Predicting the Yankees' All-Stars for 2018
As we near the All-Star break, the Yankees currently hold the best
record in baseball at 47-22. As the best team in baseball, they’re surely
expected to have multiple representatives at the All-Star Game. Who will make
it? One can only guess and I made some predictions below*:
*stats prior to Monday’s games
Locks:
Aaron Judge
After struggling the second half of 2017, Judge has returned to
form here in 2018. His average has recently fallen down to .279, but he’s still
putting up high power numbers (18 HRs and .567 slugging percentage), along with
reaching base at a high clip (.397) and playing an underrated right field
defensively. The AL outfield is by far the easiest position to predict for the All-Star
Game, as superstars Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Aaron Judge are all locks to
start. Although not nearly the same numbers as the other two, Judge still ranks
tied-for-fifth in the AL in homers with 18, tied-for-ninth in RBIs (45) and
runs scored (46), and seventh in the AL in slugging percentage (.564). Although
he won’t be participating in the Home Run Derby, you can certainly expect to
see him in the ASG for the second consecutive year.
Luis Severino
Severino is probably the safest bet of all these Yankees to make
the All-Star game. He’s been one of the league’s best pitchers, along with
Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander of Houston. Already sitting at 10-2, his ERA
so far is 2.09 and he’s well on his way to 20 wins potentially. Severino has
carried this Yankees rotation and has established himself as one of the premier
pitchers in baseball. After a horrible 2016 that featured him being demoted and
spending time in the bullpen, he’s really turned his career around and lived up
to the massive potential that he came through the minors with. His 2.09 ERA
ranks second in the AL, as he’s also fifth in strikeouts (118), tied-for-first
in wins (10), and third in innings pitched (99).
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| Photo Credit: Getty Images |
Aroldis Chapman
Chapman has regained the title as the best closer in all of
baseball. He’s been as dominant as ever this season for the Yanks, totaling 20
saves thus far which ranks third in the AL. That doesn’t exactly illustrate how
good he’s been, as the Yanks have had numerous occasions where they’ve been in
non-save situations due to their high-powered offense. Chapman has arguably
been the best reliever in the majors, as he’s pitched to a 1.17 ERA in just
30.2 innings. He’s also registered 53 strikeouts along with a WHIP of 0.85.
Chapman is without a doubt on his way to his fifth All-Star Game appearance and
his first since 2015 when he was with the Reds.
Likely:
Gleyber Torres
Coming into the season, Torres as we all know was a top prospect
with immense expectations. After starting off in the minors, the Yanks quickly
realize starting Neil Walker at second base wasn’t the best short-term nor
long-term solution for their team that’s, besides Starlin Castro for a season
or two, has struggled at the position ever since Robinson Cano left in free
agency. Somehow, Torres has exceeded those preseason expectations and has lived
up to the potential. With just 48 games and 166 ABs under his belt, Torres has
slashed .283/.337/.554 and has led yet another youth movement surge along with
fellow rookie Miguel Andujar. Torres won AL Rookie of the Month honors in May
and also won AL Player of the Week in the last week of May. In an offense that
features sluggers Judge, Stanton, Sanchez, and Gregorius, Torres has managed to
carry this offense over the past few weeks. For the year, he’s hit 13 homers
and 34 RBIs along with a WAR of 1.7, which ranks third on the Yanks amongst
position players behind Judge and Didi Gregorius. Keep in mind, Torres has put
up these stats in ⅔ the games and plate appearances as everyone else which
makes it all that more impressive.
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| Photo Credit: Getty Images |
50/50:
Gary Sanchez
His stats certainly aren’t All Star-worthy at the moment, but the
only reason he would make it is from the fan vote and the lack of a standout at
the catcher position. With the benefit of playing for the most popular
franchise in baseball, he could potentially make it in just based on that fact.
Add in that there’s no clear-cut guy at the catcher position in the AL and
Sanchez has a better chance to make it than one would think. Sanchez has now
dropped below the Mendoza line for the season (.192 BA), although he has had
some horrendous luck as evidenced by his BABIP. His BABIP, which measures one’s
batting average on balls put in play, currently sits at .199. That ranks
second-lowest in the majors and indicates the bad luck he has had. For
comparison, his BABIP last season was .304 and .317 the season before. If he
can somehow greatly improve those stats and go on a tear these next few weeks,
Sanchez will have a much higher likelihood of making it to his second
consecutive All Star Game. Despite somewhat disappoint stats from El Kraken, he
still leads catchers in homers, RBIs, and runs scored and because of that
coupled with the aforementioned reasons, I think he’ll end up making the ASG.
