What The Yankees Need To Do To Win the Division

SSTN Admin

Apr 2, 20223 min read

What The Yankees Need To Do To Win the Division

by James Vlietstra

April 2, 2022

*** After a long and tumultuous winter, the off-season is finally drawing to a close. Opening Day is Thursday, April 7 when the Boston Red Sox visit The New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium. The Yankees are looking to end their current 12-year World Series drought.

This year, the playoffs have been expanded to include six teams from each league. This will include the three division winners as well as three wild cards with the next best records. Vegas Insider currently includes four teams from the East Division among the top six favorites in the American League. In addition to the Yankees, these are the Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Tampa Rays.

My guess is that it’s going to take 95+ wins to win the division. That’ll be no easy task. With the unbalanced schedule, the Yankees will be charged with playing their division rivals 19 times each. In addition to the previously mentioned three teams, the games against the Baltimore Orioles will likely determine the division winner.

If the Yankees can manage to go 11-8 versus each of the Rays, Blue Jays, and Red Sox, they would be at nine games over .500. 13-6 against the O’s will bring their divisional record to 46-30. That means that they need to go 49-37, or better, outside of their division.

Let’s take a look at some of their key players to see what kind of year they will need to make it through the regular season with a team capable of making a run deep into the playoffs and a shot at winning World Series number 28.

Aaron Judge: 140 games, 110 runs, 45 HR, 120 RBI – .280/.380/.580/.960, 7.5 WAR, Gold Glove

Joey Gallo: 145 games, 85 runs, 40 HR, 95 RBI – .205/.325/.495/.820, 4.3 WAR, Gold Glove

DJ LeMahieu: 150 games, 100 runs, 20 HR, 75 RBI – .310/.370/.509/.870, 4.8 WAR

Anthony Rizzo: 140 games, 85 runs, 25 HR, 80 RBI – .270/.370/.470/.840, 4.2 WAR

Giancarlo Stanton: 140 games, 90 runs, 40 HR, 110 RBI – .270/.370/.570/.940, 6.0 WAR

Gleyber Torres: 140 games, 70 runs, 25 HR, 75 RBI – .270/.340/.440/.780, 3.2 WAR

Aaron Hicks: 100 games, 50 runs, 15 HR, 60 RBI – .230/.330/.400/.730, 1.4 WAR

Kyle Higashioka: 80 games, 35 runs, 15 HR, 40 RBI -.200/.260/.400/.660, 1.1 WAR

Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 145 games, 80 runs, 10 HR, 50 RBI – .280/.330/.380/.710, 2.9 WAR

Ben Rortvedt: 70 games, 30 runs, 10 HR, 30 RBI – .210/.280/.320/.600, 1.4 WAR

Gerrit Cole: 190 IP, 17 wins, 250 strikeouts – 6.3 WAR

Jordan Montgomery: 160 IP, 11 wins, 180 strikeouts – 3.6 WAR

Luis Severino: 100 IP, 7 wins, 120 strikeouts – 2.3 WAR

Jameson Taillon: 180 IP, 16 wins, 190 strikeouts – 4.5 WAR

Jonathon Loaisiga 60 IP, 6 wins, 65 strikeouts, 10 saves – 2.7 WAR

Domingo German: 130 IP, 8 wins, 120 strikeouts – 2.4 WAR

Chad Green: 70 IP, 5 wins, 80 strikeouts, 5 saves – 1.8 WAR

Luis Gil: 60 IP, 5 wins, 70 strikeouts – 1.3 WAR

Aroldis Chapman: 60 IP, 4 wins, 75 strikeouts, 30 saves – 2.7 WAR

Nestor Cortes Jr: 100 IP, 8 wins, 100 strikeouts – 1.6 WAR

Deivi Garcia: 40 IP, 4 wins, 50 strikeouts – 1.4 WAR

Clarke Schmidt: 50 IP , 5 wins, 60 strikeouts – 2.1 WAR

Luis Medina: 50 IP, 5 wins, 60 strikeouts -1.7 WAR

Obviously injuries are going to happen and trades are going to be made, especially with 130+ Rule 5 eligible players. This team has has the potential to run out a team with a Pythagorean theory of well over 100 wins.

If they can enter October healthy and hot, we are going to have an exciting fall in New York this year!

#2022Season