The Yankees picked up an “A” grade from ESPN’s David Schoenfield for their first month of 2026, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment.
New York’s been firing on all cylinders since Opening Day. The pitching staff has been lights-out despite having two key arms still working their way back through rehab assignments in the minors. Offensively, they’re putting up numbers that jump off the page.
The power display has been something else entirely.
60 home runs leads all of baseball through April, fueled by an MLB-best 90.9 MPH average exit velocity according to Baseball Savant. When Yankees hitters make contact, the ball’s coming off hot.
Now that we’ve hit May, there’s no letup in sight. They’re riding a five-game winning streak after sweeping Baltimore in a four-game series where they outscored the Orioles 39-10. That’s the kind of dominance that sets the tone for a season.
The run differential tells the whole story. New York’s +79 leads the American League and trails only Atlanta’s +81 for the best mark in baseball. They’re not just winning games – they’re controlling them.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., Aaron Judge, and Ben Rice have been carrying the offensive load lately. Judge’s already sitting on 14 home runs, channeling what John Sterling would’ve called his “Judge-tonian strength” – a fitting tribute to the late broadcaster who made those calls legendary.
May’s schedule sets up for them to potentially earn that A+ grade by month’s end. The way they’re playing, it’s theirs to lose.
