It’s possible the Yankees sign Manny Machado but for the purposes of this article I’ll go with who my gut tells me they sign and that’s Bryce Harper.
The Yankee have an extremely deep lineup already but adding Bryce Harper could take them to historic rates especially if Gary Sanchez rebounds. 2018 was regarded as a down year for Bryce Harper but we are not sure that it will hurt his wallet. Harper is just 26 years old and still shows he is an elite offensive player with even more upside. Harpers counting stats were solid despite his batting average as he hit 249, 34 home runs and had 100 RBI. His OBP was 393 which is solid but not the elite 460 he showed in the past. In 2017 Harper had a 595 slugging, 413 OBP and a 1,008 OPS. He was on his way to potentially his second MVP season before the injury. Despite playing just 111 games he still crushed 29 homers for 89 RBI.
Despite a down year Harper walked a career high 130 times. His batting average has been unpredictable for his career. Every season he’s played he’s either hit in the 270’s, 240’s or the 315’s. Harper has been inconsistent with his average for the old school fans and his OBP, OPS, and OPS+ has been inconsistent for the new school fans however even when inconsistent he’s always been productive.
If the Yankees could add Harper they would be adding a premier slugger who has shown he is getting even more patient at the plate as he ages. He is a big lefty the Yankees need. History shows the Yankees win championships with big lefty pitchers and big lefty sluggers. Last year he had some trouble because of how frequently teams shifted on him which is something he can work on or forget about as he peppers the short porch in Yankee stadium. Harper also wouldn’t have to worry about constantly being pitched around in the Yankee lineup because he’d be sandwiched in between two of baseball’s best in Aaron Judge and 2017 MVP Giancarlo Stanton. As far as how would it all work, Judge would have right field and Hicks center. Harper and Stanton could both spend time at left field and DH. On days Judge needs to DH one of them can shift to right. As he ages it’s possible Harper can move over to first base. It’s a move the Yankees should make.
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