Photo by Gabe Rodriguez/Legends on Deck
I always believed that if an MLB organization has some talented young ball players within their system that they should do everything in their power to develop them and get them ready for the next level.
Well I have to applaud the New York Yankees, because for what seemed like for many years of just buying talent, they have done the right thing by investing in their own farm system and now they are reaping in the success.
On Sunday, rookie right fielder Aaron Judge took flight for two more bombs, adding to his major league leading 21 home runs on the season. But it hasn’t just been the home runs, its been his overall ability to impact a Yankees win seemingly by himself. The pure power and great defense has proven to many that if you just give your younger ball players a chance to shine, they may do something special, and Judge is definitely doing big things this season.
After coming off the DL on June 1st, catcher Gary Sanchez has also shown that 2016 was no fluke when he hit 20 home runs during just the second half of the season. So far over the last nine games he has played in, Sanchez is batting .308, with six home runs and 16 RBIs.
And it hasn’t been just Judge and Sanchez, because the whole team mixed with talented young ball players and a pinch of veterans have shown all of baseball that they are ready to be the new model for how all organizations should function. But don’t get me wrong, the new Yankees plan isn’t one that hasn’t been done before by other teams, but they are just proving the fact that youth can impact the game in a mighty way if you just show them you believe in their abilities.
Photo by Gabe Rodriguez/Legends on Deck
It’s easy to compare with other teams that are not doing the right thing, like crosstown rivals, the New York Mets, who operate with the mindset that its better to find non-talented ball players with major league experience who they feel they can improve then to give the job to their own players with whom they have raised throughout their own system. That old way of thinking has become stale really fast and it’s time for more teams to follow the youth movement.
As of games played through Sunday, the Yankees find themselves in first place sitting at 37-23, four games over second place Boston Red Sox. The Bronx Bombers have won five straight games and seven of their last 10 and they don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
During their current winning streak where they took two of three from the Red Sox and swept the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees averaged 11 runs a game, while giving up just a little over two runs a game.
The Yankees are shocking the baseball world, while still waiting on a few reinforcements in first baseman Greg Bird, outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and closer Aroldis Chapman off the DL.
With timely hitting, great defense and solid pitching, the Yankees are an exciting team to watch. I have to admit that I tune in daily just to see how the kids are doing and so far, they are playing winning baseball and that is all baseball fans could ask for from their team.
It will be exciting to see how long this run can last and if the Baby Bombers are soaring towards the playoffs. Yankees baseball at it’s best.
David Conde
David is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Legends On Deck®, as well as a Co-Host on Legends On Deck Podcast. David was a Senior Editor for MetsMerizedOnline.com, MetsMinors.net and Contributor for Hardballchat.com that spanned from 2010 to 2014. David made his MLB Debut as a writer in June 2014, while covering the NY Mets at Citi Field, for MetsmerizedOnline.com. David also coaches baseball for ages 13-15, a Babe Ruth League team in his local community. David's passion is coaching the game he loves to the future Legends of Tomorrow as well as making available a website that people can have fun sharing and reading. David is also passionate about his career as a Mortgage Loan Officer which allows him to help many families reach their dreams of owning a home. Connect with David via his Social Media pages as he loves to chat all about baseball.
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