2018 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: Ranking the Yankees' Fantasy assets
How do you make a lineup with Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez better? The Yankees figured it out.
- Draft Prep Tiers: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP
- Heath's Sleepers | Breakouts | Busts
- Scott's Top 100 prospects | Sleepers | Breakouts | Busts | Dynasty Top 100
There have been three sets of teammates to hit 100 homers combined in a season, and two of them have been on the Yankees: Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961; and Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1927. Will we add a third pairing to that group in 2018?
You'd get pretty good odds if you bet on it. Last season, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton combined for 111 long balls, and they are, as you may have heard, teammates now. And they aren't alone, as the Yankees are putting together what is likely to be the best lineup in baseball for 2018, with Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, and Greg Bird leading the rest of the group. The Yankees already led the majors in homers last season, while finishing second in runs, and they have to be the odds on favorite to top the league in both numbers in 2018.
You'll want to avoid starting your pitchers against them, is what I'm saying.
| Player | Roto Rank | H2H Rank | Roto POS | H2H POS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Giancarlo Stanton
NYY RF
| 11 | 11 | 5 | 5 |
Gary Sanchez
NYY C
| 27 | 36 | 1 | 2 |
Aaron Judge
NYY RF
| 12 | 14 | 6 | 7 |
Aroldis Chapman
NYY RP
| 70 | 79 | 3 | 3 |
Luis Severino
NYY SP
| 40 | 32 | 9 | 9 |
Masahiro Tanaka
NYY SP
| 101 | 67 | 26 | 24 |
Greg Bird
NYY 1B
| 230 | 183 | 26 | 23 |
Didi Gregorius
NYY SS
| 143 | 118 | 10 | 10 |
Brett Gardner
NYY LF
| 147 | 164 | 39 | 34 |
Sonny Gray
NYY SP
| 133 | 78 | 30 | 27 |
Jordan Montgomery
NYY SP
| 258 | 218 | 69 | 68 |
Aaron Hicks
NYY CF
| 220 | 230 | 63 | 61 |
Players in Scott's Top 100 Prospects
| 3 | Gleyber Torres |
| If not for Tommy John surgery in June, Torres might already be entrenched as the Yankees third baseman. Second base may be the final destination for this Carlos Correa comp -- they've left it wide open for him this spring -- so it's really just a matter of him proving his health. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring | |
| 49 | Chance Adams |
| Despite his sizzling start to the year, the Yankees continually passed over Adams whenever they had a rotation opening, and little by little, his numbers began to wane, to the point he averaged just 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings over his final 12 starts. The slider is special, but the converted reliever needs a third pitch for better consistency. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful | |
| 55 | Estevan Florial |
| One of the biggest risers of 2017 offers the power-speed combo that Fantasy owners crave, but he still has some strides to make with his bat, most notably cutting down on his strikeouts. Right now, it's a Curtis Granderson-like ceiling, which is still pretty special, but Florial was raw when the Yankees signed him and may continue to improve. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: don't count on it | |
| 57 | Miguel Andujar |
| Coming off his best ever minor-league season, which led to an all-too-brief major-league stint in June, Andujar is back in evaluators' good graces, but there are still reasons to wonder if he's in the Yankees' long-term plans. The suspect defense. The flighty mechanics. The limited on-base ability. At his best, though, he hits for average and power. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring | |
| 94 | Justus Sheffield |
| I find the Sheffield hype curious for a number of reasons. The numbers are so-so, which is especially notable pitching in a venue -- an entirely pipeline, really -- known for padding them, and he's 5-feet-11, which typically raises role concerns. His fastball gives him a Billy Wagner-like quality, though. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: cup of coffee | |
Things to Know
- This isn't just the Judge and Stanton Show, obviously. Gary Sanchez would be my pick for the top catcher in Fantasy, and with 53 homers in 177 career games, he's just a step below Stanton and Judge in the power department.
- Greg Bird didn't live up to expectations in 2017, playing just 48 games and hitting .190 while batting an ankle issue. But he still has plenty of talent, and hit .244/.426/.512 in 54 postseason plate appearances. There's 30-plus homer potential in that park.
- Jordan Montgomery comes to the mound with a five-pitch arsenal from the left side, but all five might just be average pitches. Can he better than the sum of his arsenal? I like him as a late-round sleeper.
- Given how strong the lineup and bullpen are overall, there's a chance Aroldis Chapman might see fewer save opportunities than you think he will, ala Wade Davis in 2017. That shouldn't deter you from drafting him, however.
Lineup & Rotation
| Lineup | ||
| 1 | Brett Gardner | LF |
| 2 | Aaron Judge | RF |
| 3 | Giancarlo Stanton | DH |
| 4 | Gary Sanchez | C |
| 5 | Greg Bird | 1B |
| 6 | Didi Gregorius | SS |
| 7 | Aaron Hicks | CF |
| 8 | Gleyber Torres | 3B |
| 9 | Ronald Torreyes | 2B |
| Pitchers | ||
| SP | Luis Severino | |
| SP | Masahiro Tanaka | |
| SP | Sonny Gray | |
| SP | CC Sabathia | |
| SP | Jordan Montgomery | |
| CL | Aroldis Chapman | |
| RP | Dellin Betances | |
| RP | David Robertson | |




























