Depth is the new superstar.
The Yankees have depth. And another win, 7-3 over the Mariners Monday night at Yankee Stadium, making them 14-5 over the past 19 games, the AL’s best record over that span.
They don’t have Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and so many others, but they have depth and that makes all the difference these days in MLB with players unable to stay on the field.
The Accidental Yankees are two games back of the AL East-leading Rays and closing. Since April 19 the Yankees are 12-4, the Rays are 8-7. All this with backups in key positions and on the mound. Depth everywhere.
“It’s what the game is about now,’’ Brett Gardner told The Post after hitting a home run and a triple off Felix Hernandez. “You got to have it.’’
The Yankees are thriving. The Mets are stumbling, partly because of lack of depth. The Red Sox used their depth last year to win a world championship, but didn’t think it was important to bring back their closer and are a mess.
Gio Urshela, a potential Gold Glover at third, and rookie Thairo Estrada excelled. When Estrada made a terrific falling throw at shortstop on Tim Beckham’s bases-loaded slow ground ball to end the top of the sixth, Urshela and pitcher Adam Ottavino were there to pick him up and congratulate him. Estrada had hit his first major league home run in the second.
Luke Voit, who crushed a two-run homer in the first, his 10th of the year to lead all AL first basemen, first noticed the Yankees incredible depth long before it became a thing.
“On most of spring training road trips we go on we only have like a couple starters,’’ Voit said. “I got to play with all these guys. It was fun playing with them. We would go places and we’d still put up six or seven runs. You could tell these guys could play.’’
Players use different ways to mark success. One way during spring training is to get your at-bats quickly.
“I’d be out in the fifth inning because I had gotten my three at-bats, that’s when I knew it was like the real deal,’’ Voit said.
Those were team bonding days as well.
“The atmosphere of coming up is different than it was six or seven years ago,’’ Austin Romine said. “Then it was a little more: ‘You be quiet and pay attention.’ Now you are more included. Guys are talking about it now, saying it’s easier to come up when you feel comfortable, and you play better. We want to win so we want everybody comfortable.’’
Voit agreed: “When you come up, you feel like you are not by yourself.’’
Just as Voit saw the depth success developing in spring training, so did Romine.
“The superstars would come out of the game and the backups come in and you see how good they are,’’ Romine said. “You say, ‘Man, they could play on other teams.’
“Then people started getting hurt and people started filling in and they were really good.’’Even backups like Clint Frazier who hit a career-high six home runs in 18 games, got hurt, spraining his ankle. Frazier returned Monday night.
“We knew we had depth but I don’t think we knew that we would be tested as much as we have,’’ Frazier said. “Being a young guy with an opportunity, you don’t know how long it is going to last, you don’t know the results you are going to get because that adrenaline kicks in and you want to be here for the rest of the year. It’s hard. We have a lot of guys who deserve to be in this locker room that are showing it every day. It’s really cool.’’
Dellin Betances (shoulder) resumed throwing Monday. His spot, in part, has been filled by Tommy Kahnle, who has 11 straight appearances without allowing a hit or run, a Yankees record previously held by Betances.
“It just shows you the job the organization has done to get guys to fill in and player development has done to get guys ready to play at this level,’’ Betances said.
Depth wins.