Team Fantasy Preview - New York Yankees
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Throughout the preseason, we will be previewing all 30 teams and what their rosters bring to the fantasy baseball table. This edition covers the New York Yankees.
Projected Lineup
| ORDER | POSITION | NAME | BATS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LF | Brett Gardner | L |
| 2 | CF | Jacoby Ellsbury | L |
| 3 | C | Gary Sanchez | R |
| 4 | DH | Matt Holliday | R |
| 5 | 2B | Starlin Castro | R |
| 6 | SS | Didi Gregorius | L |
| 7 | 3B | Chase Headley | S |
| 8 | 1B | Greg Bird | L |
| 9 | RF | Aaron Judge | R |
| Bench | 1B/2B/3B | Rob Refsnyder | R |
| Bench | OF | Aaron Hicks | S |
Projected Rotation
| ORDER | NAME | THROWS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masahiro Tanaka | R |
| 2 | Michael Pineda | R |
| 3 | CC Sabathia | L |
| 4 | Luis Severino | R |
| 5 | Bryan Mitchell | R |
Bullpen Battles
| ROLE | NAME | THROWS |
|---|---|---|
| Closer | Aroldis Chapman | L |
| Set-Up | Dellin Betances | R |
| RP | Tyler Clippard | R |
Top Prospect to Watch in 2017
Baseball's No. 15 prospect, OF Clint Frazier has shown an above-average power/speed combo that could translate to 20/20 seasons at the major league level. He'll start at Triple-A where he'll have to bolster his contact and plate discipline, but could emerge as a mid-season call-up in the event of an injury or if expected rightfielder Aaron Judge takes a step back.
Who Will Drive You Crazy?
Holliday's plate discipline took a nose-dive in 2016, pushing him to a career-low .322 OBP. After playing most of his career in the National League, Holliday will transfer over to the hitter-friendly AL where the Yankees can hide his long eroded defense at DH. Having to familiarize himself with pitchers he has never faced before could accelerate his slipping production. Tread lightly.
The One to Own
Sanchez, Buster Posey and Jonathan Lucroy will be the first three catchers off the board in mixed-league drafts, and while the latter two have more evidence to support their draft stock, it's hard to ignore what Sanchez did in just 53 games in his rookie campaign, mashing 20 HRs with a .299 BA and .376 OBP. Even accounting for some regression, he should easily clear 35 HRs.
Top Sleeper
Ellsbury's no longer a threat to swipe 40-plus bases - but even as his batting average has fallen in recent years, he is still capable of a 20-steal season. With Sanchez potentially batting third, Ellsbury probably deserves higher than a sub-200 draft pick ADP. If he hits second ahead of Sanchez, he should hit 70-plus runs, 20 steals and close to 10 HRs once again.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)