Phillies: Five Yankees they’ll hate facing if the divisions merge
If the Phillies get a new schedule they’ll have to face these dangerous Yankees stars
It’s unclear whether we’ll see Phillies baseball played this summer or not. Despite things initially appearing to be heading in the right direction, Max Scherzer’s recent comments have left fans feeling far more pessimistic as of late.
However, if baseball is in fact played in 2020, one of the rumored changes that would occur would be that of teams exclusively playing opponents within their division as well as opponents in the corresponding interleague division. For example, the Phillies would only play teams in the NL East and the AL East.
A change like this completely shakes up the entire league, and provides the Phillies with an entire new set of opponents to worry about. Obviously, the juggernaut that is the New York Yankees sits at the top of that list of teams to draw the Phillies’ concern. With that in mind, here are 5 Yankees that are worth feeling uneasy about matching up against in 2020.
*Note: The Yankees have a lot of really good players, and it was impossible to include all of them in this list. Guys who were left out will be covered at a later date.*
Gerrit Cole
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first: Gerrit Cole is without question the best pitcher in baseball currently.
Cole had an absolutely absurd year in 2019, playing a major role in the Houston Astros’ success*. Across 33 starts, Cole went 20-5 with an AL-leading 2.50 ERA. He also led the entire MLB in both strikeouts and ERA+. He quite controversially placed second in the American League Cy Young voting, while also being named to his third All-Star Game.
All of Cole’s greatness in 2019 earned him the largest pitching contract in league history, signing a deal worth $324 million over nine years.
While the Phillies have their own ace in Aaron Nola to match up against Cole on any given day, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say the Phils really don’t have much of a fighting chance when it comes to taking down Cole.
DJ LeMahieu
Arguably the best overall player on the Yankees roster, DJ LeMahieu gives off a “Phillies killer” type vibe. Similar to that of Anthony Rendon, LeMahieu is one of the players who is just so consistently good at everything, that it’s almost impossible to not get burned by him. Throw in the fact that he’s a stand-up guy and there’s nothing to really “dislike” about him, it just makes it that much more frustrating.
LeMahieu had an extremely dominant debut year with the Yankees in 2019. After playing at a very high level for the Rockies from 2012 to 2018, the elite infielder decided to make the switch in free agency and join New York.
With some concerns about how he would transition from no longer playing in Coors Field, LeMahieu pretty much silenced any and all critics.
LeMahieu slashed .327/.375/.518 while hitting 26 home runs and driving in 102 RBI. He placed fourth in the AL MVP race, won a Silver Slugger award, and was voted into his third All-Star game.
Although he failed in his ultimate goal of winning New York a World Series in 2019, it’s safe to say Yankees fans are pretty happy with their current second baseman.
Outside of LeMahieu’s insane batting abilities, he’s also one of the better fielders in the MLB. He won three Gold Gloves with Colorado, and had a fairly above-average year defensively with the Yankees last year.
When he’s not crushing Phillies pitchers at the plate, he’ll be robbing the team’s hitters of base hits in the infield.
Gleyber Torres
If DJ LeMahieu is considered the best overall Yankee, then shortstop Gleyber Torres very well might be number two.
Despite being just 22 years old, Torres absolutely took the league by storm in 2019. In only his second official MLB season, he slashed .278/.337/.535, knocked in 90 RBIs and crushed a team-leading 38 home runs. He was selected to his second consecutive All-Star game and even received some MVP consideration (placed 17th in the American League).
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Not only is Torres just a force in general, but he also seems to have a knack for taking advantage of below average pitching. In 18 games against the Baltimore Orioles in 2019, Torres hit an absurd total of 13 home runs. His average against the O’s sat close to .400 and he recorded just over a fifth of his total season RBI against them.
The Phillies rotation will likely include some sort of combination of Jake Arrieta, Vince Velasquez, and/or Nick Pivetta, and all three look to be prime targets for Torres to take advantage of.
Torres turned 23 years old in December, and it’s widely believed that he will continue to get better as time goes on. At such a young age there’s even a solid chance that Torres isn’t fully developed physically, meaning he could add even more power to his already impressive swing.
Even with a shortened season in place (potentially), it’s fairly safe to expect Torres to come back in elite physical condition.
Gary Sanchez
After winning both a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award in 2019, the universal consensus appears to be that Phillies JT Realmuto is the best catcher in baseball. However, there’s a stubborn sect of Yankees fans who seem to be insistent that Gary Sanchez is the one who is most deserving of that title.
Despite hitting just .232 in 2019, Sanchez was an absolute force when it came to driving in runs for the Yankees. Hitting 34 homers and knocking in 77 RBI, Sanchez recorded an OPS of .841, good for sixth-best on a loaded New York roster.
Regardless of where games are played this summer (if they’re played at all), Sanchez will be sure to hit his fair share of long balls in 2020. Not only will this cause a strain on the Phillies below-average pitching staff, but it will cause the Sanchez loyalists to be that more insistent on crowning him the best catcher in the MLB.
Sanchez has been selected to two All-Star games and won a Silver Slugger award in 2017. While he is definitely not the best overall batter on the Yankees, he’s, without doubt, one of the most powerful. He led all catchers in home runs in both 2019 and 2017, and his 61 RBIs last year ranked seventh amongst all catchers.
Sanchez is nowhere near the pedigree of an Aaron Judge or DJ LeMahieu, but the context behind him playing against the Phillies in 2020 is what will make him such a nightmare to face. Having to constantly hear him compared to Realmuto during every single broadcast will quickly grow tiresome amongst the Philly faithful.
Aroldis Chapman
Phillies fans should already be pretty familiar with closer Aroldis Chapman and his work, considering he made his playoff debut against Philadelphia way back in 2010. After exploding onto the scene as a 22 year old rookie during the regular season, Chapman came on and pitched 1.2 innings against the Phils during the NLDS.
Despite routinely hitting triple digits on the radar gun, Chapman allowed three runs and was handed a loss.
Philadelphia Phillies
It’s been quite a long time since Chapman lost that game back in 2010, and he’s only gotten better as the years have gone on. Across ten full seasons in the MLB, Chapman has been selected to six All-Star games, recorded 273 saves, struck out 883 batters, and won a World Series.
He’s regularly been regarded as one of the best (if not the best) closer in all of baseball for the majority of the past decade.
Chapman returned to the Yankees following his World Series victory with the Cubs in 2016 and has been the team’s primary closing pitcher since. He’s finished 138 games and recorded an ERA of 2.61 during that three-year span.
If the Phillies are finding themselves consistently heading into close games by the ninth inning with the Yankees, having to stare down 6’ 4” Chapman on the mound doesn’t necessarily seem too ideal.
Especially considering the Phillies current closer is projected to be that of Hector Neris, it seems unlikely that a lot of close games against New York would swing Philly’s way.