The Yankees front office didn’t build their roster for a 60-game regular season, but the drastic reduction in games will work in New York’s favor.
Brian Cashman and his front office team never could have anticipated the need to build a Yankees roster optimized for a 60-game regular season. While it wasn’t their intention, there’s no denying the fact that cutting 100+ games off the regular season has the potential to massively benefit Aaron Boone’s team.
In fairness, the variance of a 60-game season is going to increase for every team in MLB. A relatively short hot streak could make a player an MVP in 2020. That increases the chances that we’ll see a few playoff teams come out of nowhere.
That does not mean, however, that the Yankees’ chances of ending their World Series drought are diminished. There are still plenty of reasons for optimism in the Bronx. Read on to discover the top five reasons why the Yankees are positioned to dominate a 60-game regular season.
5. Superstar talent will be more important than ever
Every at-bat or pitch thrown during the 2020 season will be twice as important as its 2019 counterpart. As a result, the teams blessed with the most high-end talent should be able to take advantage of the scarcity of games.
The Yankees clearly have at least as much star power as anyone in the game. Gleyber Torres, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton all have the ability to be MVPs with the bat in their hands. The team’s ability to play them all 50+ games will give them a clear advantage over their competitors.
The pitching staff also has its own cache of star power. Gerrit Cole arrives in New York with a massive contract and massive expectations. Guys like James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and Aroldis Chapman will help support him on the pitching staff.
Stars have a huge opportunity to carry their respective teams in a shortened season. The Yankees have multiple guys who can dominate for weeks at a time.