By Joshua Garcia
In 2019 the New York Yankees failed at something they had long been the model of consistency in, winning championships. For the first time since officially changing their name from the New York Highlanders to the Yankees in 1913, the franchise failed to win a single championship in the span of a decade going 0-10 beginning in 2010.
Playing in the country’s largest sports market and a baseball crazed one at that, the pressure that comes with wearing pinstripes to win has been magnified in wake of the championship drought and the Houston Astros cheating scandal. The proverbial “championship or bust” phrase is thrown around every season with the Yankees but this time, it’s set in concrete.
Stars do appear to be aligning for the Bronx Bombers however, as their bitter division rival Boston Red Sox attempt to stay afloat during a short period of time where their manager was fired, MLB investigated them for cheating, as well as losing their best player and MVP in Mookie Betts to the best roster in baseball in Los Angeles. If the Yankees didn’t come out smelling completely like roses in the midst of the Astros and Red Sox fiasco, big ticket free agent Gerrit Cole let lose the frangance of potpourri after committing to be the Yankees first true ace in a decade on a nine year deal worth around $324 million.
New York will feature a lineup card almost identical to last year’s opening day 25 man roster, only difference being the difficulty of finding a place for Miguel Andujar each day. GM Brian Cashman has stated that Gio Urshela has the job on the hot corner, so naturally Andujar will be bounced around from spelling time at third base and first base, while being prepared to play left field should an aging Brett Gardner go down or struggle at the plate.
Andujar is one of the Yankees best bats but is limited both by his questionable defense at third and the fact Gio Urshela is so flawless in the field. Add the element Giancarlo Stanton is preferred to be kept at DH and not in the field, and Andujar becomes a daily problem which must be solved. Many in baseball agreed Miguel Andujar should have been Rookie of the Year two season’s ago and not having his bat in the lineup definitely lowered the Yankees ceiling last year. Miguel may very well be the thing that finally pushes the Yankees where they have not been since 2009.
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