The Yankees slow start to the season has a lot of fans on edge. The reality is there are plenty of good reasons for fans to stay patient with this team.
It’s safe to say even the most pessimistic Yankee fan expected the team to get off to something better than their current 3-4 start. That doesn’t mean it’s time to push the panic button in the Bronx. There are still plenty of reasons to believe this team is still headed towards October baseball.
For the record, this is not a piece that suggests fans should be happy with the Yankees sluggish start. Losing the opening series to the Baltimore Orioles wasn’t acceptable on any level. Following that up by dropping two out of three at Detroit wasn’t that much better. The anger that many Yankee fans feel about their favorite team’s performance to date is absolutely justified.
What this piece does argue is that it’s much too early to push the panic button. No one’s season is over seven games into a grueling 162 game slate. Fortunately for Yankees fans, they have much more reason for optimism than a lot of their peers. Here are five reasons why fans should trust the Yankees to improve dramatically this season.
5. Boston has played even worse
If you would’ve told Yankees fans the team would start 3-4 before the season began, many would have assumed that Boston would already enjoy a two or three game lead in the division. The truth is the Red Sox have been even worse than the Yankees.
Boston’s 2-6 start actually puts them 1.5 games behind their arch rivals on the young season. That gap isn’t all that meaningful this early in the season, but the fact that New York hasn’t lost ground to the Red Sox could be crucial down the stretch. Yankee fans can take some comfort in the misery of their counterparts in New England.