Happy Thanksgiving! We are all thankful for baseball’s best team. I hope you get to spend time with friends and family today and eat a bunch of delicious food. But have you ever thought: if this food was a Yankee, who would it be? Here are my picks for Yankees as Thanksgiving foods, a meal courtesy of chef Aaron Boone.
Turkey: Aaron Judge.
It may not be everyone’s favorite (the turkey, not Judge), but it’s the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It’s akin to the face of the franchise. That’s who Aaron Judge is: the first guy you think of when you think of the New York Yankees.
Stuffing: Gleyber Torres
Honestly, stuffing maybe my favorite part of the meal. It may not be the face of the meal, but it is still a superstar in its own right. Torres will turn 23 in two weeks, but he already has 62 home runs and has an averaged 123.5 wRC+ in his first two seasons. He’s a stud, and will surely get his time to be recognized as a top player in the game. Same goes for stuffing (although it is likely stuck in its place).
Mashed potatoes: starting rotation
Mashed potatoes are great. Yet sometimes they can have lumps in them. And that is exactly the same as our rotation. We’ve seen flashes of greatness from the likes of Luis Severino, James Paxton, and Masahiro Tanaka, yet they all seem to have their rough patches: Severino falls off during the second half, Paxton was inconsistent in the first half of 2019, and Tanaka is a rollercoaster of a pitcher in the regular season. But for the most part, they performed well in the postseason. The potatoes will perform well too.
Gravy
This is a place holder for Gerrit Cole, or whoever is the acquisition that puts us over the top, just like the gravy.
Roasted vegetables: DJ LeMahieu
I’ll be honest: I love vegetables. So this part is actually one of my favorites. But it’s definitely overlooked. Some might say you could even make two tray-fulls of veggies for only $24, but it’s always a solid addition. You could have a wide assortment of vegetables, meaning it’s versatile. And while it doesn’t always look the most appetizing, it plays great defense against health issues. They keep you running like a machine, just like DJ.
Rolls/bread: The Gio Urshelas and Mike Tauchmans of the world
These two as well as other buy-low moves that Brian Cashman has made over the years perfectly complement the team. They’re not the stars of the show but rather they are the perfect sidekicks that you can pair with anything.
Cranberry sauce: Jacoby Ellsbury and Greg Bird
I easily went with Jacoby Ellsbury and Greg Bird here. The person who’s always around, but no one really ever utilizes it. But alas, those two are no longer on the team at the moment. However, they fit the bill. Plus, I only hear about cranberry sauce around Thanksgiving. Similarly, does anyone really know where Ellsbury and Bird where the whole year when they were injured?
Pumpkin pie and other desserts: back end of the bullpen
The sweet treats to end the night — just like the sweet treats we have at the back end of our bullpen to end the game. Chad Green, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino, Zack Britton, Aroldis Chapman. Lots of desserts to choose from.
Alcoholic beverages: Tommy Kahnle
Life of the party. Tommy Tightpants. Enough said.
Bonus: the weird uncle who only talks about one thing: Alex Rodriguez
A-Rod will come over for dessert and talk about the Yankees and baseball for three hours straight while flashing his World Series ring. Hey, nothing wrong with that.
