Why the Yankees are off to a Slow Start in 2019
- AL East Report
- Apr 16, 2019
- 3 min read
By: Nathaniel Ascher
The 2019 MLB season has had many surprises so far. The Mariners and Rays have the best AL records and the reigning World Champion Boston Red Sox are 6-11. Furthermore, the Padres are ahead of schedule, and SP Dallas Keuchel and CP Craig Kimbrel still loom in the free agent market. On the AL East side of things, the Rays are way ahead of the pack and Chris Davis, not Khris Davis, is finally hitting the baseball. Here’s a breakdown of why the Yankees are off to a slow start in 2019:
The Yankees currently have the most players on the IL in the majors, and as a result, have to pretty much field a AAA lineup. Just a few hours ago, the Yankees moved 1B Greg Bird to the 10-day IL with a left plantar fascia tear and called up 1B Mike Bird. Their IL, formerly DL, consists of 11 players, many who are all-star caliber players. This includes SP Luis Severino, RP Dellin Betances, 3B Miguel Andujar, C Gary Sanchez, and OF Aaron Hicks. Not to mention, the 2017 NL MVP is also on the IL nursing a bicep injury. Nevertheless, the Yankees still have great players on the field, like RF Aaron Judge and SP James Paxton, but their multitude of injuries leaves them with all of their depth currently in the majors. Thus, it’s as if the Yankees took a train across town and stole the Mets’ medical staff. It’s gotten to the point where some believe that the Yankees IL is better than their current team. Take a look:
Yankees IL Lineup: Yankees Current Lineup:
CF Aaron Hicks CF Brett Gardner
RF Giancarlo Stanton RF Aaron Judge
SS Didi Gregorius 1B Luke Voit
C Gary Sanchez 2B DJ Lemahieu
3B Miguel Andujar SS Gleyber Torres
1B Greg Bird LF Clint Frazier
DH Jacoby Ellsbury DH Mike Ford
2B Troy Tulowitzki C Austin Romine
LF Estevan Florial 3B Giovanny Urshela
SP Luis Severino SP Masahiro Tanaka
I don’t know about you, but I’m taking the Yankees IL lineup over their current lineup. This is a major problem, and although not all of their current injuries are serious, some are of noteworthy. SP Luis Severino just got pushed back another few weeks, as did RP Dellin Betances. SS Didi Gregorius and SP Jordan Montgomery will be out until at least the All-Star break, while injury prone players such as C Gary Sanchez and 1B Greg Bird can’t be trusted to come back 100% healthy.
On the other hand, the Yankees current best players aren’t off to such a great start themselves. RF Aaron Judge is only hitting .278 with 4 home runs, while SP James Paxton is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA. Furthermore, 1B Luke Voit is hitting a mere .204 as his OF Brett Gardner, who is hitting .190. With all of their injuries, the Yankees simply need more production from their current stars.
Overall, Yankees fans shouldn’t be too worried, as they are pretty much fielding a AAA lineup. Nevertheless, not being able to win series against other AAA caliber teams like the Tigers and Orioles could be worrisome, as well as having their Ace and star shortstop out for an extended period of time. Personally, I would be more worried about teams like the Red Sox, Cubs, and Rockies, who are off to slow starts without having many injuries. This upcoming two game series between the Yankees and Red Sox in the Bronx could be a way for the Yanks to start building some momentum.
As a Yankees fan, I hope we are the Bronx Bombers and not the Bronx Bummers in 2019.
Comments