Yankees Weekly Watch: Anthony Volpe and Aaron Judge get started
By Tim Boyle
The New York Yankees have one mission on their mind this season and that’s a parade at the end of the journey. Here’s what to watch on Opening Day and beyond.
Championship rings run through the blood of New York Yankees fans. No team has a better history than them. In 2023, they’ll hope to capture another.
The Yankees are the defending American League East Champions and once again projected to be one of the better teams in Major League Baseball. Hoping to take it another step further and return to the World Series this season, this is a team worth watching from start to finish.
This won’t be the same Yankees team we’ve seen before. Aaron Judge is in the first year of his new monster contract and looking to do something special in his first year as the team’s official captain. Rookies like Anthony Volpe will look to make an impact. Free agent newcomer Carlos Rodon will want to make a strong first impression. Will this team live up to the hype? It all begins with the opening series.
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Here’s what Yankees fans should be watching for this week:
Opening Day: Mar. 30 vs. San Francisco Giants
Projected Yankee starting pitcher Gerrit Cole
It’s a homecoming for the San Francisco Giants in some ways when they open their season at Yankee Stadium. Once geographical rivals, this matchup has some historic flair with plenty of present-day stories to watch, too.
Gerrit Cole is the man who Aaron Boone will likely name as the team’s Opening Day starter barring some sort of late-spring injury. The Yankees have seen enough of them already which should have them being especially cautious with their ace.
We should see Giants manager Gabe Kapler go with Logan Webb, the youngest yet best starter San Francisco has on their staff. The Yankees are easily the superior club, but Webb is quickly becoming one of the league’s best pitchers. A bad inning from Cole could spoil the festivities if Webb is at the top of his game to begin the year.
Apr. 1 vs. San Francisco Giants
Projected Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes
The Yankees have an off-day after the opener with action resuming on April 1 against the Giants. There are several players Boone could start. Considering Carlos Rodon’s questionable health, the best option would be Nestor Cortes. He’s coming off of a brilliant season. Rewarding him with the second start of the season makes sense, even more so because it puts a lefty on the mound in the middle of this opening series.
The Yankees will want to take advantage of it because the Giants lineup is heavy on lefties with Joc Pederson, Michael Conforto, Brandon Crawford, and Mike Yastrzemski as four of the main ones available. Whoever the Giants pitch in game number two will be a big step down from Webb. Alex Cobb and Sean Manaea are two of the better options. Not much should change with the Yankees lineup regardless of who they go up against.
Apr. 2 vs. San Francisco Giants
Projected Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino
The first series of the season concludes on Sunday, April 2 with a third game against the Giants. Luis Severino should be the one to start this game for the Yankees. By this point, some of the biggest names in the Yankees lineup should have already experienced some cheers or boos. Giancarlo Stanton would be one of the favorites to receive either early on. Veterans Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks are two others. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and DJ LeMahieu will have already seen action in the field defensively in at least one position, maybe more.
Fans can jump to some early conclusions by the end of this game. Did Brian Cashman help prepare them enough to get through the early-season injuries? We’ll have to see if the Yankees can muscle through it against a ball club that could give them some unexpected trouble. After all, the Giants should still feel some resentment for not landing Judge.