New York Yankees: Catcher Gary Sanchez work out Video, J.A. Happ ready to show off, and more

The New York Yankees pretty much started off where they left off last season when ace Luis Severino required Tommy John surgery, Giancarlo Stanton got a grade one calf strain, James Paxton was still recovering from back surgery, and Aaron Judge was discovered to have a fractured rib and a collapsed lung.  Then Gary Sanchez, who was plagued with injuries last year, came down with back soreness that sidelined him in the coronavirus shortened spring training.

The bright side of this whole mess is that the delayed start of the season has given many of these players more time to become healthy for the start of the season.  Paxton, who was suspected to be out three or more months now, appears to be ready when the season starts.  Judges rib is healing, Stanton has fully recovered from the calf strain, and Gary Sanchez has fully recovered from his back problem.   Recently on his Twitter account, he released a video of his workouts to prepare for the season when it finally starts.

J.A. Happ ready to show off this season

New York Yankees pitcher J.A. Happ due to injuries to Luis Severino, who will be out the entire season, and the possible late start for James Paxton, Happ finds himself in the number 3 or 4 slot in the Yankees starting rotation.  Happ was coming off a mixed result 2019 season. He wants to show he is a much better pitcher than he exhibited last year.  He was 12-8 but with a relatively high ERA of 4.91

Even though he had a winning season, it was still a disappointment to the Yankees as when he came over from the Toronto Blue Jays late in the 2018 season, he astounded going 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA.  Happ wants to show that he is that pitcher, and with the injuries and shortened season, the New York Yankees need him to perform.

During spring training that was dramatically shortened by MLB due to the spread of the coronavirus, Happ was well on his way to proving his worth to the Yankees.  Jordan Mongomery impressed the least as he pitched to an ERA of 7.40 in four games,  newly acquired ace Gerrit Cole only managed an ERA of 7.00, Masahiro Tanaka was second best, in three games had a 1-0 record with an impressive  2.08 ERA.  The best pitcher in spring training was J.A. Happ; he went 2-0 with an incredible 1.38 ERA in 14 innings.  Happ hopes to carry his performance into the regular season, and have an impact getting the Yankees to the World Series.

Judge, Stanton, Sanchez, and Torres, 150 home runs?

Whether the New York Yankees can beat there 2nd in the majors home runs in 2019, depends a lot on if Giancarlo Stanton can live up to the expectations that the Yankees have never really seen.  In 2017 the National League MVP hit 59 home runs. In the two years that he has been with the Yankees, he has hit only 41 long balls.   Although his 2018 total of 38 home runs were acceptable, he hit only 3 in 2018 while appearing in only 18 games.

Aaron Judge hit only 27 home runs last season playing in only 102 games.  Gary Sanchez, who was riddled with injuries, hit 34 long balls while appearing in only 106 games.  Gleyber Torres last season was the breakout home run hitter with 38.

The secret to the Yankees beating those totals is that all these power hitters must stay healthy and off the IL.   Stanton has the ability to hit 40 easily, Judge will be Judge, and one can expect Torres to continue where he left off last season.  Whether the Yankees can beat last year will rely on Gary Sanchez remaining behind the plate.  The wild card this year is the impact Miguel Andujar can have on that total.