Yankees Players With Most to Prove for Rest of 2022 Season
Very little has gone wrong for the New York Yankees this season, from their impressive win-loss record to good health up and down the lineup to a well-balanced roster that includes one of the most potent offenses in baseball, a terrific starting rotation and a great bullpen.
However, there are still a handful of individual players with something to prove between now and the end of the season.
Whether it's an underperforming or injured star, an upcoming free agent or a breakout performer at a key position who needs to maintain his current level of production, there are many reasons a player might have something to prove.
Ahead, we've highlighted three such players on the Yankees roster.
OF Joey Gallo
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When Joey Gallo came to the Yankees at the trade deadline last year, he had a 139 OPS+ with 25 home runs and 4.2 WAR in 95 games with the Texas Rangers.
That level of production has been nowhere to be found during his time in pinstripes, as he has a 92 OPS+ and 0.8 WAR in 115 games with the team, and how he plays over the next few months will have a significant impact on his free-agency stock.
Still just 28 years old, Gallo will hit the open market for the first time this winter, and a strong finish could mean a longer list of teams vying for his services and a more lucrative payday.
As it stands, he would likely have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal.
RHP Jameson Taillon
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Another upcoming free agent, Jameson Taillon is in the midst of the best season of his career.
The 30-year-old has gone 8-1 with a 2.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and a 60-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 73.1 innings, and he's doing a better job keeping hitters off-balance by throwing his cutter and sinker more and his four-seam fastball less.
Joe Musgrove is the clear-cut top starting pitcher on the market this offseason, but Taillon has a chance to be No. 2 on that list, and a four- or five-year deal could be headed his way if he keeps pitching at his current level.
As for the Yankees, he would likely join Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes in the team's postseason rotation if the playoffs started today, making him as important as any arm on the staff.
C Jose Trevino
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Is Jose Trevino the long-term answer at catcher?
That's a question the Yankees will hope to answer in the coming months as they decide whether it will be necessary to pursue an upgrade behind the plate this offseason.
Acquired from the Texas Rangers during the offseason, Trevino is hitting .278/.336/.454 for a 127 OPS+ with five home runs and 17 RBI, and he has been the best pitch-framer in baseball so far this year.
The 29-year-old was a career .245 hitter with a 70 OPS+ and 0.5 WAR in 150 games entering the year, so this level of production is uncharted territory, but he's controllable through 2025 if it does prove to be sustainable.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Tuesday's games.
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