JA Happ is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2019 season with a big one in 2020 for the New York Yankees. It’s super important that he does so, especially with early injuries to the starting rotation.
2019 was by no means a season to remember for JA Happ. Despite a 12-8 record, his ERA was near five. He made thirty starts and one relief appearance over 161.1 innings, striking out 140. We also began to see his velocity dip a bit into the low 90s. Before 2019, he always sat in the mid-90s with his fastballs.
Because of his poor 2019 season, Happ was switched to the bullpen for the postseason, where he appeared three times.
The 37-year-old of Peru, Illinois, has one year left on his contract and a vesting option for the 2021 season. Happ will be paid $17 million in 2020.
2020 Expectations:
Over the offseason, Happ was the center of a lot of trade rumors. He never got dealt, and that was mainly due to Brian Cashman knowing that James Paxton will start the season on the IL. Once everyone reported to camp, Luis Severino had more arm issues, and he will now miss the entire 2020 season.
All of this puts Happ in a position to start the season in the three or four spot in the rotation, dependent on if Jordan Montgomery will pitch before or after him.
The Yankees need Happ to be a lot better in 2020 and try to get his ERA down in the threes. It would be great if he could get some velocity back, but it may be hard with his age. If he can’t get it back, he needs to develop his offspeed stuff more. Hopefully, these are things that new pitching coach Matt Blake can work out with him.
JA Happ is a vital piece to the Yankees roster, and the team needs a big year out of him in 2020.