New York Yankees: How do Yanks stack up against top AL contenders?

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HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 03: Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Final Standings

Houston Astros – 26 points
Boston Red Sox – 24 points
New York Yankees – 23 points
Cleveland Indians – 17 points

In what shouldn’t be too big of a surprise, the reigning World Series champions Houston Astros have the best offense, according to our scoring. They had the best player at three positions: Yuli Gurriel at first base, Jose Altuve at second base, and George Springer in center field. They also only had the worst player at one position: Evan Gattis at designated hitter.

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The other three AL contenders had the best player at two positions each:

Boston Red Sox: Andrew Benintendi in left field and Mookie Betts in right field
New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez at catcher and Giancarlo Stanton at designated hitter
Cleveland Indians: Jose Ramirez at third base and Francisco Lindor at shortstop

The difference between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees ended up being Jackie Bradley Jr. edging out Aaron Hicks as the second-best center fielder. If Hicks can stay healthy and follow up his breakout season, he could help push the Yankees ahead of their rivals. A healthy Greg Bird would also go a long way.

The Cleveland Indians are so far behind because they ranked last at five positions: Roberto Perez at catcher, Yonder Alonso at first base, Michael Brantley in left field, Bradley Zimmer in center field, and Lonnie Chisenhall in right field. They will catch up, however, when we rank pitching staffs.

Next: Why Didi Gregorius should be batting cleanup

This was a tight race, just like the race for the American League pennant should be! This could be anybody’s year! Who do you think will win the 2018 American League pennant?

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