Miguel Andujár
Another shining rookie for the Yanks, Andujár has exceeded
expectations along with Torres and could also make the All-Star Game. At the
moment, José Ramirez is the clear-cut guy for starting at third baseball for
the AL. Ramirez has slashed .288/.382/.607 with 21 homers and 47 RBIs, both of
which are top five in the AL. If it weren’t for Mike Trout’s greatness, he’d be
a competitor for the AL MVP award. Behind Ramirez, Andujár has easily been the
second-best third baseman in the AL. Despite some defensive hiccups and a
low-OBP (.321), he’s still batting an excellent .293 while slugging .518,
thanks in large part to his 22 doubles which ranks top five in the AL. His
slugging percentage ranks top 25 in the AL and Andujár, and along with all the
doubles, he’s also put in eight homers on the season and 28 RBIs in 58 games.
So why wouldn’t Andujár make the ASG if he’s been the second-best third
baseman? Well, it all depends on how the coaching staff wants to arrange the
roster. If they want to go with three deserving shortstops and one third
baseman rather than two of each position, then Andujár will not make it
unfortunately. He’s surely deserving of an All Star bid in his rookie season,
but the shortstop position may be too loaded for him to make it in as a backup
infielder.
Long Shots:
Chad Green
Once a spot starter for the Yankees, Chad Green has not only
turned into a reliable reliever for the team but also one of the best relievers
in baseball overall. In fact, one could make a case that he’s the best
non-closer reliever in baseball. He has followed up a breakout 2017 season with
yet another dominant first half of the season, proving last season was no
fluke. Now, why is he a long shot to make the ASG? Well, it’s awfully hard to
make it as a non-closer, as only one or two get the chance to make it. In 33.1
innings of work, Green’s given up just seven earned runs (1.89 ERA), while
striking out 43 and accumulating a WAR of 0.7, very close to Chapman’s 1.0.
Dellin Betances
After an abysmal ending to 2017 that included a horrible
postseason, Betances followed that up with a rough start to this season that
had many Yankee fans doubting his future with the team, including myself. He
has since bounced back and shown signs of returning to the elite reliever he
was at one time. In 31 innings of work, he’s pitched to a 3.19 ERA and 1.03
WHIP while striking out 55 batters. So, he’s certainly kept his strikeout
numbers up and has lowered his WHIP since the rough start to the season. He’s
now not allowed a run since May 23, as he’s made nine scoreless appearances in
that span. The only time Betances has struggled as of late is when manager
Aaron Boone seems to try and get two innings out of him, which has turned out
to be a disaster each time. With that being said, as stated before, it’s
incredibly hard to make the ASG as a non-closer and Betances hasn’t been good
enough nor consistent enough to warrant that kind of consideration this season.
Didi Gregorius
Gregorius has awed Yankee fans for the past few years now in the
way he handled taking over Derek Jeter’s spot. He continued his ascend toward
being one of the best shortstops in baseball in April, as he was a leading AL
MVP, although it was just after a month. Gregorius not only hit a slump in May,
but he started to carry it into June before picking things up as of late. He’s
now 16-for-51 (.314) on the month and has now regained the hot bat he had at
the beginning of the season. By now, his stats aren’t All Star-worthy after his
horrific May, as his average has fallen down to .259 and he’s now at 14 homers
for the season. To go along with the fact that he’s fallen off, he also has to
deal with insane competition at the shortstop position in the AL, as Carlos
Correa, Francisco Lindor, Andrelton Simmons, and Manny Machado will all be
fighting to make the Midsummer Classic. Like Sanchez, he’s unlikely to make it
in because of his average stats but in a minimal chance, he could make it just
because he plays for the Yankees.
Giancarlo Stanton
Acquired this offseason in what was a thief of a trade by the
Yankees, Stanton has had a bumpy start to his career in pinstripes. His stats
are identical to what they were at this time in Miami last year, but in a
market like New York, they expect even more. Booed on multiple occasions at
Yankee Stadium, Stanton has struck out more than one would like. In fact, he’s
struck out in 35.5% of his ABs, with 92 in 259 ABs so far. With that being
said, he’s been much better than the fans have made it seem like. With 16
homers on the season, he ranks tied-for-11th in the majors in that department
to go along with 37 RBIs and a .243/.320/.479 slash line. Those are solid stats
for a guy that’s looked lost at the plate at times and has yet to go on a hot
streak. Unfortunately, though, those stats aren’t All Star-worthy, particularly
when JD Martinez, a top five hitter in baseball this season, is a DH this
season.
Prediction: Judge, Severino,
Chapman, Sanchez and Torres will make the ASG.
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