These Yankees are unbalanced — but they have an October blueprint

As a baseball team, the Yankees are fine, maybe slightly better than that. As a grand experiment, they are fascinating. 

By the time this season is done, they should provide the answer to that great baseball question: Can a team make it to the World Series on homers alone? 

If a home run derby decided the championship, the 2025 version of the Yankees would be a no-doubter, like many of the dingers they launch. 

Big flies are important. The last five World Series champions all finished in the top five in home runs, MLB Network recently pointed out. But since there’s more to the game than hitting the ball over the fence, they remain locked in a battle for the first wild-card spot in the American League, by far the weaker of the two leagues.