After the original Core Four led the New York Yankees to several World Series championships, the Yanks now have a new quartet to run the show.
The New York Yankees were blessed with several years of the Core Four. Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite collectively brought the Yankees five World Series titles since 1997.When Jeter finally hung up the cleats (the last of them to do so), the Core Four dynasty officially ended. Keeping four players on the same team for all those years is a massive accomplishment.
However, it can and will be done again in New York.
The slew of young stars in the Bronx are full of perfect candidates to pick up where the Core Four left off.
Will there ever be a group of four so dominant as these guys? We’ll never know until we see it, but these highly touted prospects surely have the potential to lead the next generation into the World Series.
Who will those Core Four players be for the Yankees? Well, luckily for us, they have (mostly) already claimed their spots on the roster.
Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Clint Frazier and Greg Bird will be four players that will stick with the Yankees and be the leaders heading into a new dynasty.
While Sanchez might not live up to the expectations placed upon him after last season’s historic power surge, he still will make a difference for many Yankees teams to come. While Sanchez’s power may fluctuate, he has shown incredible defensive talents behind the plate.
The backstop is the obvious choice, but a lot of people question the faith that manager Joe Girardi and the Yankees put in Severino. But the real question is, have you seen this guy pitch out of the ‘pen? While we’re unsure what exactly his role will be this season, you can’t deny that he has potential.
We’ve seen flashes of brilliance from Severino, both as a starter and out of the bullpen. Once he gets settled in one position, the 22-year-old’s talent could help carry the Yankees to endless world championships.
Last season, Severino allowed 46 runs in 71 innings pitched between the starting rotation and the bullpen. Towards the end of the season, however, he pitched his best, shutting down opponents and only allowing four runs in 19.2 innings pitched.
He has the potential to overcome his struggles and settle right into a leadership role for the new Core Four.
Greg Bird is coming off shoulder surgery, but we’ve already seen some great things from him. In his stint in 2015, Bird posted a .261/.343/.529 line. Defensively, he’s an excellent replacement for the Gold Glove lost in Mark Teixeira. He has only made one error in 401 defensive chances.
He also got to learn under Teixeira, one of the best in the game. He will be a vital part of the Yankees and will be an asset for many years to come.
Rounding out the final piece of the Core Four will be Clint Frazier. Not yet in the major leagues, one hot start in Triple-A will make calling him up mid-way through the season a necessity for the Yankees.
One of the Yankees’ top prospects, Frazier’s play and sparkling online personality will make fans take notice.
Frazier will be taking over the outfield soon and we can expect quite the show on both offense and defense when he does.
There is no specific way to predict exactly what will happen in the future. However, it’s safe to put the fate of the Yankees’ future in the hands of these four players. The new Core Four will be just as dominant as the original.
Good players will come and go, but talent like this will make the Yankees contenders for several years down the line.
