Yankees Fans: Here’s your chance to weigh in on how the team and its players will fare in 2020. Cast your votes and see results. Here we go – you’re up!
Intro – Question 1 Gerrit Cole figures to draw the best each opposing team has to offer. Runs in these games will be at a premium, and despite his usual seven-inning minimum effort, more than usual no-decisions are likely for the Yankees ace.
After a dismal 1st half, James Paxton turned it way up, going 10-2 to finish out 2019. The difference was mainly attributed to his perfection of one of baseball’s oddest curveball. Fully healed from back surgery, Paxton is expected to continue where he left off last September.
Intro – Question 2 To win 36 games, the Yankees will need to play .600 baseball, a feat that should be only a matter of foreplay. If they can, they’ll be remarkably close to the .640 won-lost percentage they had in 2019 when they posted 103 wins/
Intro – Question 3 Gary Sanchez has a football body trying to play baseball. Possessed with the strength of an upper torso that propels balls far and wide into the night, Sanchez has a penchant for twisty this, turning that, or pulling something else in his lower body.
None have his injuries have been serious enough to require surgery. Adding to the dilemma is his role as the Yankees regular catcher, a position that is susceptible to injury more than others.
Intro – Question 4 The Yankees bullpen is once again fully stocked and ready to reign supreme to all who come knocking.
But there’s always a guy who emerges from the pack as “The One” Aaron Boone trusts in all situations. Dellin Betances once earned that compliment, and he was followed by Chad Green. Will there be a changing of the guard in 2020?
Intro Question 5 Miguel Andujar has been earmarked by Aaron Boone as someone he’ll jump through hoops for just to get his bat in the Yankees lineup. Rapidly learning to play four positions not counting DH, Andujar can be slotted in on a rotating basis to provide him with at-bats.
Meanwhile, the saga of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton continues with respect to their inability to stay on the field. Both have been pronounced as healthy, but…
Intro Question 6 The Yankees are scheduled to meet their arch-rival New York Mets for an unprecedented six games in 2020.
Intro Question 7 Clint Frazier remains in Yankee purgatory for sins committed by a (then) immature young man seeking his place in the hallowed clubhouse of the Yankees.
He’s doing all the right things now, but does Brian Cashman see Frazier as a contributor in an overgrown Yankee outfield?
If a need develops, will Cashman finally pull the trigger on a deal involving Frazier? History says otherwise, but…
Intro Question 8 Many teams have decided to manufacture crowd noise in the absence of fans in the stands. The Mets are all-in while the Yankees have not issued an announcement on the matter.
Intro Question 9 According to the Sporting News, The on the Yankees to win the World Series is +250, while Mets are currently at +2500. This means that for every $100 wagered on either team, the respective return is $350 and $2600, provided your team wins.
Intro Question 10 In 2019, the Yankees set a major league record by sending 36 players at least once to the Injured List. Over 60 games, proportionately and to keep the same pace, the Yankees would need to have 14 players go on the IL in 2020.
If you would like to add an entry to this poll, feel free to contact me at stevecontursi@gmail.com. Please include answer choices, name (first at least), city, and state. I’ll notify you when it’s published.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
