The Biggest Questions Facing the Yankees Offense for 2017

Can the Rookies Carry the Load?

All three of the rookies the New York Yankees have been starting in their lineup regularly have been embroiled in extended slumps lately. Aaron Judge has struck out in almost half of his plate appearances (45.7%) and had just three hits in his last 41 plate appearances coming into Monday’s game.

Former top prospect Tyler Austin was one of the International League’s hottest hitters in 2016, putting up a .323/.415/.637 (201 wRC+) batting line in 234 Triple-A plate appearances before his promotion. He caused a stir by homering in his first MLB at-bat, but his production simply has not translated to the big leagues so far, with Austin hitting .171/.190/.244 (9 wRC+) through his first 13 games.

Even the mighty Gary Sanchez has seemingly hit a wall after his historic start. A scout told Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media that pitchers have begun giving the rookie a steady diet of breaking balls low and away, declaring, “He’s chasing them. Before that, everyone was challenging him with fastballs. That’s stopped.”

As things stand currently, the Yankees will be counting on all three of these guys to hold down everyday jobs in the 2017 lineup. In the case of Sanchez and Judge, they will need to produce like middle-of-the-order hitters in order for the team to go anywhere.

Growing pains are to be expected from players in their first go-round against major league pitching, but these guys will have to learn and adapt on the fly next year in a high pressure environment and the weight of winning on their shoulders. Time will tell if they are up to it.

Next: The Return of the Bird Man