New York Yankees: 7 Important Needs for the Second Half

Jun 7, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; The New York Yankees players celebrate after defeating the the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

It has been a surprisingly successful first 60 games of the 2015 season for the New York Yankees.

The resurgence of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodrigez, the emergence (and health) of Michael Pineda and the incredible back-end of the bullpen are the main reasons for the Yankees being in first place in the AL East after 60 games. There have been some bumps in the road as well, between Masahiro Tanaka’s battle with injuries, to CC Sabathia showing the mileage that he’s put on his arm, the injury to Jacoby Ellsbury and now the injured arm of Andrew Miller.

The Yankees have found a way to overcome these obstacles so far, but here are the 7 most important things that need to happen, if they want to stay in contention all year.

1: Carlos Beltran Turns Back the Clock

May 30, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Carlos Beltran (36) hits a RBI-single to score first baseman Mark Teixeira (25, not pictured) during the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. The Yankees defeated the Athletics 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

After an abysmal start the season Carlos Beltran has shown some signs of life again.  He batted just .162 with 0 home runs and 7 RBI’s in April, but the 38-year-old Beltran woke up and hit .298 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI’s in May. Teixeira and A-Rod have been carrying the lineup for the greater portion of the first half. Baseball is a game a of streaks and eventually they are going to hit a slump. When that happens other guys will need to step up.  Going forward the Yankees will need Beltran to continue this surge. They don’t need him to get back to his All-Star level, but they will need him to be a productive bat in the middle of their lineup.

Next: 2: Didi Gregorius and his Errors