Yankees Preseason Offensive Matchup: Rest of the AL East

Previously, we looked at how the Yankees’ offense going into 2017 compares with that of the Boston Red Sox. Now we’ll look at how the Yankees compare with the rest of the AL East.

Tampa Bay Rays: Top of the Order

Last season, Tampa finished 24th out of 30 teams in batting, 2 spots lower than the Yankees — not good. This offseason, the Rays traded away second baseman Logan Forsythe to the Dodgers. With that trade, Tampa lost one of their better hitting options and haven’t replaced him yet.

They also signed outfielder Colby Rasmus (who cannot hit left-handed pitching) this offseason after playing with Houston.

Leading off in the Rays’ batting order is projected to be first baseman, Nick Franklin. His main position is second, but with a glaring hole at first, the Rays will likely stick him there as they did at times in ’16. Last season, Franklin batted .270 with 26 RBIs and 6 HRs.

Next is former Platinum Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier, who is considered by many to be the Rays’ best young player, that isn’t a pitcher. In 2016, he made 366 plate appearances batting .246 driving in 37 RBIs.

Rays: Meat of the Order

Batting third is Evan Longoria, who will be in his 10th season with the team. Longoria is the face of the franchise. At third base, there aren’t much better. Last season, he hit 36 HRs while batting .273 and drove in 98 RBIs. He was subject to trade rumors this winter and it’s very possible Longoria’s days with the Rays are numbered should the team continue to struggle in ’17.

Next up we have shortstop Brad Miller who was in his first season with Tampa last year. He batted .243 while smashing 30 HRs, which beat his career-high by a mile. He also had 133 hits and drove in 81 RBIs.

Then comes shortstop Matt Duffy who spent most of last season with San Francisco before being traded on Aug. 1.  After the trade, his average jumped from .253 to .276 in only 76 ABs with the Rays as opposed to the 257 appearances with the Giants. Much of this had to do with the fact he was finally injury-free.

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Rays: Bottom of the Order

Another newcomer last season for Tampa and the next batter is DH Corey Dickerson. He hit 24 HRs and drove in 70 RBIs in 510 ABs. Dickerson did, however, only bat .245 which was the lowest he has ever batted in the majors.

Batting 7th is Steven Souza Jr. who was in his third full MLB season last year. He averaged .247, a career best (yikes), and hit 17 HRs in 430 ABs.

8th is newcomer Rasmus who batted a measly .206 but did hit 15 HRs and also drive in 54 RBIs. Last in the order is catcher Curt Casali. In 84 games, he averaged .186 with 25 RBIs and 8 HRs. The Rays also have Tim Beckham as an option in the lineup after hitting 5 HRs and batting .247 last season in 64 games.

Comparison to the Yankees

While only ranking two spots below the Yankees, Tampa is still the bottom-feeding team in the AL East. This year should be no different. While the Yankees may have more young talent in the lineup, that can only be positive should things pan out accordingly. The Rays are still the Rays. Guys like Longoria and Kiermaier, as good as they are, have yet to make a difference. So why should 2017 be any different?

Advantage: Yankees

Baltimore Orioles: Top of the Order

The O’s were the 12th ranked offense last season with a team batting average of .256. They let Steve Pearce walk to the Blue Jays this offseason and refused to re-sign catcher Matt Wieters as well.

First in the order is veteran Adam Jones who hit above the team AVG at .265 while swatting 29 HRs and 83 RBIs. From veteran to youngster, next in the order is Manny Machado. Machado has gotten better every year so far. 2016 was his best offensive year yet as he averaged .294 and hit 37 HRs and 96 RBIs. He also had an OPS of .876 which also was a career high.

Orioles: Meat of the Order

Another veteran in the order is Chris Davis who bats 3rd. He averaged a .221 BA but slammed 38 homers last year in 566 at-bats. He also drove in 84 RBIs so it’s safe to say the 30-year-old had a pretty good season.

Returning after a brief stint in free agency is DH Mark Trumbo. In 2016, Trumbo hit 47 home runs, his career-high by a country mile. With 108 RBIs and a .256 AVG to boot, it was wise for O’s GM Dan Duquette to bring him back.

Rounding out the bulk of the order is second baseman, Jonathan Schoop. He had a productive year hitting 25 HRs and putting up a .267 AVG in all 162 regular season games. Last season was Schoop’s best yet, and the 25-year-old can still get better.

