The New York Yankees have been getting ready throughout the offseason to redeem themselves this year. Last year was as awful as it could be. They have not made it to the postseason for the first time since 2016. Moreover, the NY side finished fourth in the American League East with a horrible 82-80 record. It was their worst season in the last 30 years. The Bronx Bomber’s offense really let them down because of injuries. Moreover, in 2023, the offense did not have a backup for Aaron Judge. Hence, when he missed almost two months due to a torn ligament, the offense of the Bombers really weakened a lot.
They have come a long way since that stage. Now, with the best hitter in baseball in the mix, the Yankees plan to unleash hell on the opponent team’s defense. Clearly, the duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto is one of the most thrilling and exciting prospects of 2024. The fans can even imagine making the World Series with just the Soto-Judge combo pack. However, the biggest concern for the NY side remains their starting pitchers.
The Starting Pitchers Have Performed So-So In The Two Astros Games
In the absence of Gerrit Cole, the Yankees look really weak in their defense. Even before the reigning AL Cy Young winner hurt his right elbow, the NY side looked like having a shaky starting pitching lineup. But now for two months the Yankees Faithful will pray that Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon manage the situation well. Both these starters had a terribly disappointing season last year. The Yankees invested a lot of money in both Rodon and Cortes. Now, they need them to deliver when it really matters. Gerrit Cole is not coming back for at least another couple of months.
Hence, the fans will pray that the offense keeps performing as well as they have in the first two games against the Houston Astros. But also importantly, Rodon and Cortes must get way better. In their first starts, Rodon and Cortes combined pitched 9.1 innings. They did not display much command on their fastballs. Moreover, the pair of Rodon and Cortes left much room for improvement after the first two games. Later, Carlos Rodon candidly mentioned, as per SNY, the stuff was more or less good, although command was not there. He added that they will work on that this week.
The Offense Is The Only Bright Side For The Yankees
In the second game against the Astros, the Yankees won 7-1. It has been a big revelation for the 27-time champions, as the Astros really dominated them in recent times. Moreover, thanks to the duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, along with Alex Verdugo, the offense is full of superstars. Andy Martino for SNY wrote, “The Yankees 2024 offense is a definition of a quality that seldom flops: they are patient at-bats and are able to get on base.”
Later, Juan Soto mentioned that they have been focusing on that throughout the spring training. The best hitter in baseball mentioned the Yankees plan to take good at-bats against every pitcher and every team. They don’t want to give it away. According to Andy Martino, Juan Soto is an on-base monster.
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