The year was 2000, all of baseball came to a halting stop given the fact that the Yankees and Mets, New York’s two baseball teams were going to meet up in the World Series. While back then the Yankees took the title in a commanding way, baseball fans could argue that a second running of the famous “Subway Series” could be something that would be just what baseball needs nowadays. Both teams are favorites in all of the World Series odds lists to make it all the way to the title series, so what would each team bring to the table to try and take the title?
Pitching: The Yankees Rotation vs. Jacob “GOAT” DeGrom
If there is one specific field in which both teams from New York can brag about is having two of the best starting rotations in all of baseball. On the one side you have the Mets, with Jacob DeGrom, who can easily be taken as the front runner for NL MVP with his stats that are almost too good to be true. On the other hand, you have Gerrit Cole, the ace that has come to the Yankees to lift up a rotation that had been crying for a top of the line all-star starter for a while now. But when push comes to shove, there is no better pitcher in baseball right now than Jacob DeGrom.
DeGrom’s numbers, his dominance on the mound and the way he has lifted the Mets organization has made him a force to be reckoned with in baseball and with ample reason. There are no clear signs of him stopping in his tracks anytime soon and if he continues in his path, alongside the help of Tijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman, then you can tell they will not be an easy bone to chew in a potential World Series showdown.
The Yankees, with guys like Corey Kluber, Jordan Montgomery, Jameson Taillon and Domingo German can definitely put up a great fight to back up Cole, but unless their inconsistencies can be fixed before a potential World Series appearance the road will be a tough one for the Yankees pitching department.
Hitting: Advantage Yankees, When Healthy
Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have proved time and time again that you do not want to face them when they are healthy and in their groove. They seem at times as if they don’t understand anything other than smashing baseballs into the stratosphere. If you look at the numbers you can easily tell when the Yankees are having a good day, of course all depending on how the two major bats in New York’s batting list are feeling. While the Mets’ pitching core is elite one can’t help but wonder if they truly have what it takes to take down not just one of baseball’s most powerful hitters but two, in the same team.
The Mets are not shying away from their hitting power either, they have some very good hitters in their roster too. Led by local sensation Pete Alonso and with the likes of players such as Francisco Lindor, Michael Conforto and James McCann, they can hold their own but just not enough to truly put a scare on a Yankees rotation that can chop down batting orders in an instant if necessary.
Overall: Yankees Stability Issues vs. Mets Need For More Power
The Yankees have been kind of a rollercoaster of a team this season. They came in as one of the clear favorites to make it to the World Series but have struggled at times to keep up in their division against a Tampa Bay team that wants to prove to everybody that their trip to the World Series last season was not a fluke and a Boston team in dire need of some sort of major success. When the Yankees are hot, the league gets put on notice, but when they’re not, they become somewhat of an afterthought. In the American League, with teams like the Rays, the A’s and especially the White Sox, you need to either bring it at all times or just make room for someone else, if the Yankees don’t find a way to bring it at all times, without room for negotiation, then a spot in the World Series is not really an option.
The Mets, oh the Mets. If they have to ride into battle, you know they never shy away, but wouldn’t it be better to prepare a bit more and spruce up your lines before the actual fight? If you tell me to ride to the World Series with DeGrom at the head, thinking about a World Series win is an obvious thought. But taking into account the competition in the NL, the Mets need to find a way to strengthen their batting power. Teams like the Padres and Dodgers have it both, hard pitching and hard batting and that right now is what puts them over the top of everyone in their league. If the Mets want to compete against that and even meet the Yankees in late October, then hitting must be addressed asap.
