Statistical Reasons for the Yankees' Success
* Starting Pitching
Statistically and instinctively, you can tell that the 1998 Yankees pitching staff was the best in the AL.
Aside from the obvious merits of a 114-48 record, the Yanks led the AL in ERA and shutouts and was 3rd in strikeouts, giving up the least walks, hits, runs, and home runs.
But there's more there than the team pitching record can show you. Instead of one strong starter carrying the team, there was a balanced roster of incredibly talented starters.
David Wells, David Cone, and Andy Pettitte were all within the top 10 in wins in the AL.
Wells and Cone both in the top 10 for ERA, the only team with more than 1 pitcher in that range.
Cone was in the top 5 for strikeouts, with Wells and Pettitte also within the top 20.
The Yankees had 6 10+ game winners: Wells, Cone, Pettitte, Hernandez, Irabu, and Mendoza.
* Relief Pitching
In addition, the Yankee bullpen has been amazing. Mariano Rivera, with 36 saves, has a better ERA than John Wetteland with the same IP. (And even Rivera, their star, only has 75% of the team's saves, as opposed to Trevor Hoffman's 53 of 59.) Both Rivera and Lloyd have ERA's under 2.00. And the ever-useful Ramiro Mendoza brings a 3.25 ERA to the bullpen when necessary.
The Rolaids relief pitching scale (get it? Rolaids relief?), which takes relief wins and losses, saves, and blown saves into account, ranks the Yankee bullpen as the best in the AL and second in the major leagues only to San Diego. (That's thanks to Trevor Hoffman, of course, since the Padres' middle relief is notoriously weak. And even Trevor Hoffman failed when it counted... but we won't rub that in, will we?)
Once again, the key word here is balance.
* Offense
Second by .001 in team BA, the Yankees offense was truly formiddable this year. Even more daunting is the fact that their power was not centered around one slugger, but spread throughout the team. This was truly the key to their success at the plate.
The Yanks were consistently near the top in team offense in 1998, 1st in runs scored and RBIs and 2nd in hits, 2nd in slugging percentage and 1st in on base percentage.
But the thing that makes them outstanding is the distribution of this power
Williams, Strawberry, O'Neill, Martinez, Jeter, Posada, Brosius, Davis, and Knoblauch all have .400+ slugging percentages.
As for on-base percentages, Williams, Raines, Jeter, Davis, O'Neill, Brosius, Knoblauch, Martinez, Curtis, Strawberry, and Posada are .333+.
(This doesn't even include the rookie phenomenon Shane Spencer, who only has 67 AB, or Homer Bush, with 71, both of whom fall snugly into the above ranges. Of course, their inclusion wouldn't be fair because of their limited performance during the season, but the Yanks do indeed have other powerful bats at their command.)
With all the to-do about home runs this year, the Yankees have been largely ignored. With 15 players in the AL alone hitting 30+ homers, why mention a team with not a single player in that range?
Because, as always, the home run power was balanced for the Yankees this year. Led off by Martinez with 28, there were 8 Yankees who hit more than 15 home runs in the season, and 10 who hit 10+.
Eight Yankees with 15+? That's 8/9 of a batting order. That's a tremendous thought. In my opinion, the 1998 Yankees are just as much home run champions as Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa.
* Fielding
These Yankees never cease to amaze me. I almost believe they have no weaknessses whatsoever. Okay, so that's a silly statement, but you wouldn't see it when judging their fielding.
Every Yankee starter is within the top 10 in fielding percentages at their position. Every one of them. Put 'em out on the field, and you're getting consistency.
Everyone makes mistakes, but there isn't a single position in which the Yankees have a weak fielder. It just doesn't happen. No, they're not all Gold Glove winners (although more deserve it than received it), but that's not the point, is it?
The point is, you don't see a ball hit to a player, and think, "Oops! This is going to be a tough one, it's too bad it got hit to so-and-so." The Yanks are solid in defense, as they are everywhere else. Solid gold.
Maybe that's the most important thing the stats can tell you. That what made the Yankees great, numerically anyway, was their stability, their balance, their cohesion.
Looking down the stat columns, the Yankees are almost always near the very top. It shouldn't surprise anyone too much, since the League leaders ought to lead in the majority of statistics.
But there was no statistical chink in the Yankees' armor, no dangerous hole to exploit. No real weakness.
The 1998 Yankees were nothing but great.
Email: risinglight@hotmail.com
