The Yankees have not made it to the World Series since they won in 2009 against the Philadelphia Phillies. However, the Yankees have made the playoffs the last three years with two of those seasons being 100+ wins. The Yankees are managed by Aaron Boone, a former Yankee and World Series hero. He is now looking to bring a World Series back to New York as a manager. The Yankees came close to advancing to the World Series if they never lost to the Houston Astros who cheated in 2017. The Astros stole signs from the Yankees and players would bang on a trashcan to alert the Astros hitters what type of pitch was coming. The Astros big 3 of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Michael Brantley hit significantly better at Minute Maid Park than at Yankee Stadium. However, the Yankees have one of the best rosters in the league and are World Series favorites once the league resumes in late July.
In the offseason the Yankees signed ace Gerrit Cole. With the exception of 2016 and 2017, Cole has been an elite pitcher in the MLB. In his career he is 94-52 with a 3.22 ERA. He has also struck out 1,336 batters. To compliment Cole, the Yankees have Luis Severino. Severino has a career record of 42-26 with a career ERA of 3.46. In 2018 he had an amazing year where he went 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA. Severino is most likely out for this season as he had Tommy John Surgery. The Yankees also have Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton who are both great pitchers.
The Yankees also have an amazing bullpen. Even though they lost Dellin Betances to the rival New York Mets, the men in pinstripes still have an elite bullpen. Some notable players are Zach Britton, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino, and closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman is one of the fastest pitchers of all-time and is an elite closer. He was a huge reason the Cubs won the World Series in 2016 and he is good enough where he can help bring the Yankees one as well.
At catcher and one member of the Bronx Bombers, the Yankees have Gary Sanchez. Although Sanchez’s batting average has dipped tremendously the last two years he still has a lot of power at the catcher position. In 2019 Sanchez had 34 homeruns with 77 RBI’s.
The Yankees infield is stacked consisting of first baseman Luke Voit, second baseman DJ LeMahieu, shortstop Gleyber Torres, and third baseman Gio Urshela. Since coming to the Bronx Bombers, Voit has revived his career. In the one and a half seasons Voit has been with the Yankees he has clubbed 35 homeruns and 95 RBI’s. DJ last year was the best and most consistent hitter for the Yankees on the best contract in baseball in terms of his value which was 2 years $24 million dollars. DJ hit .327 with career highs of 26 homeruns and 102 RBI’s. Gleyber Torres is a future star who is only 23 years old and a top-5 shortstop. In Torres’s two-year career he has 62 homeruns and 167 RBI’s with a .278 batting average. He also, has 11 career stolen bases and is an amazing fielder. In Urshela’s first year with the Yankees he had a career year slugging 21 homeruns and 74 RBI’s with a .314 batting average. Even with the loss of Didi Gregorious, the Yankees still have great depth with infielders Mike Ford and Miguel Andujar.
All six members of the Yankees outfield are either consistent or elite. Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks aren’t the best hitters or at least recently but they provide defense and speed. Not all nine hitters need to be elite hitters. The best lineup is a well-rounded lineup that provides defense, hitting, power, and speed. Gardner is the most tenured member on the roster and is a leader in the clubhouse. Hicks is one of the best fielding outfielders in the league as he has a great arm and is a great fielder. The Yankees also have young players Mike Tauchman and Clint Frazier who are valuable bench players that could develop into starter roles when Gardner retires and if Hicks leaves. Judge and Stanton are elite power hitters with amazing arms. However, Stanton is mainly used as a DH however, you may see Stanton in the field more now that Andujar is healthy. The last two years Judge has clobbered 27 homeruns in both seasons. In 2018 Stanton had 38 homeruns and 100 RBI’s.
Overall, the Yankees roster is a force to be reckoned with. The Yankees are poised to have a great year in this shortened season.
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