As spring training is underway and the regular baseball season rapidly approaches, I know all Yankees fans have the same question. Yes, they have made improvements to their 100 win 2018 squad, but have they done enough to catch the Sox? Like it or not, the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry is good for baseball. Let’s take a look to see how the Yankees and Sox matchup at each infield position.
Catcher: Gary Sanchez vs. Sandy Leon/Christian Vazquez
Even as Gary floundered last year, it’s hard to not believe in his potential. Gary burst onto the scene in 2016, hitting homer after homer as he almost stole the rookie of the year from Michael Fulmer. He followed that up with a 33 homer campaign in 2017 and looked to be on the up and up. Then, 2018 happened. Lack of hustle, injuries, lack of production at the plate and passed balls plagued the 27 year old backstop as he struggled all season long. On the other hand, Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon make a nice platoon over in Boston. Leon provides the defense, and Vazquez provides the offense. However, neither of them come close to the ceiling that Sanchez has. Sanchez’s defensive woes are overblown. He is an above average pitch framer and his arm ranks high among catchers. Does he have a problem blocking balls? Absolutely. Is he a top 5 catcher in baseball despite his shortcomings? Without a doubt. This one is easy.
Edge: Yankees
First Base: Luke Voit/Greg Bird vs. Mitch Moreland
Going into the 2018 season, there was certainly a lot of optimism about Greg Bird. He was coming off of a nice 2017 postseason, he was finally healthy and looked ready to mash. Much like Sanchez, Greg fell flat on his face in 2018. He was hurt for the first part of the year, unproductive for the second part of the year and ultimately lost his job to a relative unknown, Luke Voit, by the end of the year. That relative unknown would turn into Barry Bonds for two months, making Greg Bird’s future with the Yankees murky at best. Voit went on to hit 14 homers over 39 games down the stretch, bringing fun, energy and production to first base. The question for Voit becomes: will he be able to duplicate it? Moreland, on the other hand, is much more of a known commodity at this point. He is a left-handed bat that can play excellent defense and hits for power. The famed “Mitch Two-Bags” brings stability to a position in which the Yankees have one of their biggest question marks. Luke Voit may have the higher ceiling, but Moreland is more of a sure bet. Add in Moreland’s defense, and the edge has to go to the Red Sox.
Edge: Red Sox
Second base: Gleyber Torres vs. Dustin Pedroia/Eduardo Nunez
The 2018 season started with Gleyber Torres in the minors and ended with Gleyber coming in third in the rookie of the year race. Learning a new position, Gleyber showed glimpses of brilliance in the field, but showed far too many novice moments. At the plate, Gleyber was a force, blasting 24 homers from the second base position. For the Sox, the second base position is by far their biggest question mark. Red Sox legend Dustin Pedroia missed the entire 2018 season essentially due to a knee injury, and he looks to make a comeback in 2019. Eduardo Nunez provides some pop from the second base position, but his defense is shaky at best (sans that game saving play against the Yankees) and he seems to be constantly injured. If Pedroia can bounce back to his 2007 self, the Sox will be set, but the future is now for Gleyber Torres.
Edge: Yankees
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki vs. Xander Bogaerts
This would be a lot more fun of Didi Gregorius elbow would have held up. Instead, the Yankees went out and signed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to a minimum deal to play shortstop. Tulo hasn’t played a full season in two years and is now trying to make a comeback. Sounds like the Yankees are willing to let him shake the rust off, while trying to win now. If only there was an elite shortstop available that the Yankees could have signed. Anyways, the Red Sox have budding superstar Xander Bogaerts entrenched at the shortstop position. Xander provides solid defense, average and power from the shortstop position while batting in the middle of the order. Like I said, if Didi was healthy, this would be a fun debate. For now, the Red Sox win by a landslide.
Edge: Red Sox
Third Base: Miguel Andujar vs. Rafael Devers
Ah, the young guns. Between Miguel Andujar and Rafael Devers, there is no shortage of fireworks. The only problem is that sometimes fireworks go awry (ask JPP). Andujar burst onto the scene in 2018, providing the Yankees with a consistent bat all year. He hit for power, average and never went into a prolonged slump, despite his free-swinging nature. HIs defense, however, left much to be desired with a league worst -25 DRS. Devers, on the other hand, looked to follow up a strong cameo in 2017 with a breakout 2018. Sadly, defensive woes and a lack of plate discipline led to a disappointing year. While he still showed power at the plate, hitting 21 homers, his OBP dropped to .298 while hitting a measly .241. While Devers has lots of potential at the plate, the safer bet here is Andujar, despite his defensive shortcomings.
Edge: Yankees
As it stands now, the Yankees have the 4-3 edge. Next up, the decisive match up between the outfield and DH positions!
