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The Reds return home on Friday to kick off a 6-game homestand. They’ll begin with three games against the New York Yankees. The Reds and Yankees played one series in Yankee Stadium last year, with the Reds taking two of three.
- Friday, 6:40 pm
- Saturday, 4:10 pm
- Sunday, 11:35 am
The Yankees have been solid so far in 2023, going 26-20. However, they play in the ultra-competitive AL East, so that places them just in a virtual tie for third with the 25-19 Blue Jays, and 6.5 games behind the first place Rays.
Offseason
The Yankees were big spenders in the offseason, most notably re-signing outfielder Aaron Judge to a 9-year, $360 million contract. That wasn’t their only mega-deal of the offseason though, as they also added pitcher Carlos Rodon on a 6-year, $162 million contract. On a smaller scale, they also added reliever Tommy Kahnle on a 2-year deal, and outfielder Franchy Cordero on a one year deal. Rodon and Kahnle haven’t pitched yet this season due to injury, and Cordero currently sits in the minors after struggling.
Position Players
Here are the current stats for Yankees hitters, through Wednesday.
Yankees hitters have been perfectly league average as a whole this year, going into Thursday with exactly a 100 wRC+ as a team. That ranks 15th among the 30 teams, exactly where you’d expect an average offense to rank. They’ll come into the series without infielders Josh Donaldson and Oswald Peraza, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, and starting catcher Jose Trevino, who are all currently on the 10-day IL. Trevino was just placed on the IL prior to Thursday’s game, and catcher Ben Rortvedt was brought up to fill his roster spot.
The Yankees’ offense has been fairly hot as of late, with each of Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Kyle Higashioka posting an OPS over 1.000 in varying sample sizes over their past seven games. Judge hit his sixth home run in a six game span on Thursday, giving him 12 for the season.
Pitchers
Here are the current stats for Yankees pitchers, through Wednesday.
The Reds are again fortunate to miss the top of the Yankees’ rotation. They’ll miss both Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes, and seem likely to face a trio of Clarke Schmidt, Jhony Brito, and Luis Severino, who is expected to be activated from the IL on Sunday. Third starter Domingo German is likely facing a suspension for using illegal foreign substances on his hands in his most recent start.
Much like the offense, the Yankees’ starting pitching has been almost perfectly average in 2023. They rank 14th in each of ERA, FIP, and xFIP, though it’s worth noting that both Schmidt and Brito have struggled all season.
While ERA makes the Yankees’ bullpen look like a true strength, ranking 4th in the league, when digging deeper we also find that the bullpen has been…wait for it…almost perfectly average again. The bullpen ranks 14th in FIP and 10th in xFIP, while also ranking near the middle of the pack in walk rate and strikeout rate.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: Clarke Schmidt against Ben Lively
Saturday: TBD (Jhony Brito?) against Luke Weaver
Sunday: Luis Severino against Hunter Greene
Conclusion
Based on the 2023 numbers, the Yankees seem to be an average team, despite their massive payroll and mainstream media attention. They don’t really excel in any one area, but are rather a well-rounded team that’s decent at just about everything. The fact that the Reds get the Yankees’ two worst starters and a starter making his 2023 debut certainly plays into the Reds’ hand, though they have their weakest two starters in the first two games as well. The Reds will look to recapture the magic from 2022 and win a series against the Yankees for the second year in a row.
Featured Image: Twitter
