TAMPA — This is an optimistic part of the major league calendar. A time when new players and a restructured philosophy become the formula for maximizing victory. Everyone is either in the best shape of their lives, way ahead of schedule on their injury calendars, or just coming off the driveline with a new pitch or a new swing approach.
If you can’t get excited right now, you’re probably an Athletics or White Sox fan. But on the day of the pitcher and catcher report, when Aaron Boone summed up the organization’s sentiment as, “We’re committed to being champions,”… well, sure, why not? Is not it? After all, adding Juan Soto to Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge forms a big three that even the Phoenix Suns can admire.
And make no mistake, if Cole is unbeatable, if Judge plays more than 150 games, if Soto is undaunted by New York and his four-ball year, then from Steinbrenner Field in February to Canyon of Heroes in November. The distance between the two will attract even more attention.
But this isn’t basketball. So more work will be needed to realize Boone’s vision, he said, adding, “I hope that ultimately we can get that trophy.” They have a talented group of veterans behind the big three, which has some positives, but also some red flags in terms of physicality and personality. And to become the team they want to be in 2024, and to move forward even further, the Yankees need a farm-he pipeline that provides more production than they’ve had over the past two decades.
“When you look at the league right now, the really good clubs and the clubs that are suited for a long period of time have a homegrown influence,” Cole said Wednesday in his newly renovated home clubhouse at Steinbrenner Field. Ta. “The best teams develop their players. Forget about the money. The best teams acquire players through the draft, and they become 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 WAR type players and consistently perform. .”
Not all young players are homegrown. However, for some context, the top 10 teams in positional WAR (FanGraphs) for players 29 and under all have winning records, led by his 34.2 for the Braves. The Yankees had a 5.8, which was better than the Rockies and White Sox and slightly better than the Athletics. Therefore, they will be surrounded by three of the four teams that lost at least 100 games in 2023.
Ten of the top 11 WAR pitchers under the age of 29 had winning records. The Yankees were 22nd with 5.5, with 2.2 of those coming from Michael King, who was key to signing Soto.
Since the core four, the Yankees’ development ability has been so-so at best. He was very good at delivering quantity to the majors while limiting above-average quality. In the long run, it’s an easier decision for Hal Steinbrenner (which made it easier to carefully fill out the roster to keep Soto, for example).
The Soto trade was part of a recent trend focused on acquiring veteran pitching prospects, such as Andrew Benintendi, Frankie Montas, Anthony Rizzo, Jameson Taillon and Alex Verdugo.
King, Johnny Brito and Randy Vazquez gave the Yankees 232/3 innings and a 3.37 ERA last year and were selected in the Soto trade along with highly regarded Drew Thorpe, who will be called up this year. He should have been one of the first options. Year. Even if Nestor Cortés and Carlos Rodon have rebound years, would you bet they’ll start more than 40 games combined? The Yanks have had at least 11 starters every 162 games a season since 2016 ( (including openers).
They re-signed Luke Weaver, who impressed late in the season, and seem encouraged by the potential surprise of non-roster invitee Cody Poteet. From the Yankees’ system, Will Warren is ready, Chase Hampton is ready, and Clayton Beater and Lewis Gil appear to be at a level where they can prove they are starters rather than relievers. I am.
With the Yankees, relievers generally don’t have to worry about it. The Yankees are great at finding talent and upgrading it, and they have a group of non-roster teams with the names of Nick Vardy, Joey Garber, and Art Warren being actively mentioned.
However, they lacked a similar touch positionally.
Boone said he expects the Yankees to return from their dire situation to an “elite offense.” But Judge and Soto alone won’t get you to the elite. At least two of his players, DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton, must be healthy and productive. And youth must be even more of a factor.
For example, could Anthony Volpe lower his strikeout rate to, say, 23-24 percent and increase his OPS toward the MLB average of .734? If so, his speed will increase further and his influence will expand. Will Austin Wells be able to catch the left-handed hitter who showed flashes of brilliance late last year well enough to put him in the lineup regularly? Can Jason Dominguez regain his health after Tommy John surgery and provide some spark midseason? Will Oswaldo Cabrera be a more versatile switch-hitter in 2022 than he was last season? While Spencer Jones infiltrates the majors to justify a trade the Yankees didn’t include him in, will Oswaldo Peraza and Everson Pereira at least be capable when their number is called?
Will the Yankees be as optimistic as they are today in 10 weeks, and 10 weeks after that?
