Three up, three down: The Yankees in 2022
Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres flexing his muscles as he leaves the field after batting practice against the Baltimore Orioles in Tampa on March 23, 2022. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
WHY THE YANKEES MIGHT BE GOOD
1. Bounce-back years from Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu: The Yankees’ inconsistent and ultimately disappointing 2021 season offensively fell on many shoulders, but the two biggest culprits were LeMahieu and Torres. A rebound by those two would go a long way, and there are reasons to believe it will happen.
2. That bullpen: The unit, anchored by the at-times-erratic closer Aroldis Chapman – who actually has been more consistent than he’s given credit for — doesn’t seem to have many weaknesses entering the season. In the AL East, only the Rays can say the same.
3. The rotation, too: While there are some questions behind Gerrit Cole, the quartet (Luis Severino, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery and Nestor Cortes) the Yankees are poised to go with appear as solid a group as there is in the AL.
WHY THEY MIGHT DISAPPOINT
1. Rotation depth: The Yankees say they’re confident in the depth behind the starting five, but it’s a slew of questions — Deivi Garcia, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Michael King and new acquisition Shelby Miller, to name a handful — that will be called on when the inevitable injuries hit.
2. Catching concerns: The Yankees’ analytics department has long believed in Kyle Higashioka, a mostly terrific defender who has struggled offensively the few times he’s been given consistent at-bats. The analysts believe there’s far more in there at the plate. There had better be; that spot in the order can’t be seen by the opposition as an automatic out.
3. The East is a Beast: Four AL East teams, including the Yankees, won at least 91 games last year. The division appears just as tough this season and might even be tougher because the Orioles, who didn’t lay down in September in key series against the Yankees, seemingly have put together a decent lineup.
