Yankees fans on which veterans concern them the most

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Spring training is officially underway, and players of all ages from around the Yankees organization are trying to carve out their spots. Whether they're playing for a spot on the major league roster or a promotion in the minor leagues, it's time for management and the coaching staff to evaluate what kind of talent they have.

Kyle Thele

When it came to veterans fans felt most concern about, the two at the top were players that drew real ire from the crowd last season, with Josh Donaldson coming in at the top and Aaron Hicks right behind him. Both were detriments to the Yankee lineup, and even though management and coaches are not going to come outright and say that they don't have confidence in them to return to form, it's tough to believe for fans that can watch objectively.

At the very least, Donaldson was able to salvage some of his value in the field with elite numbers last season. Hicks was also rated out above average defensively, in spite of some high-profile gaffes, at least partially offsetting some of their struggles with the bat.

Giancarlo Stanton is an interesting name, especially considering if everything goes to plan, he will be playing in the outfield. He has said that playing in the outfield helps him stay focused on the game, but the worry from fans surrounds his injury history. If Stanton gets hurt, that's when things become frustrating.

DJ LeMahieu sits in the same realm. He's returning from an injury that made him miss significant time, and his performance was hindered as well.

Spring training is a fun time because fans get to watch players that they might not otherwise be able to watch for various reasons. Especially this season, they can see how some of the new rules affect the game's pace. However, it's still preseason baseball, so watching players one may not know can get boring sometimes.

Kyle Thele

This vote ended up not being very close, with 43 percent of the voters saying they only watch a few games yearly. It is slightly shocking that the second-highest vote was from fans not watching any spring training games, especially with the exciting prospects the Yankees have to showcase during this season's spring training and some of the highlights they've produced already. Again though, an entertainment option with near-negligible stakes can only take you so far.

The next poll question was simple, asking fans — league-wide this time, not just Yankees fans — which American League East team will take the division crown at the end of the season.

Kyle Thele

The Yankees winning the vote is not surprising. However, the Toronto Blue Jays being separated from first by over 20 percent is interesting. Both teams have excellent rosters, from the guys standing at the plate to the players on the mound. The Yankees will be looking to win their second straight division title and stave off a Blue Jays team that could theoretically take over the division if the Yankees stumble as they did for a period last season.

Next was a poll for the most uncertain American League division—the AL Central.

The Cleveland Guardians won in this poll, with the Minnesota Twins coming in second. The Chicago White Sox were third by a small-ish margin, but the difference between those top three teams and the bottom two is pretty significant (and rightfully so).

Finally, to round out the American League was a question about the AL West:

Kyle Thele

This one isn't a surprise, with the Houston Astros standing atop all the rest. Once again, barring a big upset, no team is going to stand in the way of the defending champions in their division. They are head and shoulders above the rest.

Now, moving over to one of the more fun divisions across baseball, the National League East.

Kyle Thele

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves are unsurprisingly at the top. Both teams have elite hitters and strong pitching staffs. The Philadelphia Phillies, who went to the World Series and lost to the Astros last season, only topped out at 15 percent. They face stiff competition with the two juggernauts in front of them, who both won 101 games last year.

Next is the National League Central, who also have a clear runaway favorite.

Kyle Thele

The St. Louis Cardinals get a nice vote to sit atop the poll, with no other team coming close. Having both the defending MVP (Paul Goldschmidt) and the man who finished third (Nolan Arenado) is a huge leg up on the competition, and that’s before considering that this isn’t exactly the most competitive division in baseball. Goldschmidt and Arenado should realistically lead them to a second NL Central title in a row.

Finally, we arrive at the NL West, the division holding two of MLB's most fun and star-studded teams.

Kyle Thele

The San Diego Padres, with Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr. (eligible to return from his suspension for PED use on April 20), are all going to be in the same lineup. The pitching staff features Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Seth Lugo, with Josh Hader's arm coming out of the bullpen. Safe to say that this team will be lethal, and with Gavin Lux tearing his ACL in a spring training game for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's not a surprise to see them fall down the polling results. However, they’re still the Dodgers, who we can’t count out after seeing them capture nine NL West crowns in the past decade. With Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman leading the charge, they're no slouches.

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