We’re at the halfway point of the season for the New York Yankees, who have struggled of late but have had an excellent run overall.
Now, it’s time to look back at how the Yankees have performed individually in the first half.
You won’t see grades for new Yankees, such as J.D. Davis, Tim Hill and Phil Bickford. They haven’t been around long enough. You also won’t see grades for Clarke Schmidt, Ian Hamilton, Nick Burdi, Jon Berti and Jonathan Loáisiga, who have either missed a significant amount of time or won’t be returning soon.
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Starting pitchers
Gerrit Cole, RHP
Grade: C
He’s only made two starts, so it’s unfair to harshly grade him, but he did not look like himself against the New York Mets on Tuesday. His fastball velocity dipped into the low 90s, but he said he wasn’t concerned about the lack of power behind his pitches. The work behind the scenes with the other pitchers on staff helps his grade here.
Nestor Cortes, LHP
Grade: B+
Cortes had a 4.02 ERA through his first nine starts and a 2.68 over his last eight. His 120 ERA+ is impressive. The home (4-3, 1.84 ERA) and road (0-3, 5.57 ERA) splits are weird. Overall, a solid first half from the funky lefty.
Luis Gil, RHP
Grade: A
What more could the Yankees ask for from Gil? He’s still in the conversation to start the All-Star Game for the American League even after blowing up in his last two starts against the Orioles and Mets. A 9-3 record with a 3.15 ERA in 16 starts as a rookie? What a way to cover through Gerrit Cole’s injury.
Carlos Rodón, RHP
Grade: C
He’s been much better than his horrific Yankees debut season last year, but the underlying metrics show he’s gotten quite lucky this season. He’s one of the worst starters in limiting quality contact and his strikeout stuff that he possessed in San Francisco hasn’t returned with New York.
Marcus Stroman, RHP
Grade: B+
Some of Stroman’s underlying numbers (4.39 xERA, 10.5 percent walk rate) are a bit alarming, but who cares? In reality, Stroman has a tidy 3.15 ERA in 16 starts, and remember all those concerns about how he’d fit into the clubhouse? Players have embraced him.
Bullpen
Caleb Ferguson, LHP
Grade: D-
It hasn’t worked out well for Ferguson, whom the Yankees acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason. He’s gotten shelled and he’s had problems throwing strikes. The one positive is he’s been one of their better strikeout relievers. But on the whole, he’s not a trusted option.
Clay Holmes, RHP
Grade: B
Yes, he sometimes has outings that make fans sweat, but he has been solid. He has the highest ground ball rate in the majors and limits hard contact. He’s been burned some nights on those softly hit balls finding grass.
Tommy Kahnle, RHP
Grade: C+
His velocity is down a few ticks from his upper-90s heyday. His changeup is still impressive. The Yankees need him to be a late-inning option still, and he’s straddling the line there.
Michael Tonkin, RHP
Grade: A
Who could have seen Tonkin emerge as one of the Yankees’ best relievers after his controversial team debut in an extra-innings game against the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this season? It seemed likely the Yankees would eventually DFA him, but he’s firmly earned his spot on this team with a 1.04 ERA in 20 appearances.
Luke Weaver, RHP
Grade: A-
Weaver has continued his excellent turnaround from journeyman starter to dynamic, multi-inning reliever, essentially replacing Michael King. He’s firmly inside Boone’s circle of trusted relievers. A shrewd Yankees scrap heap pickup.
Catchers
Jose Trevino, C
Grade: B
He can’t throw anyone out these days but he’s still one of the best game callers and pitch framers in MLB. He’s also having the best offensive season of his career. The poor arm is a concern but the Yankees will take the production in other key areas every day of the week.
Austin Wells, C
Grade: C-
Pitchers like throwing to Wells, though the knock on him has always been his defense. He might need more regular playing time to get his bat going, but he’s going to have to make use of what he’s getting splitting time with Trevino.
