The New York Yankees have been through a lot of ups and downs since the last season. Moreover, the Bronx Bombers finished the 2023 season with an awful 82-80 record. It was their worst season in the last thirty years. Moreover, the NY side had the second-worst batting average behind only the Oakland Athletics. That’s why the front office decided to make some significant changes this offseason. Moreover, they felt they were putting too much pressure on Aaron Judge in the batting order. Hence, they looked for another superstar hitter. Finally, they got the best offensive player in the league. After adding Juan Soto, the offense automatically started looking solid for the NY side.
Moreover, the outfield of the NY Yankees, in terms of WAR, is the most improved in the league. On top of that, the Yankees Nation is eagerly waiting to watch the duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in action wearing the Pinstripe uniform. But the setback for the Bronx Bombers this offseason was missing out on landing Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Then, again, the NY side is still finding it hard to sign Blake Snell yet. Anyhow, the Bombers still have a couple of players who are among the top five most forecasted players of this year.
Yankees Looking Forward To These Forecasted Players
At present, MLB is heading toward the spring training of 2024. Now, the fans might be wondering who will be the top five players to watch out for this upcoming season. As per Essentially Sports, the number one player to wait and watch is Ronald Acuna Jr. After the 2023 season, Acuna Jr. became the first player in the history of the American League and National League to slug a minimum of 40 homers and steal at least 70 bases. He is just 26 years old. Moreover, he created a record after hitting 41 home runs twice in a season. On the Projected List, fans might be eager to see an extraordinary season with Ronald’s presence.
Moreover, Juan Soto is the second biggest name on the Projected List. He joined the Yankees this offseason. Moreover, the NY side has four players on the projected list for at least 6 WAR this year. As per the projections, Soto should have a league’s leading 171 WRC+ with 39 home runs. Then, of course comes the Yankees captain on the Projected List. The current batting order should help Aaron Judge give his best in 2024. He is on the list because of his past homer and RBI records. Then, there are Mookie Betts and Adley Rutschman on the top five list.
Can Aaron Judge Outshine Betts and Adley This Year?
Clearly, the Yankees captain is capable of being the best player in the league. He won the AL MVP just two years ago. However, a freak accident at the Los Angeles Dodgers fence last ruined it for Aaron Judge. He was playing really well last year until he hurt his toe with that freak accident. Even Judge hit more than 35 home runs last season before he sustained the toe injury.
If the captain stays healthy this year, he can go on to hit more than 50 homers again in the regular season. Moreover, the batting order with Judge and Soto looks really promising. If these guys can live up to their expectations, then it will be very hard to stop the Yankees offense this year.
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite MLB team.
