I really enjoy Yangervis Solarte, so don't get me wrong: It's a terrible sign that he's leading the Yankees in so many offensive categories.
Solarte made the major league team, as we've heard the story a bazillion times now, after eight unremarkable seasons in the minors. Yeah, he makes contact, he won't embarrass you in the field, he's not a bad on-base guy and we're not sure about his power. Consider this: the guy he bumped off the roster was Eduardo Nunez.
The fact that Solarte, who is hitting around .300, is now tied for the team RBI lead with Mark Teixeira is a great story for Yankees Magazine, but an awful sign for a club that's looking frighteningly like the 2013 Yankees. Remember them? The team with no third baseman, no catcher and a meaningless September?
It's June. It's not April or May; it's June. The Yankees have been playing teams they're supposed to beat up on, and losing. The Seattle Mariners. The Minnesota Twins. The Chicago Cubs. Did I mention the Seattle Mariners? And after another agonizing loss to the Oakland A's (an actually GOOD team), they are five games out of first place, which is a miracle in itself.
Injuries--take your pick. Three-fifths of the starting rotation is gone, and that's not even the problem. David Phelps is pitching well. Chase Whitley, while not pitching deep into games, is being surprisingly competitive. Vidal Nuno... well, two out of three ain't bad. Literally.
The bullpen? Yes, there have been problems of late. The supposed closer-in-waiting Dellin Betances gave up (gasp!) a run Tuesday night. It'll happen. Even the sainted Mariano Rivera gave up a run every now and again. He's currently taking the express train to Cooperstown (the one that only takes five years, and stops at Jon Stewart's studio along the way to plug a book).
This is a team that's not hitting. That wasn't supposed to happen this year. There would be Ellsbury, we were told. There would be Beltran. You're gonna love McCann, we were told. Did you see what Soriano did after he came back last year? Being a Yankee again rejuvenated him. This Solarte kid will play once or twice a week, maybe. Fill in for aging infielders like Jeter (soon to be sainted himself, and taking the same train a year later), Brian Roberts (Brian Roberts?) and Kelly Johnson.
Instead, Solarte is one of the few bright spots. Masahiro Tanaka? Everything we were told, and more. A pleasure to watch him pitch every five days. Betances? Usually a treat as well. He strikes out batters before they're even sure they're at the plate. Very nice.
Then there's Solarte. And that's about it. Ichiro will have little runs where he looks like Ichiro. Ellsbury has been... okay. Jeter is getting great rounds of applause wherever he goes, which is nice, but he is indeed playing like Derek Jeter, only 40 years old.
We do like McCann, but it would be nice if he hit, too.
Teixeira is back, but how long will that last? Beltran is promised soon, but you can ask the same question about him. Ivan Nova is gone for the year. Michael Pineda just got moved to the 60-day DL. Again. CC Sabathia is excited about playing catch standing up.
Didn't I just have this dream? Wasn't this the 2013 squad, and weren't we told this year would be different?
This year is different. This year, we have Yangervis Solarte.
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