Yankees: Who's Hot, Who's Not

Photo: Adam Hunger/Getty Images

Who's Hot

Dellin Betances

Things had not been going well for 6'8" right hander as he couldn’t find any consistency on the mound (His struggles have been well documented for the past two seasons). That appear to have changes as Betances is pitching to a 1.13 ERA over the last seven games. Whether or not this is a sign that his fortunes are turning around is yet to be seen, but the numbers he's sporting lately are very encouraging.

Luis Severino

Severino is proving himself to be the ace the Yankees billed hm as when he was first called up back in 2015. His 9-1 record and 102 strikeouts place him in the upper tier of Major League pitchers. Not to mention he is 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA over his last seven starts. If he keeps this up, The Dominican born flamethrower will surely find himself as top candidate in the Cy Young conversation.

Miguel Andujar

It's been stellar last 15 games for Andujar as he is hitting 21 for 56 (.375) over that span. In addition, he leads all rookies with 21 doubles and 30 extra base hits. A lot of people have been talking about the early campaign of the equally exceptional Gleyber Torres, but Andujar has managed to stand out all on his own.

Brett Gardner

After a rough April, Gardner has had a fantastic bounce back since the middle of May. Over his last 15 games Gardner is hitting .338 and has put together much better at bats than he did at the start of the season. The Yankee offense responds much better when their table setter is hitting well. If he can hold firm, the team will continue to thrive.

Who's Not

Tyler Austin

With a .143 average and 16 strikeouts in his last seven, it's safe to say that Yankees need to address the struggles of Tyler Austin. He looks very lost at the plate and can't catch up to any pitcher’s fastball, which wasn't the case back in April. Perhaps he has placed far too much pressure on himself to deliver now that Greg Bird is healthy, and fan/clubhouse favorite Ronald Torreyes sits in the minors waiting for the opportunity to get back to majors. Whatever the case may be, it would behoove Austin to get himself right before Aaron Boone has to make another roster adjustment.

Gary Sanchez

Unfortunately, the 2018 season has not gone the way Gary Sanchez would have liked. While the production is there (12 HR 35 RBI), He's hitting just .201 on the season and hasn't looked like he's any closer to coming out of his slump (.111 thus far in early June). Austin Romine (Who is hitting .344 as the backup) will continue to see playing time until Sanchez can find a groove and rediscover the highly touted hitting stroke that endeared him to the Yankees the last two seasons.

Masahiro Tanaka

Tanaka has been up and down so far, and he appears to be amid cold spell right now. He’s surrendered 20 earned runs over 38.2 innings (4.66 ERA over that timeframe) in his last seven starts and has been hurt by the long ball more than he would probably like. While you certainly can't compare this to the first half struggles he had last season, it would be best to correct some of his issues now before they become a persistent problem that could undo his season.

Yankees 2017: Who's Hot, Who's Not 2

Photo: Patrick Gorsk/Icon Sportswire

\Who's Hot

Gary Sanchez

August has been very nice to Sanchez thus far as he's hitting .333 through 15 games. If he is rounding into the form he had when he broke in last season, the rest of the American League should look out. 

Dellin Betances

After a few hiccups in July, Betances is once again pitching strong. He has yet to surrender a run this month and has successfully closed out two games. The Yankees are really going to need him to keep it up for the stretch run if they are going to make a push for the playoffs and the division.

Didi Gregorius

No Yankee bat is hotter than Didi's as he is swinging a scorching .359 with 23 hits in August. This season has been a revelation for the 27-year-old shortstop and should his good fortunes continue, he and the club will reap the benefits.

Luis Severino

Despite a rough outing against the Red Sox last week, Severino has proven the be the ace of the staff. He's has very impressive starts over the past two months and probably should have more wins to his record. Once a bit of an enigma, the Yankees look to have found something in the 23-year-old flamethrower.

Who's Not

Aroldis Chapman

It's been a frustrating month for the Yankee closer. His ERA is 10.38 and his command has abandoned him. Many fans are clamoring for Betances and Robertson to split the closer duties until Chapman is right, but Girardi is holding fast with position to keep him in the spot. How that will fare is anyone's guess.

Todd Frazier

Since being acquired in mid-July, Todd Frazier hasn't put together a strong showing at the plate hitting just .207 in 27 games. The Yankees have gotten by unscathed by his struggles, but you would like to see the veteran third baseman pick thigs up and make a healthy contribution through September.

Aaron Judge

Judge in a fall from grace period right now, posting a .189 average in August with league high 27 strikeouts. He also set a less than stellar mark as he has struck out in 34 consecutive games. Many had high hopes that he would be leading the MVP race at this point, but the league has adjusted to him and it will take an adjustment of his own if he wants to return to the form that took the league by storm before the All-Star break.

Yankees - Who's Hot, Who's Not 4

Who’s Hot

Photo: Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Rob Refsnyder

Since being recalled in late May, Refsnyder has made the most of his playing time. Not only is he hitting respectable .295 (.364 over the past week), he's also shown that he can be a decent first baseman. It looks like the Yankees have every intention of keeping the youngster around for the long haul which could allow Refsnyder to further prove his worth in the organization.

