2020 projected Yankees starting rotation, stats Gerrit Cole (RHP) 2019 stats: 20-5 record, 2.50 ERA, 326 strikeouts (K’s), 0.895 walks/hits per inning pitched (WHIP)

Following the five-round 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft, MiLB.com takes an organization-by-organization look at each pick with help from team scouting executives. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud, left, and home plate umpire Todd Ticheonor watch. 2020 60-Game Schedule 2021 Regular Season Schedule 2020 and 2021 Printable Schedules Sortable Schedule Downloadable Schedule MLB Important Dates Yankees Radio Network. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole throws against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of an opening day baseball game at Nationals Park, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Washington. Many thanks to him. MLB Team Stats SportsBetting3.com. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 40-Man Roster Non-Roster Invitees Depth Chart Coaches Top 30 Prospects Transactions Injury Updates Draft Results Front … Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith.Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens) These might not be the 108-win, world champion Red Sox of 2018, but Boston arrives this weekend for its second series of 2020 at the Stadium. Tigers first baseman C.J. Happ will be on 10 days’ rest.Yankees off days and Happ’s ineffectiveness in two starts (7 IP, 8 ER, 3 HR) have kept him off a big-league mound since Aug. 5.The veteran lefty’s routine “kind of got a little out of whack’’ during the COVID delay, according to pitching coach Matt Blake, working on some minor fixes to tighten up Happ’s delivery.His delivery “wasn’t lining up the same way it was in spring training,’’ when Happ looked sharp.Giancarlo Stanton’s hamstring strain opened a roster spot for Clint Frazier.Judge’s condition created a lineup vacancy, which Frazier filled Wednesday by going 3-for-4 with a homer and a double in a 6-3 Yankees win against Atlanta.Getting sustained at-bats for Frazier remains a challenge for Boone, though Frazier is a threat to take at-bats away from Brett Gardner, off to a .171 (7-for-41) start.Alarms rang when James Paxton’s velocity was way down over his first two subpar starts.The lefty was much sharper in last Sunday’s no-decision, striking out 11 Rays hitters with a fastball that reached 94 mph – still down from his usually 96-97 mph.Blake believes Paxton is still building up following early February back surgery.“The unique part of his rehab was he basically did it all on his own,’’ said Blake, suggesting that Paxton might have worked at a higher intensity level under club supervision.His next start is Saturday against Boston and the pitching coach added that there’s nothing that physically suggests Paxton can’t get back to his normal velocity levels.After a 4-for-43 (.093) start, Boone felt that Gary Sanchez was “more in the fight’’ following Tuesday’s game.In that game, the slugging catcher hit into some hard luck and fought through two at-bats of 10 and 11 pitches.Wednesday night’s home run off a 1-and-2 pitch provided Sanchez some validation of his better approach.Summoned in Wednesday's ninth inning, Zack Britton picked up his MLB-leading seventh save in seven chances. NEW YORK – Three weeks into an odd MLB landscape, the Yankees have settled into their new normal.This weekend they’ll reach the one-third mark of a 60-game season that is different by every measure, yet familiar within the confines of nine innings.“Every pitch feels big and that’s how you like it,’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the pennant-race vibe of these games, despite playing in empty ballparks.As the Yankees continue a long homestand, here’s a lineup of pinstriped items:Thursday’s off day marked the fourth anniversary of Aaron Judge’s MLB debut, when he homered in his first at-bat, at Yankee Stadium.Leading all MLB players with nine home runs, Judge was out of Wednesday’s lineup due to “lower body tightness.’’That was Boone’s rather opaque general description of the slugger’s condition following a four-game, three-day series on Tropicana Field’s artificial turf.It’s unclear whether Judge will be in Friday’s lineup, though Judge lobbied to play Wednesday according to Boone.Coming off a two-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves, the Yankees remained undefeated in their last 26 home series, going 23-0-3 since April 16, 2019.That’s the longest such streak in franchise history, according to STATS.Currently in a stretch of playing 12 out of 15 games at the Stadium, the Yankees are 6-0 at home this year, their best Bronx start since going 7-0 in 2017 and in 1998.These might not be the 108-win, world champion Red Sox of 2018, but Boston arrives this weekend for its second series of 2020 at the Stadium.And Friday’s Yankees starter is Gerrit Cole, who’ll get his first taste of The Rivalry – albeit without the raucous Bronx crowd behind him.Wednesday’s four-hit night raised DJ LeMahieu’s league-leading batting average to .431 over his first 17 games.“I feel pretty locked in right now,’’ said LeMahieu (28-for-65), who also tops the AL in hits (28) and on-base percentage (.479).In the NL, LeMahieu’s former Colorado Rockies teammate Charlie Blackmon is batting .472, and “I think it’s possible,’’ LeMahieu said of hitting .400 this year. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)New York Yankees Gary Sanchezcrosses the plate after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, in New York. Britton's hold on the closer's role might last until Sunday or Monday, when Aroldis Chapman (recovery from COVID-19) could join the club following Friday's simulated appearance at the Yankees' alternate site camp.New York Yankees Aaron Judge, right, celebrates with the Yankees Luke Voit (59) after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, in New York.