Yankees 2022 Midseason Grades for every key player

Grading the Yankees as a team is an easy A+ at this point in the season. 

At 64-28, New York has blown away everyone in a year many believed would be one fighting for a Wild Card spot. 

This All-Star break allows us to break down each key contributor and reveal his midseason grade. 

Let's take a look at the squad, starting with its brightest light...

Aaron Judge

He's their MVP and could even be the American League's when all is said and done. Judge leads MLB with 33 homers, tying the franchise record Roger Maris set in the first half of the 1961 campaign. 

To put into perspective how much Judge is linked to this insane success, the Yanks went 13-12 when he was in a 25-game slump just before turning it on these last few games. Just one game over .500. As Judge goes, this team follows and that hasn't been more evident than this season.

GRADE: A+

Giancarlo Stanton

He's a starting All-Star but there's definitely room for improvement in Big G. He's slashing .237/.319/.516, falling into some bad luck in June with hard-hit balls finding gloves instead of grass (or the seats). But he's still belted 24 homers and has 61 RBI with a .835 OPS and 136 OPS+ in 76 games. Health has been on his side, and the Yanks want to keep it that way. They'll want to see some more getting on base from him, too. 

GRADE: B+

Anthony Rizzo

For all those who wanted Freddie Freeman or Matt Olson this season, they can't be complaining about Rizzo returning in the slightest. He's been a rock at the top of the order and first base, being the leader the Yanks want on and off the field. He's also been insanely clutch, coming through late and being a key piece in the team's 28 come-from-behind wins this year. He's hitting .279/.370/.515 in "high leverage" situations, per Baseball Reference.

GRADE: A-

DJ LeMahieu

The 33-year-old has been trying to work his way back to that .364 average from the 2020 season that won him a batting title, and the Yanks are looking for him to get back to his on-base wizardry this season after a down year (with his type of talent). He's slashing .279/.383/.403 and was red hot the final week heading into the break. He's had a few blunders in the field, but his versatility is still great to have in the lineup each night.

GRADE: A-

Josh Donaldson

As a $25 million player for the season, Donaldson's numbers at the plate have to be better. He's slugging just .390 with a .310 OBP and .224 average with nine homers and 35 RBI. The Yanks have normally put him in the fifth slot in the lineup, and that's a prime spot to drive runners in. But one thing that's as advertised? His glove. He's a vacuum at third base.

GRADE: C+

Aaron Hicks

It was rough, to say the least, for Hicks earlier this season. But he's turned things around in the last month. Hicks had a single homer before June; he's hit five in June and July combined and gotten his average up to .236 with a .361 OBP and .352 SLG. The Yanks will want him to get more extra-base hits, but they're just happy he's putting the ball in play, getting on base and contributing more to his standards than during his lowly May. 

GRADE: B

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

The bat has matched his career totals, and it's great having IKF's contact-first approach toward the bottom of the order. He's come through when the Yanks simply need the ball to be put in play. But he's tied second among shortstops with 11 errors on the season, and a lot of them are just routine throws across the diamond. Despite seeing some fantastic plays there, that needs to change in the second half.

GRADE: B-

Joey Gallo

Let's just say he may not be a Yankee much in the second half. But if he is and continues playing at the level he has, he won't touch the field come October. Gallo's bat has been nonexistent, slashing .164/.288/.342 with 11 homers and 23 RBI. He has also struck out 98 times in 75 games, making it 186 times in 133 games since becoming a Yankee. As Aaron Boone continues to bat him ninth, and even takes him out of the order for others to get playing time, the writing is on the wall for Gallo.

GRADE: D-

Jose Trevino

No one predicted Trevino, a player the Yanks added just before the start of the season, to be the reserve catcher in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night. But he's been everything the Yankees have hoped for and more. He's great at framing and has good defensive metrics, however his propensity to come through in the clutch while hitting .251/.299/.415 with seven homers and 27 RBI has been a godsend for New York as the team transitioned away from Gary Sanchez. 

