The Yankees’ Road to 28

By Joey Askin ‘24

After a devastating game five loss in the divisional round to the Tampa Bay Rays last season, the Yankees are looking to bounce back and try to win their 28th World Series in franchise history. Coming into this season, the Yankees are ranked as a top-five team with one of the best hitting lineups in all of Major League Baseball. Although their exceptional hitting contributed to many wins, their inconsistent pitching and injuries held the Yankees back from advancing further into the playoffs.

The Yankees lineup is one of the toughest to face as a pitcher. From batters one to nine, the Yankees have players that can hit and score runs. Their hitting is led by MVP finalist DJ Lemahieu, leading the MLB in batting average last season at .364. Lemahieu could always put together great at-bats and had one of the lowest strikeout percentages at just under 10%.
Although Lemahieu was not the best home run hitter at the leadoff spot, the Yankees can rely on him to get hits and get on base. 
“DJ Lemahieu is one of the most clutch hitters in the MLB,” freshman Kenny Griffel said. “He is always the hitter you want up to bat in tough situations.”
Unlike Lemahieu, the Yankees also have players like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit that can consistently hit home runs. Ever since his fantastic rookie season in 2017, Aaron Judge has been a leader for the Yankees hitting 115 home runs over the past four seasons. After being traded to the Yankees in 2018, Giancarlo Stanton has had many injuries, playing just 41 regular-season games.
When Stanton was healthy last postseason, he put up great numbers hitting six home runs in seven games. Luke Voit, on the other hand, wasn’t even a starter for the Yankees during the 2019 season. This past season, Voit had a breakout year, leading the MLB with 22 home runs in a shortened 60 game regular season. 
“The Yankees have one of the most exciting lineups to watch in baseball,” freshman Doron Finkel said. “No lead is safe with such a talented group of hitters.”
Pitching has been the Yankees’ greatest weakness over the past couple of seasons. The Yankees have struggled to find starting pitchers that can stay healthy and put up consistent numbers. But after signing all-star pitcher Gerrit Cole to the seventh biggest contract in sports history and recently signing two-time Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber, the Yankees starting pitching is looking a lot stronger. 
The Yankees are also looking to get back starting pitchers Luis Severino and Domingo German after the two did not play this past season. Severino had to get Tommy John surgery in his arm and will not be able to return for the Yankees until June 2021 at the earliest. Domingo German was unable to play due to an 81 game suspension after he broke MLB’s domestic violence policy. Before German’s suspension, he led all pitchers in win-loss percentage with an 18-4 record. If Severino and German can come back healthy and play as well as they did previously, the Yankees will become a much tougher team to beat.
“The Yankees starting pitching is good with Gerrit Cole as a bona fide starter at the top, but they still need to focus on improving the bullpen in order to contend for a world series,” freshman Zach Siegel said.
Just like their starting pitching, The Yankees bullpen has recently had some trouble, especially in the playoffs. Although the Yankees have some solid pieces like Aroldis Chapman and Zach Britton, they still lack in depth. The Yankees need to make more upgrades to enhance their pitching.
The Yankees have the talent for a good regular season, but still need to prove they can perform well in the playoffs to claim their 28th World Series title.