Yankees Editorial: Why Offense May Not Be The Best Defense
The AL East is one of if not the most competitive divisions in the MLB. Even if some teams are inconsistent, there’s no telling when one will have a breakout year and surprise the other four teams. All of these teams in the division (for the most part), know what moves to make to match up with their rivals in the most effective way possible.
This year there will be an emergence of left handed pitchers throughout the division. The Yankees newly refurbished bullpen has a vast amount of powerful lefties, but now other teams have done the same. What sets those teams (mainly the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays) apart from the Yankees, are their bats. The O’s and Jays have been two of the most hard hitting teams in the last couple of years, they’re at least up for the challenge against lefty pitchers. However, the Yankees lack of power should be of some concern for the team, especially with a lineup consisting mainly of right handed batters. Not to mention right handed batters who’s hitting wasn’t anything to brag about last season, and one being non-existent.
Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira, and yes Alex Rodriguez (presumably) are three of the top five bats in the Yankees lineup. Whether runs are scored against lefties will rely heavily on them. The supporting cast of bats aren’t the most reliable either. The Yankees do have a decent amount of switch hitters, but if the lack of power like last year’s continues, having to rely on batters who hit a sub .240 BA will have to step up even more. Is the team really going to be content with that? The future of Garrett Jones and Nathan Eovaldi remain to be seen, but giving up a lefty bat like Martin Prado might be costly.
What could be brought up is how the Yankees probably saw this issue coming. The Yankees starting lineup last year is basically what it will be for the next couple of years, at least for the big name signings made last season. What’s the only thing that could’ve been added on to this year? The rotation and bullpen. The Yankees will have their own lethal pitching group this season to even out the possible lack of power. There are a lot of ‘if and maybes’ for this upcoming season, but the odds are looking better than recent years.
The Yankees will be able to at least compete to stay in the race, and if more than most things go right, compete for the division title. This goes to show that yes the hitting is a concern for the team, but fans should be rooting for a rotation and bullpen that shows promise.
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