If there was ever a year where the Yankees seemed vulnerable, it was 2012. Not only did an old team get one year older, they lost two of their key young players (Brett Gardner and Michael Pineda) for the season and saw numerous others fall to injury, including the great Mariano Rivera. But at the end of the season, the Yankees ended up right where they always expect to be: at the top of the AL East, and playing in the ALCS for a shot at another World Series title. What were the keys to surviving the adversity?
1. A Home-Run-Hitting Offense: Hitting home runs is relatively easy to do at Yankee Stadium, and that's how the home team built their offense. Only Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter hit for a high average but amazingly, ten different Yankees hit at least 14 home runs. They were paced by Curtis Granderson's 43, and he now has the most home runs in baseball over the past two seasons. This Yankees hit the most home runs in the majors and therefore scored the second-most runs.
2. Strong Starting Pitching: Though it wasn't healthy for much of the season, the Yankees had one of their best starting rotations in recent memory. C.C. Sabathia's "down" year featured 200 innings, a 3.38 ERA, and the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the AL. Hiroki Kuroda's transition from the NL West to Yankee Stadium went seamlessly (a 3.32 ERA in 219.2 innings). Andy Pettitte only threw 75 innings, but they were excellent and he got healthy in time for the stretch run. And Phil Hughes, independent of the unfair expectations heaped upon him, had the best season of his career. Despite pitching in a bandbox, these four starters were consistently excellent.
3. Depth: With their resources, the Yankees were able to cover for a lot of the injuries a veteran team tends to suffer. When longtime closer Mariano Rivera went down, Rafael Soriano stepped in to save 42 games with an ERA of 2.26. Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia both spent time on the DL, but they were adequately filled in for by rookie David Phelps and veteran Freddy Garcia. When Alex Rodriguez broke his hand, Eric Chavez took over and put up a .281/.348/.496 line. The loss of Brett Gardner opened the door for Raul Ibanez, who slugged 19 home runs and enjoyed some ridiculously clutch moments. It also led to the midseason acquisition of Ichiro Suzuki, who hit .322 for his new team. All of these extra pieces helped the Yankees stay flexible through tough times.
4. Veterans: Teams that rely on contributions from young players can sometimes get ambushed by wild fluctuations in their performance, and not always for the better. On the other hand, the likes of Sabathia, Kuroda, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, and Derek Jeter have been some of the most consistent and durable players in baseball over the last few years despite their ages (only Cano is under 30). Even the aging and much-ridiculed Alex Rodriguez was productive in the regular season: his OPS was just .008 points lower than Derek Jeter's. Funny how no one ever mentions that.
5. Strikeouts and Walks: Yankees hitters and pitchers controlled the strike zone perhaps better than any other team. Their pitchers had the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio in baseball. Their hitters had the third-most walks in baseball but were in the bottom ten in strikeouts despite hitting for so much power. This was one of the more disciplined teams in the league that rarely gave up an at-bat easily.
When it comes to roster construction for the Yankees, obviously financial power is the biggest factor. The Yankees have had the highest payroll in baseball for a long time now. Their cornerstone players (ace, first baseman, third baseman, closer) all left small-market teams as free agents to sign massive free agent contracts in New York.
A high payroll not only helps to bring in elite free agents; it also keeps homegrown stars around for their whole careers. The Yankees can afford to pay the likes of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera whatever they agree upon to keep playing for New York. They were able to give the next star in line, Robinson Cano, a nice contract at a young age and they have the money to keep him around long-term, too.
However, the Yankees front office has also made acquisitions that any other team could have made, regardless of resources. Many were of the buy-low variety, like trades for Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson after they each had down seasons; both have improved in New York. The Yankees also grabbed Russell Martin off the scrap heap and signed veterans that few wanted like Raul Ibanez, Eric Chavez, and Andruw Jones, all of them dirt-cheap, and all have provided excellent value. And the Yankees were the ones who snagged Hiroki Kuroda on a bargain one-year deal, certainly a contract that other teams could have afforded. It's tempting to attribute New York's success solely to the financial advantage. But the teams has made some shrewd moves that had nothing to do with a $200 million payroll. That's been a big part of the strategy that won the Yankees three AL East titles--and a championship--in the last four seasons.
New York's Formula: Good starting pitching, a disciplined home-run-hitting offense, and a deep roster, achieved through a high payroll and buy-low acquisitions.
Oakland's Formula: Young pitching depth, dominant bullpen, and a platooning lineup built on speed, power, and defense, achieved through smart trades and a deep minor league system.
Detroit's Formula: Good starting pitching and an elite top of the lineup, achieved through the acquisition of elite players by any means.
San Francisco's Formula: Healthy starting pitching, dominant bullpen, and a lineup built for home-field advantage achieved through strong pitching development and the revitalization of declining veterans' careers.
Washington's Formula: Healthy and elite starting pitching, dominant bullpen, and balanced lineup achieved through homegrown talent and superb talent evaluation.
Cincinnati's Formula: Healthy starting pitching, dominant bullpen, and balanced lineup achieved through homegrown talent and low payroll.
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