The Yankees are in the midst of a historic 17-year World Series drought. To put it bluntly, the Yankees have faltered in the postseason recently. The organization always assembles a competitive team, and Aaron Judge has been playing like arguably the greatest right-handed hitter of the century for the last half-decade. Even so, they haven’t been able to climb that final mountain. Why?
The answer is quite simple: they haven’t risen to the occasion. To flip the script this year, the Yankees simply have to play better than they have in recent seasons. Avoid defensive meltdowns, back up incredible pitching with solid offense, and play to the roster’s potential. These three Yankees are the biggest X-factors that could help them do that.
The Yankees need Gerrit Cole to be his vintage self if they want to make a deep run this October. It’s as simple as that. The emergence of Cam Schlittler has relegated Cole to a likely game-three start, meaning he would get the ball in a potential win-or-go-home game in the Wild Card round. His ace mentality and veteran pedigree will obviously be present, but the Bronx Bombers also need him to snap out of his recent funk and perform.
The 35-year-old Cole has seen his stuff tick up a notch from 2024 after missing 18 months due to Tommy John surgery, but he has struggled with the long ball. He has surrendered seven homers in his last two starts alone, a startling statistic unlike him. His underlying metrics show he’s been getting hit hard, as both his hard-hit rate and opponent exit velocity rank in the third percentile among qualified pitchers.
Lately, Gerrit Cole hasn’t been walking hitters, which is a good thing. Many of his pitches have been catching the heart of the plate, however, leading to consistent loud contact. More precisely, his ability to throw his breaking balls and off-speed pitches out of the zone has been practically nonexistent. He hasn’t induced enough chase or whiff, so all his secondary pitches grade as having negative run value. With hitters as good as they are now, even a fastball as good as Gerrit Cole’s isn’t enough on its own.
However, the building blocks are still there for the $325 million man. As aforementioned, his stuff is as good as ever. Limit the misses over the plate, and his ace form could return. Gerrit Cole loves himself a big game. He always has. If he can get right before October, the Yankees will have one of the best pitchers of this generation ready to go late in a series.
Most of the question marks surrounding the Yankees heading into spring were about the “run it back” mentality of the front office. General manager Brian Cashman opted to keep the same core from 2025 rather than make any big-time additions. As it turns out, Yankees fans had to wait until the trade deadline to see their desired acquisition.
Luis Garcia Jr. was the best bat available at the trade deadline, and he’s shown why. The 26-year-old has slashed .285/.317/.482 with seven homers and 15 RBI in 37 games in the Bronx. He has single-handedly revitalized a Yankees offense that endured a prolonged period of stagnation throughout the midsummer. However, the biggest test is yet to come for the former Washington Nationals first baseman.
Luis Garcia Jr. has never had a postseason at-bat. In a way, that makes him the most significant X-factor on the roster. If he can find that next level some players reach in October, the already potent Yankees lineup gets even scarier. Yankees fans know what to expect from most of these guys, as the current core has been around since last year. But Garcia is, in the best way possible, a complete uncertainty.
The bullpen has been a steady rock amidst a turbulent season for the Yankees this year. David Bednar has 35 saves and is one of baseball’s better closers. Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick have emerged as premier setup men. Those three make up the back end of the bullpen and headline Aaron Boone’s circle of trust. However, the Yankees will need more than just that trio to win the Fall Classic.
The Yankees have a lot of faith in their starting pitching, and rightfully so. In October, however, starters’ leashes get real short real fast. A strong unit behind them is required to have a chance to win every night. For the Yankees, when you look beyond Blackburn, Headrick, and Bednar, eyebrows start to raise. How much can Aaron Boone trust Hill, Fulmer, or Schreiber? Can Weathers and Warren successfully transition to relief?
Enter Clarke Schmidt. The 30-year-old made his first appearance for the Yankees in over a year in the series finale against the Twins, striking out two while surrendering two hits. Not the finest outing, but definitely some promise and a foundation to build on. His fastball reached 95.8 MPH, and his breaking balls were as trademark as ever. He could be just the type of pitcher the Yankees need to complement their postseason roster. Schmidt possesses an innate ability to spin the baseball in all directions, giving him the indispensable skill of handling both righties and lefties.
Schmidt also built up in two-inning spurts during his rehab from Tommy John this season, suggesting the Yankees may be comfortable having him give the team some length if needed. The biggest question will be whether the organization is willing to thrust him into a new role fresh off such a major injury. Will he be available back-to-back nights? What about three days out of four? If the pieces fall into place, he could be a huge asset to the Yankees in October.
As Derek Jeter said, everything has to go right to win a World Series. No one player or group of players can drag a team over the finish line. Not in this beautiful game. It’ll take a unified effort, a teamwide performance, and organizational execution to bring a World Series back to the Bronx. Each player will have a big role to play. However, these guys are ones to watch, as they could turn the tide in the Yankees’ favor this postseason.
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