Five Questions the Yankees Will Need to Answer in 2019

After an active offseason, the New York Yankees are entering 2019 with high expectations. Here are five questions the Yanks will have to answer this season.

After what seemed like the quickest rebuild in the history in baseball, the New York Yankees became a force in MLB once again in 2017. At the time, the team was setting its sights on 2019 as the year the team would finally be ready to compete for a title again.

Now, with two consecutive successful seasons in 2017 and 2018 under their belts, not only are the Yanks ready to compete this coming season, but it may also be World Series or bust.

This brings us to the first, and perhaps the most important question for the Yankees this coming season: can the team avoid missing the World Series for the first decade since the 1910’s?

Sure, I don’t have the power of foresight. I can’t look into a crystal ball and tell you what will happen in the future. I can, however, look at a teams area of weakness and determine whether they improved in those areas.

With that in mind, in one of the most active offseasons in recent memory, the Yanks worked hard to improve the weakest part of the team: the pitching staff. Namely, the starting rotation.

Last season, Yankee starters ranked 14th in ERA (4.05), worst among all 2018 playoff teams except the Oakland Athletics. They ranked 15th in WHIP (1.26), worst among all 2018 playoff teams.

In the postseason, the weakness was exposed, especially by the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS. In four games against the Red Sox, Yankee starters allowed 15 of the 27 runs allowed. Their top two starters last season, Luis Severino and J.A. Happ, allowed 11 of them.

To remedy this situation, the Yankees went out and acquired James Paxton who has steadily increased his innings over the last four season while averaging a respectable 3.57 ERA. They also retained J.A. Happ, who was easily the team’s best starter down the stretch. In 11 regular season starts with the team, Happ went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA.

It’s not all roses and butterflies for the Yankee pitching staff, however, which brings us to the second question surrounding the “Bronx Bombers” this season.

Will a Yankee Starter Crack 200 IP in 2019?

The New York Yankees did an excellent job improving their pitching staff entering the 2019 season. However, despite adding yet another strikeout pitcher in James Paxton, they haven’t necessarily addressed the issue of stamina on the team.

In fact, of all the starters on the rotation, only CC Sabathia has ever cracked the 200 IP threshold. He last did it in 2013.

The only other pitcher to come close to the mark, Masahiro Tanaka, came close in 2016. That season, Tanaka pitched 199.2 IP.

The good news is that the Yankee bullpen is quite possibly the best in MLB. According to STEAMER projections, the teams RP are worth a combined 6.5 fWAR. The next best team, the Houston Astros, are worth 4.6 fWAR.

This gives the team a lot of flexibility. For example, since CC can’t face a lineup a third time, the Yanks can turn to a slew of options ready and willing to pick up the slack.

Stamina isn’t the only issue for the Yankees. According to the FanGraphs the Yanks were ranked 17th in MLB in Def, which brings us to to the next major question the Yanks need to address this season.

How Good are Andujar and Sanchez Defensively?

Miguel Andujar and Gary Sanchez left a lot to be desired on the defensive side of the field. So much so that in the most important game of the year for the Yankees in 2018, game 4 of the ALDS against the Red Sox, the team decided it was best to bench Andujar specifically because of his defensive woes.

On the other hand, you have Sanchez. Once a Yankee-fan favorite, the Yankee-faithful have turned on the catcher. Even Yankees ace Severino lost his cool with Sanchez one night in Tampa Bay.

Combined, Andujar and Sanchez had a -19 DRS. That’s not exactly a league-worst, it’s also far from league-best.

If the Yankees want to be successful this season, Andujar and Sanchez can’t replicate the type of season they had last year. Gary Sanchez, especially, has to have a season for the ages or risk a Jack McDowell moment.

Is the Outfield Depth Really that Good?

There’s no question that New York Yankees have a slew of outfielders both capable and not. From Jacoby Ellsbury to Clint Frazier, the outfield depth shouldn’t be a problem for the Yanks.

Look closer however and it begs the question: how good is the Yankee outfield depth really?

• Jacoby Ellsbury can’t seem to stay healthy
• Brett Gardner is in the midst of a decline
• Giancarlo Stanton isn’t the greatest option in the outfield
• Aaron Hicks is dealing with ongoing back issues

Even prospect Clint Frazier can’t seem to get the opportunity to win over a starting job, and when he’s finally called up, the worst happens. Last season, it was a concussion that took him out of games for an extended period of time.

The only thing that’s a sure thing in the Yankees outfield – defensively and offensively – is Aaron Judge. This is why I felt that of all the offensive players in free agency, it was Bryce Harper that made the most sense for the Yankees.

That ship, as we now know, has sailed.

So, it’ll be interesting to see how Aaron Boone and the Yanks handle the outfield depth. Something tells me, it won’t be pretty.