Bronx Bomber Ball

The Yankees have completed the regular season, closing out 2019 with a record of 103-59. Next up: ALDS Game 1 against the Minnesota Twins. Coming off a 101-win season of their own, the Twins will not be easy, so New York can’t afford to look ahead to a potential ALCS meeting with the Astros. With that in mind, it’s time to look at who will crack the starting lineup on Friday.   Photo Credit: MLB.com

Today’s starting lineup was released earlier this afternoon and you don’t need to look at it long to see some interesting choices. Remember yesterday when reports came out that Aaron Judge will likely see some time in center with the absence of both Aaron Hicks and Jacoby Ellsbury? Well, one day later and guess who’s playing center and batting second? Nu mber 99. In the leadoff spot above Judge is typically Brett Gardner, but since he’s getting the day off today, it’ll be Neil Walker. Fred Thornhill/ The Canadian Press via AP

With Opening Day just six days away at this point, the Yankees 25-man roster is coming clearer into focus.  What may not be clear, just yet, is the batting order that Aaron Boone will roll out next Thursday when the Yankees take the field against J.A. Happ and the rival Toronto Blue Jays.  Today, Boone may have peeled back the curtain a bit into what exactly he might be planning. Photo Credit: MLB.com In a few minutes, the Yankees will take the field against the Boston Red Sox in one of their final games of the 2018 Spring Training season (TV: YES, ESPN).  You may have noticed already, but Boone is batting 2017 American League MVP Runner-Up and 2017 American League Rookie of the Year  Aaron  Judge in the leadoff spot today versus Boston left-hander Brian Johnson. Yankees vs. Red Sox today at 1:05pm on @YESNetwork and ESPN pic.twitter.com/oOJIADjqcH — Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) March 23, 2018 Said Yankee manager Aaron Boone on if t...

Last week, the BBB's Alex Weir wrote about how Aaron Hicks should be starting over Brett Gardner in left field .  Personally, I agree - I've been a huge supporter of Hicks this year as I truly believe 2017 will be the year he puts it all together.  It's hard to argue that he hasn't turned a corner based on his early season performance (. 300 , five HRs , 11 RBIs, .4 19 OBP, 1.0 59 OPS).   However, Brett Gardner continues to be penciled into the starting lineup on a nightly basis and – prior to his recent hot streak - I' ve   struggl ed to understand why.  It seems the only reason is that Joe Girardi is an ultra-loyal manager in terms of sticking with his veterans, and Gardner is certainly that, as he is the longest tenured Yankee on the entire roster.   Photo Credit: Getty Images

Jacoby Ellsbury hitting cleanup? I never thought I'd see the day. To my surprise, this decision has worked out surprisingly well. Despite the questionable logic behind having a traditional leadoff hitter in the cleanup spot, the Yankees have continued to win. I may have berated Joe Girardi for this lineup configuration, but since the team has played so well, I will retract my complaints for the time being. The imminent return of Gary Sanchez, along with the rise of Aaron Judge, has prompted me to think about how the Yankees will reconfigure their lineup upon Sanchez's return. Below, you will find what I believe is the best lineup the Yankees can run out on a daily basis. This year, the Yankees have the most offensive talent they've had in at least the last five years. For all intents and purposes, this is a good problem to have. Photo Credit: Rick Shultz/Getty Images

When the official second half of the baseball season commences, the Yankees will hope to build on their impressive series victory against the AL Central-leading Indians in Cleveland. I have unequivocally argued that the Yankees show be sellers this year on numerous occasions, however the purpose of this piece is to present an alternative scenario. We all know that the Yankees organization, as Randy Levine indicated a couple weeks ago, will continue to hold out hope that this team will turn it around. As unlikely as it seems, it's still a remote possibility. Below I've identified, and elaborated on, five things the Yankees must do out of the gate in the second half if they are to have any hopes of becoming a serious contender. Some of these solutions may appear to be rudimentary in nature, but others could have a surprisingly beneficial impact on the inconsistent bunch known as the 2016 New York Yankees. Photo Credit: David Richard/USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees completed a frustrating first half with a nice series win over a first place Cleveland Indians team to get them to the .500 mark once again at 44-44. The team currently stands at fourth place in the AL East, 7.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles. They are also 5.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the second wild card spot. So although the first half of the season has been grueling for the Yankees and their fans, the team is still within striking distance, but they would need to burst out of the gates and string together long winning streaks. Winning streaks have been few and far between for the 2016 Yankees and with many players having down years, let’s dive into our midseason report cards for position players. Players are graded on a standard A, B, C, D, F scale, with A for exceeding expectations, C for meeting expectations, F for failing, and I for incomplete. Photo Credit: John Munson | NJ Advance Media

So far, the Yanks 2016 offense has been excruciating to watch.  With an electric bullpen and quality starting pitching, the offense has definitely been the ‘Achilles Heel’ of the team through the first fifty-two games. Earlier in the year, Alex Rodriguez made a statement to a reporter saying this offense is capable of scoring five runs a game. With the names that Girardi has at his disposal every night, this lineup is more than capable of putting up five runs per game.  However, the big names in the lineup have not gotten the job done all season and it is time for manager Joe Girardi to make a permanent lineup change. Picture Credit: Nick Waas | AP

Although the Yankees finally made it back to the postseason in 2015, they were abruptly eliminated in the Wild Card round which left Yankee fans disappointed. With exactly one week until Opening Day, I wanted to give you my projections for the 2016 New York Yankees lineup and rotation. The Yankees success will ultimately be determined by how healthy they can be over the course of the season. It will be interesting to see whether veterans like A-Rod, Teixeira, Beltran and Ellsbury can consistently produce over the next six or seven months. The acquisitions of both Starlin Castro and Aaron Hicks help add depth and stability in the lineup. The pitching rotation is a big question mark, but thanks to an improved bullpen the Yankees should be able to shorten ballgames and salvage a few more wins. Without further ado, here are my 2016 projections: Photo Via NY Daily News