The New York Yankees went on the road and swept the Houston Astros, which is an impressive feat. They did so while battling some key injuries, and they were able to get incredible performances from a lot of players. So far, this team looks scary and is getting a lot of production from unexpected places. Here are the players who've shined the brightest as the Yankees have begun 4-0 for the first time in two decades.
Yankees players who starred in opening series sweep
3) Marcus Stroman
Marcus Stroman pitched the most innings of any Yankee starter, and he gave up the fewest earned runs. His defense truly let him down, allowing three runs to score off of errors, but the team won, and he went six strong innings with four strikeouts. It was his first start for the team, and he looked to be the kind of pitcher they need as they await Gerrit Cole's return. If his defense plays better in the future, he could have even stronger results.
2) Oswaldo Cabrera
For three games, Oswaldo Cabrera was borderline unstoppable. He cooled off a bit in the fourth game, but he still leads the team in home runs and RBI, has a 1.346 OPS and has played excellent defense. If not for someone else on the team, he would have been the easy best player in the series for the New York Yankees. To think he was a backup pressed into action for an ailing DJ LeMahieu is shocking now given how impressive he was at the plate against Houston. It is hard to see him going back to the bench any time soon no matter what.
1) Juan Soto
Juan Soto is hitting over .500 on the season. He hit the go-ahead RBI in three of the four wins. He hosed the game tying run in the ninth inning of the first game. He has been nothing short of astonishingly good, and he's showcasing why the team absolutely had to have him. This pace is unsustainable, but he's absolutely the American League MVP if the season ended today, and it might not be particularly close. He did things no one else did, and he made up for a few struggling players in the lineup.