On Monday, the New York Yankees will embark on their 113th season as a franchise in attempt to capture their 28th World Series title in franchise history.
By Christian Kouroupakis
A year ago, veterans were turning back the clock as the the bombers were 57-42 and led the division by seven games prior the trade deadline.
Unfortunately, the undefeated “Father Time” along with his buddy, the injury bug, took their toll and made New York finish the season 30-33 and six games back of the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the first time team history that the Yankees had a lead that massive and failed to finish first.
The Yankees downfall in 2015 ended with a loss in the American League Wild Card Game to the Houston Astros. Once the final out was recorded, it was time for general manager Brian Cashman to go to work.
Going to the trade market, Cashman upgraded his roster by acquiring Aaron Hicks from the Twins, Starlin Castro from the Cubs, and Aroldis Chapman from the Reds.
Despite concerns of age and injuries, the Bombers’ have created an optimistic vibe in the Bronx. A vibe that hopes will end with the Yankees hoisting the World Series trophy in October.
Here’s an in depth look at your 2016 New York Yankees.
Meet The Team
The Yankees announced their Opening Day roster yesterday, and it looks a little something like this, according to Yankees.com:
Projected Lineup:
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Brett Gardner, LF
- Alex Rodriguez, DH
- Mark Teixeira, 1B
- Carlos Beltran, RF
- Brian McCann, C
- Chase Headley, 3B
- Starlin Castro, 2B
- Didi Gregorius, SS
Bench:
- Ronald Torreyes, INF
- Dustin Ackley, 1B, 2B, OF
- Austin Romine, C
- Aaron Hicks, OF
- Greg Bird, 1B**
Starting Rotation:
Bullpen:
- Andrew Miller
- Aroldis Chapman*
- Dellin Betances
- Chasen Shreve
- Johnny Barbato
- Luis Cessa
- Kriby Yates
- Bryan Mitchell**
- Ivan Nova
*= suspended
**= injured
Key Additions
Aroldis Chapman:
The Yankees created their “three headed monster” after Cashman traded starting pitcher Rookie Davis, third baseman Eric Jagielo, second baseman Tony Renda, and right-handed reliever Caleb Cotham for flame-throwing closer, Aroldis Chapman. Talk about a bargain.
The Yankees snagged him out of the clearance aisle due to his involvement in a domestic violence incident last October.
Although the charge did not hold up in the court of law, Major League Baseball and its new domestic violence policy suspended the lefty for the first 30 games of 2016. He’ll be able to return on May 9 against the Kansas City Royals.
Despite the suspension, Chapman, Miller and Betances are expected to dominate in the back-end of the bullpen for the majority of the year.
The trio combined for a 1.70 ERA with 347 strikeouts in 212 2/3 innings in 2015. No team in Major League Baseball history has ever had three relief pitchers with 100 strikeouts in the same season, and there’s a great chance these Yankees could reach that mark. This trio has posted 100 Ks apiece in each of the past two years.
Starlin Castro:
The three time all-star has experienced a decline since his 2011 season, when he led the National League in hits (207), but after the move from shortstop to second base in 2015, he climbed to a whole new level.
In September and October as a second baseman, Castro hit .369/.400/.655 and he started all nine games for the Cubs in the postseason. There’s no doubt he’ll carry that over to the Bronx and thrive with the change of scenery.
In 16 Spring Training games, Castro slashed .390/.395/.634 and cranked two home-runs while driving in 11 runs. The defense could use some improvement, but it seems as if the Yankees have found their first superstar at the position since Robinson Cano.
Aaron Hicks:
A fourth outfielder doesn’t necessarily jump off the page as being a “key,” but with the Yankees outfield, Aaron Hicks was such an imperative addition.
The Yankees sent 24-year-old back-up catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Minnesota Twins for someone who can provide elite play and reinforcements for an injury prone outfield.
Hicks is only 26-years old but has plenty of upside to provide off the bench. He is also a switch-hitter who saw an increase in his OPS from .615 (2014) to .721 last season.
