In a list of 20 rookies to watch this season, Mets pitcher Steven Matz ranked fifth, writes Richard Justice of MLB.com. Matz is set to spend the season in the rotation, although the club has talked about having a sixth starter help to keep the young pitchers fresh. Across town, outfield prospect Aaron Judge is eighth on Justice’s list. He expects injuries to old vets to open an opportunity. Personally, I’m not entirely convinced Judge is major league ready after he hit .224/.308/.373 in 228 Triple-A plate appearances. The club has decent outfield depth too.
- Speaking of potential Yankees injuries, fragility may define the 2016 Bombers, writes George A. King III of the NY Post. The rotation looks solid but thin. Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, and even Nathan Eovaldi have all had their run-ins with the trainer. Luis Severino is young and therefore uncertain (pitching is always uncertain). Among the position players, Greg Bird is already out for the year. Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira are all safe bets to need some time on the shelf.
- Rodriguez and Teixeira may be key players in 2016, suggests Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Their ability to once again tap into the fountain of youth is one of Feinsand’s five questions for the 2016 campaign. He also wonders if Aroldis Chapman will face suspension, if Sabathia’s new knee brace can help him rebound, and if the rest of the rotation can stay healthy.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson continues to undergo chemotherapy for an undisclosed cancer, writes Adam Rubin of ESPN. He received the diagnosis shortly after the club clinched the NL East last season, giving the playoffs a bittersweet tinge. It has not affected his job.
- Alderson figures David Wright should play a maximum of 130 games next season, writes Rubin. The club is keen to avoid overtaxing his back. He’ll rest against tough right-handed pitchers with Wilmer Flores likely to enter the lineup.
- Alderson also answered a wide range of questions for Steve Serby of the NY Post. He touched upon his illness, virtually every position on the roster, and the farm system. When asked about the starting rotation, Alderson said, “you go that deep into the playoffs, there’s gonna be kind of a surcharge on their innings. So we’re gonna be careful with them. It doesn’t mean that we’re gonna manage their innings necessarily.“
Just my opinion but I think a lot of the so called experts are underestimating the Yankees in 2016. We’ll see.
I think they’re just being realistic in terms of what this team can actually accomplish with the players they have on the roster. As a Yankees fan myself, there is just too many “if’s” with this roster. “if” Tanaka’s elbow holds up, “If” Teixeria and ARod can stay on the field, “if” Sabathia can regain his form from three years go. These are major issues with a flawed, although improved team. I think these ‘experts” are just airing on the side of caution before labeling the AL East champs.
They do it every year, like predicting them to last place like last year, don’t know why, i mean i know they don’t look like they’re gonna win their division but at least give them some credit they’re always in the race
They have as much talent as any rotation in baseball. The problem is their health. Plus aging players for the next two years
You should check that
Let’s not forget the Yankees do have Nova as a pretty solid back-up starter, but with Chasen Shreve (a talented lefty acquired from the Braves last year), Andrew Miller, Betances, and Chapman they might not need much out of their starters, collectively.
Let us try not to act like the Royals had a great starting five last season, because they truly had a bottom third starting rotation.
If the Yankees can get the lead, once the 7th Inning hits, 9 times out of 10 the Yankees will win.
Also, I believe, with the starters knowing they have 4 dominant back-end guys, that will relieve quite a bit of pressure from them. They can know in the back of their minds that they don’t have to save anything out there, because they will only have to go 6 Innings, before the lights get shut off in Yankees Stadium.
I strongly believe Severino will take charge and win 16+ games.
Tanaka should be able to go 180+ Innings for the 1st time, winning 15+ games.
In Eovaldi’s 5th season, I think he will finally begin to start to produce more consistently, and should be a stellar starting option, and one of the game’s best options as a #4 for the Bombers.
Next is Pineda, I really believe he will be one of the deciding factors, on how good this team can ultimately become. If Pineda can come put the gates strong, it should give him the confidence he needs to ride through a successful 2016 season. If the Yankees can limit his innings, and Pineda comes into spring training in good shape, he could easily be a top 15 AL pitcher. His stuff, when at his best, is almost unhittable, but his main key will be health, his weight, and his confidence!!
I’m considering anything the Yanks can pull out from C.C. is strictly a bonus. He truly has something to prove this year, but I will say this…. when his back is up against the wall, CC usually comes out on top.
