Sports Time Radio

Even though they’ve only played 16 games so far this season there seems to be a lot of people that are concerned about the New York Yankees, but is it justified?

The Yankees are 6-10 through those 16 games this season. There is just one team with a worse record than the Yankees and that’s the Colorado Rockies who are 5-12. Now their are also three teams the Minnesota Twins, the Detroit Tigers and the Arizona Diamondbacks that have also started out this season 6-10; so the Yankees aren’t alone in starting off the 2021 season on a down note.

Coming into this season there where some questions about the Yankees pitching staff. Obviously they had Gerrit Cole at the top of their rotation, but after that there where a lot of questions. The Yankees signed free agents Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon. Both where coming off of injuries that kept them out for almost all of the shortened 2020 season. The Yankees rounded out their rotation with Jordan Montgomery and Domingo German. Now that’s not a terrible rotation for any team, but so far it hasn’t worked out for the Yankees with the exception of Cole.

Montgomery is 1-1 with a 4.24 ERA. Taillson is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. Kluber is 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA. While German went 0-2 with an ERA of 9.00 in his two starts before he was sent to the alternative training site. Nick Nelson made a spot start for the Yankees in German’s place last time that spot in the rotation came up. The next time the Yankees will need a starter for that spot will be Saturday and they haven’t announced if Nelson will make the start again or if they’ll go with someone else.

As you can see this seems to be a problem for the Yankees, but if they can tread water their may be help on the way. Luis Severino should be pretty close to being able to return from Tommy John surgery, but will have to wait and see if and when the Yankees decide to bring him back. Severino hasn’t pitched for the Yankees since he made two starts in the 2019 post season, but this is a pitcher that won 19 games for this team in 2018. Severino was looked at as a future ace for this rotation until they signed Cole as a free agent. A healthy Severino along with Cole at the top of the Yankees rotation would surely turn around their fortunes.

You also have to wonder if German will be able to work his way back to that pitcher who won 18 games in 2019. German didn’t pitch last season due to a suspension and their was some talk that he might not be welcomed back into the Yankees clubhouse because of that. Of course getting off to the start he did didn’t help ingratiate himself to his teammates. You have to wonder if German can work out his issues at the alternative training site and return to this rotation with Severino if his teammates would be a little more accepting of him.

Now even though we pointed out the way the starting pitchers have started off the season that’s not the only issues the Yankees seem to be having through these first 16 games. Surprisingly the Yankees really aren’t hitting either.

Looking at the Yankees regular everyday line up and you’ll see that only one of them is hitting .300 and that is DJ LeMahieu. To be fair Kyle Higashioka is also hitting .308 and even though he’s been getting a little more playing time once Gary Sanchez is 100% Higashioka will go back to catching once a week.

While LeMahieu is doing what he just seems to normally do there are five players in the Yankees line up that where hitting under .200. Well I guess technically it’s just four players now as Jay Bruce announced his retirement over the weekend. Now it’s doubtful that Giancarlo Stanton, Clint Frazier, Gleybar Torres and Aaron Hicks hit under .200 for the entire 2021 season; so once they start to hit things will pick up for the Yankees.

I guess because they play in New York and they where heavy favorites to not only win the American League east, but also get to the World Series people are concerned by a slow start.

How worried are you or should fans be about the Yankees after just 16 games?

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