2015 New York Yankees Preview

The 2014 Yankees campaign concluded with anxiety and disappointment, as New York said farewell to their captain, Derek Jeter, and to their hopes of reaching the postseason for the second consecutive season. After an exceptionally quiet offseason, the Yankees made little progress with the lineup and pitching rotation, but as the 2015 season begins this week, the concern is not only with the roster, but also with the health of the players in uniform.

Here's a breakdown of the 2015 New York Yankees:

The Lineup

The Yankees 2014 offseason additions included the bats of Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran, and after a season long list of injuries and slumps, the offense lacked production, which resulted in less runs scor
ed and abysmal hitting statistics. With Derek Jeter now in retirement, the Yankees traded for young D-Backs shortstop Didi Gregorious to fill the void, while also re-signing infielder Chase Headley after a successful few months in the Bronx after the trade deadline last summer.

While the home run numbers are expected to increase due to the number of lefties in the lineup, the questions remain in the health of the nine men in the lineup. In order to compete, Mark Teixeira must consistently hit and reach base safely, and both Ellsbury and Brett Gardner must increase their stolen base numbers to put the ducks out on the pond for the heart of the order to drive in runs. After serving a season long suspension in 2014, Alex Rodriguez will return to action this year, and with limited veteran leadership in the locker room, it will be interesting to see how Rodriguez handles the pressure and ridicule from fans, while also taking the role of a good teammate and individual to his team, coaching staff, and management.

The Pitching Staff and Pen

Of course, the concern stirring around ace Masahiro Tanaka stands as paramount. After investing roughly $170 million on the Japanese star last winter, it is only fair for the Yankee brass to closely examine the health of Tanaka's right elbow. Tanaka's rookie season in the Majors ended abruptly last July, as MRI's discovered a partially torn ulnar-collateral ligament in his right pitching elbow. While doctors did not recommend Tommy John surgery as necessary treatment to the injury, Tanaka's health has the potential to become a ticking time bomb. Pitch and innings limits may be the solution to avoid any ware and tear to the Yankees' most valuable arm.

In evaluating the remainder of the rotation, questions linger around the health of CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda. Sabathia is coming off the shortest season of his career (eight games) after suffering from knee discomfort last May. The discomfort led to season-ending arthroscopic knee surgery, and as Sabathia claims the injury was due to simple "ware and tear", the days of a strong and efficient CC may be behind us. When healthy (and playing by the rules), Michael Pineda showed promise in his approach on the mound in ten games last year (76.1 IP), posting an ERA under two (1.89), while also striking out 59 and walking only seven batters. Pineda will be living in the shadow of Tanaka, but his production may possibly be an x-factor to the success of the rotation. The fifth slot in the staff will remain up for grabs between Adam Warren, Chase Whitley, and other young guns, while the fourth slot is claimed by newcomer Nathan Eovaldi. Depending on the production of the fifth starter, he may be replaced by Ivan Nova, who is expected to return by mid-June after a ten month recovery from Tommy John surgery.

The Yankee bullpen appears to be the only potent force, as the addition of lefty specialist Andrew Miller brings promise to the late-inning situations. After losing closer David Robertson to free agency, the closing role will most likely belong to sophomore Dellin Betances, who is coming off an impressive All-Star rookie campaign. Despite disconcerting numbers this Spring, Betances is eager to take on the responsibility and pressures as a Major League closer, and the Yankees will go as far as Betances can bring them in the final innings. Hurlers David Carpenter, Justin Wilson, and Esmil Rogers will serve as the innings eaters if all else fails in the opening innings.

The Farm and Bench

After nearly forty days of Spring Training ball, the Yankees will appear to enter Opening Day with a limited amount of younger players, and with this decision, it is evident that the front office does not yet believe in the up and coming prospects to step up in spotlight. The popular names at the table consist of outfielders Aaron Judge, infielders Greg Bird and Rob Refsnyder, and pitcher Luis Severino. Regardless of the hype surrounding these names, Refsnyder stands as the only man worthy of making the active roster, as he has already served time in both Double-A and Triple-A ball. Both Williams and Bird have not yet reached Triple-A, which means their time in the Bronx is still a few seasons away. With Stephen Drew projected as the starting second baseman, an early injury to Drew could place Refsnyder in the hole, but expect the farm stars to see some action in the latter part of the season, unless injuries plague the team for the third straight year, forcing countless roster transactions.

With the Yankees expecting to carry twelve pitchers on the active 25-man roster, the
bench will most likely consist of four names: platoon infielders Garrett Jones and Gregorio Petit, catcher John Ryan Murphy, and outfielder Chris Young. Jones was an offseason snatch from Miami in a trade that included Nathan Eovaldi, and his left handed bat will serve some power with the left field porch of Yankee Stadium. Murphy will serve as the backup to McCann, after beating out Austin Romine for the role. The competition will remain throughout the entire year, as catcher Francisco Cervelli was traded to Pittsburgh last winter. The offensive production last season was down, so assume the Yankees will load up with depth at the plate.

Prediction

Consistency, depth, and health are the key contributing factors to the 2015 campaign, and if all goes according to plan, the Yankees will have the ability to remain in the mix to win the AL East. Of course, injuries are inevitable, and with the stars consistently serving time on the disabled list, the lack of talent will hurt the team in the long run. With a hefty amount of talent on the free agent market next winter, the Yankees will look to load up on pitching, and will build the lineup around prospects that are bound to make their name in the new generation of Yankees baseball. The AL East is annually up for grabs, but the Bronx Bombers are slowly dipping, and it will be difficult to place a successful product day in and day out on the field this season. Prediction: 83-79, 4th AL East.