We are just over a week away from Major League Baseball’s Opening Day. This year it falls on April 1st, and that’s quite different from what we saw last year. In 2020, the pandemic forced teams to play only a 60-game schedule instead of the traditional 162.

Many people love Opening Day, not just because they’re baseball fans but also because it’s one of the most significant signs that winter is over and spring has arrived. They enjoy seeing the outfield’s sparkling, dewy grass, the white chalk that marks the basepaths, and they eagerly anticipate the umpire yelling “play ball,” signifying that America’s pastime is starting up again.

The New York Yankees are perhaps the ballclub that signifies Americana the most out of any professional franchise. With their 27 championships, they sit atop baseball’s record books. Let’s talk about the team they will field this year and their chances to win it all in 2021.

Fans in the Stands

This year, the Yankees will allow some fans in the ballpark on Opening Day. They did not allow any at all last year because of coronavirus concerns.

Some people will still feel wary about attending a live sporting event, even those who got one of the vaccines. Still, others might think the risk is worth it. After all, car accidents kill 38,000 Americans every year, so it’s not as though there aren’t other dangers besides the coronavirus with which we must all contend.

The Yankee players who have reported for Spring Training say they’re excited to play in front of live fans again. Maybe that will galvanize the team to reach greater heights than they did last year.

The Pitching Staff

Last year, the Rays won the American League East, and indeed, they went on to win the entire American League and challenge the Dodgers in the World Series. This was the second time in team history the Rays accomplished that feat. Ultimately, they fell to the Dodgers, but they pushed them to their limit in the process.

The Rays also dominated the Yankees during the regular season and knocked them out of the playoffs. Lately, it seems as though Tampa has the Yanks’ number. The Bronx Bombers owned the Rays for the first several years that the expansion franchise existed, but this little brother has grown up, and they’ve told the Yankees loud and clear over the past few years that they’ll no longer be their whipping boy.

The Rays’ starting pitching has had a lot to do with that. However, during the offseason, they said goodbye to their former Cy Young winner, Ian Snell, who went to the resurgent Padres. That should make the Rays worse, but it still doesn’t mean the Yankees have the starting pitching to dominate them.

Indeed, if you were to look at the 2021 Yankees from top to bottom, you’d probably say that starting pitching remains the biggest question mark, just as it has been for the past several years. They have a certified ace in Gerrit Cole, but after that, the two-through-five slots look iffy.

They will probably feature Jameson Taillon, followed by Cory Kluber and Jordan Montgomery. Kluber is a former Cy Young winner, but he’s coming off a couple of injury-plagued seasons. If he can return to form, he can be a solid number two behind Cole.

Montgomery might come into his own this year, replacing the retired CC Sabathia as the Yanks’ go-to lefty. Taillon has been inconsistent in recent years but has shown a workmanlike mentality and could eat up some innings. The number five spot is definitely up for grabs, but will likely go to young Deivi Garcia, who showed potential in a few starts last year.

The Position Players

As for the position players, the Yankee lineup could certainly do some damage, provided it can stay healthy. That has been the squad’s most significant problem lately.

Luke Voight can provide some serious power and play first base more times than not. On Voight’s off days, Mike Tauchman should see some time there.

The Yanks re-signed DJ LeMahieu during the offseason, and that should pay huge dividends. The former Colorado Rocky has been a stalwart for the Yanks in the past two seasons, which is why they call him “The Machine.” He has Gold Glove-caliber defensive skills and can hit the ball to all fields with power.

Gleyber Torres continues to mature at shortstop, and Yankee fans have enjoyed watching former Cardinal Gio Urshela’s career resurrection over at the hot corner. Gary Sanchez will be back behind the plate, but the catcher needs to prove himself after a dismal 2020 campaign.

As for the outfield, the Yanks will feature Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, and Clint Frasier from right to left. Any one of those guys can hit for power, especially Judge, though he has struggled badly with injuries over the past three years.

Giancarlo Stanton should see time in the designated hitter spot, though he can play the outfield in a pinch. Stanton is a former National League MVP, but he has also struggled to stay on the field lately. He and Judge seldom remain in the lineup together for long before one of them gets hurt. Maybe that changes in 2021.

The Yankees have not won a World Championship since 2009, nor have they even been back to the World Series since that year. That’s a long drought for this franchise, and if George Steinbrenner were still alive, you can be sure he would be hopping mad about the team’s struggles lately.

The Yanks should be one of the American League’s better teams, but the Rays might be an issue again. Keep an eye on the Twins and the upstart Chicago White Sox as well. As for whether 2021 is the Yanks’ year, time will tell, but at least they’ll start in front of live fans who won’t have to wait till August to see them take the field.