A Realistic View at 2021: Part II

[jacksonianmarch]

Other teams will be facing the same sort of issues.

 

While our depth does not look great, it's better than the last 2 years, and we have hope in guys like Duran, Arauz, Munoz, Downs and others, as well as pitchers like Houck, Seabold, Bazardo and others.

 

I'm concerned, too. I'm hoping this doesn't turn into a firesale summer, but at least that would mean we'd likely be better in 2022 and beyond.

 

Sox depth or lack thereof is why you’re not sniffing the POs. You needed vintage ERod. You’re not even getting any ERod to start

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Sox depth or lack thereof is why you’re not sniffing the POs. You needed vintage ERod. You’re not even getting any ERod to start

 

Yankees are the favorites... to not have any more pitchers blow out elbows or home run hitters blow out knees. That will only happen to every other team.

[Bellhorn04]

E-Rod threw 36 pitches in the bullpen yesterday and said he felt good.

[Bellhorn04]

Sox depth or lack thereof is why you’re not sniffing the POs. You needed vintage ERod. You’re not even getting any ERod to start

 

You are really coming at us with a vengeance this year.

 

It's almost enough to make me wish for the Yankees to have unexpected difficulties and for the Jays to take the division...

[jacksonianmarch]

You are really coming at us with a vengeance this year.

 

It's almost enough to make me wish for the Yankees to have unexpected difficulties and for the Jays to take the division...

 

You don’t already hope Toronto takes the division? Cmon now.

 

But yes, this is the deepest and most complete Yankee team in a decade plus. I said the same last year and we improved. Sevy and Paxton going down hurt tremendously and the 60 game sprint didn’t help, but we did go to a deciding game vs the AL champs and lost by 1. Not really that far off from being in the WS. This year, far deeper team all over. Deeper rotation. Deeper pen (once Kahnle went down). The lineup should be better as well. I’m excited for 2021. We should make it to the WS and challenge the Dodgers for sure.

 

The only thing I’ve been correcting is the faint hint of optimism about your squad. This isn’t a sprint. There’s no chance of a .550 team through 60 games lucking into the POs. This is a full season with a weak team that has no depth and is already losing people. I have doubled down on it

[Bellhorn04]

You don’t already hope Toronto takes the division? Cmon now.

 

But yes, this is the deepest and most complete Yankee team in a decade plus. I said the same last year and we improved.

 

However, if someone wanted to go through your team one player at a team, they could find something negative about all of them except Cole and perhaps LeMahieu.

 

And you've already got some injury losses with Britton and Voit and possibly Wilson.

 

Kluber and Taillon are keys, and I believe they are on innings limits. And obviously there are injury concerns there.

 

Garcia flamed out in his latter spring games and was demoted.

 

Sevy? Who knows when or how good he'll be.

[notin]

Sevy? Who knows when or how good he'll be.

 

 

Fool!! Only Red Sox players have question marks upon returning from injury!! Yankee players are all like Steve Austin! They get rebuilt and come back better, stronger, faster...

[Bellhorn04]

Fool!! Only Red Sox players have question marks upon returning from injury!! Yankee players are all like Steve Austin! They get rebuilt and come back better, stronger, faster...

 

jax has a pair of glasses with rose-colored pinstripes he wears when he looks at them.

[notin]

You don’t already hope Toronto takes the division? Cmon now.

 

But yes, this is the deepest and most complete Yankee team in a decade plus. I said the same last year and we improved. Sevy and Paxton going down hurt tremendously and the 60 game sprint didn’t help, but we did go to a deciding game vs the AL champs and lost by 1. Not really that far off from being in the WS. This year, far deeper team all over. Deeper rotation. Deeper pen (once Kahnle went down). The lineup should be better as well. I’m excited for 2021. We should make it to the WS and challenge the Dodgers for sure.

 

The only thing I’ve been correcting is the faint hint of optimism about your squad. This isn’t a sprint. There’s no chance of a .550 team through 60 games lucking into the POs. This is a full season with a weak team that has no depth and is already losing people. I have doubled down on it

 

1. So you think going from .636 to .550 is an improvement?

 

2. A .550 team will win 89 games. With 2 wild cards, a team with a .550 winning percentage or below has made the postseason nearly every season...

[notin]

jax has a pair of glasses with rose-colored pinstripes he wears when he looks at them.

 

I have often called them pinstriped glasses...

[jacksonianmarch]

It’s all about the depth. Voit goes down, and Bruce and Ford are there to step up. Maybe we have Wade start at SS (great glove) move Torres to 2b and Lemahieu to 1b and roll with a stronger defensive infield?

 

Britton and Wilson goes down, Loaisiga and a slew of other high end rooks will be there to fill in. Garcia had a rough start to end the spring? He’s 21, it’ll happen. He’ll be back up. You question when Sevy will return, but laud Sale and his return. Sevy was operated on before Sale and is way ahead of him in his rehab, lol.

