State of the Yankees: May

In a month for the ages, the Bronx Bombers showed what they are truly capable of doing - or have they?

May 31, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) celebrates with left fielder Alex Verdugo (center right) after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

State of the New York Yankees
March Record: 4-0
April Record: 15-12
May Record: 21-7
Record entering June: 40-19
Games Ahead in AL East: 2
Games Behind AL Wild Card: N/A

When was the last time the New York Yankees looked this good?

Back in April, they were in an excellent position; a 19-12 record, battling the Baltimore Orioles for first in the AL East, and a comfortable lead in the Wild Card race. But they weren't playing anywhere near their best. Aaron Judge was still getting his timing down, Gleyber Torres was looking for an offensive spark, and the rotation and bullpen had a few question marks. While Juan Soto's brilliant play immediately got the team off and running, the Yankees needed more contributors to sustain those winning ways.

And then the calendar turned to May. After dropping three-of-four in Baltimore, the Bronx Bombers restored their momentum with a dramatic ninth-inning rally against the Detroit Tigers on May 3, culminating in a walk-off single by Anthony Rizzo. The Yankees went on to sweep the Tigers, and proceeded to take two-of-three from both the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays. The rubber game against the Rays was the first of seven straight wins, including three-game sweeps of the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. Up to that point, the Yankees had won 13 of their last 15 games.

The Seattle Mariners humbled the Bombers a bit by taking the first two games of a four-game set at home, but the Yankees countered with two convincing wins to force a split. Not even the dreaded West Coast road trip could slow the Yankees down, as they took two-of-three from the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels before ending the month with a 6-2 beatdown of the San Francisco Giants.

By the time the calendar flipped to June, the Yankees had surpassed the Orioles for first place in the AL East, held the best record in the American League, and trail only the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in MLB. Their run differential was an MLB-best +101. A combination of relentless offense and outstanding pitching have fans comparing the team to the 1998 squad.

May was a good month for the @Yankees 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UySj0GKjQz

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 1, 2024

Leading the charge was Judge, who had one of the most dominant single-month performances in history. He slashed .371/.488/.928 with 12 doubles, 14 home runs, 27 RBI, 28 runs scored, and a 282 wRC+. The Yankee captain surpassed both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for the most extra-base hits by a Yankee in the month of May, and he now leads the majors with 20 home runs. All of that worry fans had for him in April is now a thing of the past.

But it wasn't just Judge who was producing. It was everybody.

The Yankees have three players ranking in the top 10 in home runs: Judge (20, 1st), Juan Soto (15, 6th), and Giancarlo Stanton (13, 9th). Soto is hitting .311/.413/.578 with a 182 wRC+ on the year. Stanton, despite only hitting .225, is also hitting .283 with runners in scoring position and has 29 RBI. Alex Verdugo also has 29 RBI as the team's cleanup hitter. After hitting his first home run of the year on May 2, Torres hit .240/.327/.417 with 10 RBI and a 116 wRC+, with his at-bats improving throughout the month. Even Jose Trevino has been integral offensively, hitting .269/.322/.413 with a 112 wRC+ on the year along with his usual stellar defense. Although Austin Wells and Oswaldo Cabrera haven't seen consistent results, the former is improving every game, while the latter did an awesome job at stabilizing third base in DJ LeMahieu's absence. Finally, Anthony Rizzo endured a rough month, but his role in the lineup can never be underestimated; in fact, it was his game-winning hit that ignited the Bronx Bombers on their current rampage across the league.

Of course, it's impossible to talk about the Yankees' lineup without mentioning Anthony Volpe. The 23-year-old shortstop is rapidly blossoming into a star and is thriving as the team's leadoff hitter. From May 7 to May 29, Volpe had a 21-game hitting streak, and across the month, he hit .293/.346/.466 with 19 runs scored, 11 RBI and a 133 wRC+. Coupled with his amazing defense, Volpe's 2.7 fWAR is the third-highest on the team, behind only Judge (3.7) and Soto (3.5).

As for the pitching, saying that the rotation has been sensational wouldn't do it justice. Luis Gil is pitching like an ace with a 1.99 ERA, a 2.97 FIP, a 31.7% strikeout rate, and an MLB-best .134 opposing batting average. Carlos Rodon has continued his impressive bounce-back season by pitching at least six innings in each of his last five starts while not allowing more than three runs in any of them. Marcus Stroman has consistently pitched into the sixth inning and beyond, with a 2.73 ERA. Nestor Cortes Jr. has also been a workhorse, logging 71 innings with a 3.30 ERA and 8.49 strikeouts per nine innings. Finally, Clarke Schmidt is enjoying a breakout season and has a 2.52 ERA and 3.49 FIP, with 9.94 K/9; despite landing on the injured list with a right lat strain, he has successfully established himself as a fixture in the rotation.

From May 12 to May 29, the Yankees' rotation set a modern MLB record with 16 consecutive starts of 5+ innings while allowing two runs or fewer. The most impressive part? This was done without Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young winner and team ace. Speaking of Cole, he's on pace to return in June, making the rotation even more deadly.

Finally, the bullpen features some of the most difficult pitchers to hit against. Closer Clay Holmes didn't allow a single earned run during the season until May 20; his power sinker and nasty sweeper has allowed him to rack up 16 saves with 9.62 K/9. Luke Weaver has become the team's new "Swiss army knife" with his capabilities of being a long reliever or a setup man, throwing 18+ scoreless innings. Dennis Santana and Ian Hamilton have also excelled in their roles in the pen. The team does need an extra left-handed reliever, though, as Caleb Ferguson and Victor Gonzalez have struggled.

Even with this amazing roll the Yankees are on, they can still become an even stronger team as the season progresses, particularly with the return of Cole to the rotation and DJ LeMahieu to the lineup. They're also in no position to get complacent, either, as the Orioles are still hot on their tail despite having the best record in the AL.

But over the past month, the Bronx Bombers have resembled the World Series contender they aim to be, and there isn't a single team in the league they can't beat.