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Yankees: How the 2019 All-Injured team Compares to 2018

By Manny Gómez|
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - SEP 25: Gary Sanchez (24) of the Yankees hits a home run and is congratulated by Giancarlo Stanton (27) during the MLB regular season game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays on September 25, 2018, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - SEP 25: Gary Sanchez (24) of the Yankees hits a home run and is congratulated by Giancarlo Stanton (27) during the MLB regular season game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays on September 25, 2018, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It’s almost comical how many New York Yankees players are on baseball’s injured list this season. What’s worse, you can actually field a decent team only with players on the IL.

The endless carousel of injuries befell the New York Yankees immediately after being eliminated from the postseason by the Boston Red Sox during the 2018 ALDS. It was then that the Yanks announced that the team’s shortstop Didi Gregorius would undergo Tommy John Surgery and will miss at least half of the 2019 season.

Since then, the list has grown to a grand total of 11 players, ranging from superstars like Giancarlo Stanton to ace starting pitchers like Luis Severino. You can literally field a decent team only with the Yankee players on the IL, which is exactly what I’m about to do.

Let’s begin by listing the players and the positions they will play. Note, the Yanks don’t currently have an injured first baseman, so I had to utilize a bit of creativity in this area, so bear with me. Also, we will use Tulowitzki’s 2016 stats since that’s the last time he’s played a full season (kind of).

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  1. Luis Severino, SP – (2018: 5.5 fWAR)
  2. Gary Sanchez, C – (2018: 1.7 fWAR)
  3. CC Sabathia, 1B – (2008: 0.4 fWAR)
  4. Troy Tulowitzki, 2B – (2016: 3.0 fWAR)
  5. Miguel Andujar, 3B – (2018: 2.7 fWAR)
  6. Didi Gregorius, SS – (2018: 4.6 fWAR)
  7. Jacoby Ellsbury, LF – (2017: 1.6 fWAR)
  8. Aaron Hicks, CF – (2018: 4.9 fWAR)
  9. Giancarlo Stanton, RF – (2018: 4.2 fWAR)
  10. Dellin Betances, RP – (2018: 1.7 fWAR)

The All-Injured team accounts for a combined fWAR of 30.3.

Now, I know that technically, CC Sabathia is coming off of the IL today and starting against the Chicago White Sox. He also does not play first base. However, given that he’s left-handed and his performance at the plate in 2008 (53 PA, 12 H, 2 HR, 0.4 fWAR), I figured why the heck not.

By comparison, here’s how the everyday Yankees players fared last season.

  1. Luis Severino, SP – (2018: 5.5 fWAR)
  2. Gary Sanchez, C – (2018: 1.7 fWAR)
  3. Luke Voit, 1B – (2008: 1.9 fWAR)
  4. Gleyber Torres, 2B – (2016: 1.9 fWAR)
  5. Miguel Andujar, 3B – (2018: 2.7 fWAR)
  6. Didi Gregorius, SS – (2018: 4.6 fWAR)
  7. Brett Gardner, LF – (2017: 1.5 fWAR)
  8. Aaron Hicks, CF – (2018: 4.9 fWAR)
  9. Giancarlo Stanton, RF – (2018: 4.2 fWAR)
  10. Dellin Betances, RP – (2018: 1.7 fWAR)

This accounts for a combined fWAR of 30.6, a grand total of 0.3 points better than the all-injured team.

At some point, the weekly barrage of injured players being carted out of Yankee Stadium has to end. And if it doesn’t, then perhaps we can imagine that we’re in the “Upside Down,” an alternative universe like in Stranger Things and eventually we’ll find our way back to the real world.

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