The 2021 Yankees will be trying to bring a world series back to New York. The last time the Yankee team won was in 2009.
Lineup
The Yankee lineup is lead by 2nd baseman D.J Lemahieu. Lemahieu signed a 6 year, 90 million dollar extension this offseason. He had a .364 batting average and a,421 on-base percentage last season to lead the AL. Aaron Judge is one of the most talented players in the league. The last time he played a full season was in 2017. He finished 2nd in AL MVP voting in 2017. Gleyber Torres saw a decline in his play last year. However, many people are confident he will bounce back. The rest of the lineup is Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit, Aaron Hicks, Gio Urshela, Gary Sanchez, and Clint Frazier.
Bench
Veteran Brett Gardner was brought back by the Yankees on a 1-year deal. He has an option for a 2nd year. This could cause outfielder Mike Tauchman to see a decline in playing time. However, many believe that catcher Kyle Higashioka will see plenty of time. He’s not a good hitter at all but some pitchers on the staff, especially Gerrit Cole, prefer to work with him. The last bench spot can go to a lot of people on the roster.
Starting rotation
The rotation will be lead by Gerrit Cole. Cole in his first season with the Yankees finished with a 2.84 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. Last February Luis Severino had Tommy John’s surgery. Yankees will likely not have him in their rotation until, best-case scenario, the end of April. Corey Kluber was signed in the offseason. Kluber made just one start in 2020 due to injury. He is a very big risk for the Yankees but could also be a very big addition if he can stay healthy. Guys like Jamison Tallion, Deivi Garcia, Jordan Montogomery, and Domingo German could fill out the rest of the rotation.
Bullpen
The Yankees bullpen, like most years, is a strength of the team. Even in what was a down year for closer Aroldis Chapman, he still had 0.86 WHIP, the 3rd lowest of his entire career. The Yankees will be without star reliever Zack Britton to start the season. He had surgery to get rid of bone spurs. This will force Chad Green to pitch in more high-leverage situations. Green is one of the league’s best-kept secrets in the bullpen and should handle the pressure fine. Other notable arms in the bullpen are Darren O’Day, Justin Wilson, Luis Cessa, and Jonathan Loasigia.
Prediction
The Yankees like usual are one of the most talented teams in baseball. Another common theme with the Yankees seems to be injuries. The Yankee team are already starting the season without two of their top pitchers. The key for the Yankees is to stay as healthy as possible. Rest days will likely be common. The bench is going to have to provide consistent production. It’s hard to predict how the Yankees will look in late September but the general feeling for the Yankees is they will go as far as their health will let them.
