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For more than a month at the end of last season, while they were unnecessarily trying to regain the Red Sox, the Yankees have deployed an unsatisfactory squad of fellow Shane Robinson and the career investor. Neil Walker.
Aaron Judge had his wrist fractured at the end of July, Giancarlo Stanton was suffering from enough leg injuries to reduce him mainly to a DH and the Yankees had traded much of the depth of their minor league championship, including a contract with Toronto for JA in July. That's what cost Billy McKinney. The acquisition of Andrew McCutchen on the last day of August finally solved the problem of depth.
The 2019 Yankees have instead suffered more shots on the outside than the 2018 team. The judge missed two months due to an oblique injury, Aaron Hicks has endured two assists of IL totaling 2 ¹ / ₂ months and Stanton played a little more than Jacoby Ellsbury (do you remember him?).
Still, the field as a whole was as productive as last season, while it was one of the best of the majors: a record of 835 points in 2019 against 0.812 last year and a all 22.2 games against 23.8 last season. . Additions such as Cameron Maybin and Mike Tauchman helped the Yankees avoid the need to force-feed a Walker guy or deform Robinson. Maybin and Tauchman combined for a draw of 853 and 3.5 wins over (Fangraphs) in 504 on Wednesday, compared to 0.87 and 3.6 WAR in 589 games for Bryce Harper, which many fans and representatives of media insisted on the Yankees. sign the last offseason.
This could leave complicated decisions for Aaron Boone on how to align the post-season and for Brian Cashman on how to build the outfield. Both projects are complicated by the position of other Yank players in 2020 – for example, Miguel Andujar will return, Didi Gregorius will be re-signed, the Yankees see Mike Ford as a real contributor?
The only sure thing for October and next April is the judge, who scored a two-run homer and threw a runner on the second Wednesday night as the Yankees defeated the Rangers 4-1.
Otherwise, here is a 20-20 forecast for the 2020 field:
Clint FrazierIt will continue to be used as bait for trade, especially as a starter. But just to put it in perspective – for the impatient Frazier too – the Kyle Tucker (225) of the Astros and Alex Verdugo (208) of the Dodgers have endured almost as many Triple-A games as Frazier (213) and have both produced at a higher level. level. But that's life when you play with stacked superpower – it's hard to intervene.
The difference is the age, Frazier will be 25 on Friday, Verdugo 23 and Tucker 22 years. Both are resolutely in the plans of their teams next year. Frazier still has a minor league option and could be at the mercy of several factors such as …
Brett Gardner: Will Gardner retire? Will the Yankees decide not to bring him back? Gardner has one of his best seasons at 36 years old. Not only does he seek power, but he plays at the center of the field at a high level. In addition, he is a key clubhouse executive, who could grow in importance with the retirement of CC Sabathia.
HicksThe Yankees may miss this $ 70 million seven-year extension that allowed Hicks not to enter the free agent market. He failed to stay healthy. Could the Yanks buy it in the offseason to save money and try to retain Gregorius more easily and / or have Gerrit Cole signed? Would the teams be interested in the talented but fragile hitter? Are the Yankees thinking that Gardner and Tauchman could cover the job well?
Maybin: His strong performance since his purchase from the Indians in late April should allow Maybin to sign a contract with a major league in 2020, no less than a reserve outfielder. Unless the Yankees move a few pieces, it's hard to see them bring Maybin back.
StantonHe is 30 in November and a series of leg injuries this season have raised fears of being unable to play in the field for long periods. But the designated hitter is the best spot of Luke Voit and Ford. And here's a memory: the Yankees love Edwin Encarnacion not only as a hitter, but as a member of this group. It's hard to see how Basque Yanks returns to him as a free agent, especially if they think Stanton can not play the outside field regularly.
Tauchman: Like Gardner, he is left-handed, reads the attack zone well and can play the above-average three-field spot. It provides more power and less speed, but since it is not even eligible for arbitration before 2021, Tauchman is not worse than a fourth field option. But if the Yankees believe that what they saw this year is real, can Tauchman be more, allowing them to get away from Gardner or even exchange Hicks?
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