One of the best times of the year is upon us, Opening Day! It's been a long and relatively quiet winter for the New York Yankees. That can be seen as a blessing or a curse depending on who you ask. No major free agent additions as we've seen in years past but some notable trades made the team stronger. Again, depending on who you ask, the additions of Starlin Castro from the Cubs and Aroldis Chapman from the Reds can be seen as a negative.

I expect the same sort of reaction when trying to predict what the Yankees will give us in 2016. They can be really really good or really really bad. Personally, I don't know what to expect. I can see it be as good as the first four months of the 2015 season where they were cruising to an 7 game lead on the July 31 trade deadline or I can see the lifeless group that gave up the last two months. Many analysts and experts are saying much of the same.

The Good:

Everyone plays to the back of their baseball cards. Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner get on base, steal the next and score a batter or two later. Mark Teixeira continues from where he left off in midst of a MVP caliber season. Alex Rodriguez proves that last season was no fluke and he can hit another 30 Home Runs and drive in 90-100 RBIs. Carlos Beltran provides the clutch hitting and productivity he was carrying the Yankees with in August and September. Brian McCann continues to be one of the best hitting catchers in the game. After a shaky first season in pinstripes, he rebounded well for '15 and was consistent threat in the middle of the lineup. Something that will be asked of him once again in '16. Chase Headley figures out what went wrong last year and does the exact opposite. His defense was the real eye opener last season, by far the worst of his career. Better defense should be on the menu, with that better approaches to the plate in the batters box and better results. Starlin Castro is the stud the Yankees think he is and adds stability to a second base position that has been struggling since Robinson Cano left for Seattle. Didi Gregorius showed he was a force at the bottom of the lineup and at shortstop once he made some adjustments to his game during the year. Him and Starlin provide a new youthful dynamic double play combo that should excite Yankee fans everywhere.

The rotation of Masahiro Tanaka , Luis Severino, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi , and CC Sabathia can be the absolute best in baseball. Yes, in baseball! Tanaka goes out and pitches like the ace he was in the first season he was here before he injured his elbow, not many people are going to touch his stuff. Sevy has the ability to be just as electric, if not more. At 21, he seems ready to be a power arm reliable of handling the ball in big situations. Big Mike much like Sevy has electric stuff. Mothers Day last year he struck out 16 and for a period of time he was untouchable and was the ace of the staff. With not of the "ace" burden on his shoulders he can go out and just pitch. When he does, oh boy it's a site to see. Nasty Nate dazzled in first year in the Bronx winning 14 games before his injury. His stuff is filthy and is the hardest thrower in the rotation. If he can bring that same poise he had last season into 2016, expect a big year.  Sabathia is the 5th starter and just needs to be a reliable get me to the 6th inning kind of pitcher. His best days are behind him but he can contribute and he had a solid September after getting a knee brace to help him stabilize his delivery.

The three headed monster at the end of the bullpen with Chapman, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances will leave everyone in awe in what they're witnessing. 100 strikeouts by each, dominance across the board and they will lead the Yanks into the postseason with a great chance of winning.

The Bad:

You saw what happened in August and September last year. That could very well end up being the 2016 Yankees. Injuries and old age finally catch up and it'll be a long season in the Bronx. Every night was so frustrating to watch those final two months. The Yankees are putting a lot of stock into a lot of question marks, we can only hope that this isn't the case.

Final Prediction:

92-70 1st place in the American League East and a trip to the ALCS.

OR

83-79 3rd place in the American League East.

My gut leans to the latter.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, CC Sabathia, Dellin Betances, Jacoby Ellsbury, Luis Severino, Mark Teixeira, Michael Pineda, Starlin Castro

Last night proved the Yankees can hang with the best the American League has to offer. The surprising Houston Astros are in town for a 3 game series and the Yanks took the opener in a nailbiter, 1-0.

The offense was non-existent once again until the 9th inning where they ultimately won the game but that's for a different blog. The thing we really want to focus on that came out of last night is the fact Nathan Eovaldi pitched magnifecent. 8 innings, no runs allowed, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts. Solid performance by a guy who was an afterthought in the Yankee rotation back in April.

