It probably has something to do with the Yankees revolving door of contracts. The home grown guys like Gardner, Betances, Robertson, and Solarte (okay, he didn't really go through our system but still) are the players people relate to. Also, Michael Kay. Eh.
The idea of the Yankees has really hurt baseball's image. The team that buys series. Selling off huge swaths of players as if it's literally a farm. It makes it hard for the casual viewer to feel a connection with the game, like the personal aspect is gone, mostly because it makes it hard to feel like the team is really, well, a team. It's fluid and unless you're really versed in players, how would you know these guys? It's not necessarily true, of course, but the Yanks are the face of baseball, and it happens so much there. I'm not sure it's really a small market vs. major market thing either. There are examples of good and bad on both sides.
Yes and no. The 90's and early 2000's run didn't have extravagant spending despite still leading or near-leading in spending, and they had a lot of players that went through the farm system. After that though, it's been all about the big name players...which hasn't exactly worked. I'm aware of everybody on the Yankees, but it's the guys who go through our system that I root for the hardest. And Tanaka, because he's just so much fun to watch. But yeah, if there's one thing I like about the NFL that I wish MLB would have it's the salary cap.The team that buys series.
So far Tanaka has one weakness and one weakness only: Rain. His only two less than stellar starts have been in poor weather.