Yankees bullpen (and Aaron Judge) carrying team to MLB’s best record

The Yankees have had an incredible start to the MLB season, and not just because of Aaron Judge.

If there were any doubts about the Yankees being as good as expected, a weekend series with the Boston Red Sox put all those worries to bed. Sweeping the series, the Yanks showed out both on the mound and the plate.

We all know about Aaron Judge’s five consecutive games with a home run. But beyond that, there needs to be some attention shown to the Yankees bullpen, which has been crucial to their ascension to the top of Major League Baseball.

Most expected the Yankees lineup to drive in runs and plenty of them, but there were some questions when it came to what lied beyond Gerrit Cole. To start the year, Cole has been as good as advertised, three wins and a 2.55 ERA. You can’t ask for much more than that.

But the surprise for the Yankees is what they have gotten from their bullpen, which may be the hidden weapon of this team. We’ve already seen impressive showings from middlemen Chad Green and Adam Ottavino, both of whom have earned victories and are yet to allow a single earned run. Zack Britton has also been solid when asked to fill the closing role.

Not only has the production been there for the Yankees, but the depth too

You could argue that type of production was expected from some of the Yankees’ top arms, but there have been new faces in the mix. Minor League acquisition Luis Avilan has proven his ability to perform at the big league level, while rookie Nick Nelson debuted to three shutout innings.

The Yankees have used a total of 17 pitchers, and that comes with their closer Aroldis Chapman and bullpen piece Luis Cessa out due to the coronavirus and the loss of secondary set-up man Tommy Kahnle with Tommy John Surgery looming.

The Yankees bullpen has been impressive this season, overshadowed by the hitting prowess of Aaron Judge, despite being far from full strength. That’s what is behind the making of the best team in baseball that should only be getting better from here.