Reasons the New York Yankees will fail in 2018

Will Aaron Judge have a sophomore slump?

Aaron Judge took the MLB world by storm in 2017, winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award in the process. His body of work looked great on the surface, with an overall stellar campaign at the plate and nominated as Gold Glove finalist in right field.

Overall, Judge slashed .284/.422/.627. He smashed 52 home runs, 119 RBI, 124 runs scored and even stole nine bases. But, after taking a closer look, the second half of 2017 was (mostly) a disaster for the power-hitting star.

• First-half: 82 games: .329/.448/.691 slash line. 30 home runs. 109 strikeouts.
• Second-half: 69 games. 228/ .391/.548 slash line. 22 home runs. 99 strikeouts

208 strikeouts in 2017. That’s no typo, folks, with that amount increasing as the season went on. MLB team’s figured out how to pitch to Judge — low and away — taking advantage of his aggressive nature at the plate.

Now, he’ll have the protection of Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup, but the pressure of living up to a fantastic 2017 will be tough — which seems like a common denominator for the 2018 New York Yankees — great expectations.

Playing under the microscope of the harsh New York media and spoiled fans could spell disaster for Judge, Boone, and Stanton, among others.