Yankees Win Total Prediction
Lacking in name power like it used to have, will the New York Yankees find a way to scale the AL East standings this season?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Yankees over/under for wins in 2017 has been set at 83. The over has odds of -135 while the under sits at +105. Their odds to win the 2017 World Series are listed at 30/1 currently, while their odds to win the ALCS are at 15/1.
Joe Girardi is entering his 10th season as manager of the Yankees. He brings in a record of 819-639 in his first nine years. New York is coming off an 84-78 record in 2016, where it finished 9 games out of the AL East and 5 games out of the Wild Card. The Yankees have not won less than 84 games since 1995.
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In 2016, the Yankees produced just 680 runs, which ranked fourth fewest in the AL. Derek Jeter is no longer around and Alex Rodriguez retired after last season as well. Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius led the team in 2016 with only 70 RBI. Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann ranked third and fourth in RBI, but both are gone. Jacoby Ellsbury had a quiet year with just 56 RBI and hit just .263. In hopes to add a little pop, Matt Holliday was brought on. He had 71 RBI last season while batting .246. He only played in 110 games last season. They also added Chris Carter from the Brewers. He had 41 HR and 94 RBI in 2016, but only hit .222.
When it comes to the pitching staff, the Yankees allowed 702 runs. Masahiro Tanaka is back to lead the rotation after going 14-4 in 2016 with a 3.07 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda are back as well, but both had 12 losses in 2016. Pineda did record a team-high 207 strikeouts, though. While the rotation isn’t overpowering, the bullpen should be pretty solid. Dellin Betances was solid in a middle relief role, racking up 28 holds with a 3.08 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 73 innings. The team brought back Aroldis Chapman in the offseason after trading him to the Cubs midseason. He had a 1.55 ERA with 36 saves in 2016. He also had 90 strikeouts in 58 innings of work.
This is a tough call. The Yankees know how to win as a franchise, but they are also due for a period of below .500 ball after going so many years as a contender. Playing in the AL East will be difficult with this lineup. The Red Sox, Orioles and Blue Jays can all score a lot of runs and New York doesn’t have a starting rotation that will be able to quiet their bats. New York also doesn’t have a group that can match that type of run production. While the bullpen should be able to hang on to leads, I don’t think the Yankees will be leading more than they won’t. My gut says go with the under as New York’s bats disappoint them this season.
2017 MLB SEASON WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: NEW YORK YANKEES UNDER 83