Eovaldi seems to have turned a corner and it's happened at just the right time. With CC Sabathia going on the 15-day DL and possibly lost for the re
st of the season, Eovaldi has stepped into the slot we all thought CC would occupy. Reliable, solid starting pitcher.

“Tonight was the best I’ve felt about an outing,” he said.

Since that game in Miami on June 16 when he couldn't get out of the first inning, he’s gone 8-0 with a 2.93 ERA in his past 12 starts.

“Last year I had to rely on my fastball a lot more than this year,” Eovaldi said. “That and my slider, then I’d get behind in counts with my slider. I didn’t have a great feel for my curveball last year, and then I didn’t have the split. This year I’ve been using my curveball a lot better and all my offspeed pitches (have been better), which is helped me out a lot.”

The difference is now Eovaldi is more of a pitcher than a thrower. The results are showing.  The Yanks win keeps pace with the surging Toronto Blue Jays at top of the AL East. The two teams have 7 head to head matchups remaining and certainly those games will determine who wins the divison but a win last night will prove valuable should the Yankees make it to October. The Astros are among the AL's elite so whether it's a 1-0 win or 16-2, a win's a win and it gives you the confidence moving forward to gain another victory. Eovaldi's emergence couped with Tanaka, Pineda, and Severino will provide the Yankeees with a dynamic rotation going down the stretch and in a postseason series. After 2 years of missing the playoffs, that's all you could really ask for from this team.

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Tags: Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, Yankees

It's Easter Sunday and the anticipation is finally at its peak! No, not the treasure hunt for Easter eggs but for Opening Day! Tomorrow we officially make the transition from Winter to Spring as the sun will be out, it will be 65 degrees and Yankees Baseball will be back in the Bronx! The 2015 Major League Baseball season has arrived.

It seems like only yesterday we saw one of the greatest moments in sports history play out in the Bronx when Derek Jeter decided to say farewell in dramatic fashion by getting the game winning hit in his last ever at-bat at Yankee Stadium. While that was a tremendous way to say goodbye, it was bittersweet because the Yankees missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. With the old guard now officially gone, we turn our attention to the new and current crop of players wearing the pinstripes.

2015 will ALL hinge on the team's health. I can't remember the last time the fate of the team couldn't be determined or predicted. This team has the ability to be really good or really bad. So many question marks surround the Yankees so let's look at some of the major questions followed by my predictions.

Can Masahiro Tanaka remain healthy enough to be the unstoppable ace he was last season?
--- This is the biggest concern the Yankees have this year. Without Tanaka healthy, the Yankees don't make it to October. The guy has quickly established himself as a stopper. He'll stop losing streaks, keep the rhtymn of good quality starts going, and be able to pitch in big game situations. He finished 13-5 last season after missing a few months in the middle of the year because of the tear in his right elbow. He was well on his way to a 20 win season, but he was also well on his way to Tommy John surgery. Thankfully he avoided the surgery (for now) and as long as he can take the ball every fifth day, I like the Yankees chances of making it to October.
My Prediction: 16-7 2.96 ERA , one stint on the DL.  / 8-4 3.45 ERA Tommy John surgery in the 2nd half of the season. I know, it's two different predictions but it can go honestly either way. Sadly, I think I'm closer with the latter prediction.

Which CC Sabathia are we getting in 2015?
--- This spring CC's velocity is back up to the mid 90's. That's huge (no pun intended). Why, because CC will need his velocity up so he can mix in his offspeed pitches and create a wider timing variance for the hitters. Bottom line, he couldn't get by with his subpar 89 mph fastball the last two seasons and he hasn't developed into a "pitcher" who relies on location and mixing in pitches. He's been a thrower and now maybe we can get a little bit of both. The most concerning thing this spring with CC was the locating of his pitches, While at times he's looked good, he's had glimpses of looking really bad. Maybe it's because he's missed most of last season and it'll take him some time to get into his groove. Sabathia is a notoriously slow starter so I don't see this as a worry....yet.
My Prediction: 13-9 4.23 ERA one stint on the DL, Yanks 3rd best starter behind Tanaka and Pineda.

Can Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeria return to form?

--- Both played TERRIBLE last season and that was because of health issues. So the good news is, they both can't possibly play worst than they did last year. The bad news, is they're broken down aging players so just how good is their best? Two switch hitting middle of the lineup sluggers need to be a huge threat in the lineup. Just plain and simple. Both have to hit 25-30 home runs with 100 RBI. Both have made it through Spring Training with no health issues and appear ready to go to open the season so let's just hope they play to the back of their baseball cards.
My Prediction: Beltran: 271 26HR 92 RBI two stints on the DL / Teixeria: 265 32 HR 95 RBI no DL stint.

What's left of Alex Rodriguez?

-- The guy everyone wants to go away but don't want to admit we need. A-Rod has been the Yanks best hitter this spring. He hit 3 homeruns and his bat speed has looked good. He's had a good vision of the strikezone so he'll put together quality at-bats. After a year and a half away from the game and the nonsense that followed him, I truly believe A-Rod will be a fully focused baseball player in 2015. He has A LOT to prove. The Yankees want him to produce, Alex wants to produce, the fans want him to produce so there's nothing left to do but just play baseball. Hopefully the black cloud has left Alex and he can be a vital part of the lineup. I think he can do it and I think he will.
My Prediction: 275 18HR 73 RBI solid player in the lineup and fills in at 3B and 1B with no problem.


How do the 2015 Yankees finish?
-- The bullpen is strong, the starting rotation is strong IF healthy, the lineup should be solid. There's a lot of flexibility with this team as opposed to years past. I see a team that closely resembles the '96 Yankees. Small ball, timely hitting, just decent starting pitching and just enough depth to compensate any injuries (except if Tanaka goes down for the year).
My Prediction: 90-72 2nd AL East, Wild Card berth gets them into October.

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Tags: Carlos Beltran, CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Opening Day, Spring Training, Yankee Stadium

Joe Girardi felt it, the Yankee offense felt it. Michael Pineda didn't for 6 innings, but much like this latest stretch, he fell victim of the Yankees desperation.

Girardi ran Pineda out for the 7th inning in a game he HAD to win. He couldn't use his late inning weapons of Dellin Betances and David Robertson. Who by the way, also have faltered in the crucial of times in the last week. Pineda reached his pitch limit through 6 innings but Girardi so desperate for a win, ran him out there for the 7th. I immediately thought back to Betances in Baltimore last week. Betances was lights out through 2 innings of relief but Giradi pushed the envelope and tried to get a 3rd straight flawless inning. He was playing with fire...he got burned. Betances served up a game tying home run and the Yanks lost a game they desperately needed. Tonight, Pineda walked the only man he faced in the 7th. That run came around to score the tying run. The walk also was the beginning of a four run 7th inning for the Astros and gave them a 5-2 lead.

The Yankees never recovered. They never recovered because they can't hit with runners in scoring position. That's it. There's nothing else to look at, second guess, or judge. The Yankee offense is TERRIBLE. A day after going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position, they go 1 for 8 and left 10 men on base tonight. The fact that this team can't hit with men on base is baffling. It's frustrating, it BS, it's pathetic. At this point..it doesn't matter anymore. The Yankees are trying to get themselves to a 1-game playoff that they will go in the underdog, no matter who's on the other side. That's because, this team can't hit. If they can't beat the Astros, what makes you think they beat a playoff ready team in a winner take all game? What happens in that game, when the game is on the line and there's runners on base? If the Yankees are tensing up now, what happens when the SEASON is on the line? Nothing...that's the answer. Count down to Sept. 7th, because Derek Jeter Day at Yankee Stadium will be the only special moment for the rest of the season. Such a shame....the Captain deserves better than that.

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Tags: Derek Jeter, Houston Astros, Joe Girardi, Michael Pineda, Yankee Stadium, Yankees

Michael Pineda will have a lot of time to think about where he should put the pine tar as he gets ejected from the game and will likely face lengthy suspension as a result.

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Tags: Boston Red Sox, Michael Pineda