TAMPA, Fla. _ First Brett Gardner and then Aaron Judge on Sunday gave voice to what rival scouts and talent evaluators have said about the potential of the Yankees' 2019 offense much of the offseason and into the first week-plus of exhibition games.
Basically, look out.
"We're going to hit more this year," Gardner said Sunday after homering twice against the Tigers in a split-squad game.
The "more" is homers, of course.
The Yankees hit a single-season record 267 last season, surpassing the 1997 Mariners, who hit 264 (the Yankees' single-season record was the 245 homers they hit in 2012).
"Oh, definitely," said Judge, who also went deep twice Sunday. "With this whole team healthy, we're going to crush the record that we set last year. We've got a good team, a lot of guys that can make a lot of solid contact, a lot of big boys who can make solid contact and make it go. We're a team that's primed and ready to do that."
A dissenting opinion from opposing team scouts who were sampled, and who typically don't engage in spring training hype, could not be found.
"They should feel that way," one NL scout said. "I do."
An AL talent evaluator added: "It's (hitting more) not a stretch (with health). It might sound crazy to say 275 or more is possible ... then you look at it (the numbers) from last year, the injuries and some down years like (Gary) Sanchez (had), and you say it really is."
Sanchez, coming off a 2017 when he hit 33 home runs, battled injuries and a season-long slump to hit 18. Giancarlo Stanton, though not as good as in his MVP season with the Marlins in 2017 when he hit 59 homers, had a better season than given credited for, hitting a team-best 38 homers with a .852 OPS. (By comparison, Bryce Harper hit 34 homers with a .889 OPS).
Judge, after a 52-homer rookie season, in 2018 became just the fourth Yankee to hit 25 homers before the All-Star break in two different seasons. But he spent July 27-Sept. 14 on the DL with a chip fracture of the right wrist and ended with 27 homers, one of four Yankees to reach that number. Miguel Andujar, Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks were the others.
In all, the Yankees set a record by having 12 players hit at last 10 homers in the same season. Six different players hit at least 20 homers and, according to Elias, the Yankees became the first team in big-league history to hit at least 20 homers from all nine batting spots: No. 1 (27 homers); No. 2 (39); No. 3 (27); No. 4 (44); No. 5 (35); No. 6 (26); No. 7 (23); No. 8 (26); No. 9 (20).
A third talent evaluator, while not throwing cold water on the offense's potential, did offer a slight cautionary note.
"You have two rookies who have to show (they can do it) two years in a row," he said. "And Voit (too)."
Andujar's 27 homers tied him for the lead among MLB rookies while Gleyber Torres, not called up until April 22, was fourth with 24. Voit surprised many by hitting 14 homers after taking every day first-base duties from Greg Bird on Aug. 24.
Many frustrated Yankees fans will point out the offense's shortcomings from last season, primarily the struggles that occurred at times with runners in scoring position. The Yankees hit .253 with a .784 OPS with RISP; .239 with a .765 OPS with RISP and two outs.
There is indeed room for improvement, even for a team that finished second in the majors (behind Boston) in runs scored (851) and runs per game (5.25).
"I just think that we're capable of being better than we were last year overall as an offense," Gardner said. "Collectively as a unit, I expect us to have a better offense and score more runs."
