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AL Wild Card Preview: Who will emerge between Yankees and Astros?

By Kyle Franzoni

Aug 25, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Carlos Gomez (30) is restrained by home plate umpire Eric Cooper as Gomez and New York Yankees catcher John Ryan Murphy (66) go face to face after Gomez flew out in the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 25, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Carlos Gomez (30) is restrained by home plate umpire Eric Cooper as Gomez and New York Yankees catcher John Ryan Murphy (66) go face to face after Gomez flew out in the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 31, 2015; Fort Myers, FL, USA; New York Yankees infielder Rob Refsnyder (98) prepares to throw to first base in the first inning of the spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at CenturyLink Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2015; Fort Myers, FL, USA; New York Yankees infielder Rob Refsnyder (98) prepares to throw to first base in the first inning of the spring training game against the Minnesota Twins at CenturyLink Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Line-ups

On paper, the Houston Astros and New York Yankees are two very different teams; one young and hungry, one experienced and savvy. However, once we push past the names and the experience, and into the numbers, we see some very real similarities.

As a unit, the Astros hit a combined .250/.315/.437 with 230 home runs and 729 runs scored. Meanwhile, the Yankees hit .251/.323/.421 with 212 home runs and 764 runs scored. While the Astros carried the advantage through sheer power, Houston also gave away 165 more out on the season via the strike-out. Likewise the Yankees squeezed out 68 additional walks on the season.

With lefty Dallas Keuchel on the mound, the Yankees may have a slightly different look than they did during their season finale. First and foremost, that means that Rob Refsnyder will likely be at second base rather than Dustin Ackley. That will give New York a line-up that looks like this:

  1. Jacoby Ellsbury – CF
  2. Brett Gardner – LF
  3. Alex Rodriguez – DH
  4. Carlos Beltran – RF
  5. Brian McCann – C
  6. Greg Bird – 1B
  7. Chase Headley – 3B
  8. Rob Refsnyder – 2B
  9. Didi Gregorious – SS

On the other side of things, the Astros will go with a familiar look. The line-up is built around the top of the order, where three young studs in Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Carlos Correa will get things started. Then the all-or-nothing slugger brigade jumps in, with a steady stream of power from the likes of Evan Gattis, Colby Rasmus, Luis Valbuena, Chris Carter, and Carlos Gomez.

  1. Jose Altuve – 2B
  2. George Springer – RF
  3. Carlos Correa – SS
  4. Evan Gattis – DH
  5. Colby Rasmus – LF
  6. Carlos Gomez – CF
  7. Luis Valbuena – 3B
  8. Chris Carter – 1B
  9. Jason Castro – C

Both line-ups are built to get the ball rolling with speedy, on-base machines. The key for both line-ups will be to limit strike-outs, the Astros from a weakness standpoint and the Yankees due to their history against Keuchel.

Next: Prediction

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