The Yankees Patience Has Paid Off in 2015

When the late and great former owner of the New York Yankees, Mr. George Steinbrenner, was alive patience was not a virtue in the Bronx. Patience was not a word and patience was something that was reserved for those small market teams that couldn’t keep up with New York’s financial superiority. If this had been 2005 and not 2015 Carlos Beltran would have been gone after a lackluster 2014 campaign, Mark Teixeira would have been too and Brian McCann wouldn’t likely be far behind. Jacoby Ellsbury would be wearing someone else’s pinstripes and Masahiro Tanaka would likely be in Triple-A like Kei Igawa. Didi Gregorius would be in Triple-A, Robert Refsnyder who? And Luis Severino, Aaron Judge and Greg Bird would be leading someone else to the postseason.

If George were still running the team things would be great on the surface. Max Scherzer would be a Yankee, Pablo Sandoval probably would be too along with Hanley Ramirez and David Price would have shaved his beard for the Yankees pinstripes. Stephen Drew would not be on the team and Dustin Ackley would have never been given a shot to go on the tear he has been on since returning from the disabled list. Brian Cashman would have been fired a long time ago, who goes nine seasons without a World Series anyway, and the payroll would have exceeded $300 million ages ago. All of this looks great on paper for the now but the future wouldn’t be as bright, there would be no light at the end of the tunnel, hell there wouldn’t even be a tunnel anymore. The window would be closed, Joe Girardi would be fired and the same types of GM’s that tried to trade Jorge Posada multiple times, Mariano Rivera multiple times and Andy Pettitte at least once would be running the asylum. No thanks.

The Yankees have shown an immense amount of patience over the past couple of seasons, and maybe that is truly out of necessity and not out of a change in mindset throughout the organization, and the Yankees have benefited from it in 2015. Beltran has been one of the best hitters on the team in 2015, Mark Teixeira was on his way to a 40 home run and 100+ RBI season before his injury, Brian McCann has set new career highs in home runs while leading the offense and the pitching staff, Masahiro Tanaka has emerged as the team’s ace, Jacoby Ellsbury is hitting over .350 in his last 14 games, Didi Gregorius has finally got from under the shadows left behind by Derek Jeter, the farm system has produced Greg Bird, Luis Severino, Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott, Rico Noel, John Ryan Murphy, Branden Pinder, Caleb Cotham, James Pazos and a slew of others and despite it all the Yankees have continued to win.

It’s been business as usual no matter what is going on with the team. Alex Rodriguez misses basically the entire 2013 season with hip and lower leg injuries and follows it up with a steroid suspension and another missed season in 2014? No problem, give him the chance to compete and win back the hearts and minds. A Rod has a very outside shot of hitting 40 home runs in his age 40 season, he did hit three in one game against the Minnesota Twins this season after all. The Yankees lose Michael Pineda two days before the trade deadline and see David Price being lured over their heads like that guy in the State Farm commercial with the dollar and the fishing pole? No thank you, we’ll hold onto our own and plus Luis Severino into the rotation. And by the way, no we don’t want your former Atlanta Braves All-Star closer Mr. Preller, we like our Jorge Mateo thank you very much.

Nathan Eovaldi leads the National League in hits allowed in 2014 and was well on his way to that in 2015, does this team panic? Absolutely not, you put your head down and you keep working until you get it right, even if it takes all season, and he did. Now you’re afraid of a one-game playoff series? Pfft, this team has dealt with more this season than most and win, lose or draw this team is special. They have the character and the heart to win it all. Now we just have to hope that they have the hot hand, the talent and a little bit of luck to go along with it.