The guy also has a cannon of an arm. If you don’t recall, in 2013 he threw out Vernon Wells at third base from the warning track in right center at Yankee Stadium – on a fly.
At the very least, it seems as if Hicks is ready to replace Chris Young as the Yankees’ platoon outfielder. If he continues to develop, he could play his way into something greater.
Key Subtractions
Stephen Drew:
No one will miss this walking corpse at second base.
Stephen Drew was atrocious, inadequate, godawful, defective, garbage, and just…bad.
In 131 games last season, he slashed .201/.271/.381 while playing average, at best, defense. In his career in New York (177 games) he has a .187 batting average.
I’m not sure why Cashman payed this guy $5 million, but he’s glad Drew be ruining the Washington Nationals lineup instead of the Yankees’ lineup in 2016.
So long, Drew. You won’t be missed.
Justin Wilson:
This move surprised everyone.
Cashman made a variety of moves that made this team a lot better, but moving a valuable late-inning arm for a pair of Triple-A caliber starters was not one of them.
Wilson, 28, had a 3.10 ERA in 61 innings last season and would have been a reliable left arm in a bullpen full of superstars.
However, in return New York brought in Luis Cessa who made the opening day roster after a spring in which he maintained a 2.70 ERA in five games (one start).
The Yankees have been pretty good at building a quality bullpen over the years. With that said, I have full trust in Cashman’s ability to build a strong ‘pen, and Girardi’s ability to manage one.
Wilson being dealt caused some eyebrows to rise, but with the three headed monster along with other arms like Chasen Shreve and Johnny Barbato, the Yankees will make it work.
Adam Warren:
Warren was sent to the Chicago Cubs in the same deal that brought over Starlin Castro.
From a “WAR” perspective, Warren can be replaced by virtually anyone. But when you look deeper into how valuable this swing man was for the Bombers, you’ll realize it’s a tall task.
Warren pitched in 131.1 innings, going 7-7 with a 3.29 ERA in 17 starts and 26 relief appearances for the Yankees last season. No one will be talking about his 2015 season when we’re all gone, but his value was undeniable.
For a rotation that struggles with health and consistency last year, Warren was able to make spot starts if they needed days off, and provide long relief.
To put the icing on the cake, his 3.29 ERA was third best among starters (Masahiro Tanaka: 3.51, Luis Severino: 2.89).
Yes, the Yankees got Castro, but it’s obvious that Girardi will miss someone who made his job so much easier.
Players To Watch
Alex Rodriguez:
A-Rod entered 2015 set to answered justified questions concerning his year long absence, and the toll that it could take on his production.
Rodriguez answered those questions with a .250 batting average, .356 on-base percentage and .486 slugging percentage while leading the team in home runs (33).
Here in 2016, he’s not only looking to match, and maybe even exceed, his production from a year ago, but he’s closing in on the best player to ever play the game on the all-time home run list.
Rodriguez is 13 home runs away from joining the 700-homer club and 27 away from the legendary Babe Ruth at 714 on the all time home runs list.
It’s one feat only two players in the history of the game can say they reached, and it’ll be neat to see if A-Rod can do it this year.
CC Sabathia:
For the entirety of his New York Yankee career, CC Sabathia has always been the ace of the staff. This season, he is on the starting rotation as the fifth starter, and no one knows how this one will go.
Sabathia has two years remaining on his contract, which will pay him $25 million in both 2016 and 2017.
Coming off a year in which he posted a 4.73 ERA in 167.1, CC is looking to build on a successful September where he posted a 2.17 ERA in five starts with a new knee brace.
Sabathia is also primed for the biggest comeback he’ll probably ever make. He isn’t coming back from an injury, and while he had a down year, he isn’t coming back from that either.
CC is looking to come back from a disease that conquers more and more individuals every year. A disease that Sabathia had the courage to fix at a time when his team needed him the most. He is coming back from a disease so debilitating, it has ruined lives and families all around the world. He is coming back from his fight with alcohol abuse.
Seeing a mind at piece not only helps him find out what kind of pitcher he is now, but it will help him bounce back from a dismal campaign. Good luck big guy.
