5 Yankees with the most to prove heading into 2020

The spotlight will shine bright on Yankees left-hander James Paxton in 2020

P James Paxton

For the most part, James Paxton lived up to the billing in his first season with the Yankees. He was arguably the team’s best pitcher throughout the season making 29 starts, posting a 15-6 record while leading the staff in FIP, ERA+ and strikeouts.

Paxton dealt with some issues, including an odd habit of allowing runs in the first inning of almost every start. However, after one season, New York has to be pleased with his production.

After a solid regular season, Paxton solidified himself with a strong start in Game 5 of the ALCS with the Yankees backs against the wall. Paxton put together a gritty performance allowing just one run in 6 innings on 112 high leverage pitches.

Paxton proved himself in 2020, so why is this season the biggest in Paxton’s career?

Well, Paxton will hit free agency after this season. He will be entering his age 32 season and should be set for a significant payday. The question is, will the Yankees be willing to re-up with him?

A strong 2020 will help make general manager Brian Cashman’s decision much easier. If Paxton can remain healthy, make 30 or so starts and provide similar if not better production than last season it would make sense to keep him around in pinstripes for a few more seasons.

The jury may still be out on Paxton but the Yankees front office can come to a quick decision if he is able to pave a similar path in 2020.

The spotlight will shine bright on Yankees utility man Tyler Wade in 2020

UTIL Tyler Wade

A slick fielder and one of the fastest players in all of the sport, Tyler Wade has the tools to be the perfect utility man.

Entering the 2020 season, Wade has the keys to multiple backup roles on the Yankees. When Gleyber Torres or D.J. LeMahieu need a day off, Wade will likely be the option off the bench. His ability to play corner outfield positions will also make him a frequent pinch-runner or defensive sub late in games.

The problem with Wade is his inability to hit. In 109 career games, Wade’s .197/.268/.298 will need to improve if he is going to find himself in the lineup often. Plus, his spring training wasn’t exactly something to call home about. He hit just .131 in 11 games.

Wade did show signs of life with the bat last year, with a .245/.330/.362 line. Those numbers aren’t exactly impressive but for a backup who specializes in defense and speed, it will suffice.

Working in Wade’s favor is his minor league options. Wade can still ride the “Scranton Shuttle” for one more season which does give him some breathing room if he does have struggles at the plate. Still, this is his last season with that luxury.

New York has options in the minors who can play a similar role to Wade. In particular, Thairo Estrada will push for playing time at multiple backup positions. Estrada saw his first MLB action last season, playing in 35 games and hitting .250/.294/.438.

If Wade wants to prove that he is the ultimate utility weapon, 2020 will be his best shot.

The spotlight will shine bright on Yankees utility man Tyler Wade in 2020

OF Clint Frazier

Two months ago, Clint Frazier was in line to get regular playing time. The entire Yankees starting outfield of Stanton, Judge and Aaron Hicks would have entered the season on the injured list.

Frazier would have been in the perfect position to erase his fielding woes in 2019 and solidify a future role in the outfield.

Thanks to the delayed season, Stanton is set to return, Hicks should only miss a short period of time if his timeline is similar to Didi Gregorius’ who returned from the same injury a year ago and signs point to Judge healing well.

Now, Frazier will have an even tougher time landing consistent playing time even with potential roster expansions. Of course, there is a chance the injury bug could bite New York again but it seems like a longshot that Frazier will get a legitimate chance to showcase himself.

Time is of the essence for Frazier. He is entering his final option season with an already loaded outfield. If he is unable to prove that he can field his position there is no way the Yankees will entrust him with a reserve role in 2021 and beyond.

Through his first three seasons in pinstripes, Frazier has proven to be a professional hitter, displaying his “legendary bat speed.”

Unfortunately, it may just come down to bad timing for Frazier. In 2018 when he could have found his footing in the Majors, he suffered an untimely and lengthy concussion. His next time up he came down with a case of the yips in the field.

It’s still too early to write Frazier off just yet but 2020 seems like his final chance to prove that he is a Yankee.

The pressure on the mound will fall squarely on the shoulders of the Yankees’ new ace

P Gerrit Cole

Unfortunately, Yankees fans have yet to witness their ace toe the slap in the Boogie Down.

If baseball does return, the hype surrounding Gerrit Cole will grow to a fever pitch. Fans are expecting a Cy Young-level season out of the former number one overall pick. Anything less from Cole will have many fans quickly questioning the record-breaking investment.

With Luis Severino already out of the question for the 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Cole will have even more pressure to perform. New York still features a pair of front end arms in Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton but 2019 proved that when games mattered most, they couldn’t match up with opposing aces, like Cole and Justin Verlander in Houston for example.

The rotation also has questions at the backend of the rotation. Veteran J.A. Happ is coming off the worst season of his career and left-hander Jordan Montgomery will get his first extended action since Tommy John surgery of his own in 2018.

With question marks littered throughout the rotation, Cole will be the stabilizing factor and face immense pressure to make a lengthy start, after a lengthy start to ease the workload of the talented bullpen.

After all, it’s been a decade since the Yankees had a true ace. C.C. Sabathia was phenomenal in his first few seasons in pinstripes and was able to reinvent himself later in his career. However, having a top-tier pitcher on the bump every five days has escaped New York for almost a decade.

Tanaka received a big payday when he came over from Japan and although he has been a postseason hero, inconsistency over 162 games makes him hard to put in the “ace” category. Luis Severino has not only battled injuries but hasn’t been able to put an elite162-game season together.

With the Yankees finding themselves in a championship window, Cole will have to pitch at a first-class level while carrying the weight of a historic contract and lofty expectations.

While 2020 will only mark what is expected to be a long stint in pinstripes, Cole’s first season will set the tone.

Hopefully Cole’s words from his introductory press conference ring true.

“Pressure is a privilege,” Cole said at his introductory press conference.

2020 will be critical for the Yankees slugger as he looks to prove the doubters wrong

OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton

A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece attempting to defend Giancarlo Stanton. There’s no doubt he is the most divisive Yankee on the roster and 2020 will be his most important season yet.

Stanton was expected to be the final piece of the puzzle after New York acquired him prior to the 2018 season. Stanton, coming off a 59 home run MVP season would be paired with 2017 Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge setting the franchise on a path to the promised land.

Two seasons into his Yankees career and Stanton hasn’t made the impact many expected him to make. Although his 2018 regular season was far from his MVP campaign, Stanton played in 158 games and proving to be the Yankees’ biggest power threat with 38 homers and 100 RBI.

Then, he fell apart in the postseason against the Boston Red Sox. He posted an abysmal .444 OPS in the series, managing just four hits, no walks, no extra-base hits and zero RBI.

Matters were made worse with an injury-plagued 2019 season with Stanton only able to play in 18 games.

Entering year three, Stanton has to prove he was a worthwhile investment. First and foremost, he will need to remain healthy. With the 2020 season put on hold back in March, Stanton is expected to be 100 percent healthy if the season begins. Stanton went down with a calf injury during spring training that would have sidelined him for the beginning of the season.

The injury bug has crushed Stanton for the past year and if he can overcome that, it would silence many critics. The next step for Stanton will be to handle the pressure of the postseason. He looked much more comfortable in 2019, even as he was hampered with injuries, the Minnesota Twins avoided throwing him strikes and he was able to smash a homer off of former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke.

While Stanton is set to be in pinstripes for the long haul, 2020 could change the unfair perception that follows him. The pressure is on and it will only get greater if he cannot put together the season fans are clamoring for.