 

Our starting 5 looks dynamite heading into opening day. The lineup will still maul. And the division got decidedly worse with Tampa losing arguably their top two starters. I expect the Yanks to be wire to wire winners as does pretty much every MLB pundit

Edited March 28, 2021 by jacksonianmarch

[Bellhorn04]

It’s all about the depth. Voit goes down, and Bruce and Ford are there to step up.

 

Both of who hit below .200 last year. Yet you speak of them with enthusiasm. Kind of typical of the rose glasses thing.

[harmony]

1. So you think going from .636 to .550 is an improvement?

 

2. A .550 team will win 89 games. With 2 wild cards, a team with a .550 winning percentage or below has made the postseason nearly every season...

The long-suffering Seattle Mariners in 2018 notwithstanding:

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SEA/2018.shtml

 

[jacksonianmarch]

Both of who hit below .200 last year. Yet you speak of them with enthusiasm. Kind of typical of the rose glasses thing.

 

They sucked in a 60 game sprint. No two ways about it. But they’re big league depth and have a history of being useful on a big league roster. Can also use Estrada or Wade in the middle infield and move Lemahieu to 1b, thereby improving the defense. Also, Voit won’t be out long. A meniscectomy, as long as it isn’t complicated, is an ambulatory procedure with most people returning to normal activity in 4-6 weeks.

[jacksonianmarch]

Also, the .550 reference was for the Sox. They’re not winning 89 games. Not even close

[moonslav59]

Sox depth or lack thereof is why you’re not sniffing the POs. You needed vintage ERod. You’re not even getting any ERod to start

 

That's assuming a significant amount of injuries. Sure, starting off with Sale on the IL (known all along) and now seeing ERod & Brasier missing opening days does not look good, but it does not mean we will be seeing the amount of injuries the Yankees have seen the last 1-2 years.

 

I can see the fragility or Eovaldi and Richards, and the great unknown about the effects of COVID on ERod, but it's not a given we see a lot of missed time from our core group of players, and guys like Houck, Seabold, Duran, Arauz, Chavis, Marwin and a few others do have some promise. If we have to go beyond those guys, you are right- we are in deep doo-doo.

[moonslav59]

You don’t already hope Toronto takes the division? Cmon now.

 

But yes, this is the deepest and most complete Yankee team in a decade plus. I said the same last year and we improved. Sevy and Paxton going down hurt tremendously and the 60 game sprint didn’t help, but we did go to a deciding game vs the AL champs and lost by 1. Not really that far off from being in the WS. This year, far deeper team all over. Deeper rotation. Deeper pen (once Kahnle went down). The lineup should be better as well. I’m excited for 2021. We should make it to the WS and challenge the Dodgers for sure.

 

The only thing I’ve been correcting is the faint hint of optimism about your squad. This isn’t a sprint. There’s no chance of a .550 team through 60 games lucking into the POs. This is a full season with a weak team that has no depth and is already losing people. I have doubled down on it

 

You lost a lot of key players from the 2018-2020 teams. Yes, some gave you crap in 2020, but replacing Tanaka, Paxton and Happ with some guys with serious injury issues, mental issues and/or limited MLB experience does not mean you have clearly improved. Yes, you look "deeper," but deeper with many unknown commodities. Sevy should provide a big boost, and he is more likely to do well in 2021 than Sale, but he is not a given, either.

 

You guys are clearly the favorites in the AL East, but you were, last year, too.

 

I don't blame you for being optimistic, but your pessimism over the Sox seems to be more extreme than your optimism towards the Yanks. I get it: it's spring, but it's a long season.

[moonslav59]

 

Our starting 5 looks dynamite heading into opening day. The lineup will still maul. And the division got decidedly worse with Tampa losing arguably their top two starters.

 

How do you figure?

 

Yes, the Sox sucked,last year, but they clearly and decidedly improved by a lot.

 

The Jays got way better.

 

The O's stayed the same, more or less.

 

The Rays always surprise, despite looking worse on paper, but I agree, they got worse.

 

The Yanks play 4 other teams in the AL East- 2 got much better, one got worse and one stayed the same.

 

What's "decidedly worse" about that?

 

[moonslav59]

Also, the .550 reference was for the Sox. They’re not winning 89 games. Not even close

 

The point is, they don't have to win 89 to make the playoffs or to show vast improvement over a 2020 team on pace to win under 65 games.

[Bellhorn04]

How do you figure?

 

Yes, the Sox sucked,last year, but they clearly and decidedly improved by a lot.

 

The Jays got way better.

 

The O's stayed the same, more or less.

 

The Rays always surprise, despite looking worse on paper, but I agree, they got worse.

 

The Yanks play 4 other teams in the AL East- 2 got much better, one got worse and one stayed the same.

 

What's "decidedly worse" about that?

 

 

The Jays finished 1 back of the Yanks last year and added Springer and Semien. Yeah, decidedly worse!

[moonslav59]

The Jays finished 1 back of the Yanks last year and added Springer and Semien. Yeah, decidedly worse!

 

One could easily argue the Jays improved by more than the Yanks.

 

The Sox, too, but not by enough to realistically overtake the Yanks.

