Bronx Bomber Ball

The Yankees came into the rubber game determined to come out of the opening series with a win as Aaron Judge expressed how much these games meant in the long run. However, the Yankees were unable to beat the lowly Orioles for the second consecutive day and drop to 1-2 on the season.   Photo Credit: Seth Wenig

Coming off an impressive start to the season on Thursday afternoon, the Yankees resumed action on Saturday for the second game of their season-opening three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles.  James Paxton was on the mound for New York, making his Yankees debut, and was opposed by Nathan Karns who played the ‘opener’ role for the O’s.   The Yankees put men on consistently early, but struggled to score runs all day before finding themselves in a late 5-1 hole. Despite a late rally, they ultimately dropped the ballgame to the Orioles by the count of 5-3. Embed from Getty Images

The 2019 season could not have started much better for the Yanks. It was a beautiful day in the Bronx, the weather was perfect, the Yankees were back, and they had the perfect opponent in front of them; the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles lost 115 games last season, and it appears that they will reach that mark once again this season. The Yanks made the most of this, and were clicking all day, as they win the first game of the year by the score of 7-2.  The Yankees set the tone in the first inning, as Judge and Stanton both got base hits, to set up the clean up hitter Luke Voit. Voit was a great story last year, but there were no guarantees that Voit would continue to be that guy. Well, Voit showed that he’s still the guy, as he blasted a three-run home run into Monument Park, to give the Yankees an early 3-0 lead.

After an ending to the 2018 season that could lightly be described as disappointing, the Yankees have quite the score to settle in 2019.  What with that knowledge, the coaching staff needs to take an already winning formula and transform it into a World Series-winning formula. The entirety of the 2018 coaching staff is coming back for the 2019 season, so the biggest advantage there is the fact that they’ve seen it all and know where improvements must be made.  Their return also indicates that Brian Cashman has faith in the current staff to get the job done. 100 wins is no small statistic; however, it wasn’t enough to win a World Series, and that’s what’s expected when you’re the New York Yankees.  So, what can we expect from the coaching staff in 2019?  How will they help to settle the score and take an already-winning team into a World Series-winning team? Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

After what seemed like a never-ending offseason and a month’s worth of spring training games, the Yankees are finally back in regular season action on Thursday afternoon against one of their division rivals, the Baltimore Orioles. Both teams are going in different directions coming into the 2019 season. The Yankees are fresh off their second straight Wild Card win, but also their second consecutive elimination prior to reaching the Fall Classic. Expectations are high once again in the Bronx, as the Yankees are bringing back a similar squad, along with some key offseason acquisitions, that helped them win 100 games a year ago.  The Orioles are in a blatant rebuilding mode and come in projected to be one of the worst teams in the American League. They have some solid young players, but are not labeled as serious contenders for 2019. Nevertheless, this series should not be assumed to be an easy sweep for the Yankees. They severely struggled against teams below .500 last se

Despite electing to pass on big-ticket free agent Bryce Harper over the Winter, the Yankees will still enter the 2019 season with one of the better all-around outfields in Major League Baseball.   Aaron Hicks’ lingering back issue puts a dent in the outfield depth heading into Opening Day, but assuming he can recover quickly and return to play in April, the Yankees’ boast an outfield trio that provides both strong defense as well as considerable pop.   Add in Giancarlo Stanton who will see time in both right and left fields over the course of the season, and the Yankees are not short on superstar OF talent. Photo Credit: Dick Druckman/Gold Medal Impressions

The Yankees open 2019 with one goal in mind, to win a World Series Championship. Anything less would be considered a disappointment. In order to achieve this, New York will need solid production from the entire roster, but a couple players stand out as most important for the Yankees to secure their 28th title. Photo Credit: Kim Klement | USA TODAY Sports

Last offseason, Yankees' manager Aaron Boone floated around the idea of batting Yankees’ star Aaron Judge in the leadoff role following the team’s acquisition of reigning NL MVP at the time, Giancarlo Stanton.  When asked about the possibility of batting the big man in the number one spot, Boone answered “I wouldn't necessarily say it's likely, but something like that I would consider, I've thought about it." We will look at the possibility of Boone employing Judge in the leadoff role, and what a possible lineup would look like with the slugger stepping into the box first for the team. Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images

Earlier this spring, the New York Yankees extended a non-roster invitation to 21 ballplayers in their organization.   The Yankees' 40-Man Roster is loaded and there is a drop-off of talent as we look at player 41 and beyond.   This makes sense.   Much of the talent in New York’s farm system is very young and will be playing in low-level minors in 2019.   The list of non-roster invitees includes some of that young talent, but also some of the journeymen types.   Each spring, it’s exciting to look through the list and try to identify a few players that will be called up to The Show at some point this season.   This year, barring an outbreak of injuries, it will be a short list.   However, there are three non-roster invitees that have a legitimate shot at cracking the major league roster at some point this season.   Photo Credit: NY Post

An electric bullpen. It’s something that Yankees fans have grown accustomed to over the last few years. Every season since 2014, the team has ranked top two in MLB in bullpen wins above replacement (WAR). In addition, the 2018 Yankees had the highest bullpen WAR (9.7) in league history. Need more proof? New York’s relief corps finished number one in strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) in all five of those campaigns. It’s no secret that the Yanks have had the back-end of games covered for a while, and this year’s group could be the best yet. Photo Credit: WFAN.com

Over the past few seasons, the Yankees’ infield has undergone a significant transformation. The old guard of veterans is gone and has been replaced by confidant young guns, two of which were finalists for the 2018 Rookie of the Year award. While many of the same names from the end of last year are returning, there are some new faces in the fold that are looking to stake their claim for a role. The unfortunate injury that will force Didi Gregorius to miss a significant portion of the season will also play a role in how Aaron Boone deploys his infielders this season. Let’s look at them position by position. Credit; Elsa/Getty Images

All eyes are on first base. No, really, they are.   At least, from a fan and reporter perspective, we’re all waiting to hear who is going to get the job of regular play at first base: Greg Bird , or Luke Voit ? Photo credit: Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Spring training is underway and regular season baseball is less than a month away.  The New York Yankees reported to George M. Steinbrenner Field for their 23 rd  year of spring training in Tampa as they gear up for the 2019 season, looking for their third postseason berth in as many years.

The first in a five-installment series of previews on the 2019 Yankees, today we preview the projected Starting Rotation. Seen as perhaps the biggest reason as to why the Yankees haven’t nabbed a 28 th  World Series ring over the past few years, this year’s starting rotation should be an upgrade. Three of the five in the rotation are mainstays in Luis Severino, CC Sabathia, and Masahiro Tanaka. Add onto that JA Happ who was a fantastic trade deadline acquisition in 2018 and was later re-signed this offseason and James Paxton, brought over from the Mariners this offseason. Photo Credit: Kim Klement/USA Today Sports

The Yankees were dealt a blow on Tuesday afternoon when RHP and staff ace Luis Severino was scratched from his scheduled start with soreness in his right shoulder just moments before game time.  After undergoing an MRI, it was revealed that Severino had inflammation in his rotator cuff and will be shut down for a minimum of two weeks.  This puts his available for Opening Day in serious doubt. Credit: Lynne Sladky/AP