Fansided

5 Yankees who won’t meet expectations in 2019

By Rucker Haringey

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees strikes out to end the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 8, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 16-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees strikes out to end the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 8, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 16-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 23: Pitcher J.A. Happ #34 of the New York Yankees pitches in an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on September 23, 2018 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Orioles won 6-3. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 23: Pitcher J.A. Happ #34 of the New York Yankees pitches in an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on September 23, 2018 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Orioles won 6-3. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

3. J.A. Happ

Happ didn’t pitch great for the Yankees in the postseason, but he was borderline dominant in the regular season after coming over from Toronto. If any fans expect him to pitch at that level for a full season at the age of 36 they are going to be seriously disappointed.

Remember, Happ went 7-0 with an ERA of just 2.69 in his 11 regular season starts with the Yankees last year. If he kept up that kind of performance for a full year he’d be in contention to win a Cy Young. To put it bluntly, you shouldn’t place a bet on Happ to win the AL Cy Young Award next year.

What you can expect from Happ is for him to pitch like an above average starter for the Yankees. If he can find a way to throw 150+ innings with an ERA around 3.50 he’ll be an excellent asset for Boone and the coaching staff. Such “pedestrian” numbers will still underwhelm fans who want him to be the team’s No. 2 starter.

The biggest concern about Happ next year is whether or not age will really start to eat into his skills. The fact that he’s not overly dependent on velocity should help him age gracefully, but the fastball is going to get weaker and weaker as time goes on. The Yankees front office understands that, but fans will expect Happ to pitch more like an ace than a No. 3 or 4 starter. Those expectations are out of line with his probable performance.

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