3 YANKEES

OVERALL RANK 8

ENEMY LINES

A RIVAL SCOUT SIZES UP NEW YORK

There are a lot of pieces here to look forward to.... Gary Sánchez has learned to use the whole field. He's really matured as a hitter.... Greg Bird can be an offensive star. He doesn't have massive power, but Yankee Stadium is going to be beneficial for a young lefthanded hitter.... If Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius can play consistently with one another, this is going to be a very competitive team. Both are a little streaky.... Jacoby Ellsbury has really regressed, and with his injury history, Aaron Hicks could replace him.... Aaron Judge has incredible raw power. They'll put him at the bottom of the order and tell him, "The season doesn't rely on you." ... Matt Holliday will be a good mentor for these kids. I think he'll still produce too.... If Masahiro Tanaka is over his injury, he's a top-end guy. He's got a wipeout split that's basically unhittable when there are two strikes.... For two or three innings Michael Pineda can look like a No. 1 starter, but he just seems to lack focus. He's still pitching like he's 20.... If the lightbulb comes on, Luis Severino is lights out. He's 96--100 mph, with a quality slider.... With the training Aroldis Chapman has done, he's taken his ability to a whole other level. And they won't have to extend him because they have a solid bullpen.... Dellin Betances's curveball is unhittable. Couple that with a 96--98 mph fastball and that's a tough at bat.... Shortstop Gleyber Torres will probably spend another year in the minors, but he's going to be a really impactful major league player.

MANAGER JOE GIRARDI

10TH SEASON WITH NEW YORK

B-T BA OBP SLG WAR

LF BRETT GARDNER [DEFENSIVE STAR]

L-L .261 .351 .362 3.4

CF JACOBY ELLSBURY [IN JURY RISK] [DECLINING]

L-L .263 .330 .374 2.8

C GARY SÁNCHEZ [BARGAIN] [RISING]

R-R .299 .376 .657 3.0

DH MATT HOLLIDAY [NEW ACQUISITION]

R-R .246 .322 .461 0.3

1B GREG BIRD [IN JURY RISK] [RISING]

L-R .261 .343 .529 0.9 [2015 STATS]

SS DIDI GREGORIUS

L-R .276 .304 .447 2.2

2B STARLIN CASTRO

R-R .270 .300 .433 1.2

RF AARON JUDGE [ROOKIE] [BARGAIN] [RISING]

R-R .270 .366 .489 [MINOR LEAGUE STATS]

3B CHASE HEADLEY [DECLINING]

S-R .253 .331 .385 2.6

BENCH

B-T BA OBP SLG WAR

1B CHRIS CARTER [NEW ACQUISITION]

R-R .222 .321 .499 0.9

OF AARON HICKS

S-R .217 .281 .336 -0.3

W--L ERA K/9 WAR

RH MASAHIRO TANAKA [TEAM MVP] [IN JURY RISK]

14--4 3.07 7.4 5.4

RH MICHAEL PINEDA

6--12 4.82 10.6 1.2

LH CC SABATHIA [IN JURY RISK] [DECLINING]

9--12 3.91 7.6 3.0

RH LUIS SEVERINO [RISING]

3--8 5.83 8.4 -0.3

RH CHAD GREEN

2--4 4.73 10.2 0.2

SV ERA K/9 WAR

LH AROLDIS CHAPMAN [NEW ACQUISITION]

36 1.55 14.0 2.5

RH DELLIN BETANCES [BARGAIN] [RISING]

12 3.08 15.5 1.1

NEW ACQUISITION

STATS FROM 2016

(R) ROOKIE

*2015 STATS

†MINOR LEAGUE STATS

TEAM MVP

DEFENSIVE STAR

IN JURY RISK

BARGAIN

RISING

DECLINING

MODEST PROPOSAL

Dave Righetti, Mariano Rivera, Dellin Betances ... Luis Severino? The next great Yankees reliever is right in front of them. Severino, who touched 99 mph in early March, has a 5.32 ERA in 22 career starts and a 0.39 mark in 11 relief appearances. The 6'2" righty missed time last year with a right triceps strain, adding to questions about whether he can carry a starter's heavy workload. The slow development of his changeup would matter less if he were a reliever, as well. All signs point to Severino eventually being a dominant back-end hurler; New York should get on with it.

BOTTOM LINE

With so much young talent in the Bronx, the future is bright, but the present is still partly cloudy.