New York Yankees: What Will the Yankees' Roster Look Like in 5 Years?

The New York Yankees are an aging team that need an influx of young players from the minor leagues.

Players like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera will unfortunately be retired so who will step in and fill their shoes? Who will keep the Yankees in contention year in and year out?

The Yankees built their dynasty from 1996 to 2000 through a balance of homegrown talent and outside help via trades and free agency in order to win four World Series' in five years. The Yankees have the money to sign big name free agents but homegrown talent like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada were the backbone of the Yankees over the last 15 years.

What will the Yankees look like in five years? Lets find out.

Catcher: Gary Sanchez

2016 Projected Stats:

.275/.352/.485, .837 OPS, 24 HR, 97 RBI, 2 SB

Gary Sanchez will be the Yankees' catcher of the future. He is only 18 and is very raw, but he has shown that he can hit for both average and power. I would not be surprised if Gary Sanchez's bat becomes very similar to Jorge Posada's.

He also is good behind the plate, even though doesn't have the defensive potential of Romine. Still, he will be an above-average defensive catcher in the majors.

First Base: Mark Teixeira

2016 Projected Stats:

.283/.352/.475, .827OPS, 29HR, 103RBI, 0SB

Mark Teixeira's power will regress as he ages but as he becomes a more mature and patient hitter his batting average should rise dramatically. Lets just hope he does not try to hit a home run at every at-bat when his power does start to tail off.

Teixeira is signed through 2016 and in the final year of his contract I expect him to produce very well but his defense will sharply decline at and 36 years old the Yankees will let him go.

Second Base: Robinson Cano

2016 Projected Stats:

.331/.396/.567, .963OPS, 34HR, 122RBI, 4SB

Robinson Cano is a superstar and at 33 years old I expect he will hit his peak.

Cano's defensive range will decrease as he enters his early 30s but I expect his errors to dramatically decrease as he becomes a more experienced and sound defensive player.

Cano will unleash the potential we all knew he had. Cano had hit .342 and has hit 29HRs in his career but they were in separate seasons, I expect him to put it all together and become an even bigger threat in the heart of the Yankees' lineup.

Shortstop: Cito Culver

2016 Projected Stats:

.281/.353/.410, .763OPS, 11HR, 63RBI, 33 SB

Cito Culver was a surprise pick by the Yankees in the first round of the 2010 draft. While he will never hit many home runs, his offense is improving by the day. He is mostly known for his excellent defense, which is propelled by his excellent range and strong arm.

I can easily see Culver develop into a Gold Glove leadoff hitter who can be a menace on the basepaths.

Third Base: Evan Longoria

2016 Projected Stats:

.273/.368/.505, .873OPS, 32HR, 112RBI, 11SB

Alex Rodriguez will be under contract in 2016 but I cannot see him playing third base at 42 years old. At 42 years old his lateral quickness will be almost gone and the pop in his bat will also decrease due to his weak knees.

We will finally figure out what kind of person Alex Rodriguez is in 2016. Will he retire and leave his huge salary behind knowing he would only be a hindrance to the Yankees' organization or will he be greedy and be paid $40 million in the 2016 and 2017 to sit on the bench?

Evan Longoria is a great player and when he hits free agency in 2015 at only 29 years old expect the Yankees to bid very aggressively for his services. Dante Bichette, Jr looks promising but Longoria is just too good to not go after. Longoria has a great bat, 113 home runs in four years, but he also is an excellent defender. He has won two Gold Gloves and has a career 16.3UZR/150.

The Yankees will be getting the best third baseman in the majors in Evan Longoria and he will fit nicely into the Yankees lineup.

Left Field: Curtis Granderson

2016 Projected Stats:

.273/.369/.521, .890OPS, 31HR, 103RBI, 17SB

Curtis Granderson has made great plays in center field for the Yankees but he was not a consistent defender. He relied too much on his speed and took bad angles on balls. As his speed decreases with age he will be forced to move to left field.

Just like his defense, I expect Curtis Granderson's power to regress with age. He will still remain a threat near the top of the Yankees potent lineup.

Center Field: Slade Heathcott

2016 Projected Stats:

.279/.332/.435, .767OPS, 15HR, 72RBI, 16 SB

Before going down with a season-ending injury, Slade Heathcott was having a very good year. Heathcott will develop into a very good defensive center fielder and will have a nice bat in the majors if he can recover from his injury.

Heathcott has some big shoes to fill as the Yankees new center fielder but I think he is up for the job, especially defensively.

