We cannot escape time. We cannot bend it, halt it, reverse it or cheat it. Already, you have squandered a few precious seconds, pondering this post (which, believe it or not, took me longer to write.) For each of us, those incredibly finite moments are gone, spent, vanished - never to return. Were they worth it? I wonder... But what choice do we have? This train only goes one way.
On that note, let's ponder the projected 2023 opening day Yankee lineup, with players' ages for the forthcoming year.
3b DJ LeMahieu, 34
RF Aaron Judge, 31
1B Anthony Rizzo, 33
DH Giancarlo Stanton, 33
2B Gleyber Torres, 26
CF Harrison Bader, 29
SS Oswald Peraza, 23
LF Aaron Hicks, 33
C Jose Trevinio, 30
Mercifully, this sidesteps Josh Donaldson, 37, and Kyle Higashioka, who somehow will be 33. Out of our starting nine, six players will be 30 or over.
This will be a "veteran" team, a John Sterling way of saying "old." Each of our first four hitters will be past his peak season, and the bottom four will scare nobody. Gleyber Torres is the fulcrum. This is no Murderers Row. It's more 80 for Brady.
Studying this lineup, let's remember that:
1. Our pitching staff could save us, if Luis Severino, 29, and Frankie Montas, 30, step up.
2. Oswald Peraza might be the answer at SS.
3. Oswaldo Cabrera, 24, might take LF.
Still, right now, the bottom of our batting order looks like a sandwich break, and if Harrison Bader's 2022 postseason turns out to be an anomaly, the cliff-dive happens after the No. 5 hole.
And if LeMahieu and/or Stanton go down with injuries - well - any bets?
I raise this because, right now - at this point in Time - the 2023 Yankees look far more like last year's second-half team than the first-half.
And Time is not on our side.
Nothing has changed. As long as Brian is in charge, it's the definition of insanity - doing the same thing and expecting different results.
ReplyDeleteAs the indomitable Meat Loaf once sang, “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth”
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees will figuratively do what supermarkets do to their meat and fish offerings when they hit their expiration dates. Put a bigger sticker over the previously marked item with a new sell by date. Of course, like those supermarket items, the product will still stink.
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ReplyDeleteSetting aside the young guys the iron man on the team is Jackie Asshole. I expect we'll see a lot of him again this year.
This is really depressing. If you can get depressed by guys in their early 30s when you're in your mid to late 60s.
ReplyDeleteIn the past a player's peak came between the ages of 27 and 32. Given the improvements in training and nutrition it's possible to extend that to 34. Add undetectable steroids and it might go as high as 36.
ReplyDeleteSo Judge and Rizzo should be OK for at least another couple of years.
Still, the Yankees are still older than most teams.
But, it is possible, that this is the transition year from ageing stars to our next generation of players who will lose to the Astros in the playoffs.
We've already got 2B Oswaldo Caberea 25 and SS Oswald Peraza, 23
By the end of the year we should see Anthony Volpe 21
BTW they are giving him reps at 3rd. That would be huge.
LF Jasson Dominguez 20 and future back up catcher Austin Wells 24.
Just for the hell of it let's add Juan Soto (Free Agent after next year age 26.) and put him next to The Martian.
Not too shabby.
Do you really think they will sit their boy Josh? No, The Genius and his puppet manager will include both Done aldson adn Barren Hicks in the lineup.
ReplyDelete@ Doug...If the Yankees were willing to go after Soto which I doubt, they would probably put Soto at first for 2 reasons: The first due to the fact that Rizzo's contract also ends at the same time and Bader is a better CF than Soto. Scouts say Dominguez is better suited for a corner position. Also, Cashman would then be in a tight spot for trading away Montgomery because his rationale was in acquiring a premier defensive CF.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees are more likely to go after Ohtani than Soto.
And as far as age goes, the Yankees don't have among the oldest teams.....they have THE oldest team in all of MLB. At least counting their hitting personnel.
Carl -
ReplyDeleteI agree about Jasson. I put The Martian in left for that reason. As I said the other day, when I saw him play at Hudson Valley the season ticket holders I talked to said he's not a good center fielder and doesn't really have the instincts. I like Bader so far. I guess it depends on the length of the new contract. He'll be 30 at the end of the current one.
As far as Ohtani goes... everything I'm reading says he wants to stay on the West Coast. I suppose the Yankees COULD offer him the most money but is there really a difference between 475M and 500M?
I was doing Soto to get younger.
Speaking of... I'm under the impression that Soto plays the outfield. Does he play first? If we were going to convert an outfielder to a first baseman they should do 6'7" Spencer Jones (The Yankees Number Five Prospect). Gotta love a big target.
Guys, if they were going to get Soto, they'd have done it already via trade. They let him get taken by San Diego, who almost pulled Judge away with a slightly bigger offer. So it's nice to dream, but I'd say ... fat chance of that ever happening.
ReplyDeleteEl Duque, according to Norse myth, an old man forced Thor's knee down and won a wrestling match. Nobody beats old age.
Time is not on our side? Wasn't there a movie with Denzel Washington fighting a demon who sang the Rolling Stones song? There are two most likely scenarios: (1) This Yankee roster will battle its way to the playoffs, only to get knocked off again by the ASS-stros. And (2) the wheels will come off this year and the team will sink to the bottom of the standings.
I don't think there is any question that IKF will start at SS and Jackie Asshole will start at 3B. That's the way Cashman operates. No reason to think he'll change all of a sudden this year.
We've figured it out here at IIHIIFIIG. Yankee management just wants to keep kicking the can down the street. There is no desire to win any championships or do even get to the World Series. The best way for them to keep the status quo is to keep running the old vets out there. That way, they'll barely make the playoffs and then collapse when they run into the ASS-stros in the playoffs. Or, they'll make the wild card and get knocked off in one game. What they want is what they'll get this year.
Montas will be 31 plus by the time he pitches for us again.
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