I don’t think CC has what it takes to make 25-30 starts anymore, so Ivan Nova has to be ready to fill in when called upon. Everyone forgets truly how good Nova can be, when he is at his best and fully healthy. He should be coming to Spring Training healthy, and motivated to prove he belongs.
I’m thinking Nova will start out as the long man in the Yankees pen, but I’m sure it will not be long before CC needs to skip a start, and Nova will fill in, which I expect him to do so quite well…
For the Yanks, the Catcher position is one of the deepest in the AL, if not in all of MLB. McCann should hit his usual 20 HR’s, and drive in 80-90 RBI’s..Although this season, I expect Mac to solve his issues and come back to hitting closer to .245-.250…When Mac needs a day off, the Yanks have two capable back-ups on their 40-man in Romine and Sanchez…Sanchez is the better hitter of the two, but if defense is the priority then Romine will get the chance. Either way, they are in good hands.
Around the diamond they have Tex, Castro, Gregorius, and Headley. Each of Gregorius, Headley, Castro, and Tex are capable of batting .250-.260 and putting up at least 10 HR…Obviously, Tex is capable of much more power, considering he hit 31 bombs last year in UNDER 400 AT-BATS!!
With this being said, I think the main key will be Starlin Castro. I think Castro could easily turn things around in New York, and he knows the pressure is on his back. I fully expect to see Castro hit above .270 with around 12 HR’s and for him to play above average defense at 2B, after some time to learn the position.
For this team to truly contend, Ellsbury, Gardner, and Beltran absolutely have to hit more consistently. If the first 2 can get it going, this will set up the rest of the line-up for success and it will definitely provide a major boost from the 1 and 9 spot or 1 and 2 spot. Beltran really is a question mark, this late into his career, but looking at the bounce back seasons Tex and A-Rod had last year, you can never count an old vet out…
I’m not so sure A-Rod will hit another 33 HR’s this year, but I do expect him to hit closer to .270, and hit around 25 HR’s.
Also, another player to watch out for is the newly acquired Aaron Hicks. Last year in 350 AB’s he hit .256 with an OBP of .323 and he also hit 11 HR’s, 11 2B’s, and 3 3B’s, and he added in 13 SB’s. He is an excellent defender at the CF position, and he should at least see another 350 AB’s in 2016, if not more due to days off/injuries to Beltran, Gardner, and Ellsbury. I fully expect Hicks to top his marks this season, and become a well-loved fan favorite of Yankees fans!!
The Yankees have their fair share of question marks, mostly in the health department, but there are some certainties as well. For one, this line-up is loaded with power from top to bottom, they have players with speed in key spots in the line-up, and they definitely have their crafty vets who know how to play situational baseball and make good outs.
My take on the 2016 Yankees is that I certainly will not count them out. I expect then to contend, and they very well could suprise some people and walk away with the 2016 AL East crown. Do not discount how valuable their bullpen can become, because basically atleast one third of the game, from the 7th Inning on, they pretty much have already won…If the Yankees can stay even remotely healthy, then I strongly believe they will be a playoff team come 2016…
To long buddy.
I think he was applying for the writers job
I am going to take a guess and say that you did not look up Beltran’s stats from last year. He had a very solid year after a slow start. I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a question mark.
Teixeira is in a contract year, so you can expect big numbers from him. He is going to be looking for one last big contract before he calls it a career. Barring a major injury like breaking his leg again, my money is on him avoiding the DL this year.
Shreve had an absolutely horrible end to the season. Including him in the same sentence with Betances, Miller, and Chapman is a bit premature. Lets see how he does this spring before annoiting him as a dominate member of the bullpen.
Castro has similar years to the San Fran Giants. It is an even year so he will probably have one of his all-star seasons. Cashman will look like a genius for besting Theo in the trade. Although, I fully expect Warren to finally lockdown a rotation spot in Chicago.
The Yankees season is going to come down to health. If their rotation stays healthy they will be in the playoffs. They still need to pick up some starting depth that they can stash away in AAA in case 2014 happens again.
Sure let c.c be healthy and put up an e.r.a over 5. They need nate to take a step forward and keep everyone healthy. They have a solid top 20 on the roster, starting 9, backup cf, backup catcher and 8 pitchers. After that they are pretty thin. Nova is their only real sp depth.
