Masahiro Tanaka Will Shine for the Yankees in 2016

As Masahiro Tanaka enters into his third season with the New York Yankees, expectations are once again high for the 27-year-old right-hander.

Throughout his first two seasons in New York, Tanaka has certainly seen his fair share of highs and lows.

But, according to Ryan Hatch of NJ.com, this season has the potential to be Tanaka’s best as a member of the Bronx Bombers.

"“In 2014, Tanaka’s first season in the Bronx, he started the season 11-1 with a 1.99 ERA, but soon it was discovered he had a partially torn ligament in his right arm, and was sidelined for two-plus months,” Hatch said. “He’s never since matched that dominance, and a cynical view is that he never will again.”“But with what will be nearly two years between that injury and now, plus no longer pitching with that bone spur, Tanaka could very well enjoy his most productive season as a Yankee in 2016. “"

Since joining the Yankees in 2014, Tanaka is 25-12 with a 3.16 ERA. However, he also spent significant time on the disabled list in both of his first two seasons in pinstripes.

Despite Tanaka’s injury-riddled past, like Hatch, I expect him to have his best season as a Yankee in 2016.

Getting a taste of postseason baseball last year is going to do wonders for Tanaka’s confidence this season.

Although the Yankees lost the American Wild League Card Game to the Houston Astros last October, it wasn’t because of Tanaka.

In his first career postseason start, Tanaka gave up two runs on four hits over five innings. While those numbers were not dominant, they were certainly good enough to give the Yankees a chance to win the game.

Even though Tanaka’s first postseason performance didn’t go exactly as planned, he now knows what the pressure of pitching in October feels like. Tanaka also knows he was the pitcher Joe Girardi trusted most in a do-or-die one-game playoff situation.

With this newly acquired knowledge, Tanaka should appear more poised and self-assured in 2016.

Tanaka’s nasty splitter will also contribute to his success this season.

After his first spring training start last Sunday, Tanaka was pleased with how his splitter looked, Hatch said.

"“‘I thought that in particular my slider and my split-finger were pretty good as far as how it was spinning and how it was moving,’ Tanaka said.”"

When Tanaka is pitching at the top of his game, his splitter is one of the more dominant pitches in Major League Baseball. Yankees fans should be glad to hear that he is happy with the movement of his splitter this early in the spring.

I anticipate seeing many hitters going down swinging courtesy of Tanaka’s split-finger offering in 2016.

Of course, all of this is going to be dependent upon Tanaka’s ability to stay healthy.

Last season, Tanaka made just 24 starts. In 2014, he made only 20.

Tanaka has not proven that he can remain healthy over the course of an entire season yet. But, I think 2016 is going to be the year to change that.

Hatch said the bone spur that bothered Tanaka last season was removed last October and “the inflammation he dealt with all of last season no longer exists.”

"“‘As far as my body goes, it’s perfectly fine,’ Tanaka [said].”"

It’s only March, but hearing Tanaka say he is feeling good is music to my ears. Hopefully, Tanaka will continue feeling good as the Yankees progress through the 2016 campaign.

Realistically, I think 15-plus wins and an ERA under 3.00 are not out of the realm of possibilities for Tanaka this season. 2016 is going to be the year the Yankees’ $155 million man lives up to the lofty expectations.