By Paul Semendinger
November 10, 2023
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I figured...why not? (Again.)
What if every single Yankee replicated his career best season in 2024, what might the team's production look like? (I based this on each position player's highest career WAR on baseball-reference.com and the lowest ERA for each pitcher.)
I also assumed or wished (and dreamed) that the Yankees made three key acquisitions, all noted below.
You know... if all this happened, this would be amazing!!!
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1b - Anthony Rizzo (2015) = .278/31/101 146 OPS+, 6.4 WAR
2b - Gleyber Torres (2022) = .273/25/68 118 OPS+, 4.1 WAR
ss - Anthony Volpe (Minors - Expanded to 150 games) = .294/40/128
3b- DJ LeMahieu (2019) = .327/26/102 136 OPS+, 5.6 WAR
lf - Juan Soto (2021) = .313/29/95 175 OPS+, 7.1 WAR
cf - Cody Bellinger (2019) = .305/47/115 167 OPS+, 8.6 WAR (For the record, I'd sign Jung Hoo Lee, but Bellinger is great for this comparison.)
rf - Aaron Judge (2022) = .311/62/131 210 OPS+, 10.6 WAR
c - Austin Wells (Minors - Expanded to 140 games) = .277/23/75
dh = Giancarlo Stanton (2017) = .281/59/132 169 OPS+, 7.9 WAR
(This team would be so stacked that Jasson Dominguez wouldn't be rushed back.)
SP - Gerrit Cole (2019) = 20-5, 2.50
SP - Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2023) = 17-6, 1.16
SP - Carlos Rodon (2021) = 13-5, 2.37
SP - Nestor Cortes (2022) = 12-4, 2.44
SP - Mike King (2022) = 6-3, 2.29 (granted, this came mostly as a relief pitcher)
Quite simply, this team would be great fun to root for. This team is the type of team I dream of.
This team can hit. This team has balance lefty and righty. There are four .300+ batters. Every starter will hit at least 20 homers. Oh man, would that be fun!
The pitchers would also dominate. The Yanks would even have two lefties in the rotation. I'd prefer three, but with this team, it would be a moot point.
This team would win 100+ games easily. They might never lose.
Aaron Boone would be Manager of the Year. Brian Cashman would be Executive of the Year. Hal Steinbrenner would be Owner of the Year.
And I'd bet World Series flag #28 would be hanging in the Bronx!
It's good to dream!
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Coming soon... the empty glass.
