabathia has arguably been the team's best pitcher over the last two weeks as well as the month of May. In fact, he's surrendered just one earned run in his last three starts, which included a 15-day gap due to a stint on the disabled list for a hamstring strain. His ERA now sits at 2.83, nowhere near where anyone projected he'd be at this point, so this is definitely a pleasant surprise the Yankees will surely take.

Didi Gregorius

Photo: Adam Hunger Getty Images

With a blistering .444 average over the last 7 games, Gregorius finds himself as the team's hottest hitter. This is a great sign for the Yankees as it shows that the strong finish he had to last season was not an anomaly and he is ready to take on a bigger role with his bat. That doesn't mean he'll be hitting cleanup any time soon, but it does allow Girardi to tinker with lineup in order to capitalize on Didi's hot hitting.

Carlos Beltran

Photo: Rich Schultz Getty Images

Beltran has had a very productive month, belting 6 homers and driving in a team leading 20 runs. This has come in the nick of time for the Yankees, as he helped lead the club back to a .500 record earlier in the week (although the team has since dropped their last two). If this is to be Beltran's final year, he's certainly looking to go out with a bang.

Who's Not:

Starlin Castro

Photo: Anthony Gruppuso USA Today Sports

Castro has cooled of considerably this month hitting just .228 in May and .172 over the last week. Bad habits and impatience at the plate have been two major factors contributing to the steady decline of his hitting. He'll need to get back to basics in order to regain his April form or this could become more than just a month long slump, something the Yankees can't really afford at this juncture.

Brett Gardner

Photo: Peter Llewellyn USA Today Sports

Gardner is becoming a bit of an enigma for the Yankees. He has all of the tools to be a fine hitter, yet he can't seem to fully hone those tools and achieve his potential. In between the ups and downs he goes through week by week and his inconsistent contact at the plate (he often blindly fouls off good pitches to hit), it has to frustrating seeing yet another sub-par performance go by.

Mark Teixeira

Photo: Jesse Johnson USA Today Sports

Like Gardner, Mark Teixeira finds himself in a precarious spot on the team. Despite all of the efforts to correct his hitting, he continues to slump. With an .080 batting average over the past week coupled with nagging injuries, it appears that his best days are behind him. The Yankees have to hope that he can regain his top tier form, or it could be yet another disappointing season for the big money all-star.

Assessing the Yankees - Week 8

                  

Everything started off nicely with an impressive sweep of the then red hot Kansas City Royals, ending their 6-game skid.  However, the good vibes would not last long as the Yankees dropped a four game set in Oakland, causing them to stumble to a 4-3 record.  Though this week was much better than the previous two, it still could have been a lot better.

The Good - It seems that Carlos Beltran has taken the harsh criticisms to heart as he rode a 15-game hitting streak right into the weekend.  So much has been made of what his role is on the team, so if he can continue to produce in a more limited capacity, there may just be hope for the 38 year old veteran.

- Alex Rodriguez is currently on a 9-game hitting streak of his own going 13 for 33 (.394) over that span.  He is having a pretty solid year thus far, which is a shock to many (including myself) whom believed he would be dead weight at the end of the bench.  A scout recently said that Rodriguez's swing is the easiest he's even seen from him, a nice sentiment considering the torment and trouble he has caused with his bat over most of his Yankee tenure.

- Adam Warren turned in two solid outings this week and looks to have earned back the trust of Joe Girardi as a capable starter in the rotation.  Not only did he get into the seventh inning both times, he was able to hold two impressive lineups to minimal production.  The Yankees are in dire need of a solid anchoring starter and Warren looks to have fulfilled his audition for it.

The Bad - CC Sabathia turned in yet another up and down outing that we have become all too accustomed to.  His inability to get past that one troublesome inning has been the achilles heel that he just can’t seem to shake, especially for the past three seasons.  With an ERA of 5.67 in 10 starts, the former Cy Young Winner has lost more than just his velocity.  Considering the $73 million still left on his contract, the Yankees have to hold out hope he will recapture his confidence or face yet another contractual disappointment.

- Stephen Drew is not making a very good case to continue playing for the Pinstripes. He has fallen into a deep 2 for 36 slump, which looks to have no end in sight.  Even though Jose Pirela will most likely get more playing time to counter this, there is no guarantee he can completely pick up the slack.  Should this linger any longer than it has to, it may be time to part ways with Drew and go for a younger, more capable hitter like Robert Refsnyder to put a spark in the