Major League Baseball is back in the Bronx for the post-Derek Jeter era, but for many, expectations are not that high.
The New York Yankees went two straight years without the playoffs and earned only one World Series championship in the past 14 years. The dominant team fans knew well for a decade seems to have slowly and consistently eroded.
For the Yankees to return to the post-season, a lot has to go right. Alex Rodriguez coming back healthy and showing a semblance of the great powers he once possessed would help, along with healthy, productive seasons for former All-Stars Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann -- a quartet of high-priced players whose average age is 33.
The youngster in the lineup has the biggest shoes to fill. Didi Gregorious begins his first full MLB season as Jeter's successor. Question marks are also prevalent on the pitching staff, while the bull pen seems to be where the strength is at with Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller.