Aaron Judge Is off to a Great Start

Aaron Judge is off to a great start in 2017. Three mammoth homers and an exit velocity like we haven't seen before. Aaron Judge is trying to prove last years struggles are a fluke. He's trying to prove that his adjustments were good and he's doing it so far. So far he has more RBI than strikeouts.

Judge is also hitting the ball harder than every Yankee. Of the five hardest hits based on exit velocity over the past three years he has four of them , Alex Rodriguez has the other in 2015. Judge will have some tough stretches but he can possibly also have some stretches were he does more damage than most. We still need to see more of him before we set large home run goals however the start is promising.

Aaron Judge so far has proved the Yankees right in giving him the starting right field job. He is proving his critics wrong who said he couldn't adjust. He is also playing good in right field. It's early but Judge's early success is a great sign for The Yankees. If he keeps it up he could be the first Yankee since Alex Rodriguez too have a 40+ home run season. Aaron Judge is also giving the Yankees needed power. Greg Bird has been sick , injured and flat out bad. Gary Sanchez is injured for the next four weeks. Right now Judge is the youngster carrying the load and the guy everyone wants to see at the ballpark. If Judge goes into a slump don't think this stretch is a fluke. His adjustments look very real and so does his potential.

Managing Expectations

Managing Expectations

            The 2017 season is upon us and that means the return of Yankee baseball. As the Bronx Bombers return, youth is the common thread. Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, and Jonathan Holder are just a few of the young names that have made the Opening Day roster. The big three of these names consists of Sanchez, Bird, and Judge. Yankee fans have heard about them for years and they have given the fans a taste of what’s to come. This is a Catch 22 because production at the highest level, especially in New York, can cause a player to cringe in the big moments. With an illustrious history, Yankee fans expect these three to carry the team and that is just unrealistic.

            Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird combined for 31 home runs in their first seasons and they are being counted out for double that production combined. In reality, we must R-E-L-A-X as Aaron Rodgers would say. The Mets and Red Sox recent success makes Yankees fans want greatness ASAP but these kids are still growing. The young players that are in the majors and the others that are knocking on the door must be brought along slowly into the spot light. The 2017 Yankees should be viewed as a stepping stone year like a kindergarten student graduating to first grade. We as fans should not get on Judge if he strikes out in a big spot or if Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird combine for an error after a miscommunication. Instead we should just breathe and give them a mulligan.

            The first game of the 2017 season is a prime example for why we must temper our expectations. Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird did not register a hit and they made errors in the field. In the end its only one game, there are 161 more to go but more importantly they are years left for these guys so the next time a young guy makes a mistake just remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. The Yankees will be back before we know it but for now lets let the kids grow without overreacting.

By: Warren Tobin

Yankee Prediction and MLB Preditctions

Yankees win total - 85-77
Third place

Yankee Team MVP - Gary Sanchez

Yankee Team CY Young - Masahiro Tanaka

MLB Predictions

AL East :
1. Red Sox 93-69
2. Blue Jays 86-76
3. Yankees 85-77
4. Orioles 81-81
5. Rays 79-83

 AL Central :
  1. Indians 98-64
  2. Tigers 85-77
  3. Royals 82-80
  4. White Sox 73-89
  5. Twins 68-94

  AL West :
   1. Astros 92-70
   2. Mariners 90-72
   3. Rangers 87-75
   4. Athletics 75-87
   5. Angels 72-90

   AL Cy Young : Corey Kluber
   AL ROY : Andrew Benintendi
   AL MVP : Mookie Betts
   AL Wild Cards : Mariners , Rangers


   NL East :
     1.  Nationals 94-68
     2. Mets 93-69
     3. Phillies 79-83
     4. Braves 77-85
     5. Marlins 75-87

    NL Central :
      1. Cubs 100-62
      2. Pirates 90-72
      3. Cardinals 85-77
      4. Brewers 75-87
      5. Reds 70-92


     NL West :
       1. Dodgers 93-69
       2. Giants 92-70
       3. Rockies 80-82
       4. Diamondbacks 80-82
       5. Padres 65-97

       NL Cy Young : Clayton Kershaw
       NL ROY : Dansby Swanson
       NL MVP : Bryce Harper
       NL Wild Cards : Mets , Giants


World Series : Indians over Cubs

The Yankees 2017 Projections

The Yankees aren't rebuilding they're reloading. Some of the big prospects are here and some of them are coming soon. Not to mention the Yankees will have plenty of money to spend in the upcoming years. I see the Yankees as a team that will be very competitive in 2017. I think they can even be a second wild card.

Projected Lineup
1. B. Gardner
2. G. Sanchez
3. G. Bird
4. M. Holliday
5. D. Gregorius**
6. S. Castro
7. J. Ellsbury
8. A. Judge
9. C. Headley

Bench
A. Hicks
A. Romine
R. Torreyes
C. Carter

Bullpen
B. Mitchell
T. Clippard
D. Betances
A. Chapman

Rotation
1. M. Tanaka
2. C. Sabathia
3. M. Pineda
4. L. Severino
5. J. Montgomery

Player Profile : Greg Bird

Greg Bird has dominated this Spring and is proving he is back fully healthy with the big club. Bird who missed all of last season is back and has four homers already this spring. The Yankees signed Chris Carter and Matt Holliday two right handed power bats who can play first. The most likely outcome is Holliday is the DH and Carter finds at bats at dh , first and maybe the outfield. Originally everyone believed Carter and Bird would be a platoon but Bird is playing so well he may win the job outright.

Bird is another home grown Yankees deeemed a baby bomber who we are excited to see this season. He showed plenty of power in 2015 and is showing that power is real this year. If Bird has a good year he can establish himself as the Yankee first baseman for years to come. Ultimately I think Bird wins the job and the Yankees deal Carter to a team who needs a right handed bat.

Projection - 266 average , 24 home runs , 79 RBI

Player Profile : Gleyber Torres

Gleyber Torres is a top 5 prospect in all of baseball and is number one in the Yankees system. The 20 year old dominated the Arizona Fall League and won the Fall League MVP. Torres continues his dominance in Spring Training. Today Torres belted his second home run of the spring. His average for the spring is well over 400. Torres has dazzled at both shortstop and second base.

Torres is likely to spend majority of his time this year in Double A and Triple A. Torres is it 20 and spent most of his time last year in single A. It's possible that he forces the Yankees hand and gets promoted but I think it's likely Torres isn't a MLB player until 2018. It remains to be seen but if you listen to the Yankees they won't rush him. If Torres continues to dominate we might see him in the Bronx.

Projection - 316 average , 15 home runs , 68 RBI , 12 steals
** Stats are Double A/Triple A Projections

Player Profile : Clint Frazier

It's hard to say how many games Clint Frazier will play in the Major Leagues in 2017. Frazier will likely play majority of the season in Triple A. If Frazier is to make it to the Major Leagues this season it would probably be due to the Yankees trading someone or an injury occurred. Frazier has been the talk of town thanks to his hair which he finally cut. Frazier has been streaky this Spring however has has flashes of strong play.

Frazier has speed , power and the star quality. Frazier doe strikeout a lot but not nearly at the amount Judge does. The Yankees will look for more consistency from Frazier before he gets the major league call. I don't think we see Frazier until August unless Brett Gardner or Aaron Hicks gets traded or injured. Frazier needs some more grooming and maybe some more maturity before he makes it to the majors.

Projection - 45 games , 245 average , 6 home runs , 17 RBI , 4 steals