still have Noah “Thor” Syndergaard who is great
when he can stay on the fi eld, and Zack Wheeler
is coming off the best year of his career in 2018.
Steven Matz is also coming off a productive season
that he’ll be out to prove wasn’t a fl uke, and Jason
Vargas will be trying to prove the opposite after
having a down year.
The bullpen is also shaping up to be an aboveaverage
unit, especially with the addition of Diaz.
Jeurys Familia will likely serve as the primary setup
man for Diaz, with Justin Wilson being another solid
addition as a middle reliever with a high velocity
fastball. Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman both had
promising seasons in 2018 in their fi rst full year as
relievers. Rule 5 draft pick Kyle Dowdy is also an
intriguing addition to the group as a long reliever.
Rest assured, the Mets still have plenty of
familiar faces returning to the fi eld in 2019. Todd
Frazier and Yoenis Cespedes have some of the
club’s best bats, but they will likely be shelved
until the second half of the season due to injury.
Michael Conforto is coming off a solid season with
24 home runs, and Jeff McNeil will look to follow up
his impressive rookie campaign from last season.
All in all, the Mets success will undoubtedly
depend on the team’s ability to stay healthy.
Roster Resource estimates that the Mets had the
second-largest loss in production due to injury
last season. If they can somehow have a stroke of
luck and avoid the injury bug, the Mets could have
a chance to track down Washington Nationals and
Philadelphia Phillies to earn a playoff berth.
The Yankees
On the other side of the city, the Yankees also
had a busy off season with fi ve free agent signings
and two trades as they looked to bolster their
roster for a World Series run. Their core lineup
remained almost entirely intact, however, with all
of their big bats in place to live up to their Bronx
Bombers moniker.
The Yankees are led by outfi elders Judge and
Stanton who vaporize baseballs when they make
contact but are also prone to striking out. Aaron
Hicks is coming off a solid 2018 season as the third
outfi elder and will be relied on for his switch-hitting
abilities in a lineup that is short on lefties. Catcher
Gary Sanchez, another hard-hitting slugger, will be
out to prove that he can still make contact after an
abysmal season at the plate that was fi lled with
nagging injuries. First baseman Luke Voit, a lateseason
acquisition from last year, was another
valuable bat and will hopefully sustain his value in
his fi rst full season in the pinstripes.
The starting pitching rotation for the Yankees
is a bit of a question mark heading into 2019.
Their ace, Luis Severino, missed opening day
with infl ammation in his rotator cuff , and C.C.
Sabathia is still working his way back from a pair of
off season surgeries. The middle of the rotation is
solid behind Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and
J.A. Happ, but this unit can ill-aff ord another injury
or Severino’s shoulder issue to linger. A hand full of
young players will likely have to fi ll the gaps in the
rotation for the time being, and the Yankees may
have to get creative with their bullpen.
Fortunately for the Yankees, their bullpen
is considered one of the best and deepest in
the league. Setup pitchers Dellin Betances and
Adam Ottavino both fi nished in the top nine in
strikeout rate last season along with closer Aroldis
Chapman, who is famous for his blistering fastball
that regularly breaks 100 miles per hour on the
radar gun. Zack Britton is also regarded as one of
the game’s premiere ground ball pitchers, and on
Courtesy of the New York Mets
Courtesy of the New York Mets
QNS.COM
28 SPRING 2019
/QNS.COM