From the end of the 2014 season to the start of the 2015 season many changes have occurred for the Yankees that will affect their contention for a World Series this fall.

The number of games that Alex Rodriguez was suspended for taking performance-enhancing drugs is 162. Prior to his suspension, Rodriguez was hitting a batting average of .240 in 2013, and he had an on-base percentage of .348, showing that he was a valuable player. However, what really makes him an asset to the Yankees is his ability to deliver home runs. With his current career record of 654 home runs according to MLB, Rodriguez has the fifth most all time home runs. The concern for this upcoming season is whether or not Rodriguez can continue to deliver runs and wins for the Yankees. According to ESPN, in a spring training game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Rodriguez hit a single and took a walk before being taken out of the game. While this is not an accurate representation of how he will play for the rest of the season, it is better for him to start off on a high note. Therefore, something to watch out for is how he plays now, without any performance enhancing drugs.

At the end of the 2014 season, Derek Jeter retired, after having played with the Yankees for 20 years. Ever since he made his major league debut, Jeter has been helping the Yankees obtain wins. As the shortstop with the most all-time hits, with five Gold Glove awards and four Silver Slugger awards, Jeter is a 12-time All-Star player, five-time World Series winner and quite possibly the best player that the Yankees have. Now with his retirement, the Yankees face a dilemma of how reliable their new shortstop will be. Yankees are filling in their shortstop position with Didi Gregorius. Therefore, something to keep an eye on is Gregorius’s performance as the new Yankees’s shortstop.

Baseball players are no strangers to injuries. From minor injuries, such as overuse soreness, to major injuries, such as broken bones, which is a season-ending injury as was seen in 2011 with Buster Posey, current Catcher for the San Francisco Giants. However, more important than the injuries themselves is how the player recovers and plays after the injury. For the Yankees, one of their main concerns is Masahiro Tanaka. During the 2014, he was out 2 1/2 months due to a partially torn ulnar collateral-ligament. After being out for physical therapy, Tanaka came back to pitch for two games, during which commentators noted that he was not the same pitcher as before. The main concern for the Yankees is that because Tanaka chose not to have Tommy John surgery, his injury could come back and take him out for possibly the whole season. As a star pitcher for the Yankees, making sure he is healthy this season will be key to the Yankee’s success.

Another player prone to injury is pitcher CC Sabathia. His 2014 season ended prematurely due to a degenerative right knee condition. According to MLB.com, he had arthroscopic debridement surgery and then underwent rehabilitation. However, the concern now is whether or not he will be healthy enough to continue pitching and if he will be the same ace pitcher as before. Sabathia pitched in a spring training game and the pitching coach noted that he is on his way to becoming the pitcher he was. So while Sabathia has improvements to make, he seems to be in good shape to help the Yankees contend for a World Series championship.

With the help of returning players, new players and evolving players, the Yankees have an exciting season ahead of them that may end in a World Series title.