Expectations
Same as it ever was: despite not making the playoffs last year, the Black Yankees will be expected to contend for the Whirled Championship. That’s what happens when you have Babe Ruth, and, if you had him, you wouldn’t want it any other way.
Best Case
Everything that was supposed to happen last year does: Ron Guidry establishes himself as an elite ace with Waite Hoyt and Jack Scott close behind; the bullpen’s revival, led by Aroldis Chapman, proves real; Lou Gehrig and/or Mike Schmidt move from good to excellent; and Ruth keeps doing Ruth things.
Worst Case
Not only does the pitching fail to come through, but Thurman Munson, Eric Davis, and Mickey Mantle all regress and nobody else truly steps up.
Key Questions
- It’s all about the bullpen, according to the media.
- There will be a lot of attention on last year’s ERA champion, Andy Pettitte–with some of that focused on what the loss of Albert Belle means for what was truly a fearsome bench last year.
Trade Bait
Sure. The most useful pieces would be OF Albert Belle, SS Derek Jeter, and 2B Tom Herr, any of whom could potentially move on.
You can’t accuse New York of not making moves: Belle is gone, along with some other good talent, in exchange for Andy Pettitte, further deepening what could be–could be–a great pitching staff.
Roster Evaluation
| POS | Elite | Strong | Solid | Meh | Weak | Unknown |
| C | Munson | Sanguillén | ||||
| 1B | Gehrig Mattingly | Etten | ||||
| 2B | Herr | |||||
| 3B | Schmidt | López Maddox | ||||
| SS | Jeter | |||||
| LF/ RF | Ruth Mantle | |||||
| CF | Davis | |||||
| SP | Pettitte | Scott Guidry Hoyt | ||||
| End | Chapman | Cormier | Gossage | |||
| RP | Lavelle | Lyle Righetti | Robertson |
That sure looks like a contending team, especially when you see the potential for some of the players to take steps leftward.
Talent Ratings
| WBL | Minors | |
| Raw Power | OF Babe Ruth | 1B Fred Whitfield |
| Batting Eye | OF Babe Ruth | IF Jack Crooks |
| Contact | C Manny Sanguillén | OF Mickey Rivers |
| Running Speed | OF Eric Davis | IF Hal Chase |
| Base Stealing | OF Eric Davis | IF Hal Chase |
| IF Defense | 3B Mike Schmidt | IF Aaron Hill |
| OF Defense | OF Babe Ruth | OF Bill Lange |
| Stuff | P Dave Righetti | P Dewey Adkins |
| Control | P Andy Pettitte | P Carlos Silva |
| Velocity | RP David Robertson | P AJ Burnett P Mike Fetters |
Best In The Minors
| Rank | Age | POS | Name |
| 1 (26) | 21 | P | Noah Syndergaard |
| 2 (37) | 23 | P | Jake Peavy |
| 3 (66) | 25 | P | Whitey Ford |
| 4 (98) | 21 | P | Carlos Rodón |
| 5 (119) | 21 | P | Tony Brizzolara |
| 6 (140) | 22 | OF | Clyde Milan |
| 7 (168) | 21 | U | Elliott Maddox |
This is an old system (there isn’t a single teenager in it), and one that is lacking in talent beyond the top 3. But those top 3 are pretty strong, so perhaps that won’t matter. Maddox breaks camp with the Black Yankees.
| Most | Least | |
| Age | OF Ollie Pickering, 38 | 1B Anthony Volpe, 20 |
| Height | P Jeff Nelson, 6’8″ | C Eddie Fusselback, 5’6″ |
| OPS | OF Babe Ruth, 1.091 (WBL) | OF Ron Pruitt, .487 (—) |
| HR | OF Babe Ruth, 48 (WBL) | OF Wally Rehg, 2 (—) IF Tom Herr, 2 (WBL) IF Jerry Freeman, 2 (AAA/AA) IF Harry Bauchman, 2 (AA) |
| SB | OF Eric Davis, 64 (WBL) | Many with 0 |
| WAR | OF Babe Ruth, 8.1 (WBL) | IF Devon Travis, -3.4 (—) |
| W | AJ Burnett, 15 (WBL/AAA) Andy Pettitte, 15 (WBL) | Sean Newcomb, 1 (—) |
| SV | Aroldis Chapman, 32 (WBL) | |
| ERA | Mike Fornieles, 2.72 (—) | Hooks Dauss, 6.70 (AAA/AA) |
| WAR | Ron Bryant, 4.9 (—) | Lady Baldwin, -0.5 (WBL/AAA) |