Photo: Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

Dellin Betances

Just Two weeks ago cracks had formed the once impenetrable armor of Betances, but the repairs seem to have done the trick as his pitching has regained its form. Now it's up to Girardi keep his arm fresh by not overusing him in situations, that should allow Betances to build off of the 1.35 ERA he has over the last week.

Photo: Brian Blanco/Getty Images

Carlos Beltran

It's been a strong first half for Beltran, one that will most likely lead him to the All Star game in San Diego. It's astonishing what he's accomplished thus far and the Yankees are all the better for it. Imaging where the team would be without his numbers is a bit unsettling, but luckily the Yankee haven't had to wonder about that up to this point.

Who’s Not

Photo: Elise Amendola

Alex Rodriguez

2016 has not been a banner year for Rodriguez, after stunning many in the baseball world last season, he's looked more like the washed up player everyone expected him to be. Hitting just .219, there isn't much that could say things will turn around so moving him to a part time role seems like the best course of action if the Yankees want to up their chances at getting back into the mix in AL East.

Photo: Brad Penner USA Today Sporst

Mark Teixeira

After missing most of June with a knee injury, Teixeira hasn't been able to find any kind of groove to pull him out of this season long slump. As the days go by, The Yankees could find themselves making another tough decision as what to do with the 36-year-old veteran. 

Photo: Norm Hall/Getty Images

Nathan Eovaldi

The team cannot afford to have him struggling at this point so he'll need to get back to pitching with the consistency he showed in May where he was 5-0 with 3.25 ERA. The 25 runs and 10 homers he surrendered in June is just not going to cut it.

Yankees: Who's Hot Who's Not 3

Who's Hot:

Photo:Jim Rogash/Getty Images

 Andrew Miller

It's been a good year thus far for Miller as he has seamlessly slid into the setup role after being the team's closer for all of 2015. Sporting a 1.13 ERA and 15 strikeouts to go with his stellar season numbers, it’s going to be very hard to even consider dealing Miller at the deadline if he continues to perform like this.

Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Aroldis Chapman

Since returning from an early season suspension Chapman has been as good as advertised when the Yankees acquired him. He's made mincemeat of hitters with his 100+ mph fastball, providing an intimidation factor that is giving the Yankees back end trio marquee billing in any close game.

Photo: Adam Hunger USA Today Sports

Brett Gardner

For the first time this season Gardner has hit a sustained hot streak batting .556 over seven games and is stinging the ball with an improved swing to boot. This a more than pleasant sight as he had fallen on troubling times at the dish for the better part of two seasons. Hopefully he can keep this consistency which would give fans and Girardi a reason for optimism that the 32-year-old outfielders prolonged slumps are over for the time being.

Photo: Frank Franklin II/AP

Carlos Beltran

It continues to be a Renaissance season for Beltran as he poured in a .345 average with 4 homers this week. Whatever has gotten into the 40-year-old right fielder, the Yankees should hope that it does not leave him anytime soon

Photo: Noah K. Murray USA Today Sports

Jacoby Ellsbury

Having your leadoff man hitting well is always a plus for any offense so that Yankees are definitely pleased with the results Ellsbury has yielded this week. With a .360 average and .429 on base percentage over seven games, He is giving the offense the spark it needs to get going. 

Who's Not:

Photo: Steven Ryan/Getty Images

Brian McCann

Despite the success of the Yankees hitting of late, things aren't going quite as well for McCann. Batting just .176 thus week it was difficult for him to capitalize on his teammates good fortunes. To be fair, he did have to deal with a hyperextended elbow for three days, however it would be hard to say if his slump wasn't still concerning to the overall picture.

Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Dellin Betances

Perhaps the most shocking cold player of the team is the "D" in the newly named "No Runs DMC". He has a 7.36 ERA over seven games, a tremendously disappointing number for a pitcher of his caliber. It will important for the Yankees to get his confidence back up with a few strong outings without wearing him down too much. If the new nickname is to stick, it will be highly important get the first guy back into dominant form

Dynamic Duo Anchoring Yankees Success

                                       

                               

There's been no mistaking the impact that Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller have had on the Yankees early success this season.  The duo has run through opponents with a fervor that is reminiscent of the days of Rivera-Wetteland.  The ability to shorten games and provide protection for the starters is an extremely valuable asset that not many team have at their disposal. While Betances continues to build off of his excellent rookie campaign, one has to be pleasantly surprised at the performance of Andrew Miller, especially since he is a closer for the first time in his career. Should they keep this up, this deadly combination could provide the impetus which drives the Yankees towards a return to October baseball.

Here are their stat line thus far

Miller - 15 Games 0.00 ERA 15.2 Innings 26 K

Betances - 16 Games 0.00 ERA 17.2 Innings 28 K

Not bad huh?