New York Yankees: Predicting the 2020 starting lineup

The 2019 MLB season just ended but it feels like it’s been months. So, I’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of players that will comprise the 2020 New York Yankees lineup… according to me.

For the second time in three seasons, the New York Yankees were eliminated in game seven of the ALCS against the sign-stealing Houston Astros. Next season, they’ll be looking to finally get over the hump and break their 10-year streak of missing the World Series.

To do so, however, the Yankees will have to add a few pieces here and there to elevate the team to a slightly higher level.

Now, I’ve already declared that the key piece the team has to add is a starting pitcher, namely Gerrit Cole. However, given injuries to Aaron Hicks, losing players like Didi Gregorius, and parting ways with sluggers like Edwin Encarnacion, the front office will also have to look to add a bat or two.

Not only that, with Didi and Brett Gardner testing free agency and Hicks undergoing Tommy John Surgery, the Yanks could lose three players that “took 60 percent of the Yankees’ lefty plate appearances in 2019,” according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post. Therefore, the team is in desperate need of a left-handed hitter.

So, I’ve gone ahead and predicted that the team will add a switch-hitting or left-handed hitter, but you’ll have to continue reading to find out who it is. That being said, let’s put ourselves in Aaron Boone‘s shoes and take a look at the top of the lineup in 2020.

Predicting the 2020 New York Yankees Lineup

Francisco Lindor, SS

Given how desperately the Yankees are for a left-handed bat, if the team chooses not to re-sign Didi Gregorius, they will aggressively pursue another lefty or switch-hitting shortstop.

Now, since the market for shortstops is sparse, Didi could possibly get more than what the Yanks are willing to give him and walk. This opens up the possibility for a dream come true for Yankees fans, trading for Francisco Lindor.k

While the chances of this happening are pretty slim, dreaming never killed anyone. Though I predicted in a previous piece that the Yanks would re-sign Gregorius, I am now here to tell you that the tides have shifted and the Bronx Bombers will indeed trade for Mr. Smile, the leadoff hitter.

Aaron Judge, OF

Many folks have a problem with Aaron Judge, a prominent power hitter hitting so high in the lineup. Traditionally, a guy of Judge’s stature would hit third or clean-up. Not in New York, and I fully agree with the move.

Despite all the strikeouts, Judge is an on-base machine. Therefore, the higher he hits in the lineup, the more opportunities this stacked lineup has to score runs. So, in 2020, Judge will remain the team’s number two hitter.

DJ LeMahieu, 1B

Though the New York Yankees super-utility infielder is not an AL MVP finalist this year, there is no doubt that he was by far the best player on the team. Playing multiple positions at an elite level, LeMahieu still managed to have one of his best offensive seasons in 2019.

What’s more, while Greg Bird couldn’t healthy and Luke Voit took a step back this season, DJ LeMahieu took over first base and mastered the position in a matter of days. In 2020, with the addition of Lindor and Gleyber Torres remaining at second, LeMahieu will be the team’s full-time first baseman.

Predicting the 2020 New York Yankees Lineup

Giancarlo Stanton, DH/OF

Giancarlo Stanton barely played in 2019. However, when he did, he showed a bit more patience at the plate, not swinging at pitches way out of the strike zone. Still and all, Yankees fans made him the boogeyman of the season, laying all the blame of another failed season at the foot of Stanton.

In 2020, Stanton will have something to prove and as mostly a DH he will hone in his hitting and return to a 2017 level of play while hitting cleanup of the team.

Gleyber Torres, 2B

Torres took another step in the right direction during the 2019 MLB season. Showing a knack for changing his approach when the situation called for it, Torres became the team’s go-to offensive hitter in the game’s biggest situations.

With the addition of Francisco Lindor, Torres will remain at second base and continue to develop at the position

Gary Sanchez, C

Gary Sanchez silences plenty of naysayers this season, improving upon his hitting and cutting down on passed balls and wild pitches. The only constant with El Gary is that he doesn’t hit much for average. This is why we place him sixth in the lineup. High enough to drive in some runs, but low enough that his absence on-base won’t be a detriment to the team.