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When the Yankees signed Max Fried, I made a case that they had obtained Jimmy Key 2.0 — an unflappable, athletic lefty who already had won the clinching game of a World Series.
Having watched one-third of Fried’s first season in pinstripes, I have only come to believe it more.
First, a bit on Key, who I believe is the lost, instrumental figure that helped trigger what has been three-plus decades of uninterrupted Yankees success.
From 1989-92, the Yankees were a laughingstock. What changed that was a farm system percolating below led by Bill Livesey and Brian Sabean, the hiring of Gene Michael as GM to orchestrate thoughtful roster philosophy/construction and the installation of Buck Showalter as the manager to professionalize the clubhouse and overall seriousness of purpose of the group.