Orioles: Bottom of the Order

Recent signing Welington Castillo is projected to bat 6th in the order. Castillo had a fairly decent season last year with Arizona, averaging .264 and 14 HRs. In 2015, he bounced around a couple different teams before finding a home with Arizona. Castillo is the departing Matt Wieters’ replacement at catcher and it will be interesting to see if he becomes a mainstay.

Another recent move, the O’s traded pitcher Yovani Gallardo for outfielder Seth Smith. Smith averaged .249 and drove in 63 RBIs in 378 ABs.

Next is shortstop J.J. Hardy who is yet another veteran player on the Orioles. Hardy averaged .269 last season in 115 games played and is quite a reliable and consistent threat when he isn’t injured.

Last but not least is sophomore corner outfielder Hyun-Soo Kim. Kim was a 28-year-old rookie last year after a very successful career in the KBO and jumping ship to the MLB. He averaged .302 in 95 games and is a sleeper batting last in the order. The O’s also announced a minor league with Johnny Giavotella who could also be a backup option.

Comparison to the Yankees

The issues the Orioles have in pitching, they make up for with hitting. Even though many of their players are over 30, their veteran presence brings a lot to the table. Bringing back Trumbo helps their offense a lot so long as he puts up similar numbers to last season. And of course, they have 2018 Yankees free agent target Machado.

Unfortunately, the Yankees will not beat the Orioles in the offensive department. Should a prospect like Clint Frazier break out then who knows? Should Aaron Judge get it all together, that’s also a positive. The Yankees need to worry about the hitters of the future rather than the hitters they’re stuck with now.

Advantage: Orioles

Toronto Blue Jays: Top of the Order

Of the three remaining teams in the AL East, the Blue Jays had the best offense last season. They saw great success in 2016 ranked 9th among ranked MLB offenses with a .248 team average. They may have taken a huge risk, however, with the loss of Edwin Encarnacion. Surprisingly, they also let Michael Saunders walk in free agency.

Starting off the order is second baseman, Devon Travis. In his 3rd year, Travis averaged .300 in 101 games. Still young, Travis has much room to grow.

Next is Troy Tulowitzki who averaged .254 and hit 24 HRs, and is still one of the better shortstops in the league even at age 32.

Blue Jays: Meat of the Order

Perhaps one of the best trades the Blue Jays has ever made currently bats 3rd. Josh Donaldson, the AL MVP in 2015, averaged .284 and hit 37 HRs last season. “The Bringer of Rain” has become the face of the franchise and will most likely continue to be their best player in 2017.

Then there’s Jose Bautista. It’s been an interesting recent go of it for “Joey Bats.” From being slugged in the face by Rougned Odor of the Rangers last season to not getting signed by any team until the Blue Jays decided to bring him back only a few weeks ago — this is a player trending in the wrong direction. He somehow hit 22 HRs last season despite his .234 average. The 36-year-old cleanup hitter will be looked to as a core member of the Jays’ offense especially with Encarnacion gone.

Speaking of Encarnacion — next, comes his replacement, Kendrys Morales, the Jays’ new DH. He hit 30 homers and had an average of .263 in 2016.

Blue Jays- Bottom of the Order

Longtime catcher Russell Martin looks to bat 6th. He averaged .231 whilst homering 20 times in 2016. 7th is first baseman Justin Smoak who averaged .217 but did hit 14 HRs and is a good defensive first baseman.

Center fielder Kevin Pillar who once declared himself “Superman,” will bat 8th. He had a .266 AVG with 53 RBIs in ’16. And finally, batting 9th is Ezequiel Carrera, who will most likely take Saunders’ position in LF. He played in 110 games where he averaged .248 as the 4th outfielder. Another option for the Jays is to use Darwin Barney, should any of the infield need a rest.

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Comparison to the Yankees

The Blue Jays are a very good team. They have strong pitching and consistent offense. Even with the departure of Encarnacion, they still got a talented DH in his place. The Blue Jays, a punching bag for many years, have finally righted the ship.

Even though they haven’t made a trip to the World Series with this core, they’re still making a much-needed push. The Yankees, on the other hand, are a rebuilding team. That’s not bad. That just means we get to watch them succeed all over again down the road.

Advantage: Blue Jays