Yeah , I dont think anyone can sleep on the Yanks. They look like contenders, I personally still got the Jays. But the Sox look like a more complete team and of course cant count the Rays and their staring rotation. Os look the worst after giving all of angelos money to scott boras , I mean chris davis. I also think Severino is for real. $3 dollars says he makes the ASG along with one of Yanks bp guys.
You had to mention Shreve didn’t you!!!!! That is the only trade the Braves have made that I did not support, or find logic in why they made it. Shreve could be very good.
You are correct the Yankees have the talent to win that division maybe even the WS. However there are way too many question marks due to their age and injury history. I really like Tanaka, but how long can he really go before he has to have TJ surgery? Beltran, Teixiera, and ARod are all on the verge of retiring. Yes they all 3 still have talent, I am not arguing that. At some point every player losses the battle against father time though.
If healthy yes the Yankees are a very good team. Maybe even great. The key to the statement is IF HEALTHY though. The likely hood the stay healthy is against them.
I’m no doctor – but it doesn’t take a genius to realize that CC’s complete lack of care for his own physical conditioning – ie carrying around a horrendous amount of extra weight – is a large part of why his knee is a significant issue, and is preventing him from being an effective pitcher, which is what he’s paid to do.
Decline through age is inevitable, but this decline is squarely on CC eating himself to the DL – and the Yankees for paying him despite the obvious risks.
Lets not forget that all of the injuries started with CC after he dropped a bunch of weight a couple of years ago. Plus, his fastball lost a lot of velocity without the weight.
Might be a fair comment to say – that was a case of shutting the gate after the horse had already bolted. Years of neglect had to catch up with him eventually.
His fastball velocity had been trending downwards since 2009.
I predict 85 wins for the Yanks this season
I am gonna guess 90. Which could be enough to take the East this year. Any team could win the division.
Id say low 80s. I see the jays taking it with the sox/yankees close behind
Matz – if he can stay healthy – is going to be a Cy Young winner in the future. Guy is a lefty with great stuff. If I was going to get a pitcher from the Mets, I would take Matz over all the others.
21 wins
Black Jack!
Toronto and Boston seem to have more talent. Baltimore and Tampa have less talent, though I think Tampa has a higher ceiling if a bunch of their young talent blossoms early.
Indiana bob…..methinks that is a pretty strange comment regarding Toronto and Boston.
Toronto, while having an offense that was first in the league last year (remember the Yankees were second) have a very shaky starting pitching staff and little to no bullpen.
Boston, with all the hype year after year, finished last the last 2 our of 3 years. They also have great offense at home which is what their lineup is built for (as everyone in the East) but pretty average on the road. And, let’s see how their pitching works out before proclaiming them great just because of the acquisition of Price.
Wah? They recently got storen who the nats decided to inexplicably move for papelbon. Osuna/delabar/sanchez are all also solid. They have stroman as their ace, kept estrada and signed happ and chavez. Their rotation definitely is underrated. How can one not see Donaldson, EE, Tulo, joey bats not knock in enough runs most nights? Biggest change is that hutchinson aka the luckiest pitcher of 2015 is now there for just depth. This jays team on paper is one of the more complete teams in baseball
Which is more accurate: The Yankees have a good amount of power, or the stadium has short fences, especially in right?
Both, but you can say the same about Boston with the Pesky Pole in right and the Green Monster in left.
The Yankees last year were 4th in HR on the road, 7th in Slugging, and 5th in wRC+
I think Both is a fair answer
The bottom line is that the AL East is going to be a dogfight based on who stay’s the most healthy, stays within striking distance at the end of August, and can play their best and most consistent baseball down the stretch run in Sept.
Everybody has the chance to take the AL East crown.
Agree.
People say it’s mediocre because there’s no strong team, yet last year overall it had the 2nd best record in baseball (NL Central was 1st)
And I’m pretty sure it was 1st or 2nd every season for quite awhile (too lazy to look it up lol
Agree with most, ought to be an absolute dogfight in the East this season. Sox, Yanks, Orioles and Jays are all similarly constructed with great bullpens and great offense to cover shallow rotations. The Rays are a different mold and to me that makes them a dark horse, with much better pitching and focus on defense. Of course I feel great about my Sox despite the 3-of=4 last place finishes, but that’s the kind of blind faith it takes to be a Red Sox fan. MVP Mookie Betts shall lead the way!