Infielders
DJ LeMahieu, 1B/3B
Grade: D-
The Yankees remain confident in LeMahieu’s ability in the batter’s box, but most of the stats say they shouldn’t. They’re ultimately not going to torch a respected veteran publicly but the numbers are brutal. He’s also had two significant foot injuries in the past three seasons and he’ll turn 36 in a few weeks. Historically speaking, players who’ve had debilitating lower-body injuries and are aging usually don’t become star players again.
Ben Rice, 1B
Grade: C
The rookie hasn’t embarrassed himself at first base despite being a neophyte at the position. His at-bats have looked professional. He hasn’t been shaken by the whirlwind nature of his jump from Double A to Triple A and finally to the majors.
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Grade: D-
Rizzo is slated to return near the end of August, which will flirt with the waiver deadline. Before fracturing his forearm, he was terrible offensively for a second straight season, hitting .223 with eight homers, 28 RBIs and a .630 OPS. He has a 78 OPS+. Josh Donaldson had a 74 OPS+ when the Yankees waived him last year.
Gleyber Torres, 2B
Grade: D-
There haven’t been many walk years worse than what Torres has put up. His defense has been poor. His bat has been worse. A groin strain has hampered him of late — to the point fans were calling him out for a lack of hustle after hitting a ground ball. Boone benched him Wednesday against the Mets and he may sit even longer. The Yankees could have used him to step up without Giancarlo Stanton around. But it’s hard to have faith in that happening at this point.
Anthony Volpe, SS
Grade: B
He’s strayed too far on the spectrum of becoming a contact-only bat, especially for one who doesn’t walk much. Moving forward, he needs to find the sweet spot of hitting for high-quality contact and power, like he showed in his rookie season. Defensively, he’s somehow gotten exponentially better after winning the Gold Glove Award last season. He’s quieted everyone who thought he would eventually have to move to second base.
Outfielders
Trent Grisham, CF
Grade: C
Are the offensive numbers good? No. But the Yankees gave him such sporadic playing time in the first half that it was difficult for him to find his footing. With Stanton out, he’ll need to get into a groove.
Aaron Judge, CF
Grade: A+
He’s been the best player in Major League Baseball, and that’s despite having a bad April (.207 BA, .754 OPS) by his standards. The question becomes, can he threaten the single-season American League home run record he set in 2022? He’s done all this while playing out of position in deference to Juan Soto, who now roams right field.
Juan Soto, RF
Grade: A+
He has the third-highest OPS in baseball and he leads MLB in on-base percentage. Soto has been as advertised. He’s even better than expected defensively in right field, even though he’s made a few bad plays recently. Judge is currently the front-runner to win the American League MVP award but Soto would likely finish inside the top five.
Alex Verdugo, LF
Grade: B
He’s been excellent defensively. Far better than what the Yankees have trotted out into left field since the end of the Brett Gardner era. Offensively, he’s been a mixed bag. After worries about his past transgressions (lateness, lack of hustle) with the Boston Red Sox, he’s been a major part of the clubhouse’s good vibes.
Utility/DH
Oswaldo Cabrera, UTL
Grade: C-
Cabrera was one of the biggest storylines for the first couple of weeks of the season; his production was similar to Juan Soto’s! But he’s regressed significantly. His defense has left much to be desired, and he’s struggled at the plate. If he was even just a little better, it would make sense to make him and LeMahieu split time at third base, but Cabrera has given manager Aaron Boone zero reason to play him frequently.
Jahmai Jones, UTL
Grade: C
Because of recent injuries, he’s played more than usual. That’s not a good thing. He’s survived on the roster this long because he’s beloved in the clubhouse as the hype man.
Giancarlo Stanton, DH
Grade: B
General manager Brian Cashman was right when he said Stanton would more than likely get hurt. He’s out for around four weeks with a hamstring strain. When he was healthy, he produced. He has the seventh-highest wRC+ for all designated hitters this season. The Yankees are missing his bat in the middle of their order.
(Top photo of Aaron Judge: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)