Final play is going to be New York Yankees over 84.5 wins.
This was one I thought about a couple times, but would end up getting sidetracked and dismissing it .
Plus the line was at 86.5 and 87 at some books.
Id like to think that the drop down to 84.5 was not the final reasoning to play the over
But it certainly aided in the final decision being made .
Opening day lineup is going to look a lot dif then last years.
1.
Jacoby Ellsbury - one heck of a gifted athlete, as well as a leadoff hitter. Stole 52 bases last year
2.
Derek Jeter- career .300 hitter,a year older and coming off another injury,hoping for league average out of him.
3.
Carlos Beltran- as long as he stays healthy he will put up more then respectable numbers in the 3 hole
4.
Mark Teixeira- hand injury cost him the season. He only logged 51 at bats. Hes the biggest key to this line up
5.
Brian Mccann- Yankee catchers put up damn near MLB worst numbers last season, this upgrade is HUGE
6.
Alfonso Soriano- 17 homers 50 ribbies in only 219 at bats as a Yankee. Can rest/protect those knees being a DH
7.
Kelly Johnson- will belt some homers until they figure out what move to make as the season progresses
8.
Brian Roberts- glance at Derek Jeters assessment above same goes for this guy. Anything average will be OK
9.
Brett Gardner -order make more sense with him here. Blazing speed at the 9 hole and at leadoff is nice
Rotation is not too shabby either.
1.
CC Sabathia- toned up in the offseason. Solidified Ace.Has yet to have a bad season as a Yankee (imo)
2.
Hiroki Kuroda - has yet to have a bad year in his career. Would like a number 2 with more strikeout potential
3.
Ivan Nova- hes their number 4 starter(will explain in a minute) he can go in the zone, but gives up too many hits
4.
Masahiro Tanaka- a unseen(by batters)starter who's pitches slurve and curve who can hit 96mph on the radar gun
5.
Michael Pineda. -
BootySmellGoodDoe
As you can see, that is not exactly a "weak rotation" by any means.
Sabathia threw 16 scoreless innings in spring training.
The reason why Tanaka is not a #3 but a #4 is because of the like styles between Tanaka and Kuroda.
The belief is that by breaking up their styles , instead of pitching them back to back (in a series)
this will not allow hitters to reach a "comfort level" as easily .
Put it this way, I doubt that the starting pitching is going to be the problem in New York, if one arises .
The bullpen is a bit of a mystery, going to be hard to replace Mariano's production and clubhouse presence .
David Robertson is capable of coming close though. The guy almost strikes out 1.5 batters per innings pitched
The problem might be getting the ball to Robertson in the 9th. Dellin Betances has looked brilliant this spring .
Something around a 0.60 ERA I believe . Iffy on the bullpen.
Id be retarded if I said that the age factor of this team doesn't scare the shit out of me.
The more I glance at that lineup with the 3-6 hitters Beltran,Teixeira,Mccann, and Soriano
along with the double lead off threat at the 1 and 9 hole..... the more Im diggin it
My projected win total for them is 87-88 wins. Might of been "safer" bets, but over 84.5 it is
Over 84.5 (-120) $100 to win $83.33