A Yankee season ending in anything other than a world series title, let alone a playoff berth is seen as a failure through the eyes of all in Yankees nation. With that being said, a 2016 season that resulted in the Yankees failing to meet the playoffs and have to watch their rivals Boston take home the AL East crown can't be viewed successfully by any means can it? On the contrary, a season in which many predicted the Yankees to be perhaps in dead last and barely escape 70 wins saw them finish above .500 with plenty to look forward to in the not too distant future. Thanks to the so-called, 'baby bombers' and payroll flexibility the Yankees are looking up to a bright future for the first time in years.
It feels as if this Yankees team has been running off of their fumes from their 2009 World Series victory for years now. Something that feels all too much like a distant memory. That world series victory was the last of the Yankees then core four of Jeter, Rivera, Posada, and Pettitte. With what appears early on to be the new wave of cornerstone Yankees arriving in the big leagues there is plenty of hope to repeat that success. Specifically the play of Gary Sanchez who had taken the league by storm since his August call-up. Having been named player and rookie for the month of August. In his stint with the big league club, Sanchez has already clobbered 20 big flys and picked up 42 runs batted in.
Sanchez has not been the only noteworthy Yankee youngster to catch the attention of many, Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge have shown glimpses of the potential they possess for the future. A team that next season can have Greg Bird, Sanchez, Judge, Austin, Gregorious, Castro and perhaps even Refsynder patrolling around the diamond leaves the Yankees and Yankee fans with hope.
A team that in recent years has dished out contracts to aging veterans and has been stuck in what seems like a baseball purgatory, good enough to contend for a playoff spot but never good enough to win it all. With the influx of talent, the Yankee's possess with their deep pockets set them up in a positon to content, not just for a playoff spot but for a title for years to come.
The 2016 season may not have had the result that many had hoped for, and 2017 may not necessarily be much better. One thing is for certain, baseball is alive and well in the Bronx and for the first time in a long time, the Yankees are certainly exciting to watch.
