Once again, the Yankees find themselves missing a key player for an extended period. This time it’s the most irreplaceable of them all, reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge.

And once again, as in so many recent seasons, the team is remaining afloat because of capable play from their seemingly endless supply of “next men up,” as the phrase around here goes.

The Yanks are eight games over .500 and just won a series against the Texas Rangers, one of the best teams in the league. Without Judge, Carlos Rodon and, for long stretches, Harrison Bader -- or much production of late from veterans like D.J. LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton -- they are in playoff position and poised to grow stronger once they’re whole.

If you’re seeking to understand why the Yankees haven’t posted a losing season since the final year of George H.W. Bush’s presidency, here is a useful avenue to look down: the collaboration between the pro scouting and analytics in signing the right depth players.

Over the past half-decade, Luke Voit, Mike Tauchman, Gio Urshela, Rougned Odor, Cameron Maybin, Tim Locastro and others have emerged and, to varying degrees, contributed when the Yankees’ stars have suffered injuries or underperformed. This year, it’s the same story with different names: Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun and especially, Billy McKinney.

Every offseason, all pro scouting departments have the same pile of minor league free agents and potential non-roster invitees to spring training from which to choose. So why do the Yankees so consistently pick the right players?

Team officials from both the scouting and analytics sides persistently credit one another for collaboration. That’s not to say that there aren’t analysts who are too dogmatic, or scouts who are not quite open enough, or that everyone feels equally heard at all times. But the overall culture under GM Brian Cashman is one of trying to break down those siloes.

This is a group in which Cashman’s top evaluator, former infielder Tim Naehring, is fluent in data and tech, and his top analyst, assistant GM Michael Fishman, talks regularly with famed scout Omar Minaya.

The head of the pro scouting department, Matt Daley, is a former MLB pitcher, not a Harvard grad or rocket scientist, and is fully literate in analytics. Cashman has looked for hybrid types like Daley ever since current Mets GM Billy Eppler founded this version of the department in 2005.

Popular in the Community