State of the Yankees: April

State of the New York Yankees
March Record: 4-0
April Record: 15-12
Record entering May: 19-12
Games Behind in AL East: 1
Games Behind AL Wild Card: +1.5

Life is good for the New York Yankees, but it can be better.

Playing in the ultra-competitive AL East, the Yankees have established themselves as a contender in the early going, getting off to a 12-3 start and keeping pace with the Baltimore Orioles atop the division. What truly makes the Yankees an intriguing team, however, is that they haven't even come close to playing at their highest potential, yet they already have 19 wins.

Regarding the lineup, it has been hot-and-cold, to say the least. The best way to summarize the offense is the three-day stretch from April 27 to April 29; on the first two days against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Bronx Bombers lived up to their name and scored 15 runs in consecutive games. They hadn't done that since 2007, and had only accomplished that feat five times in 121 years. The next day, they were shut out by the Orioles, the fifth time they were shut out in April alone. It's the first time they failed to score in five of their first 30 games since 1984.

This feast-or-famine state of the offense is due to varying levels of performance from the position players. Some have been raking since day one, some have been struggling immensely, and some have been highly inconsistent.

Juan Soto currently leads the team with 2.1 fWAR and a 191 wRC+, and has played so well on both sides of the ball (yes, even defensively!) that he's the early frontrunner for AL MVP. He has eight home runs, a 1.019 OPS, and overall has been exactly as advertised since the Yankees acquired him.

Anthony Volpe, despite cooling off after a hot start, has 1.4 fWAR and has already made tremendous strides in his player profile compared to last season. With a more level swing, he is striking out at a lower rate and displaying excellent plate discipline. Although his slugging percentage is only .398, he has held his own since being moved to the leadoff spot; it's only a matter of time before he starts getting better pitches to hit with Soto directly behind him.

Alex Verdugo, while getting off to a somewhat slow start, has performed so well lately that he took over as the team's cleanup hitter over the weekend. He's been an exceptionally difficult out thanks to a 12.5% walk rate and just an 8.3% strikeout rate, while also showing power with 10 extra base hits and four homers. Currently, Verdugo is on the paternity list as he welcomes the birth of his child, but once he returns to action, he makes the Yankee lineup very difficult to traverse.

But then there's the inconsistency. Outside of Soto, Volpe, and Verdugo, most of the lineup either alternates between good and bad games, or has straight up been unable to produce. Oswaldo Cabrera and Giancarlo Stanton have been very streaky, with Stanton having a 31.5% strikeout rate that counterbalances his six homers, and Cabrera cooling off considerably after a blistering start. Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo have somewhat recovered from slow starts to begin the year, but haven't done much in the team's current series against Baltimore despite appearing to break out against Milwaukee. Judge is especially concerning as he bats right behind Soto; although he has a 118 wRC+, he's batting just .207, has struck out in 27% of his plate appearances, and has been fouling off or missing pitches he'd otherwise crush, indicating that his swing timing is off. Finally, there's Gleyber Torres, who has looked abysmal to begin the year and went the entire month without hitting a home run; he has also struck out in 24.8% of his plate appearances, and just looks lost at the plate in general. Even worse is that Torres is a free agent after the season; if he doesn't get going, this could very well be his final season in pinstripes.

As for the rotation and bullpen, they have both kept the Yankees in position to win games. Starting pitchers Nestor Cortes Jr., Carlos Rodon, and Marcus Stroman have all given the Yankees both effectiveness and length, although it's unknown how long they'll be able to hold up, as they've occasionally had trouble with command and have often been pitching through traffic. Clarke Schmidt is still looking to prove that he can provide length, but he's coming off his best start of the year (albeit in a loss) and has shown encouraging strikeout numbers. Luis Gil, despite his lack of control, has nasty strikeout stuff and has filled in admirably as the fifth starter; time will tell what his role will be as the season progresses.

Finally, the bullpen has been rock solid, although there's still questions about how it will hold up long-term. Clay Holmes has yet to allow an earned run all season, even though his usage by Aaron Boone in non-save situations has been somewhat questionable. Despite the loss of Jonathan Loaisiga for the season, a combination of Dennis Santana, Ian Hamilton, and Luke Weaver have looked strong in multi-inning appearances. However, the team needs a dependable left-handed reliever, as Victor Gonzalez and especially Caleb Ferguson have struggled in high-leverage situations.

Overall, while the Yankees certainly have weaknesses that have been exploited, they are very rarely out of a game; their 7-0 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks was their only defeat by more than three runs. If it weren't for the lineup's inconsistency, the team could have an even stronger record, although their current record of 19-12 is certainly promising.

The Yankees should only get better as the season progresses; as more players begin to get going offensively, the lineup has an important reinforcement in DJ LeMahieu while the rotation should receive a massive boost with the return of Gerrit Cole in either June or July.

The 2024 Yankees have great ambitions, and with a strong April in the books, those ambitions continue to grow. When playing at their full potential, there isn't a single team they can't beat.