There are some injured names like Didi Gregorius that will make their way back midyear, but this is a stacked power lineup yet again. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez all are 30+ HR threats in the middle of the lineup. However, the high strikeout rates also follow them. New York surrounds them with young bats like Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar. When you get these names in the bottom half of the order, you know you have a deep lineup. First base has been a rotating position for the Yankees of late, but Luke Voit has shown a strong power bat in a small sample size. He will start out as the first baseman. Signings of Troy Tulowitzki and DJ LeMahieu will both filter in the lineup for most of the season, at least until injured players come back.
2019 New York Yankees Pitching Analysis
The Yankees added James Paxton in the offseason, which is a major add for them. Paxton is a high velocity arm who brings a lot to the table. He will get a downgrade in division shift and home park factors, but it shouldn’t be anything Paxton can’t handle. He is projected for over 180 strikeouts, but the 150 innings is the mark that the Yankees want to see him surpass. If they can get a fully healthy season of Paxton, there really is nothing but upside here from Big Maple. New York had the tenth best ERA in baseball this past season, and with the additions they have made to their already good bullpen, and James Paxton, they are due for a move up the rankings in that department. Luis Severino had an interesting year because his second half numbers really shot up. He went through a stretch where he struggled, and it didn’t change his overall numbers much because that is just how good he was in the first half. This should be nothing but a small blip on the radar, and 2019 projections have him just as dominant as he has been since coming up to the majors.
New York has a rotation that is very solid one-through-five. Masahiro Tanaka has always been a ticking time bomb with injuries, but continuously pitches 150+ innings, and has plus strikeout stuff. You are going to have to live with the home runs, because Tanaka goes off-speed so much. That is really the only downside that comes to his game. The Yankees made the move for J.A. Happ last season, coming off an impressive season, he will look to follow up with more success. Happ is a placement pitcher, who relies on a good hook to get guys out. He is an innings eater, and as the number four guy in the rotation, that is not too shabby. C.C. Sabathia is still grinding out in the Yankees fifth spot. He is going to have some tough games at times because of the diminished velocity, but even with numbers like last season, he is still very serviceable.
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