New York Yankees Hitters: 2015 Team Preview

Sep 21, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann (34) and New York Yankees relief pitcher David Robertson (30) shake hands after a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

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It is hard to believe that the Yankees have one of the worst lineups in Major League Baseball, but the only players on the projected starting lineup under 31 are Didi Gregorius and Robert Refsnyder. I did not know who Robert Refsnyder was before looking at the table. After a drop of research, I can safely say that I am not investing in the New York middle infield.

I understand that Jacoby Ellsbury is a very solid fantasy asset, but I am not willing to pay the market price for him. I believe that Ellsbury will be one of the first 30 picks in 2015 in most leagues, but I have at least 30 players I prefer over him. Therefore, he will not be on my team.

Brett Gardner will score runs and steal 20 bases, but he will not repeat his performance in the power department. I have already made a note of that in this article. Quite simply, his HR/FB% was roughly double his career average prior to 2014.

Chase Headley is still living off of the second half of 2012. Otherwise, Headley is nothing more than a player for the end of your bench. While I think his contract was a fair deal for the Yankees, a dozen homers and a .245 batting average are not exactly what I look for in a player.

I also do not want to deal with the frustrations of owning one of the three golden oldies on the Yankees. I had Mark Teixeira on a team last year and he could not go a series without picking up an injury. Alex Rodriguez is best left as a joke pick by someone else in the last round. Carlos Beltran offers the most upside of the trio, but he still only played in two-thirds of 2014. Even if those players all exceed the projections, they still may not be worth the headache.

Brian McCann is really the only player I want from the Yankees offense in 2015. He was not particularly good in his first season with the Bronx Bombers, but he still sent 23 over the fence. Even if McCann’s BABIP the last three years of .234, .261, and .231 signifies a new scary trend, he possesses a HR and RBI combo that is among the best at his position. It is hard not to like his value in a double-digit round.

Tanner Bell of Smart Fantasy Baseball has created all of the projections seen in this post. You can read about how he develops his projections here. His projections are invaluable to this site. You can also visit his site at www.smartfantasybaseball.com.

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