Quote:
Originally Posted by Caporegime
LOL! I almost forgot why I wandered in here. Let's have some predictions here! 
I'm really concerned about Severino's health right now, but, overall, I'm really feeling optimistic about Yanks this season. I don't know if they can reach 100 wins again, but 96-98 wins is definitely doable. Therefore, I'll go with:
97-65
Whether or not the Red Sox come back down to earth is another matter. I think they will. It'll be a tight squeeze, but I'll take the Yanks to win their division with those 97 handshakes.  |
You're a bit more optimistic than ESPN, who has them at 94-68 and "second in AL East" (BoSox: 98-64).
I usually don't make predictions - I tend to be wrong by a lot and usually pessimistic - but I will say this: Barring injuries of course, the Yankees should be even better than last year, on paper.
Better starting rotation, a fabulous bullpen, kids coming into their own (Andujar and Torres), two good and experienced infielders added (LeMahieu and Tulowitski) with another one due back (Gregorius), at least one guy able to play 1B and hit (Bird or Voit), a catcher who is slowly getting better defensively and who cannot help be better at the plate than last year (Sanchez), a solid outfield with one guy who is due for a monster season (Judge or Stanton or both).
The club won 100 games last year before these upgrades! So, it's hard not to agree with your prediction of 97-65.
But you know how it goes in baseball. When you think something is a "can't miss," that's when it misses. Injuries we mentioned. Prolonged slumps are something else. How many wins will they end up with if Judge and Stanton bat .220? What if Sanchez actually is as bad as he has looked for the past year and a half at the plate? What if Severino is really a flash in the pan or Paxton does a Sonny Gray?
That said, I am looking forward to this season for sure. Let's enjoy it.
