Yankees: 2020 Team Award Predictions

Predicting which Yankees will take home team awards at the end of the season.

New York Yankees baseball is just days away and we wanted to project which players will be taking home our hypothetical team awards when the 60-game Major League Baseball sprint is completed.

The Yankees are loaded with talent, so choosing who will come home with an MVP Award is certainly tough, especially after DJ LeMahieu, who was certainly the team’s MVP last season, came out of nowhere.

And that’s just the tip if the iceberg!

In such a short season, the Yankees could be led by a few under-the-radar names who are able to keep a hot streak lasting just long enough. Also, veterans who may normally run out of gas by September will be finding their groove as the season reaches its peak.

With so much uncertainty, projecting the winners showed how unique this season could turn out to be. Without further ado, here’s my best guess at some Yankees team awards for the 2020 campaign.

Comeback Player: Miguel Andujar

Miguel Andujar will be the Yankees’ best comeback story.

Seeing Miguel Andujar in Summer Camp and the televised intrasquad games has been a joy. It seems like it’s been years since Andujar was enjoying one of the best rookie campaigns in franchise history.

After an injury forced him to miss nearly all of the 2019 season, Andujar found himself without a solidified role as veteran third baseman Gio Urshela put up career numbers as his replacement.

As the offseason wore on, rumors and Twitter chatter about Andujar-centered trade packages were nonstop. Despite putting up a .297/.328/.527 line with 27 homers and 92 RBIs in 2018, Andujar was an expendable piece in the minds of pundits and fans.

I believe Andujar is set to explode onto the scene this season. He has received extended work at multiple positions with the long layoff and could be a Swiss Army knife for Boone if he’s able to prove he’s versatile on defense.

While Giancarlo Stanton is another top choice to take home this award, Andujar has a chance to display his value on defense and remind everyone of his potent bat.

Reliever of the Year: Zack Britton

This bullpen weapon will stand out for the Yankees in 2020.

Even before Aroldis Champan tested positive for COVID-19, Zack Britton was my pick for reliever of the year. Now that he will likely serve as the closer if Chapman misses time, I really like his chances.

The sinker baller has been a tremendous asset for New York since he first donned pinstripes in 2018. Last season, he led the Majors (among relievers) in ground ball percentage (77.2%) and finished in the top 10 in BABIP (.224) and ERA (1.91).

I wrote about Britton flying under the radar heading into the 2020 season in June and I still don’t think he has received the recognition he deserves. Maybe it’s because of the qualities of other relievers in pinstripes. Take Tommy Kahnle’s personality or Adam Ottavino’s sweeping slider, for example.

Regardless, Britton will use the 60-game sprint to show why he’s the team’s top arm out of the ‘pen in 2020.

Another factor behind what should be another stellar season for Britton is his contract situation. Britton has a player option for the 2021 season worth $13 million and then a team option worth $14 million for the 2022 season. How will this play out?

Free agency could be a significant gamble with the financial implications of the pandemic, but if he has another stellar year, he could convince another team to pay him the big bucks on another new deal.

Cy Young: Gerrit Cole

New York’s free agency big splash will pay off in 2020.

I’m sticking with the favorite for this award.

Gerrit Cole is the obvious pick after dominating the American League in 2019. He tossed 212.1 innings and led the league with 326 strikeouts (13.82 K/9) and a 7.4 WAR.

But enough of the stats. Yankees fans have heard of how great Cole was with Houston a year ago and witnessed his dominance firsthand in Game 3 of the ALCS when he threw seven shutout innings of ball.

This past offseason, Cole won over Yankees fans at his introductory press conference. As the grueling wait to see him toe the rubber continues, his strong performances in intrasquad games have held everyone over.

However, I did note in a previous post that Cole could get off to a slow start to begin the 2020 campaign a la CC Sabathia in 2009. He will be in an unfamiliar environment in the Bronx and the pressure will be intense, even without 45,000 anxious fans in the stands.

Still, a slow start won’t be the end of the road for Cole, who could find his groove and quickly earn his enormous paycheck as the Yankees’ new ace.

MVP: Aaron Judge

Yankees OF Aaron Judge may earn the AL MVP award, too.

Leading up to the 2020 campaign, Aaron Judge is the favorite to take home the Yankees MVP Award. Health is on Judge’s side (at least for now) and that’s one of the biggest keys for the former Rookie of the Year.

Although Judge missed a chunk of last season and played through injuries when he did eventually return, he left no doubt about his superstar status.

Judge led the Bombers in wRC+ (141), wOBA (.382), and placed second behind DJ LeMahieu in WAR (4.6).

Defensively, Judge was also the best on the team in key sabermetric statistics including UZR, Defensive Runs Saved, and Defensive Runs Above Average. His strong, accurate arm out of right (displayed in a litany of highlight-reel plays, especially last postseason) makes his defense one of the most underrated aspects of his game.

Judge has developed into the leader of the clubhouse, which will certainly help his case for MVP. The Yankees’ ceiling can be reached if he can stay healthy and relive his near-perfect 2017 campaign.