5 X-factors for the Yankees in the ALCS
Brent Maguire
@bmags94The Yankees are just four wins away from their first World Series appearance since winning it all in 2009 and the 41st Fall Classic appearance in franchise history. After beating the Royals in four games in the ALDS, the Yankees are headed to the ALCS and will face either the Guardians or the Tigers, who will play a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday.
Throughout the regular season and in the ALDS vs. the Royals, the Yankees relied upon stars like Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole. New York will need its stars to show up to punch a ticket to the Fall Classic, but what about others who can help make that happen?
Here are five players who will be ALCS X-factors for the Yankees.
We already know how Stanton altered a series when he was at his best. The slugger had six hits, three for extra bases, and four RBIs in the ALDS against the Royals, including the pivotal go-ahead eighth-inning home run in Game 3. That production was vital for a Yankees lineup that did not see Judge and Soto at their best, which is something Stanton can help mitigate when he's going strong.
Stanton picked a great time to pick things back up after struggling down the stretch in the regular season. After posting a .795 OPS and crushing 18 home runs in the first half, Stanton had a .738 OPS and nine home runs in the second half. We've seen Stanton's streakiness throughout his Yankees tenure and that was no different in 2024. Perhaps Stanton will go on one of his excellent runs, such as when he ran a .927 OPS in 18 games in June.
Also working in Stanton's favor is his strong track record in his postseason career. In 31 playoff games, Stanton is a .277/.344/.643 hitter with 12 home runs. That includes a fantastic 2020 postseason in which he had a 1.425 OPS and homered in five straight games, tied for the second-longest streak in postseason history. If early results are any indication this postseason, Stanton could help carry the Yankees to the World Series.
Stanton is certainly not the Yankees' best (or second-best) hitter, but when he's right, he can carry an offense. If he keeps this going and Judge or Soto perform at their usual levels, the Yankees offense could be a problem in the coming weeks.
2. Carlos Rodón
As great as Rodón's ALDS Game 2 start began, it ended with an early hook in the fourth inning. The lefty emphatically struck out the side in the first inning in the Bronx and tossed three scoreless innings to begin his outing. The fourth inning, however, proved to be disastrous: Rodón allowed four runs and four hits, including a home run, and recorded just two outs before he was pulled.
Rodón rebounded from a rough first year with the Yankees in 2023 by posting a 3.96 ERA and punching out 195 batters in 175 innings this season. Other than a brutal month of June (7.76 ERA), Rodón was consistently a solid starter for the Yanks, posting an ERA of 4.15 or lower in every other month, including a sub-3 ERA in March/April and September.
Rodón might not be the 2021-22 version (2.67 ERA and 422 strikeouts) the Yankees were expecting, but he doesn't have to be for New York to secure a 28th World Series title. If the lefty can provide quality starts -- something Rodón did in exactly half of his 32 regular-season starts -- he'll prove to be a valuable No. 2 starter behind Cole. Heck, even if Rodón can go five innings while allowing a run or two, the Yankees will be in prime position to win games.
For Rodón, the hope is his next start -- which could be in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday -- will mirror the first three innings of his previous start rather than the final inning.
Torres recorded just three hits in 15 ALDS at-bats but that hardly tells the full story. Batting leadoff in all four games, Torres drew five walks (tied with Judge for the most on the team), scored a team-high four runs and had two extra-base hits. The Yankees' second baseman set the tone early in the series, proving to be a sparkplug in a Game 1 win that included a two-run home run and a pair of walks.
It was undoubtedly a rocky season for Torres, but he's proven to be a different player since moving full-time to the leadoff position in mid-August. Torres began the season at the top of the lineup but was relegated to the No. 6 or 7 spot for a big chunk of the season. Since the switch to leading off full-time on Aug. 16, Torres is hitting .303/.387/.455 in 43 regular-season and postseason games.
In his 60 games as a leadoff hitter this season -- his most at any spot in the lineup -- Torres sported his best OPS (.762) and OBP (.353) of any place in the order. We saw Torres at his best during the four-game ALDS, when he was seemingly always on base and providing traffic for the Yankees to bring him home. After his stellar Game 1 performance, Torres drew a pair of walks in Game 2 and recorded two hits and scored the pivotal first run in Game 4.
Despite everything that went down in Torres' season, he's proven to be a key factor that leads off every game for the Bronx Bombers. If this production continues, Torres will keep putting pressure on opposing pitchers who try to tame a devastating middle of the Yankees lineup.
It's hard to imagine that things could have gone any better for Chisholm and the Yankees since New York acquired him from Miami in a trade on July 27. In 46 regular-season games, Chisholm flashed his all-around skill and produced an .825 OPS with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases, all while transitioning to a new position and becoming a full-time third baseman.
That regular-season stint was just an appetizer for what we've seen in October. In just four games, Chisholm has had a pair of strong games and proven to be a bolt of energy for the Yanks -- and something of a pest for other teams. Chisholm was quiet in both games in Kansas City but he singled, stole a base and scored the game-winning run in Game 1 in New York, then homered in Game 2. After the Game 2 loss, Chisholm said the Royals "just got lucky" that the Yankees had missed opportunities, putting a target on his back and creating something of a media firestorm.
To Chisholm's credit, he's relished the "villain" role, saying "I ain’t never seen nobody boo a bum" after the reception he got during Game 3 pregame introductions ahead of Game 3 at Kauffman Stadium. That energy certainly didn't hurt the Yankees, who took both games in Kansas City, which included a benches-clearing incident in the series-clinching Game 4. After Maikel Garcia's hard slide into Anthony Volpe at second base led to both benches clearing, Chisholm found himself in the middle of it and accused Garcia of being a "sore loser" following the game.
While Chisholm will never be mistaken for Reggie Jackson, his antics are a flashback to the past when Mr. October famously remarked that "fans don't boo nobodies." If the Yanks find a way to win it all, though, Chisholm's role in the ALDS -- and potentially beyond -- will be a major storyline.
5. Clay Holmes
Holmes had one of the wackiest regular seasons by a Yankees reliever in recent memory. On one hand, Holmes was a second-time All-Star and posted a 3.14 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 67 games. On the other hand, Holmes blew an MLB-worst 13 saves -- tied for the most by a Yankee since the stat became official in 1969 -- and pitched poorly enough down the stretch that he was relegated from the closer's role in favor of Luke Weaver.
Holmes continued to confound when he provided four straight scoreless outings in high-leverage situations during the ALDS. That included a pivotal five-out performance in Game 1, where Holmes retired five of the six batters he faced and secured the win. Given that the Yankees were not scoring runs at their usual level, Holmes' production in key spots looks even more important.
Holmes' ALDS performance continued an impressive run in the postseason. Through his first 10 career playoff outings, Holmes has not allowed a run and is running a minuscule 0.69 WHIP. While Holmes finds himself in a different role compared to the 2022 postseason, he's excelling like he has so far in his young postseason career.
In reality, Holmes' regular season was never as bad as the 13 blown saves and demotion from the closer's role would imply. Many of Holmes' underlying numbers suggested that his strong profile was still intact, which is why the Yankees have still entrusted him in high-leverage situations in October.