By Paul Semendinger
March 24, 2025
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For the 2025 Yankees to have a successful season, they will need a whole bunch of young players: Jasson Dominguez, Ben Rice, Oswald Peraza, Austin Wells, and Will Warren to all come of age as Major Leaguers at the same time. While they blossom, the Yankees will also be expecting Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera to prove to be Major League caliber hitters.
That might be asking for a lot, but it can be argued that the Yankees did this once before with the Core Five (I am counting Bernie Williams in that group).
I decided to take a very quick and very brief look at that last successful (VERY successful) Yankees' youth movement...
Bernie Williams played his first big league game in 1991. Bernie wasn't starting until 1993. And Bernie didn't become a big time player until 1995. Bernie became a great Yankee, but his progression was a little slow and it took years for him to attain the level of greatness we remember.
Derek Jeter played in his first MLB game in 1995. He became a regular the next year. He won the Rookie of the Year that year. When Jeter arrived, he arrived with a bang. Jeter was great from the outset. He was a 5.0 WAR player in his sophomore season.
Jorge Posada played in his first big league game also in 1995, but like Bernie Williams, it would be years before he was the starter and a star at his position. Posada did not play in more than 112 games in a season until 2000. His progress was slow. His first 4.0+ WAR season was that 2000 season.
Mariano Rivera also arrived first in 1995. His greatest came as the set-up man in 1996 and he took over the closer role in 1997. Like Jeter, Rivera was great basically from that first full season. As a set-up man, he accumulated 5.0 WAR. But, let's also remember that his first year as a closer ended in large part with Sandy Alomar, Jr. circling the bases. There are bumps along the way to greatness...
Andy Pettitte came on the scene in 1995 like the other "Core Four" members and won 21 games the very next year. Pettitte's career path, though, was slightly different than the others who seemed to get better year-after-year. Two of Pettittee's best Yankees seasons, ever came in 1996 and 1997. That 1997 season was his best. Pettitte's best regular seasons came at the start of his career (in many regards).
In short, while four of these five players all first made the Major Leagues at the same time, their paths to success were different. They didn't all "arrive" as excellent or better players at the same time.
The Yankees of 2025 are hoping that many of their young players are all impactful immediately. The ones who have been in the big leagues haven't exactly been super terrific yet:
Jasson Dominguez has played a grand total of 26 MLB games. His lifetime batting average is .207.
Ben Rice has played 50 games. His lifetime batting average is .171.
Oswald Peraza has played 74 games with a lifetime average of .216.
Oswaldo Cabrera has been around the longest, playing in 267 games over three seasons, but he has totaled only 1.5 WAR in that time. His lifetime batting average is .233 which actually looks better than his lifetime OPS+ of just 79.
Anthony Volpe has started for two seasons. He's a .228 lifetime hitter, but is a 3+ WAR player due to his other skills.
Austin Wells has played in 134 games with a lifetime average of .229.
Will Warren has pitched in 6 games with an ERA over 10.00.
For the 2025 Yankees to be successful, they're going to need at least a few of these young players to acclimate to the Major Leagues and be plus players, almost immediately (for some).
Can it happen? Sure. These are all talented kids.
Many experts are super high on Austin Wells. Anthony Volpe hasn't hit much yet, but he also hasn't seemed overwhelmed by the spotlight. Fans have been waiting for Jasson Dominguez for a few years now to demonstrate his skills (and stay healthy). And more.
By the laste 1990s, most of the "Core Five" established themselves. The same could happen in 2025.
Watching a young core, hopefully all finding greatness at the same time, could make this season one that is super memoriable and a whole lot of fun.
Let's Go (young) Yankees!
I too hope to see the youngsters' succeed, and bigly. I only hope that Boone stays the course, let's them play and learn, and not bench them after a couple of 0-fers. I think we can all predict might happen. I've said it many times as have others that Boone is NOT the guy we want working with young players. We'll see what transpires. My fingers are crossed. Nothing would make me happier than to see Dominguez smack a couple of dingers on opening day. That will put Boone in his place.
If the Yankees wind up being mediocre, I'd much rather watch them being mediocre with a bunch of young players than with a bunch Dom Smiths. The older I get, the more of a treat it is to see a new, young face getting a shot -- even if they end up falling on said face.
when people remark about Volpe reminding them of Jeter, my thinking is that they're referencing the impression that the players share a fierce will to succeed and the intelligence that allows them to transcend their limitations.
lotta folks thought that Volpe's ticket to the show would be his bat and that it would allow him to succeed despite an arm unsuitable to shortstop defense.
he figured out how to play a good short even with a short arm.
and I suspect that the bat will be willed to come around