2019 may very well be World Series or bust for the Yankees. Here are five players you can expect to outperform their preseason expectations.
If the Yankees are going to win their 28th World Series title in 2019 it’s safe to say several players are going to need to enjoy career years. The trick, of course, is identifying which players are ready to break out before they catch on fire.
Fortunately for you, we’re here to make those predictions for you. In this piece, we’ll examine five members of the 40-man roster who are well positioned to surprise fans in 2019. The reasoning behind each of our five selections is pretty diverse. Some guys are ready to make big returns from injury while others are simply going to be more relaxed in the Bronx.
Without further delay, let’s introduce you to a player who is going to be a bigger factor in the Yankees bullpen than anyone expects at the current point in time.
5. Domingo German
It’s easy to forget just how good German looked at times last season. He’s clearly got the stuff required to become a top-notch major leaguer. The question is whether or not he can develop the command required to get quality hitters out on a consistent basis.
Moving German to the bullpen on a full-time basis should help get the most out of his prodigious talent. Expect Aaron Boone to make that move early in the 2019 season. He may start a few games in Spring Training, but he’s going to find his way to the bullpen pretty quickly.
Our expectation for the 26-year-old right-hander is for him to pick up a lot of the innings A.J. Cole provided the Yankees last season. He may not see a ton of high leverage innings during the first half of the season, but look for him to keep his team in a lot of games. That could easily lead to a few extra wins on the season. If German can throw approximately 100 innings with a 4.00 ERA he’ll give this team a significant boost.