We need a shot of something injected into this team.
Every year the same question arises: will this team give the youngsters a chance to help it? This season, we have seen Shane Greene give the team some quality innings, so much so that he may be in the running for a spot in the rotation next year. We have also seen the emergence of Dellin Betances, who has cemented himself as the team's fireman, while also giving the front office something to think about when considering whether to give David Robertson an extension or not (of course they should).
Other young players like Chase Whitley, John "don't call me JR" Ryan Murphy, and even Adam Warren (well, earlier in the year) have helped this team in one or another way in different parts of the season. The question is, will this team allow the youngsters to be even a bigger part of the 2015 team? The logical answer will be no since we are used to seeing the front office giving aging players, who were once big time players, contracts clogging up positions and roster spots that could be used for up and coming players. Which is why we saw Brian Roberts play more games than expected over the fan favorite Rob Refsnyder who didn't even sniff a Major League field this season.
Will Refsnyder be penciled in for second base next year? Or will the Yankees stick Martin Prado there and hit the free agency market to look for Derek Jeter's heir? If anything, the bullpen is where we might see younger guys play a big part next year. You can almost count on lefty Jacob Lindgren being there, as I am sure the Yankees envision a nasty left-right combo of Lindgren and Betances. Mark Montgomery may also make an appearance in the bullpen next year, even though his stock has fallen a tad, as well as Tyler Webb.
The 2015 rotation will be a very interesting one to keep an eye on throughout the offseason. Will Greene be a part of it? Will Manny Banuelos get a shot? Does Luis Severino make an appearance at all? With the uncertainty of Masahiro Tanaka, there might be a few open spots to fill. We also, at some point, can expect Ivan Nova to fully recover from Tommy John surgery, and you know for a fact that CC Sabathia will have a spot. A lot, of course, is depending on what the Yankees do in free agency, but you have to imagine they will be looking to upgrade offensively.
And then there are the prospects that might be a ways off from contributing on a major league level. A guy like Aaron Judge, or Giancarlo Stanton "lite" as Yankee fans hope he is, might not step on a MLB field until 2016. Eric Jagielo isn't exactly ready to take over at third base, either, at least not until the saga of Alex Rodriguez finally ends.
Which youngsters do you want to see on the 2015 team? Which players do you think actually have a chance to make the team?