Yanks get first glimpse of future in 2016

NEW YORK — For the fourth consecutive season, the Yankees returned to their respective homes without a playoff victory, though an exciting late-season surge offered promise that they will be able to accomplish that — and much more — in the near future.

Creating room to call up talent like power-hitting catcher Gary Sanchez, the Yankees remained in the postseason chase until the season’s final week. Dogged by inconsistency early, they had become an exciting club to watch, one that believed in their abilities even when most observers had counted them out.

“I think there are some good things that happened this year; we just didn’t reach our goals,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “But there are some good things that took place where you saw some players come up and do some good things and get some valuable experience, and that should help us moving forward.”

2016 Year in Review Final 2016 MLB stats Final 2016 MLB standings Hot Stove Tracker Select a team ¬–AL East ¬BaltimoreBostonNew YorkTampa BayToronto–AL Central ¬ChicagoClevelandDetroitKansas CityMinnesota–AL West ¬HoustonLos AngelesOaklandSeattleTexas–NL East ¬AtlantaMiamiNew YorkPhiladelphiaWashington–NL Central ¬ChicagoCincinnatiMilwaukeePittsburghSt. Louis–NL West ¬ArizonaColoradoLos AngelesSan DiegoSan FranciscoFull coverage ¬–PostseasonAll-Star GameDraftStatcastOpening DayHall of Fame inductionsJackie Robinson DayRoberto Clemente DayFort Bragg GameTrade DeadlineWinter MeetingsAwardsFeats, tributes ¬–Ichiro reaches 3,000 hitsArrieta’s second career no-hitterScherzer strikes out 20Scully retires after legendary careerBig Papi calls it a careerJose Fernandez: 1992-2016Monte Irvin: 1919-2016Ralph Branca: 1926-2016

Here are five of the key storylines that defined the Yankees’ 2016 season:

5. April showers

The Yankees stumbled early, posting a 9-17 record in April that left them battling until June 10 to get their record above .500. Chase Headley went the entire first month without an extra-base hit, but he wasn’t alone. Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner struggled at the top of the lineup, while offseason pickup Aaron Hicks hit .191 in his first 95 games as a Yankee before turning it on …

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