Searching For 28 in Spring ‘23
While management may have lowered expectations, for fans it’s still World Series or bust for the Bronx Bombers. As the Yankees start spring training down in Tampa here are 3 storylines to watch if the Yankees are going to win their 28th title.
Encore! Encore!
Aaron Judge earned his nine-year $360 million deal by blasting his way into the record books last season. After hitting 62 home runs en route to winning the AL MVP, what will Judge do for an encore? Judge is worth every penny for the franchise for what he does on the field, in the clubhouse, and in the community. Still, it’s hard to imagine Judge having a better season in 2023. What makes Judge’s 2022 season so impressive is how he outpaced the field. Judge’s 62 home runs were 16 more than any one else in Major League Baseball. He led the league in 11 of 12 major offensive categories, just missing out on the batting title.
It’s unlikely that Judge will be able to duplicate that kind of production in 2023, but based on the advanced analytics don’t expect a large falloff either. According to Statcast, Judge has been in the top 10 in barrel rate three out of the last four seasons. That measures the perfect combination of exit velocity and launch angle. When Judge swings, he doesn’t miss and he doesn’t swing at bad pitches any more. Including intentional walks, last season Judge walked 130 times second to only Juan Soto. Expect Judge to continue his discipline at the plate and more pitchers to pitch around him in 2023.
Can Aaron Hicks Stick In Left
For all the groaning about Aaron Hicks in left field, he could have a resurgence in 2023. There’s no denying Hicks was awful in 2022 and had lapses both at the plate and on the field. But you could argue that hicks was still working his way back from a wrist injury, and was getting adjusted to left field. Plus, Hicks stands to benefit from the ban on the shift this season. On average lefties hit 31-points lower when facing the shift. The switch-hitting Hicks hit just .209 when batting lefty in 2022. That could be because teams shifted on Hicks almost 93% of the time when he was batting lefty. That was good for 11th highest rate in league. If he doesn’t lose those opportunities to Oswaldo Cabrera, he could see a massive boost from that side of the plate this season.
Closing It Out
The Yankees have been spoiled in the 9th inning for a long time. There was no doubt who was getting the ball from Mariano, to Robertson, to Chapman. Analytics has shifted the role of the “closer” with the best reliever coming into “high-leverage” situations earlier in the game. But last season the Yankees learned that sometimes those final three out really are the hardest to get regardless of who is at the plate. The Yankees had 21 blown saves in 66 opportunities during the 2022 season. Clay Holmes had five of those and struggled greatly after the all-star break with his ERA ballooning from 1.31 to 4.84. If Holmes struggles the Yankees could opt for a closer by committee approach. They have plenty of arms to throw out there, but finding one with the right attitude and mindset to close out games isn’t a given.