New York Yankees Back On Top

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Yankees have been red hot in the month of June. Robinson Cano has been leading the
Yankees at the plate recently, batting .333 this month.

Last time we checked up on the New York Yankees, they were 23-21 and fourth in the AL East. Since then, the Yankees have gone 17-4, and have propelled themselves to the top of the entire American League.

What has caused the Bronx Bombers to turn it around lately?

Ever since late May, the Yankees have been getting more production from their bats, specifically from Cano, Teixeira, and Rodriguez, who all struggled early on in the season.

Let's start off with Cano. The second basemen has turned it around as of lately, and has now reached the .300 plateau on the season. He's getting on base more often than he was earlier in the season, with a OBP of .424. That means he is getting on base in nearly half his at-bats. Cano's success with getting on base has actually sparked the play of Mark Teixeira.

Tex had a painfully slow start to the 2012 season, but has begun to find his groove. He's up to batting over .250, and is second on the team with 39 RBI's. In addition to Teixeira, A-Rod has also been playing better.

But what is really helping out the Yankees on offense is the continued success of Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson.

Where would the Yankees be if they didn't have their captain, Derek Jeter? He brings so much to the team, whether it's his leadership, fielding, or batting. Jeter is leading the team with a .314 batting average, and has struck out just 37 times in over 275 at-bats. And despite being the oldest every day batter on the Yankees, Jeter has only missed one game this season, which is second best on the team.

While Jeter leads the team at getting on-base, Granderson has been converting those base hits to runs. Granderson is batting .257 but leads the team with 21 home runs and 40 RBI's. He has the third most base hits on the team, and leads them in Slugging %.

Nick Swisher has also been great all season long. Swisher is batting .262 with 10 homeruns and 40 RBI's in just 58 games.

 In addition to the stellar offensive improvements, the pitching has been phenomenal. Now, it's not just CC Sabathia who is winning games for the Yankees, but it's Phil Hughes, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, and Andy Pettitte too.

Ever since Pettitte made his returns to the Major Leagues, the Yankees have been lights out. Pettitte is 3-2 with a 2.77 ERA, which is the best ERA on the team. Kuroda has dropped his ERA by one whole run, and is now 6-6 with a 3.43 ERA. Nova's ERA is still high for his standards, but the young ace still leads the AL with a 9-2 record. And who can complain about CC? He is in the Top 5 in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched.

The Yankees, who have won their past nine games, look to continue their win streak with a series against the Braves tonight. After Atlanta comes another Subway Series with the Mets, before returning to American League play.