5 Yankees who are flying under the radar

A handful of Yankees are surprisingly entering the season without much buzz

With a team as star-studded as the New York Yankees, it’s no surprise that a handful of players are flying under the radar of late.

Just take a look at the roster, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, Aroldis Chapman… The list goes on and on.

Plus, the Yankees have had their fair share of headlines dating back to the winter of 2019. Can you believe we are approaching eight months without baseball?

With all of the news and notes from a brutally long offseason, it’s only natural for the hype surrounding a few players to dwindle.

The 2020 season is still up in the air but if baseball does return a number of Yankees will enter the season without much fanfare. Still, these players will play a critical role in the team’s success.

For some of these players, lengthy absences due to injury have made their abilities seem almost like a distant memory. Think back to just a season ago when the emergence of Gio Urshela made budding star Miguel Andujar turn into a luxury item.

At the same time, the introduction of a new star pitcher will help release the pressure for some Yankees stars. While the spotlight will still be on them, all eyes will be on Cole when he toes the slab.

As we continue to hope for baseball’s long-awaited return, let’s not forget how these players could help push the Yankees towards their 28th World Championship.

A handful of Yankees are entering the season without much buzz. Enter Zack Britton

P Zack Britton

An All-Star caliber reliever, Zack Britton often falls into the background of one of the organization’s biggest strengths, its unparalleled bullpen.

Why is Britton flying under the radar this season?

Maybe it’s because of Tommy Kahnle’s personality, Chad Green’s ability to pitch in multiple roles and Adam Ottavino’s Wiffle ball slider but Britton rarely makes the headlines.

Britton was arguably the Yankees’ best reliever in 2019. He appeared in 66 games, finishing in the top ten among relievers in BABIP (.224) and ERA (1.91), according to FanGraphs.

With his nasty sinker, Britton is a fantastic ground ball pitcher. He led all relievers in ground ball rate, with 77.8% of batted balls heading straight into the dirt. His ability to limit damage and allow his defense to make plays makes him a perfect setup man for the flame-throwing Aroldis Chapman.

Britton will have plenty to play for in 2020. New York has a team option that will keep Britton in town through the 2022 season at the end of the year. If the Yankees decline the option, Britton can either walk into free agency after this season or stick around for 2021.

With free agency looking like the Wild West,  at least for the time being, it would be in Britton’s best interest to force the front office’s hand with another strong year and make another $27 million over the next two seasons.

While he may not be the flashiest arm out of the pen he is certainly one of New York’s best weapons when they are looking to shut the door.

Perhaps it isn’t a coincidence that the biggest headline surrounding Britton was the spelling of his first name last year.

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is poised for another All-Star campaign

C Gary Sanchez

Four years ago, Gary Sanchez exploded onto the scene and dawned the Baby Bombers era. Since then, Sanchez’ career in pinstripes has been tumultuous, according to some pinstripe faithful and local columnists.

Sanchez was able to follow up his breakout rookie campaign with an All-Star 2017 but 2018 was a disaster. Sanchez battled injuries and struggled mightily on defense. His .186/.291/.406 slash line didn’t help alleviate his struggles defensively, either.

The player who helped push the franchise towards championship contention was turning into a scapegoat. Fans clamored about “laziness” and his inability to field his position. Although 2019 was an improvement, Sanchez disappeared in the postseason and took his fair share of flak following the Yankees heart-breaking ALCS exit.

That is exactly why Sanchez is flying under the radar heading into 2020. Take a look at other catchers around baseball. To complain about him being on the roster is irresponsible.  Offensively, Sanchez is elite. He led the league in home runs at the position and finished in the top five in OPS, .wOBA and RBIs among catchers.

The Yankees brought in a new catching coach, one of the best pitchers in baseball and should have a relatively healthy lineup to provide protection once the season returns. Defense may never be his strong suit but offensively, there may not be a catcher who is better than Sanchez.

Let us pump the brakes on Sanchez too. While many may argue that Sanchez is a free-swinging slugger who provides little behind the plate aside from his cannon arm, Sanchez is only 27. He is entering the prime of his career.

A superstar on nearly every other team, Sanchez is just another piece of the puzzle for the Yankees. It’s time to stop sleeping on “The Kraken.”

Aaron Hicks could help the Yankees in 2020 if baseball returns this summer

CF Aaron Hicks

Halfway through the 2019 season, Aaron Hicks was an afterthought. He began the season on the injured list, showed up for a few weeks, just so happened to make the best catch of the season and shortly after he would land back on the IL and it looked like his season was over.

Out of nowhere, Hicks would return for the playoffs and find himself in the middle of the Yankees order. Hicks would eventually need Tommy John surgery and it yet again put him on the backburner heading into the 2020 campaign, with expectations he would be back in the summer.

Thanks to the delayed start to the season, Hicks could be back in action once the season starts or shortly thereafter. The team’s best outfielder and one of it’s more patient hitters would be back.

Hicks’ diving catch in Minnesota last season displayed his range and a plethora of highlight-reel throws show off his otherworldly arm strength. Defensively, he is one of the best centerfielders in the league.

At the plate, Hicks won’t wow anyone but he is an on-base machine. He reached base via walk 90 times in 2018 (his last full season) and posted a solid .248/.366/.467. His 5.0 WAR was also the second-highest on the team, trailing only Judge.

With Judge’s health still in question and Brett Gardner and Mike Tauchman likely splitting time at centerfield, Hicks’ return is a welcomed one. Having Hicks in the lineup also creates more opportunities for Stanton and Judge to DH which will hopefully keep them healthy in 2020.

Jordan Montgomery has not been in the Yankees rotation since May 2018

P Jordan Montgomery

After the Yankees signed Gerrit Cole back in December it looked like the rotation was set. Alongside their new ace, Luis Severino, James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka would help lead the Yankees to the postseason.

That plan has quickly changed as Severino has undergone Tommy John surgery and James Paxton is working his way back from back surgery. Now, other pitchers will have to rise to the occasion.

Jordan Montgomery is one of those arms. Montgomery first entered the fold in 2017 as a largely unheralded prospect. He did appear to be a contributor but he was not discussed like counterparts Gleyber Torres and Luis Severino.

Still, Montgomery quickly solidified a role in the backend of the Yankees rotation. He made 29 starts, posting a 3.88 ERA in 155.1 innings.

A towering 6-foot-6-inch left-hander, Montgomery landed himself a spot in the rotation in just his second season. Montgomery didn’t have front-end expectations in 2018 but New York was counting on him to be on the bump every fifth day.

Montgomery would suffer a torn ulnar collateral ligament and require Tommy John surgery after making just six stars in 2018 and he would finally return in September of last season. His work last year was mostly a dress rehearsal for earlier this spring where he would compete for a rotation spot yet again.

The general consensus was that Montgomery was going to be the fourth starter in the rotation as Paxton healed. Now that the season is delayed, Montgomery is still in line for the final spot in the rotation.

It feels like a distant memory but Montgomery was productive when he was in the rotation. When looking at his numbers compared to J.A. Happ or C.C. Sabathia’s from a year ago, he could be an improvement at the backend of the rotation.