The New York Yankees enter the 2019 season with expectations
higher than the 2018 season, and maybe expectations that cannot simply be put
into words. This is the season for the Bronx Bombers to win the World Series
and make a deep run into the postseason. We have been told that the team was
going to get under the luxury tax threshold, and we all watched as a fan base
as the team passed on marque free agents like Max Scherzer, Manny Machado,
Bryce Harper and others. We watched as the Boston Red Sox won World Series
championships and we watched as the game as we once knew it passed us by. Well,
the time for excuses is over in my opinion. The Yankees are no longer
“re-tooling” or rebuilding, no, they are in win-now mode. Will that translate
onto the field here in 2019? That we will have to stay tuned for, but this is
what I see happening this year for the Yankees.
I think the Yankees will surprise a lot of people this
season, even though they shouldn’t. I think the first base situation will be
much improved over the 2018 version, whether that be with Luke Voit as the
incumbent or with Greg Bird finally putting it all together for a full season,
and I think the catching situation will be much better as well. I don’t want to
speculate on the health of Gary’s shoulder last season and guess at how it
affected his ability to hit, nor do I want to speculate on the health of his
groin/hamstring muscles and how they affected his ability to run down the line
and block pitches behind the plate. Instead, I’ll just focus on the fact that
throughout his professional career he has shown an ability to defend much
better, hit much better, and just overall be a much better overall player. I
don’t think the league figured him out and I don’t think he is just lazy, those
are just lazy excuses to make for a young player that struggles for the first
time. Gary will be better, and the fans need to be too.
The Yankees pitching should be much better in 2019. Severino
is changing things up to battle him tipping pitches and he is also working on
not tiring out in the second half of the season. It happens with young
pitchers, especially after throwing 200 innings for the first time in their
careers. They tire out. Severino will be fine and should be much better in the
second half of 2019. James Paxton is essentially replacing Sonny Gray and as
long as Paxton can pitch inside Yankee Stadium, where Gray could not, he should
do just fine. Lefties just pitch better inside Yankee Stadium because of the
narrative that they can neutralize left-handed hitting and eliminate the short
porch in right field. A full season of Happ, even if he doesn’t pitch like the
7-0 madman that he was with the Yankees in the second half last season, will
only benefit the Yankees while many forget that we should also see the return
of Jordan Montgomery at some point as well. Tanaka will be Tanaka and CC will
be CC but look out for Jonathan Loaisiga. If this kid can stay healthy, he
could be a rotation mainstay as soon as the 2019 season, barring an injury to
one of the Yankees current starters.
The bullpen will be the bullpen. There’s nothing I can say
that hasn’t already been said a million times. On paper it should be amazing
and a force to be reckoned with. The bench will likely be Tyler Wade, who can
play everywhere, Austin Romine as the backup catcher, and maybe Clint Frazier?
I know the team has all but said that he would start the season in Triple-A,
but until that happens, I am in the camp that just doesn’t buy it. Who is the
fourth outfielder? Stanton? Something isn’t adding up.
Right around the time of the year where every team is looking to add an impact bat or arm the Yankees will do both with the presumed returns of both Didi Gregorius and Jordan Montgomery from Tommy John surgery. That's nothing to shake a stick at, and it doesn't cost the Yankees a thing.
In closing, the Yankees will be a much-improved team in
2019. I truly believe they will win the division, and not just because I am a
Yankees fan. Check my previous posts. I have picked the Yankees to place
second, win the first Wild Card, win the second Wild Card, and even miss the
playoffs completely in my time with the blog. I truly believe in this team, now
they just have to go out there and make me look like a genius and win a World
Series championship.
Tune in tomorrow for my predictions for the rest of the
league and their standings for the 2019 season!
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