Damn the Torpedoes!

 

The Yankees are already the talk of the MLB, and I...think it's for a good thing?

The team's been off to a phenomenal start, loss against the Pirates notwithstanding. Beating the Brewers began the year with an exclamation point, but moving on to notch big wins against the Diamondbacks and Pirates, along with very close games for the losses, proved the energy was real. Everyone was hitting, the Cole-less rotation was getting by, Judge was still putting up monster numbers and Williams was acclimating well to New York.

But...the first series, and the amount of balls that went out, sparked immediate attention, especially considering the number of 'torpedo bats' being used by the perpetrators. And while many people sought to find a loophole to say this wasn't allowed, simply shifting the leverage of the bat so that the ball hits a different point isn't cheating. Even Manfred agrees, and...while that may not say much, as he wouldn't know a cheater if it bit him in Joey Gallo's ass, it does imply that the torpedo people have a relatively airtight case. And sure enough, others around the league, including Elly de la Cruz, have taken the company up on their availability and have repeated the success.

I think the guy this has benefitted the most has been Anthony Volpe, whose swing has been connecting more and more since getting the new bat. Right now he's hitting .297 with 11 hits, 12 RBIs and 4 homers. Those are some numbers that could persist if he keeps it up, and this could FINALLY be the season where his plate presence matches up with his defensive stuff. You've also seen more from both Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza, as both fight for custody of 3rd. You're getting a monster season from Trent Grisham, FINALLY coming into his own in the Bronx. You're getting the most confident material from Ben Rice we've ever seen, already with 2 home runs. 

And you're seeing an incredible start from Jazz Chisholm Jr., who's already got 9 hits, 9 RBIs and 4 homers. This spike in offensive prowess has been coupled with a return to his usual position of 2nd base, and thus he's leading the team in WAR [despite Aaron Judge also being here]. I knew Chisholm would be great for us when we traded for him, and hopefully he has a terrific year for us.

You're seeing more flaws come through over time, especially in some of the newer veterans like Goldschmidt and Bellinger, and some of the depth starters like Warren and Stroman. But...Carlos Carrasco can go out there for 5 innings and get the win. That's not something I expected going into this year. There are some very cool depth options, and very cool unsung guys already helping out. I'd love to see how this team progresses, and I'd love if it continues to feel as exciting as this.

Coming Tomorrow- A guy named Spencer for the Braves who strikes out everybody? Likely story.