Who Has The Better Young Core: Red Sox or Yankees?
The Red Sox and Yankees just finished up their 4 game series coming out of the All-Star Break. With the series behind them, the two teams have their eyes set on the playoffs. One thing that these two teams share other than their rivalry is their young talent. Today, we’re going to talk about who has the better core? I’m only considering players on the MLB roster that are under the age of 25 and not minor league prospects. Here are the players listed from youngest to oldest.
Red Sox: Andrew Bennintendi, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Eduardo Rodriguez
Yankees: Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge
We’ll begin with the Red Sox because I’m a Red Sox fan, fight me. While each of these 4 players have had their moments, the clear standout is Mookie Betts. Betts is the definition of a 5 tool outfielder. While the 24 year old hasn’t had his best year, he’s coming off 2nd straight All-Star appearance. In 2016, he finished 2nd in MVP voting after finishing with a .318 average, 31 homers, and 113 rbis. Next up is Xander Bogaerts, who also has already made an All-Star appearance. He hits for a high average and his defense at short stop is very good. One thing he struggles with is power but if he can add that, then he could be on Betts’ level.
Andrew Bennintendi was the number one overall prospect in baseball at the beginning of the season and so far has lived up to the hype. He’s shown the ability to be an everyday player and the potential of a superstar. At one point, he was batting cleanup for the Sox. But the one thing that has surprised many people has been Bennintendi’s arm. He’s thrown out a number of runners on the base path, which is extremely impressive for a rookie. Finally we have Eduardo Rodriguez. He has had the most “up and down” career out of the 4 young guys here. But when he’s on, he looks like a future ace. Last year, he took a no-hitter into the 9th! If can continue to be consistent, then he could become a future All-Star.
Now we move to the Yankees. Of course we have to start with the man, the myth, the legend, Aaron Judge. Not only is he the clear favorite to win the Rookie of the Year, he’s the clear favorite to win the freaking MVP! The 6’7”, 280 pound monster hasn’t played 90 games yet and he’s already hit 30 homers. He’s taken the league by storm to the point that many people are calling Judge the new face of baseball. But he’s not the only Yankees player who took the league by storm recently. That leads us to Gary Sanchez. The Yankees’ catcher had an incredible season a year ago when he was called up. He only played for 2 months but hit 20 home runs. He and Judge look like a duo that be at the center of their lineup for years to come.
Next up is Luis Severino, who is the 23 year old starting pitcher. He had a similar career path to Boston’s Rodriguez. He had an impressive rookie campaign, went through a sophomore slump, and now has found his form again in. If can stay consistent, then he could become an ace caliber pitcher. Finally, we have Greg Bird. Greg Bird is the definition of a wild card. Back to 2015, he looked like a sure thing at first base for New York. But since then, he’s just played in 19 games in over two seasons. So he’s obviously had some serious health issues. If he can come back, then he could be a nice piece for the Yankees.
So who has the better core? By the slightest of edges, I got to go with the Red Sox. If I we’re to rank each player, the Yankees would easily have the top player in Aaron Judge, But the Red Sox have the next 3 in Betts, Bogaerts, and Bennintendi. Those three are already huge contributors to the Red Sox success and the reason that they are in first place. There are also too many question marks from Severino and Bird to rely on as franchise game changers. So that’s why the Red Sox have the best overall core between these two rivals.
Written By: Steven Santoro (SVS_1993)
