The New York Yankees, a team that is poised to make lots of noise to start this decade. They have a team that’s ready to explode onto the scene as they have in the three years prior, with Gerrit Cole now a New York Yankee. The pitching finally is as good as that offense, and the bullpen is going to be able to finish games that are late and close. There are a lot of other teams that added a lot of talent. The Dodgers now boast both Mookie Betts and David Price to that 106 win team. As Aaron Boone describes them, these “Savages” won’t back down to any team in 2020, so you best be afraid, no matter who you are.
Killers In The Lineup
Led by the former Rookie of the Year winner and should’ve been 2017 MVP winner Aaron Judge, this lineup is lethal. Weapons such as DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, and so many more are ready to shred opposing pitchers. The depth is absolutely mind-boggling, with the Yankees having guys such as Mike Ford, Miguel Andujar, and Mike Tauchman off the bench or getting starting time. This is a lineup that can beat you in many ways, as they can either work walks, crush pitches into the stands, or eat up pitches in an at-bat and make a pitcher sweat. They also were able to strike out less than 13 other MLB teams in 2020, and while striking out is the same as a ground ball in most cases, a higher contact rate can usually increase hits and therefore increase runs scored.
The Best Pitcher In Baseball
Yes, you saw that heading right, the best pitcher in baseball. Not just in the division, not just in the AL, but the whole MLB. Gerrit Cole beats deGrom in not only FIP, but in xFIP, SO/9, and fWAR in 2019. The best part is? He’s 3 years younger than deGrom, so he has a longer prime. Cole also has a 2.60 ERA in 65.2 career postseason innings while deGrom has a 2.88 in 25 postseason innings. I think Cole wins this battle, and when he joins a staff boasting fireballers Luis Severino and James Paxton (in May/June) and the always steady Masahiro Tanaka, he’s going to make this a premier staff.
Bullpens Win Championships
Unless you’re the miracle Nationals with an amazing starting staff and clutch timely pitching, you”re going to nee a great ‘pen. The Yankees have that valuable asset in pitchers such as Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle, Chad Green, Aroldis Chapman, and much more. Ann elite bullpen with good lefties and righties is a luxury the Yankees have over Houston or the Dodgers in October. With a certain rival hopefully not using the aid of electronics to mask their weaknesses, the Yankees could dominate this season.
The Concrete Jungle
The New York Yankees situation regarding their home-field makes them absolutely horrifying. Coming to the Bronx to play in an environment with 30,000+ passionate and hostile fans that will make you soil your pants, it’s truly a terrifying endeavor to play under pressure at the Bronx. When you have a talented team with passionate fans that make visiting teams feel rattled, you can crush the opposition at home. A talented team is important, but fans like us can really give visiting ballclubs that Bronx Bomber hospitality.
When it’s all said and done in November we will be able to look back on this and hopefully, this won’t be a cold take, but I don’t know if I can remember a team in the 2010s as talented and young as this one.