Crystal Ball Time for 2019

Gary Sanchez and Miguel Andujar will be fitted for rings before this year is out. Two of the young Yankees core players who can look forward to another season-long battle with Boston for the AL East, and probably another playoff showdown as well. But this year should turn out differently. Sanchez and Andujar will prove GM Brian Cashman's wisdomin not swappin them out for, say, JT Realmuto and Manny Machado. Add former Mariner James Paxton to the rotation, resurgent Troy Tulowitzki temporarily at shortstop and Zack Britton and Adam Ottavino to the bullpen and you have the recipe for over 100 wins and a two or three game advantage over the World Champion Red Sox.
One more incentive for the Boys from the Bronx to bring home a pennant: as the final season of the 2010s begins, the Yankees want to continue their unprecedented record of having appeared in a World Series at least once in nine consecutive decades. A trip to this year's fall classic will make a "perfect" 10.

There'll still be plenty to buzz about in Boston, as the Red Sox defend their fourth championship of the century. But the absence of closer Craig Kimbrel and setup man Joe Kelly will be felt.

My AL post-season picks:
Yankees/Indians/Astros (wild cards) Red Sox/Twins.

The National League story starts with the powerhouse East division, where the heavily rebuilt Mets and Phillies battle the young and talented Braves and the perennially contending Nationals -- who, in effect, traded Bryce Harper for a third top-flite starting pitcher in Patrick Corbin. My hunch is that the Nats and Mets changes have the best chance to pay off: Washington still boasts everyday standouts such as Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner and rising star outfielders Juan Soto and Victor Robles to go with that frontline pitching. The Mets brought in Robinson Cano, Wilson Ramos and power hitting rookie Pete Alonso to upgrade their lineup and Edwin Ramos to firm up the bullpen. Tack on a rotation as impressive as the Nats, that begins with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler, and you have a couple of 90-win clubs.
Starting pitching is what separates New York and Washington from Atlanta and Philadelphia. The Braves have a balanced lineup with no obvious weak spots -- NL Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Junior and veteran Freddie Freeman are just two names that grab your attention. But injuries have thinned out a less than stellar rotation where veteran Julio Teheran is the only given. The Phils spent a ton of money and prospects to land Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen. But GM Matt Klentak was outbid for Corbin by Washington's Mike Rizzo. The Phils failed to land another other quality starting pitching. Once you get past young ace Aaron Nola, the Phils present more question marks on the mound than reasons for confidence. What they're left with are akin to the '85 Yankees, an offensive powerhouse that lacks the pitching to make the post-season.

My NL post-season choices:
Nationals/Brewers/Dodgers (wild cards) Mets/Rockies.

Let's match the Yanks and Nats in the World Series with New York pulling it out in six.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rare Remnant of a Lost Ballpark

Image
When the subject of baseball in Brooklyn comes up, the discussion centers around Ebbets Field, the Flatbush venue most famously home to The Boys of Summer.  Those legendary 1940s and '50s teams that featured such historic and beloved players as Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges. Ebbets Field hosted its last major league game in 1957 and was torn down during the winter of 1960. But decades earlier, just before World War One, the Dodgers were based in the Park Slope area and played at Washington Park.  Once they moved out, the land was occupied by another stadium, which housed a different franchise.  The upstart Federal League, which played in the 1914 and '15 seasons, had a Brooklyn team called the TipTops.  Owned by a local baking magnate Robert Ward, whose company produced TipTop bread, the club took over the abandoned lot along 3rd Avenue and built a new brick and steel venue. The only no-hitter in the Federal League's two...
Read more

Will He Wear Zero in the Bronx?

Image
The Yankees bolstered their starting rotation with Thursday's signing of Marcus Stroman .  The Long Island native, who spent 2019 and '21 with the Mets before moving onto the Cubs, brings a 77-76 career record to the Bronx, along with a recent loyalty to uniform number (?) zero.  If he requests that, he'd become the third Yank to wear it, following the path of Adam Ottavino and Domingo German.  Of course, neither of their Yankee tenures ended all that well -- Ottavino struggled badly in 2020, before reviving his career with the Red Sox and Mets; German's alcohol and domestic violence issues sabotaged such Yankee highlights as last year's perfect game. Can a number truly be lucky? You can understand kids in little league or high school ball wanting to wear 2 in honor of Derek Jeter or 7 for Mickey Mantle.  But is there an heroic ballplayer associated with 0?  The closest I recall comes from pro football, where the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame center Jim Otto wore...
Read more

Spring Training Flashbacks: Subway Series, Florida Style - 2016

Image
It's a return visit to the Mets' Florida home in Port St. Lucie, this time for a 2016 showdown with the Yankees. (Below), Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman chat during batting practice. Aaron Judge and Rob Refsnyder have their game faces on in the dugout... though neither would be in the starting lineup. (Above) A couple of Brooklyn natives that made their mark in New York baseball -- Lee Mazzilli and John Franco. (Below) Mets pitcher Josh Smoker makes friends by signing a few autographs. (Above) Mets reliever Jeurys Familia; (Below) 2nd baseman Neil Walker (Above) Curtis Granderson, one of the select few players to star for both the Yankees and Mets, getting ready for his third summer at Citi Field. (Below) Aaron Hicks came to the Yankees in a trade the previous November. 3rd baseman Chase Headley enjoying the Grapefruit League vibe, even against Mets ace Jacob deGrom. (Above) Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes watches where he hit one... so does Joe Girardi from the visitor's dugou...
Read more