2019 MLB predictions: Judge, Frazier, Sabathia

Standouts from this year's predictions:

• James Paxton wins the Cy Young (he pitched like a Cy Young winner against the Red Sox)
• All four wild card winners are coming out of the East
• Didi Gregorius and Troy Tulowitzki will combine for just 40 games played in the regular season

Last year I picked the Yankees to win it all, and the Red Sox won it. So of course, this year, I've learned from my mistakes.

AL East 
1. Red Sox
2. Yankees*
3. Rays*

4. Blue Jays

5. Orioles

7 reasons why the Yanks could fail in 2018

Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of hope for the Yankees in 2018. But it won’t be easy. The AL East is still the deepest division in baseball, and while the Yankees made the biggest move of the offseason to acquire Giancarlo Stanton, now they have a target on their backs. 

Plus, a lot of things could very easily go wrong with this team. Here are seven of the biggest concerns I have with this squad.

1. We can’t expect so many career years again

Let’s get real for a second: it all came together for the Yankees in 2017. Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro, Ronald Torreyes and Chad Green all had monster seasons. That’s a lot to live up to this year, as all are back with the exception of Castro. Realistically, maybe one of this bunch will be able to improve on last season, while the rest will likely not be able to match their magical 2017 campaign.

Yankees Bleacher Creatures Roll Call

Just attending last night's Yankees-Red Sox game would have been satisfying enough for me. But with a last-minute invite, I found myself chanting with the Bleacher Creatures in the first inning before the Yankees scored seven in the first and went on to a 14-4 victory.

Here's the full roll call video, just a few seats away from Bald Vinny & The Creatures.

ELLS-BUR-Y! ELLS-BUR-Y! ELLS-BUR-Y!

Also, The Boss.

Oh by the way, I've attended two Yankees games this year and they've been their only two victories thus far. Anyone have tickets for tonight?

Early 2015 Yankees Projections

It's been a long time since my last writing here but thought there'd be no better a time to return to the blog six years and a day after I started it.

Brian Cashman has made a slew of small moves this offseason that has made the the Yankees a younger team, acquiring a pair of 24-year-olds: Derek Jeter's replacement Didi Gregorius and starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. 

Not exactly the two huge names Yankees fans have become accustomed to welcoming.

But maybe that's just what the Yankees need after missing the playoffs for the second straight season. The Yankees are younger and projected to be a much better defensive team than they've been in years. Getting younger and better defensively are two key ingredients to winning, but in the end it's all about scoring and preventing runs. 

Using pure statistical analysis, FanGraphs projects the Yankees to have a +14 run differential in 2015, ranked 15th overall for an 83-79 record. Doesn't look like the Steinbrenner family can honestly expect a championship in 2015. But that's what faithful fans like me are here for – to attend games, cheer passionately, and not lose hope.

That being said, here's what the Yankees are working with in 2015.

Lineup	Rotation
C Brian McCann	RHP Masahiro Tanaka
1B Mark Teixeira	RHP Michael Pineda
2B Stephen Drew	LHP CC Sabathia
SS Didi Gregorius	RHP Nathan Eovaldi
3B Chase Headley	LHP Chris Capuano (eventually Ivan Nova)
LF Brett Gardner	Bullpen
CF Jacoby Ellsbury	RHP Dellin Betances
RF Carlos Beltran	LHP Andrew Miller
DH Alex Rodriguez	RHP Adam Warren
Bench	RHP David Carpenter
C John Ryan Murphy	LHP Justin Wilson
OF Chris Young	RHP Esmil Rodgers
INF Brendan Ryan	RHP Gonzalez Germen
OF/INF Garrett Jones

And here's what it will take for these Yankees to win it all.