Breakout Player
Luis Severino:
A full year of Luis Severino? Sign me up.
Everything about this kid should excite you. Following his much anticipated debut on August 5th, Severino posted a 5-3 record with a 2.89 ERA in 11 big league starts.
With the exception of a rough outing against the Toronto Blue Jays, he never pitched less than five innings in a start.
The neat aspect of this 22-year old is that he’s not only considered to be the ace of the future, but one could make the argument that he’s the most talented starter on the team right now.
In 2015, he posted a 3.72 xFIP, 1.20 WHIP, 8.09 strikeouts-per-nine rate and 3.19 walks-per-nine rate thanks in large part to his mid/upper-90’s fastball and wipe away slider. He did all this while showing extreme maturity.
Simply put: we are seeing a kid with a future brighter than the sun. The thought of getting 200+ innings and 30+ starts should have you doing back flips in excitement.
Question Marks
Health and Age
I could literally write a novel on how health and age dictates Yankee success this season. But I’ll try and keep this short.
Starting pitchers Masahiro Tanaka (time-ticking time bomb of a ulnar collateral ligament), CC Sabathia (knee), Michael Pineda (forearm/shoulder), Ivan Nova (Tommy John surgery) and Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) all spent time on the disabled list in 2015.
Mark Teixeira broke his shin in August and is expected to be at full strength for 2016, but backup Greg Bird will miss the entire season following shoulder surgery.
Side note: we haven’t seen Teixeira send “Tex-messages” for a full season since 2011.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Alex Rodriguez, and Brian McCann all hit a wall late in the season. The Yankees can ill afford a sequel with the increased competition in the division.
Before Ellsbury hurt his knee a year ago, nobody in the AL had a higher batting average (.324). After suffering a knee sprain, the center fielder slashed .220/.266/.326 for the remainder of the season following a DL stint. He was so bad that manager Joe Girardi benched the speedster during the Yankees’ Wild Card loss to the Houston Astros.
A-Rod was enjoying a career renaissance, and it would have been even better if it weren’t for an end-of-season slump where he slashed .191/.300/.377 in September and October.
Gardner, hit just .206 during the second half after batting .303 in the first half while earning an appearance in the All-Star game in Cincinnati.
There are way too many waning superstars on this team. A-Rod is 40, Carlos Beltran is 38, Teixeira is 35, and is this team can ill afford fall offs from any of them.
But like I’ve mentioned, and constantly stress to everyone, father time is undefeated.
Like in 2015, if the veteran lineup hits another brick wall late in the year, one main component gets hurt during a time they’re needed the most (Teixeira), and every starting pitcher spends time on the disabled list again, the Bombers will turn to Bummers.
The big question: can they last a whole year staying relatively healthy? Just hold your breath, stand by, and pray.
Predictions
Despite Injuries/Age Concerns, the Yankees Win the American League East
Going into 2015, there were questions regarding the age and how the past-their-prime stars will perform being another year older. Specifically regarding Rodriguez, Teixeira and Beltran.
Same story, different year.
A-Rod proved his age was not a problem by cranking 33 home runs. Teixeira proved there was something left in the tank
by slashing .255/.357/.548 with 31 home runs.
Beltran was the most consistent hitter in the Yankee lineup with a slash-line of .276/.337/471 with 19 home runs.
All in all, the Yankee offense that was “too old” scored the second most runs in baseball and not only have a better lineup, but have taken the necessary steps to make sure their 2015 downfall doesn’t occur again.
The roster has flexibility with Hicks, Castro, and Dustin Ackley to ensure their superstars get the necessary days off while getting satisfying production.
The rotation has concerns, but when you have a bullpen that could hypothetically shorten about 40% of ballgames by one-third, there’s some insurance there.
What “experts” fail to realize is, if everything lines up for the Yankees, they will in fact win the division and could even represent the American League in the World Series.
Just look at what they did a year ago, and realize the 2016 New York Yankees are even more prepared when/if injuries or age concerns pop up.
Strap in Yankee fans, it should be a fascinating season of Yankees’ baseball.