No team throws fewer fastballs than the Yankees, and it’s not particularly close. No team throws a harder average fastball than the Yankees, either. I’m not breaking any new ground here, as this has been written about in many places, including Fangraphs and Sports Illustrated. I’ve even touched upon it as it relates to Sonny Gray. What’s my […]
Author: Derek Albin
OOTP Universe Yankees: A rainy but good week
After last week, the virtual Yankees fell below .500. A 20-21 record certainly is not what anyone would expect, and is especially jarring when watching how dominant their real-life counterparts have been. Even though the season is roughly a quarter of the way complete, there’s still plenty of baseball for the alternate universe Yankees to […]
Ready to write off Aaron Hicks? Not so fast!
Before landing on the disabled list in late June of last year, Aaron Hicks was in the midst of a breakout season. An oblique injury sidelined Hicks, who was hitting a stellar .290/.398/.515 (144 wRC+) in 242 plate appearances before being shelved. When he returned in August, he struggled offensively (and went on the disabled […]
OOTP Universe Yankees: Treading Water
Could things get any worse for our alternate universe Yankees after a 1-6 week in the previous installment? Well, sure, they could lose out in this week’s edition. You can probably gather from the headline that this week wasn’t quite as bad, though. What’s on the slate this time around? An off day and two […]
Making room for Brandon Drury
By the end of this week, the Yankees will have a roster decision to make. Brandon Drury’s rehab assignment began on April 24, meaning that his twenty-day rehab window will come to an end after Sunday. At that point, the front office will need to decide what to do with 25-year-old infielder recovering from migraines and […]
OOTP Universe Yankees: A forgettable week
Before the season began, the series against the Angels, Astros, Indians, and Red Sox all in a row were marked on the calendar as perhaps the toughest stretch of the season. In last week’s edition, the alternate universe Yankees took two of three in Anaheim to start strong. The real-life Yanks swept the Angels. This […]
OOTP Universe Yankees: Wait, the Twins can beat the Yankees?
After losing three of four to close out last week against Toronto, the virtual Yankees looked to bounce back against the Twins at home and Angels on the road. If the virtual Twins are anything like the franchise, in reality, it would have been the perfect squad for the Bombers to get back on track against. […]
Where did Brett Gardner’s power go?
On Opening Day, Brett Gardner hit his first home run of the season. After blasting a career-high 21 dingers in 2017, his game one home run seemed to be the continuation of his power surge. Yet, the 34-year-old outfielder hasn’t hit another home run in 21 games thereafter. Decline is inevitable for all players, and for one of Gardner’s […]
The improved Didi Gregorius
Didi Gregorius didn’t need to get better at hitting. He had already improved in each of the three previous years with the Yankees. In his first year, he merely needed to prove that his offense was passable to play him everyday. In his second season in pinstripes, he began showing unexpected power. Last year, he […]
OOTP Universe Yankees: Gary Sanchez can’t do it all
After a strong finish to the previous week, the virtual Yankees sat a 10-6 with the Marlins and Blue Jays coming to town. With a roster far more healthy than their real-life counterparts, things are looking good in this other world. Furthermore, the Red Sox aren’t off to the torrid start that they are in […]