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No Gerrit Cole, a weekend in Houston, a team that is projected to finish last in the AL East according to Baseball Reference. What could possibly happen?
Dare I say this team is dangerous? It's hard to overreact after sweeping the opening series, but the fact that this team came back and won all of these games, Boone played the series perfectly, and the team's energy is just stronger than ever before... the Yankees might be brewing something.
Here are my quick thoughts after the weekend series.
The starting pitching is going to get better, and they surprised me this week (in a positive way). Nestor got out of a jam and closed out strong. Rodon and Stroman flashed some great stuff and did their jobs nicely. Clarke Schmidt found some trouble after a third go-around of the lineup but provided a nice mix of pitches and will likely improve.
Not having Gerrit Cole didn't bite us this weekend, but having him as an additional pitching coach is elite.
It's only been a few at-bats for Volpe, but his discipline at the plate has been very refreshing to see. I expect a big jump in offensive production.
Oslwado Cabera gained the starting third baseman job after DJ LeMahieu's injury but then lost it when the Yanks traded for John Berti. He still got the nod on Opening Day and showed the team that he was here to stay. Two home runs, seven hits, a .438 average, and a 1.346 OPS. Credit to Boone for keeping the hot hand in the game.
The bullpen was fantastic. Clay Holmes with three saves on the season, Ian Hamilton looks like he didn't lose a step; but we will need some longer and stronger outings from the starters so the pen doesn't get burnt out.
Having three starting outfielders, actual defensive outfielders, is such an incredible feeling. Verdugo making diving saves, Soto throwing out people at home. The offense gets the credit, but the defense is going to win this team game.
Speaking of Juan Soto, I don't want to overreact, but this man is special. His energy is electric, he makes this team just elevated and better. His first series was sincerely perfect. A .529 AVG, .600 OBP, .765 SLG, and a 10.0% K% He's currently the American League leader in hits (9), and absolutely on FIRE right now.