New York Yankees: 5 Players Not Getting Enough Credit This Season

Entering Tuesday, the New York Yankees found themselves one game back of the Boston Red Sox for the American League East Division lead.

While several of their big-name players are leading the charge as expected (CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, etc.), there are some less-heralded performers who have made important contributions of their own.

Being underrated on the Yankees is like being underpaid; you'll rarely reap sympathy. Still, with so much attention always being directed towards the most talented (Cano), consistent (Sabathia) and/or historic (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera) Bronx Bombers, several players find themselves flying under the radar.

But they are helping to carry this 2011 team nevertheless.

Here are the five Yankees who have yet to be properly appreciated for their work this year.

1. Freddy Garcia, SP

To some degree, the back end of the Yankees' rotation this season has been considered as one entity: "Bartolo Garcia."

Still, Bartolo Colon has received much more recognition this year than Freddy Garcia, and it is unclear why. True, it is Colon who has rediscovered his high-90's fastball. It is Colon who has defied everyone's predominantly low expectations. It is Colon who is a consistently jovial presence in the dugout.

But, on the mound, the pair of pleasantly surprising pitchers has compiled very similar numbers between the two of them.

Garcia has two more wins than Colon and a slightly lower ERA. Colon has the edge in strikeouts, averaging about two more per nine innings than Garcia, but the two are almost identical in walks allowed. 

More importantly, the two have been consistent. While Colon had a disabled list stint earlier in the season, Garcia has remained healthy all year long and helped soften the blow that the loss of Phil Hughes dealt since April.

While many believed that neither Garcia nor Colon would still be rotation mainstays come the trading deadline, the Yankees stood pat on July 31, demonstrating trust in the duo that few others felt secure with.

2. Luis Ayala, RHP

Most Yankees fans, by now, have come to appreciate David Robertson who, in the absence of Rafael Soriano and Joba Chamberlain, rose to the occasion and cemented himself into the eighth inning role.

And he's been fantastic, highlighted by his first-ever All-Star game selection.

But another reliever in the Yankees' bullpen has come up big as well.

Luis Ayala, who signed a minor league contract with New York in February, has been a solid member of the relief core. His 1.65 ERA is second in the Yankees' pen to Robertson, and it's even more impressive to consider that his career ERA is almost two runs higher than that mark.

Ayala doesn't strike out many (22 in 32.2 innings pitched) and he gives up about a hit per inning, but he's somehow managed to get the job done again and again. 

With Chamberlain done for the season and Soriano still an uncertainty, Ayala will continue to be of incredible importance for the Yankees during the last two months of the season.

3. Nick Swisher, OF

Nick Swisher has already been overlooked, to a degree, during the last couple of seasons. Since joining the Yankees in 2009, Swisher has always been known as the upbeat personality in the clubhouse, the guy who always has a smile on his face.

And that's all well and good. But hitting 29 home runs each of the last two seasons should be recognized as well.

Swisher's past production perhaps became more apparent when his numbers took such a dip at the start of this season. When April turned to May, the right fielder was hitting .225. When May turned to June, he was hitting .213.

Finally, Swisher started heating up in June, raising his average to .251 after hitting .326 for the month. Since the All-Star Break, he has hit .338.

He likely won't reach the 29-bomb threshold in 2011, but his power output has increased as well as the season has progressed. Swisher hit three home runs through April and May, and 11 through June and July.

Unfortunately, due to his slow start, few are realizing that Swisher's bat has picked up during the most necessary of times. Derek Jeter went on the disabled list. Alex Rodriguez eventually took his place. Jorge Posada has struggled, and Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano have each endured the occasional slump.

Swisher may have been essentially absent for the first two months of the season, but his increased production since then has been truly significant.

4. Eduardo Nunez, INF

Sure, I know about the errors. Eduardo Nunez has made a lot of them—14 in 61 games.

But Nunez, the 24-year-old infielder from the Dominican Republic, has had the daunting task of replacing both star members on the left side of the Yankees infield at different points this season.

As both Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez saw time on the disabled list, Nunez stepped in and, overall, he didn't do a bad job. While his fielding has been shaky, his offense has been steady; Nunez has hit .270, around the average Jeter has, and has stolen 15 bases—as many as Jeter and A-Rod combined.

There's something to be said about the youth and energy someone like Nunez brings as well. Except for 25-year-old back-up catcher Francisco Cervelli, no one close to Nunez's age has been featured nearly as often in the Yankees' lineup.

5. Joe Girardi, Manager

You very rarely hear Joe Girardi's name as the subject of a story regarding the New York Yankees.

And that might be the biggest indication of how great a job he's done this season.

Slowly but surely, Girardi is establishing the stabilizing presence that Joe Torre mastered over his 12 years in the New York dugout. He gets fired up more often than Torre (as almost everyone does), but he has helped the Yankees overcome their most glaring issues this season.

Girardi has met and handled key injuries (Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez), ineffectiveness (Phil Hughes) and even controversy (Jorge Posada's lineup dispute). His team was destined for second place from the start of Spring Training thanks to the juggernaut Boston Red Sox lineup, yet he has them contending for first place through two-thirds of the season.

Through it all, Girardi has remained confident and reassuring, displaying a more intense disposition than his predecessor, but one that has been just as effective.