The New York Yankees had an outstanding first half of the 2022 Major League Baseball season. They entered the All-Star break with the best record in the league at 64-28. The starting rotation has been fantastic, led by Gerrit Cole. The Yankees bullpen has been equally dominant. Then there's what Aaron Judge has been doing this year. He, along with Shohei Ohtani are the front runners for American League MVP as the second half kicks off.

But just because things are all peachy keen at the midway point does not mean it will continue that way. Baseball has the longest season of all major North American sports. A lot can happen, and often does. Also, the amazing record has masked some minor issues that has mostly gone unnoticed. Those things very well could rear their ugly heads up as the season progresses.

With that, here are my four bold predictions for the New York Yankees after the 2022 MLB All-Star break.

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New York Yankees 4 Bold Predictions for 2nd Half of MLB Season

1. Yankees cruise to AL East title

Entering this season, it was believed by many that the Toronto Blue Jays were finally ready to take the division. They are unbelievably talented, but once again, have under performed. The Boston Red Sox starting rotation might be the youngest and worst in all of baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays have finally shown that you do need talent to compete. The Baltimore Orioles are the Baltimore Orioles (even though they've gone on a great run of late).

The Yankees have a 13-game lead over the Rays in the division coming out of the All-Star break. There is next to no chance they squander that division.

New York leads the majors in runs scored with 497. They also lead the AL in runs allowed at 298. They trail only the Los Angeles Dodgers in all of baseball by five runs. Anytime a team is as dominant both offensively and defensively, it's a tough combination to beat. That's especially true when the rest of the division is not as good as was expected.

2. Yankees replace Isiah Kiner-Falefa at SS

As great as the Yankees season has been, the play of shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been awful. He is hitting .271, which is not bad. But Kiner-Falefa has only walked 17 times this season in almost 300 at-bats. He is yet to hit a home run, in Yankee Stadium.

But okay, New York would be willing to stick with him in the lineup because of his defense, right? Wrong. Kiner-Falefa has been one of the worst fielders in baseball this year as well.

The team has publicly stated recently that they are not worried about their shortstop. But how long can they live with practically zero production offensively from a player among the worst defensively in baseball?

3. Yankees starting rotation dissolves

New York's starting rotation consists of Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery. All five of those guys had stellar first halves. Cole reminded everyone why he is regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball. Taillon has always shown to be talented, but his career had been marred with injury. Cortes came out of nowhere to become an All-Star. Severino, well, see Taillon. Montgomery is likely pitching above his head, but has been great thus far.

As I mentioned, both Taillon and Severino have dealt with numerous injuries throughout their career. Well, Severino of course got hurt and was placed on the 15-day injured list recently with another shoulder injury.

Yankees manager said Saturday that Severino is going to be shut down for the next two weeks. Whenever he is allowed to pitch again, he will need bullpen sessions, simulated games, all before likely going on a couple rehab assignments. The earliest Yankees fans can expect him would be mid-to-late August.

Taillon is 10-2 but some of his peripherals are concerning. He has only struck out 82 batters in 100 innings. So, he doesn't have swing and miss stuff. Taillon also does not go very deep into games, having only five quality starts. The record is more due to circumstance.

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4. Yankees lose to Astros in ALCS, again

All of the talk this year has been about the Yankees and the Dodgers. But the Houston Astros have quietly been nearly as dominant. They enter the second half 59-32, just 4.5 games behind New York. They open against each other Thursday, with Cristian Javier and Jordan Montgomery on the hill.

If there is any team that does not get intimidated by the Yankees, it's these Astros. They are a veteran squad that knows how to win. The Astros have reached the ALCS in five straight seasons, winning three of them. They also have unreal pitching with Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier and a fantastic lineup.

The games will be close, but that favors Houston.

In what will be another seven-game series, the Astros will once again get the better of the Yankees.