Yankees: 3 Players Who Could Struggle in Shortened Season

Let’s not ignore the fact there are some Yankees who could struggle in 2020’s 60-game season.

The impending 60-game MLB season will be a major adjustment for every player on the New York Yankees. With a long layoff and stop-and-go “spring training,” many players may find themselves out of rhythm as their normal routines and lives have been uprooted thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York is loaded with superstar talent and depth up and down the roster. On paper, the Yankees are the team to beat in the American League. But the circumstances are different and plenty of players on the Yankees could get off to a slow start and end up crawling through the finish line of this 60-game sprint.

Often, big leaguers have a tendency to start slow, even perennial All-Stars. Think of former Yankees’ first baseman Mark Teixeira who consistently needed a month or so to start swinging the bat well. While in a 162-game season a rough 30-game stretch is hardly a concern, a few bad weeks could be a disaster during the shortened 2020 campaign.

At the same time, 2019 led to a preposterous amount of injuries for the Yankees. Although New York appears to be in good shape health-wise, there’s no telling how players will respond in live game action after missing a lot of time last year. If players aren’t able to get the feel quickly, 2020 could turn into another lost season for a number of Yankees.

Let’s not forget to take into account the endless list of things that players will need to deal with in 2020: the lack of energy a home crowd can bring and life in quarantine without seeing family or friends for an extended period of time, just to name a couple.

While we’re hoping this is far from the case, here are three Yankees who could be adversely affected by the unusual circumstances.

3. Gerrit Cole

The Yankees’ new ace may need a few starts before he feels comfortable.

Although every player will be faced with unfamiliar surroundings when the 2020 season begins, Gerrit Cole will also be debuting as the newest Yankees superstar. Like other big-name players on the move this offseason (Mookie Betts and Josh Donaldson), Cole will need a few games to become familiar with his new situation.

Remember C.C. Sabathia back in 2009? In his first start, the left-hander allowed six earned runs to the Baltimore Orioles. After a month in pinstripes, his 4.85 ERA in 39 innings was concerning.

Of course, things would turn around for Sabathia and he would become a staple in the rotation for a decade, but the early-season struggles were well-documented for the high-priced free agent.

Unfortunately for Cole, the shortened season will amplify his struggles. If he’s sitting with an ERA in the high-4s a month into the season, you can bet the Yankees fan base will be at DEFCON level 5. Let’s also not forget his wife, Amy, just gave birth to their first child, so Cole will (likely) be away from his son for most of the year. That could affect his mental state.

Statistically, Cole has proven to be a quick starter. In the months of March and April, he has a 2.85 ERA in 202.1 innings, with his second-best per month WHIP of 1.05. We’re sure hoping his penchant for pitching in high-stakes situations translates quickly, because every game matters.

1. Giancarlo Stanton

Pressure and health could hold Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton back in 2020.

After spending the last couple of months recovering from a calf injury, Giancarlo Stanton will enter the new campaign relatively healthy and ready for his 2020 redemption tour. Still, Stanton won’t exactly be at 100%. General manager Brian Cashman noted that Stanton is a DH candidate rather than an outfield option to begin the year.

Regardless of that, Stanton has been a slow starter at the plate for much of his career.

When looking at month-by-month career splits, the first month of the season is when Stanton is at his worst. He has the lowest OPS, home run and RBI total in March/April when compared to any other month.

In his first season in New York, Stanton exploded for a pair of home runs in his first game with the Yankees but fell off a cliff with his average hovering around .230 roughly 40 games into the season. While Stanton erupted to begin his 2017 MVP season, that hot start looks more like an anomaly when looking at the rest of his career.

He also enters 2020 with more pressure than any position player on the roster. While demanding Yankees fans may not be in the stands to let their voice be heard, Stanton’s career in pinstripes hasn’t gotten off to a great start.

In 2018, he was a disaster in the playoffs, posting a dreadful .444 OPS in the Division Series against the Boston Red Sox, managing just four hits, zero walks, zero extra-base hits and zero RBI.

In the following season, he played in just 18 regular-season games due to injury, which had fans wondering if the Yankees made the right decision to add his $300 million contract to the payroll.

With all of the pressure on his shoulders, lack of game reps for an entire year, and his tendency to begin the season slowly, Stanton is one of the top candidates on the Yankees to struggle in the 60-game sprint.