Until a recent slide that has turned the current Yankees season into a Wild Card race, this year’s squad was firing on all cylinders, so much so that there were comparisons to the 1998 Yankees’ championship team.
It was never a fair comparison for a few reasons. This year’s team is comprised of a number of young players that are on the rise. The 1998 team was built around a core of proven veterans. Also, the AL East isn’t as strong as it was in 1998 and PED use isn’t running rampant as it reportedly was then. But, most of all, the team should not be measured against the 1998 Yankees because of David Cone, Andy Pettitte, David Wells, and Orlando Hernandez.