Three reasons the New York Yankees are pretenders in 2020

Currently, the 2020 New York Yankees are looking more like pretenders.

Entering the 2020 MLB Season, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers were favored to face off in the World Series. So far, the Dodgers have played up to their potential and then some, while the Yanks appear to have been pretenders all along.

Before today, I would have told you that the current 5-game losing streak the Yankees are suffering through is an aberration. Looking closer, however, it may be the first sign we have gotten of just how weak the team really is. Here are three reasons why.

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First, as it stands, the Yankees (.769 W-L%) have a 10-3 record at home, which aside from the Minnesota Twins (.800 W-L%) is the best H-A record in baseball. Conversely, in away games, the team currently has a 6-8 record (.429 W-L%), fifth worse of all playoff-contending teams.

Secondly, while continuing to look at the team’s splits, another damning statistic is their record against > .500 teams. Currently, the Yankees are 3-8 (.273 W-L%) against > .500 teams, the worst of all 16 teams currently in playoff contention. Against < .500 teams, the Yankees are tied with the Chicago White Sox for the best record (13-3) in MLB.

Finally, there are the unprecedented number of injuries the team continues to suffer. Last season, the New York Yankees set a record by sending 30 players to the IL. This season, the trend continues with guys like…

1. Giancarlo Stanton
2. Aaron Judge
3. Luis Severino
4. Zack Britton
5. Tommy Kahnle
6. James Paxton
7. Gleyber Torres
8. DJ LeMahieu

…just to name a few, spending significant time on the IL.

Now, you might say that this is beyond the team’s control, and on some level, you’re right. But a team’s ability to play an entire season, through pain and exhaustion, is part of what makes an organization championship-caliber or not.

As it stands, the New York Yankees have 33 games left to play on their 60-game schedule, and anything could change in that time. At this point, however, one thing is abundantly clear: this team is not worthy of a World Series title.