New York Yankees: Is it World Series or Bust in 2019?

In 2019, the New York Yankees are set up to finally deliver the team’s 28th world title. Is this season World Series or bust for the “Bronx Bombers”?

In 2017, the New York Yankees made it to a game 7 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros. At the time, the Yankees were thought to be mid-rebuild. Then, in 2018, the team rattled off 100 wins with much of the teams core spending plenty of time on the DL.

We’re talking guys like Aaron Judge missing 2-months after a wrist fracture. Guys like Didi Gregorius missing 3-weeks because of a heel injury. Gary Sanchez in and out of the DL while dealing with a groin injury. Even Aroldis Chapman missed a month after suffering from knee tendinitis.

What made them successful last season was their (1) their ability to hit for power and (2) their elite bullpen production. The weakest part of their team, starting pitching, however, betrayed them in the postseason, leading to an early exit against the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.

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In that series, Yankee starting pitchers (Luis Severino, J.A. Happ, Masahiro Tanaka, and CC Sabathia) combined to allow16 ER in 12 IP. What’s more, among all MLB teams in 2018, the Yankees ranked 14th in ERA (4.05) and 15th in WHIP (1.26).

To remedy this problem, the Yankee brass quickly jumped on the opportunity to trade for James Paxton, who in the last three seasons has put together a respectable 3.52 ERA, an even better 2.90 FIP, and a 1.160 WHIP. They also worked quickly to retain Sabathia and Happ, both of whom played an important role for the team down the stretch.

Now, recently Luis Severino was sidelined with a shoulder injury. The Yankees feel that it should only result in one lost start come the regular season, however.

This paired with the fact that Chapman feels healthy, as does Judge and Sanchez, plus with the first season in New York out of the way for Giancarlo Stanton, and the New York Yankees finally look primed to not only make their first World Series in a decade but to win one as well.

As with all teams, however, anything can happen throughout the course of a 162-game season. For the Yankees, however, if they don’t win it this year, many will consider the season a bust.