After what was a disappointing 2021 season, the New York Yankees look to rebound and finally finish the goal of winning their 28th World Series championship.

This is not new for these Yankees. The last championship they brought to New York came in 2009, and they haven’t made an appearance in the Fall Classic since. Obviously, something is wrong.

It goes back to 2015, when the Bronx Bombers made the wildcard round but fell to the Houston Astros. They missed the playoffs in 2016, and in 2017 and 2018, the wildcard round was their path to the playoffs as well. In 2020, it was the same way. And in 2021… you guessed it. They played in the wildcard game.

Long story short, the Yankees have not prioritized the regular season. The front office and managerial staff believes that as long as you get into the playoffs, you have just as good a chance to win the World Series than any other team. This is a flawed idea.

There’s a reason that historically speaking, the number one seed has been more successful than lower seeds. They have home field advantage, they have the fans, and other significant advantages. The Yankees stop playing with intensity when they clinch a postseason appearance. They don’t value seeding. That needs to change.

The lineup the New York Yankees had entering last season was good, but had one major flaw; balance. Nearly every single hitter was right-handed. They were one-dimensional. There are going to be four new hitters in the lineup on opening day this season. Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, and Josh Donaldson are all new faces at Yankees camp, two that are left-handed. With Giancarlo Stanton being allowed to play more outfield, that would push either Joey Gallo or Aaron Judge into center field lengthening the lineup even more.

The reason they lost last season wasn’t because of pitching, it was because of offense. In the middle of that order last year was second baseman Gleyber Torres, who is key to the team’s success.

He has been amazing this spring after his horrid 2021 campaign. Gleyber is hitting .421 (8 for 19) with two home runs and 4 RBI over seven spring training games.

Winning the division is no walk in the park. The American League East has four formidable teams with the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Rays chopping at the bit. But if the Yankees play with the same intensity level throughout the season, and commit to winning every game of every day, they can win the world championship. Their lineup is as good as any team’s. Gerrit Cole, their best starting pitcher, is as good a pitcher as anybody in baseball.

The potential is there, but now it’s time to execute.