With an average February/March temperature of 74 degrees in Tampa, it can be pretty hot during Spring Training. Some players, however, are feeling more heat than others. These are the players that are under the most pressure to perform in 2016, either due to a lackluster 2015 or expectations people have for them.
The last we heard from Brett Gardner he was on his way to the dugout getting peppered by boos after going 0-4. Since the season starts where last year ended, against the Astros and Dallas Keuchel, Gardner needs to shake off the Wild Card Game and come hot out of the gate. His name seemed to pop up in trade rumors every week or so this offseason, but nothing came of it. The one time fan favorite seems to have had a falling out with the Bronx Faithful and his second half of the year is a huge reason why.
Gardner was off to a great start in 2015. He was hitting .297 with a .850 OPS, 11 home runs, 46 RBI, 15 stolen bases and 72 runs scored in the first half on his way to his first All Star Game. His 4 year $52 million contract seemed to be a steal, especially since he hit a career high 17 home runs in 2014. Fast forward to the second half of the season, he only swiped 5 bags while squeaking out a .196 average with a .561 OPS, 5 homers and 20 RBI. A drastic drop off from his first half numbers. From June 12 to August 11 he didn’t have a single stolen base attempt and a lot of people are screaming trend. In 2014, he went from a .279 average in the first half to .218 after the break while his OPS dropped from .778 to .703. It’s hard to hate the guy. He always battles at the plate, says the right things and loves playing in pinstripes. But with a plethora of outfielders, both in the Majors and Minors, he could be traded at the deadline or be platooned if he doesn’t rebound.
From one speedy outfielder to another. When Jacoby Ellsbury turned to the dark side, the 1-2 punch with Gardner at the top of the order had fans foaming at the mouth. No base would be safe from being stolen. But alas, Ellsbury didn’t quite live up to the fan’s hype in his sophomore season with the team. He had a respectable 2014 hitting .271 with 16 homers and 39 stolen bases, but saw a drop off in 2015. In his 111 games he hit .257 with 7 homers and 21 stolen bases, a far cry from the 40+ bags a year the Yanks hoped he would swipe. Injury played a big role in his drop off and you have to expect the guy to get dinged up every once and awhile. But when you sign a 7 year, $153 million contract and get benched for the Wild Card Game, you have to come out swinging (and running) in 2016.
With a starting rotation full of so many question marks it’s hard to pick just one who needs to step up, but Michael Pineda is probably the biggest enigma of the bunch. At times last year he looked like a solid number 2 starter, and others like a 4 or 5. He turned in a spectacular 16 strikeout game on Mother’s Day, improving to 5-0 with a 2.72 ERA through seven starts. However, he went on to compile a 6.10 ERA in his next seven starts and would give up five runs or more in eight starts. He finished with a 12-10 record and 4.37 ERA in 27 starts and 160.2 innings pitched. His goal for 2016 is 200 innings, something he’s never done. He’s under team control after this year but, depending on which Big Mike shows up, this may be the year the Yanks make their decision on him.
My fellow featured columnist Rich wrote a great piece on Chase Headley needing to rebound in 2016, and I have to agree. The Yanks gave Headley a 4 year $52 million dollar deal after the 2014 season and he didn’t quite deliver. He hit .259 with 11 homers in 156 games, not too bad but not too great. The issues were in the field. At times he would make a spectacular play that left your mouth hanging open, then the next inning he would mishandle a soft ground ball and you’re screaming at your TV. He committed a team leading (and career high) 23 errors in the field. Didi Gregorius, the guy who was replacing Derek Jeter and was under a tiny bit of pressure, committed 10 less errors than the 9 year veteran. While he did lead the team in errors, he also lead with 150 hits and 156 games played. His switch hitting bat makes him an important cog that the Yanks need in their machine. With ARod being a full time DH now, he needs to clean it up in the field and stay healthy.
Jacob Lindgren was one of the prospects brought up in the sudden rush of youth that swept through the Bronx last year. His 1.74 ERA, 14.8 K/9 and blistering slider in his 2 years in the Minors was why everyone was excited to see him in the Bigs. However, we saw him give up 4 earned runs on 5 hits through 7 IP and racking up a 5.14 ERA in 7 games. He went down with a shoulder injury, which is par for the course with the Yanks, and is coming off similar surgery to Masahiro Tanaka. He is currently listed as the Yankees number 7 prospect and is aiming for a spot in the pen. The suspension of Aroldis Chapman will shuffle the pen around a bit and gives him a good chance at a spot in it, if he can deliver.
“Say you miss a pitch here or there they take advantage of it a little bit more,” Lindgren said. “I was just trying to take it all in, for sure, learn from some of the veteran guys. Now I know some things I have to work on. Just gotta take it day by day and we’ll see how it goes in spring training.”
If these few players can turn in a respectable 2016 season, then the chase for 28 could go deep into October.
