5 Bold Predictions for the New York Yankees' 2017 Season
April is all about hope across MLB. Even teams with no realistic shot at the playoffs can dream about an improbable run. That's the beauty of a 162-game adventure.
It's also a time for prognosticators like yours truly to make bold predictions. A lot of them will inevitably be wrong, but that's part of the fun.
With that in mind, let's train our focus on the New York Yankees, one of the more interesting clubs in baseball.
Perennial big-spending bullies, this year the Yanks are embracing a youth movement and keeping an eye on the future. At the same time, there are veteran pieces all over the roster, and New York will look to compete in the crowded, noisy American League East.
There's your context. Now, on to the bold predictions.
Gleyber Torres Will Pull a Gary Sanchez
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Last season, rookie catcher Gary Sanchez arrived in the Bronx in early August and made himself comfortable, to say the least.
In 53 games with the Yankees, the 24-year-old backstop hit 20 homers with a 1.032 OPS.
"I didn't even believe what was happening with all the home runs I was hitting," Sanchez told me in November. "I didn't expect to have that type of first few weeks in the big leagues."
Can another kid from the Yankees' deep farm system repeat the trick in 2017?
It says here the answer is yes, and that his name will be Gleyber Torres.
The 20-year-old infield prospect is starting the season at Double-A Trenton, where he'll get reps at second base, third base and shortstop, per Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News.
After winning Arizona Fall League MVP honors at age 19 and burning through the Grapefruit League this spring, Torres could push his way onto the big league roster this summer.
He's already shown he can hit elite pitching. If he does it in the heat of a playoff race in baseball's biggest market, the Sanchez comparisons will be unavoidable and the Derek Jeter comps will sure follow.
Michael Pineda Will Be an All-Star
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Michael Pineda has been one big enigma since breaking into the big leagues in 2011.
The imposing right-hander has bat-missing stuff and led the American League with 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings in 2016.
He also struggled with his command and posted a 4.82 ERA 175.2 innings.
Now, at age 28, Pineda is entering a contract year. If ever there were a moment for him to put it all together, this is it.
Pineda had a typically mixed spring, striking out 21 in 16.2 innings but also allowing 11 hits and eight earned runs.
"I just need to attack the zone and throw my best pitch and finish it off," he said after his final exhibition outing, per Mazzeo. "It's still pitching."
It's entirely possible the Pineda we've seen is the Pineda we'll get. I'll go out on a limb, however, and predict a strong enough first half to warrant an All-Star nod.
Those contract years can be quite the motivator.
Aaron Judge Will Be Sent Down
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Not every touted young player can hit the big leagues running and never look back. Some struggle, and Aaron Judge may be one of them.
The 24-year-old is a physical specimen who calls to mind the Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Santon, and he won the right field job by hitting .333 this spring with three home runs.
He scuffled last season in a 27-game audition, however, hitting 179 and striking out 42 times.
Those whiffing ways followed him into the Grapefruit League, as he struck out 10 times in 19 at-bats.
High-strikeout, big-power guys have a place in MLB (just ask Judge's veteran teammate, Chris Carter), but the development path can be bumpy.
The Yankees have options on the depth chart, including Aaron Hicks, and other talented young outfielders such as Clint Frazier waiting in the minors.
None of that is to say Judge won't have a productive MLB career. Manager Joe Girardi indicated the team will have patience.
"[It's] not going to be a day-to-day basis, a week-to-week basis," said Girardi, per Billy Witz of the New York Times. "This kid is going to play."
At the same time, Girardi acknowledged, "this is a performance-based business, so you have to perform."
If Judge doesn't for an extended period, more seasoning in the minors might ultimately be the cure.
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Joe Girardi Will Win AL Manager of the Year
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Speaking of Girardi, I'll repeat the prediction I made here and tap him as the 2017 AL Manager of the Year.
He'll have competition from the likes of the Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox's John Farrell and Houston Astros' A.J. Hinch, assuming those three teams deliver on the hype and win their respective divisions.
Girardi is in a strong position, however, as he guides a young(ish) club with tempered expectations.
If the Yankees finish a distant second to the Red Sox but stay in the playoff hunt and steal a wild-card spot—something they're fully capable of doing—Girardi will be a sexy pick to win his second MOY award.
Voters often favor managers who get more with less, and somehow that applies to the skipper of the New York freakin' Yankees. What a world.
Masahiro Tanaka Will Win the AL Cy Young Award
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Sticking with predictions I already made, I'll repeat myself again and tap Masahiro Tanaka as the 2017 AL Cy Young Award winner.
The Japanese ace is coming off his best campaign on U.S. soil and is beginning to bury the injury concerns that marred his early MLB tenure. He also has an opt-out clause after this season, meaning he could be pitching for a massive new payday.
He was nothing short of brilliant this spring, striking out 28 in 23.2 innings while yielding just one earned run.
Yeah, yeah, he had a rough Opening Day start, after which he called himself "awful," per Mazzeo.
Here's betting he rights the ship and pitches like the stud from last season.
If he does, he'll bolster the Yanks' playoff chances and put himself squarely in the AL Cy Young conversation with luminaries such as the Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander and Boston's Chris Sale.
All statistics current as of Tuesday and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.
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