GRADE: A

Matt Carpenter

I mean, are we living in a fever dream with what's happening from The Stache right now? Carpenter's career looked to be finished before he started wearing pinstripes on May 26. He's hit 13 homers with 34 RBI in 31 games this season -- a .354/.469/.911 line with a 1.380 OPS. Carpenter's simply hit himself into a must-watch player in the Bronx. 

GRADE: A+

Gerrit Cole

It was a slow start compared to the rest of the rotation, but Cole has assumed his ace status. He's still making hitters whiff, tied second in the league in strikeouts with 147 on the year. His 0.98 WHIP is 11th in MLB as well. He's eating innings and helping set the table for the potent offense. He just needs to stop giving up homers to Rafael Devers...

GRADE: A-

Nestor Cortes

The legend of Nasty Nestor has been a sight to watch this season. Once the frontrunner for AL Cy Young, Cortes owned a sub-2.00 ERA in the first two months of the year before teams began figuring out that cutter a bit. Still, a borderline major leaguer has turned into a must-have in the Yanks' rotation. He's going to end up throwing the most innings of his career, so we'll see how that affects him. But first half? Nothing short of fantastic.

GRADE: A

Luis Severino

The Yanks are hoping he can pitch more this season after going down with a lat injury in his last start before the break. But seeing Sevy look like his old self in this first half is what the Yankees were hoping for. He has a 3.45 ERA in 16 starts. 

GRADE: B+

Jameson Taillon

Another reason the Yanks have one of the best rotations in baseball, Taillon had a great start to the season before faltering a bit recently. He has a 6.61 ERA in three starts in July and had a 4.59 ERA in June. But he's at 3.86 on the season, and he eclipsed 100 innings already. As long as he can find his location, his pitch mix generates outs at a good clip.

GRADE: B

Jordan Montgomery

Speaking of someone who eats innings, Monty has been doing it all season at the back end of the rotation. He has a 3.26 ERA in 102.0 innings (18 starts), striking out 80 batters to just 19 walks. That's what the Yanks need from him, and while guys like Sevy and Cole are fun to watch, Monty's old-school, groundball pitching has simply generated quality start after quality start. 

GRADE: B+

Clay Holmes

Before we get to the entire bullpen, let's first talk about arguably the best closer in the game. He was virtually untouchable before losing his sinker grip a bit in the Reds series. His ERA, which was at 0.49, tripled to 1.31 after just one performance. But that shows just how good he's been. He's assumed the closer role with Aroldis Chapman missing time and it's usually been smooth sailing in save situations when he comes in

GRADE: A

Bullpen

They own the second-best ERA in the league, just behind the Houston Astros at 2.89 compared to 2.66. Other than Holmes, Michael King should've been in the All-Star Game Tuesday night as he's pitched to a 2.19 ERA with his sinker-slider mix working perfectly in New York. Wandy Peralta, Lucas Luetge, and even rookie Ron Marinaccio have been aiding in that number, too, with solid outings. They'll look for better from Miguel Castro in the second half and might add someone at the deadline as well. But overall, this group has been just as good as the rotation, which is why the Yanks lead MLB in average runs allowed per game.

GRADE: A-

Bench

Other than Carpenter's emergence, Marwin Gonzalez's versatility in the field and at the plate with a switch bat has been a good addition to the club. He's had his moments. Kyle Higashioka, after leading the Yanks in spring training in home runs, hasn't found his bat all season. That's been a bit of a detriment, but other than that, Tim Locastro's speed has been felt and it finally returned before the first half concluded. And Miguel Andujar has produced when called up. Nothing jumps off the page, but the bench has been viable.

GRADE: B

Manager

It's easy for Boone to go out there and make this lineup with the amount of success his hitters are having right now. But he's done an even better job recognizing the team's current lead in the division and dishing out extra rest to stars like Judge, Stanton and Rizzo among others. Understanding that October means the most, to go along with his natural leadership qualities and the occasional ejection for arguing balls and strikes, shows Boone will always have his players' backs. That's why he was brought back. He's also been good with his bullpen usage.

GRADE: A-