[moonslav59]

The great "depth" the Yankess now have is not from adding to their roster with signings or acquisitions. They actually lost Tanaka, Paxton and Happ and added Kluber and Taillon for a net loss of one pitcher.

 

The "added" depth is from their farm getting one year older and players returning from injury, namely Sevy's scheduled mid season return.

 

While I do see an improved depth from rising Yankee prospects and young pitchers, it is highly speculative in nature, as is all of these types of additions.

 

Having several promising youngsters in reserve sure beats having just Houck, Seabold and Ward, but nothing is a certainty with all of these young guys as well as Kluber and Taillon. Only Cole is a certainty.

 

They did add some outside depth to their pen in O'Day and Wilson, but both of them are not solid pen locks and may not make up for losing Ottavino, combined.

 

Added: Kluber, Taillon, O'Day & Wilson

 

Lost: Tanaka, Paxton, Ottavino & Happ.

 

(Sevy scheduled to return mid season.)

Edited March 28, 2021 by moonslav59

[jacksonianmarch]

Net loss of one pitcher? That’s absolutely idiotic. Paxton gave us nothing. Severino is going to come back. We lost Happ and Tanaka, replaced them with Kluber, Taillon and at least a half season of Sevy. I’ll take that trade

[jacksonianmarch]

The great "depth" the Yankess now have is not from adding to their roster with signings or acquisitions. They actually lost Tanaka, Paxton and Happ and added Kluber and Taillon for a net loss of one pitcher.

 

The "added" depth is from their farm getting one year older and players returning from injury, namely Sevy's scheduled mid season return.

 

While I do see an improved depth from rising Yankee prospects and young pitchers, it is highly speculative in nature, as is all of these types of additions.

 

Having several promising youngsters in reserve sure beats having just Houck, Seabold and Ward, but nothing is a certainty with all of these young guys as well as Kluber and Taillon. Only Cole is a certainty.

 

They did add some outside depth to their pen in O'Day and Wilson, but both of them are not solid pen locks and may not make up for losing Ottavino, combined.

 

Added: Kluber, Taillon, O'Day & Wilson

 

Lost: Tanaka, Paxton, Ottavino & Happ.

 

(Sevy scheduled to return mid season.)

 

Ottavino sucked last year. You have to also see the added value of having kids growing into bigger roles. Loaisiga, Nelson, King, eventually Schmidt and a slew of other high velocity relievers (or starters turned relievers) are going to spend time in our pen.

[Bellhorn04]

Ottavino sucked last year.

 

He had one bad game, basically.

 

But since he's on our team now, you're gonna go with that and throw out the rest of his career.

[Bellhorn04]

And Kluber labors badly in his final tune-up. Can't finish the third inning.

[Sox75]

You are really coming at us with a vengeance this year.

 

It's almost enough to make me wish for the Yankees to have unexpected difficulties and for the Jays to take the division...

 

All the best to him and his team!

 

I hope they are good!

 

and as the Red Sox re-take their historic rightful place as the clear underdog to the mighty Yankees, I will HOPE and PRAY against all ods, that we kick their mighty arsses!

 

Good luck, & let's get it on!

 

I know it's unrealistic, but I really believe the Sox are going to be in striking distance by the trade deadline. OUR Sox are going to keep his Yankees looking over their shoulders, and I hope we knock them out of a WS spot from the AL.

[Nick]

Is this the new Yankee mentality? They are gloating because on paper, they are better than the Sox? So that's their goal, now? Just to be ahead of Sox?

 

Sox mentality is this. We want world series championships. We get it that it probably won't be this year even if everything goes right. But Bloom is building a winner.

I don't really give damn about the Yankees. They've shown me that they're not good enough to win it all. They are the Atlanta Braves of 1990's.

[notin]

Net loss of one pitcher? That’s absolutely idiotic. Paxton gave us nothing. Severino is going to come back. We lost Happ and Tanaka, replaced them with Kluber, Taillon and at least a half season of Sevy. I’ll take that trade

 

There's a pretty good chance that either Kluber or Taillon gives the Yankees nothing this year, as well...

[moonslav59]

Net loss of one pitcher? That’s absolutely idiotic. Paxton gave us nothing. Severino is going to come back. We lost Happ and Tanaka, replaced them with Kluber, Taillon and at least a half season of Sevy. I’ll take that trade

 

I mentioned 2018 to 2020 not just last year, and Paxton gave you a lot over those years. You are looking solely at 2020, and that has merit.

 

However, when you look at the Sox, you seem to lessen the 2020 to 2021 comp and look more at the 2018 and 2019 Sox comp.

 

In 2020, we had no ERod or Sale. No Richards, Ottavino (his 2020 numbers do not dfefine who he is or will be), Cordero, Marwin, EHern, Andries and Sawamura.

 

We are clearly way better in 2021 than 2020- by more than you improved on paper.

 

We got way better. Yes, way better than 65 wins could be just 78-82 wins, but that's a bigger improvement than the Yanks will see.

 

The Jays also improved by more than the Yanks.

 

Your statement about the AL East getting decidedly worse is false- on paper.

 

Only the Rays got worse.