Right Field: Yoennis Cespedes

2016 Projected Stats:

.307/.367/.521, .888OPS, 29HR, 96RBI, 14SB

Yoennis Cespedes is the 26-year-old (maybe) Cuban defector who recently posted a 20 minute video on YouTube, watch here. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it.

Cespedes was on general managers' radars even before the video because he has shattered many Cuban records, but he did not explode in the media until this video went viral.

I expect the Yankees to be interested in Cespedes this winter and if they land him I expect Cespedes to become a legitimate All-Star.

DH: Jesus Montero

2016 Projected Stats:

.326/.398/.593, .991OPS, 41HR, 126RBI, 2SB

I may be overreacting to a great 2011 season with these projections but I think Jesus Montero is the real deal. Not only did he hit for incredible power, especially the other way which should help him with a short right porch in Yankee Stadium, but he also hit for surprisingly good contact.

Jesus Montero will become a superstart in the majors and I believe he will be the first DH to ever win the MVP Award, he is that good.

No. 1 Pitcher: Matt Cain

2016 Projected Stats:

227IP, 22-7, 2.83ERA, 1.12WHIP, 183K, 48BB

Matt Cain will be a free agent after the 2012 season and he will instantly become the Yankees' number one target. It will take some time to transition from the NL and AT&T Park to the AL and Yankee Stadium but I think he can do it.

After a year or two getting used to playing for the Yankees I expect Matt Cain to out-pitch CC Sabathia and become the Yankees' new ace. The number one concern with bringing in a pitcher to play in New York for the Yankees is pressure. Can he deliver in the clutch with the bright lights of New York focused on him? I believe that Matt Cain can because he has already won a ring and he has not given up a run in 21.1 postseason innings.

No. 2 Pitcher: David Price

2016 Projected Stats:

219IP, 21-6, 2.97ERA, 1.13WHIP, 203K, 53BB

David Price will be a free agent after the 2015 season and he will be highly coveted by the Yankees. Not only has Price shown that he can produce in the AL East but he also averages 96mph on his fastball (tops out at 99mph) and has shown the ability to strikeout 200 batters in a season.

Price is tailor made for New York: high velocity, high K/9, high groundball rate and postseason experience.

No. 3 Pitcher: Ivan Nova

2016 Projected Stats:

218IP, 20-8, 3.18ERA, 1.22WHIP, 169K, 61BB

Ivan Nova came into the majors with a bang. He ended up winning 16 games despite being sent back to Triple-A when Phil Hughes came back from injury.

His 3.70 ERA may not seem very impressive, but after the All-Star break Nova went 8-0 and posted a 3.18 ERA. If he can improve on his excellent rookie season watch out because the Yankees rotation is getting better by the day.

At only 24 years old, Nova has shown great poise in New York, not only in the regular season but also in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Tigers. Every good Yankees pitcher needs to show up in the playoffs.

Dare I say it? Nova reminds me a lot of a young Andy Pettitte.

No. 4 Pitcher: Manny Banuelos

2016 Projected Stats:

193IP, 17-7, 3.39ERA, 1.32WHIP, 187K, 72BB

Manny Banuelos showed everybody he was the real deal by posting a 2.20 ERA in Spring Training 2011. On top of that, future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera called him the best pitching prospect he'd ever seen.

Manny Banuelos will become a very good starter in the majors but at 25 years old he will have to settle being the Yankees fourth starter for now.

No. 5 Pitcher: Dellin Betances

2016 Projected Stats:

184IP, 16-9, 3.68ERA, 1.36WHIP, 177K, 70BB

Dellin Betances is a huge right-handed pitcher with excellent stuff. Betances will have control issues throughout his career, unless he works with Larry Rothschild, but he will still be an excellent fifth starter for the Yankees.

CC Sabathia will be in the last year of his deal but at 36-years old Sabathia will not be as good as the young guns the Yankees have. Due to his weight and years of being a workhorse CC Sabathia will retire following the 2015 season.

Closer: David Robertson

2016 Projected Stats:

73IP, 53SV, 1.24ERA, 1.02WHIP, 107K, 23BB

"Houdini" will be in pinstripes for years to come and will be Mariano Rivera's eventual successor.

David Robertson was the best reliever in the majors in 2011 and I expect him to keep that up. Yankee closers need to have nerves of steel and Robertson proved that in 2011. Last year, he was regularly brought in with the bases loaded and yielded just one hit, zero runs (earned or unearned) and 14 strikeouts in 19 opportunities.

Perhaps even more impressive than that was his 0.25 road ERA or his 0.86 post All-Star break ERA.

I have no doubt David Robertson can fill Mariano Rivera's shoes, at least as much as humanly possible, as the Yankees' closer.