New York Yankees: CC Sabathia is the quiet MVP of 2017

New York Yankees starter CC Sabathia is finding youth so far in 2017. His new found prowess has led the Yankees into first place in the AL East.

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia is hitting a stride in 2017.

After a few tough years in recent times, Sabathia is finding a different niche than normal. Sabathia is becoming a pitcher heavily reliant on location and movement.

When Sabathia came over to the Yankees in 2009, he was a power pitcher that ate up innings. Now, in the later stages of his career, he is relying more on his curveball and circle-changeup to get him through innings.

His fastball has been topping out this season somewhere around 92 MPH. It doesn’t overpower anyone, but by locating it well, it sets up his other pitches to put batters away.

This is a young Yankee team, and Sabathia provides some much needed leadership from the mound.

The way Masahiro Tanaka is pitching this year, what Sabathia is doing is MVP-like for the Yankees. He isn’t putting up flashy numbers, or wowing anyone with his stuff, but he is holding it down.

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Every time he takes the mound he is giving the Yankees a chance to win. That is the most you can ask from a guy on the backend of his career.

To have a player that was once an ace still want to pitch out of the two or three spot is huge. Sabathia is not the spring chicken he once was, but his pitching would fool you.

Although he isn’t labeled the ace of this New York Yankees staff, but he is just as valuable. He is proving that age is only a number this season, and if he keeps it going, he will be a key reason the Yankees make a post season run.