For the past few years, the Yankees have spent an almost uncomfortable amount of time playing some sort of an underdog role. While they will never truly fit the part of The Little Engine That Could, the club took on the position of a veritable surprise team in 2017, as they shocked much of the baseball world in nearly winning the American League pennant. Expectations were high for the 2019 Yankees, but when nearly every star hit the injured list, fans and analysts understandably adjusted their hopes for the Yankees. Instead, the team’s replacements have surprisingly kept winning at a fair rate.
The Yankees owe their success to players outperforming expectations
