Did the New York Yankees do enough to finally return to the World Series in 2021? Let’s debate!
A debate between the optimistic me and the pessimistic me regarding the 2021 New York Yankees.
Opti-me: If you don’t mind, Mr. Dark and Gloomy, I’ll take a little extra time and space here because I can’t imagine there is anything negative to say about the Bronx Bombers. This is a team with both the reigning batting champion and the game’s best pitcher.
Do you know how many guys in our projected starting lineup have a plus-90 mph career exit velocity off the bat? Five. That’d be Sanchez, Voit, LeMahieu, Judge, and Stanton. When a Yankee hits the ball, it stays hit. No wonder Vegas has the Yankees at short odds to win the American League pennant.
Pessi-me: You mean like how the Yankees won the 2020 American League pennant … for Tampa Bay? Or was that 2-8 head-to-head regular season record and ALCS flameout just Yankee generosity?
Here’s a news bulletin: The entire AL East is so over that “we’re the big, bad New York Yankees” machismo thing. It went out a decade ago, and the proof is you’ve won the division once since 2012. Literally, every other team in the division has won at least once since then. And most of them improved big-time this winter. What did you do? You ran in place.
Opti-me: We ran in place because we basically have the AL All-Star team. Voit hit 22 bombs in 56 games last season; over 162 games that’s a 64 home run pace. Stanton, Hicks, and Judge are right in their primes. Urshela is a find at third.
As for LeMahieu, everybody thought the Yanks were chumps for picking him up because the only place he could hit was at altitude. Wrong. The guy batted .403 last season at Yankee Stadium which the last time I checked was still at sea level.
But you know what’s really impressive about LeMahieu? You can’t rattle him. Last season he batted .321 in two-strike situations. He only whiffed 10 percent of the time, which these days is pretty much the minimum. I mean, Mike Trout struck out 23 percent of the time.
Pessi-me: You have an All Star team at such time, if any, as it can limp to the plate. I can do research, too. Since 2018, this is how many of the guys you’re counting on to be major players this year have been on the injury list for a minimum of 50 games. Kluber, Taillon, Montgomery, Severino, Sanchez, Hicks, Judge, Stanton, and O’Day.
That’s four-fifths of your projected mid-season rotation, two-thirds of your outfield, and the entire middle of your order.
And that’s a minimum of 50 games on the sidelines…in some cases, it’s a lot more. You’re projecting Kluber to be your backup ace to Cole. He’s pitched 36 innings since 2018. Taillon’s your No. 3; he’s got 37 innings since 2018. Montgomery? He’s hung in there for 48 innings.
You’re still banking on Severino to be back by mid-season, and I hope he makes it. But even if he does, what kind of pitcher will he be coming off Tommy John surgery? You can’t count on him being the Severino who went 19-8 with a 3.39 in 2018.
Opti-me: Interesting that you mentioned nine players you think are so fragile that they need to be treated like some expensive wall decoration: You can look at Judge, or Stanton, or Kluber, but don’t touch. And whatever Aaron Boone does, he can’t possibly use them in a game. They’re just too fragile.
With the exception of Severino, you know what those guys all have in common this spring. They’re healthy. Kluber’s throwing. Taillon and Montgomery both pitched in a real spring game just the other day. And they didn’t break.
I’ll concede that 2021 will be tough on any pitching staff, and that includes the Yankees. But give me even 100 starts out of Cole, Kluber, Taillon, and Montgomery, and maybe throw in another 10 from Severino in August and September. If we get that, with our bats the Yanks will be so far out front of the division that the race will be close to over.
Pessi-me: For the record, if you get even 100 starts out of all five of those guys, it’ll be 25 more than anybody’s gotten out of them the past two seasons combined. So don’t hold your breath on that dream scenario.
But here’s the problem: What happens when those guys do start to break down? Last season you went to Tanaka – he’s back in Japan. Then you went to Happ, who’s pitching for the Twins, and James Paxton, who’s in Seattle. So I guess the real question we need to consider is, how do you feel about Deivi Garcia, Michael King, and Domingo German? Because by June 1 that may well be your rotation.
And if it is, your New York Yankees may find themselves lapped by Tampa and passed by Toronto as well. In short, pay those trainers who are working on Kluber, Taillon, Montgomery, and Severino well or it’s bye-bye playoffs. And while you’re at it, stay out of Vegas.
Opti-me: When the Yanks win this fall with that rotation – and with Judge, Stanton, and LeMahieu leading the offense — I’ll be cashing chips in Vegas. You? Sounds like the only chips you’ll be getting close to will come in a bag with a lot of salt. Enjoy.
The one thing I think we can agree on is the hope that manager Aaron Boone, who is receiving a pacemaker, is going to be OK.
Pessi-me: On that, if nothing else, we find common ground.