MLB Season Preview: New York Yankees

New York Yankees



Last Season's Standings: The New York Yankees were once again the kings of the AL East, going 97-65, including .500 in their last ten games. Once again, they flubbed out in the Playoffs losing 3 games to one in the ALDS to the eventual WS runner-up Detroit Tigers.

In: 2B Miguel Cairo; C Raul Chavez (prev. team: Baltimore Orioles); SP Kei Igawa; 1B Doug Mientkiewicz (prev. team: Kansas City Royals); SP Mike Mussina; RP Jeff Nelson (signed, retired); SP Andy Pettite (prev. team: Houston Astros); C Todd Pratt (prev. team: Atlanta Braves); RP Ron Villone; RP Luis Vizcaino (via trade w/ Arizona Diamondbacks); SP Ross Ohlendorf (via trade w/ Arizona Diamondbacks); SP Steven Jackson (via trade w/ Arizona Diamondbacks); SS Alberto Gonzalez (via trade w/ Arizona Diamondbacks); 1B Juan Miranda; RP Chris Britton (via trade w/ Baltimore Orioles); SP Humberto Sanchez (via trade w/ Detroit Tigers); RP Anthony Clagget (via trade w/ Detroit Tigers); RP Kevin Whelan (via trade w/ Detroit Tigers)

Out: RF Gary Sheffield (via trade w/ Detroit Tigers); SP Randy Johnson (via trade w/ Arizona Diamondbacks); RP Jaret Wright (via trade w/ Baltimore Orioles); SP Corey Lidle (deceased); CF Bubba Crosby (new team: Cincinatti Reds); RP Octavio Dotel (new team: Kansas City Royals); C Sal Fasano (new team: Toronto Blue Jays); RP Aaron Small (new team: Seattle Mariners); RP Tanyon Sturtze (new team: Atlanta Braves)

Starting Pitching: Normally, Chien-Ming Wang will be the ace of this pitching staff, but he won't be available until at least the last week of April due to a hamstring pull. He went 19-6, including on save and a 3.63 ERA in 34 appearances, all but one being a start. Wang boasts a nice, mid-90's fastball, along with a solid slider and a splitter. He pitches well against hitters from both sides of the plate. Wang needs to get ahead in the count early in at-bats and has to work better from the stretch. In his absence, righty Carl Pavano, who has no pitched in the majors since 2001 because of various injuries will be looking to prove he's healthy again. He has the perfect pitcher's body at 6-5, 240 pounds. Pavano has nice, low-90's heat, with a slider and change-up and is able to pitch deep into his starts. He has been injury-prone. Left-handed hitters tend to beat him up and he needs to work on his effectiveness late in the game. Southpaw free agent signing Andy Pettitte will follow in the rotation. He is returning to the Yankees after spending the last 3 seasons in the Astros organization. He went 14-13 with a 4.20 ERA in an impressive 35 starts last season. Pettitte has one of the most devastating pick-off moves in the history of the game. He has good movement on all his pitches, especially his cutter that moves in on righties. Pettitte needs to keep his base runners down. He consustently averages over one hit per inning, which keeps him out of the elite class. Mike "Moose" Mussina is slated to pitch third in the rotation. He went 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 32 starts last season. Though his fastball can reach the mid-90's, it's not his strongest weapon. That title goes to his nasty knuckle-curve, ovr which he exhibits sterling control, as he does with all of his pitches. Defensively, having Mussina on the mound is like having a "short-shortstop" playing in the middle of the diamond and he can keep runners close to the bag. He's traditionally a bit of a slow starter and tends to have trouble with runners in scoring position. Japanese import Kei Igawa will be handed the ball fourth. He went 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA in 29 starts in 2006. Confident and aggressive, he knows how to use his low-90's heat to its best potential by changing speeds and mixing things up with a solid slider. Igawa eats up innings. Occasionally that heat is left up too high and gets mashed out of the park. The fifth and final starter, at least until Wang is healthy again will be rookie Darrel Rasner, who went 3-1 with a 4.43 ERA in 6 appearances, including 6 starts as a September call-up last season. He's likely heading to the minors once Wang returns.

Bullpen: Of course the Yankees bullpen ends with standout closer Mariano Rivera, who went 5-5, and notched 34 saves in 37 opportunities with a 1.80 ERA while walking just 11 batters last season. Rivera keeps the ball low, allowing his infielders to do their job and keeps the ball in the park with remarkable efficiency. He has a deceptive 96-mph fastball that darts around as though it's sliding on an oil slick. His only flaw, aside from a lackluster move to first, is that he's human and has the occasional bad game. Unfortunately, a bad game for a closer usually means the game. His primary set-up man, pitching in the eighth primarily, will be righty Kyle Farnsworth, who went 3-6, and notched 6 saves with a 4.36 ERA in 72 appearances in 2006. Farnsworth's heat has been known to top 100 mph and he combines it with a nasty 2-seamer and a cutting slider. He's become a strong strikeout pitcher. The longball has been a problem (just 8 balls left the park off him last season). Left-handed hitters hit him a little too well and he tends to need a few days' rest to be at his best. Pitching in middle relief is righty Scott Proctor, who was 6-4 with a 3.52 ERA in an impressive 83 appearances last season. He'll be relied on heavily again this season, as he's one of the the few pitchers Torre trusts to get to Rivera once the starter leaves the game. His great fastball has hit 100 mph and backs it up with a great change-up. He's equally effective against hitters from both sides. Proctor tends to leave his heater up, which leads to lots of home runs (12 last season). He's not good on consecutive days. Pitching the middle-late innings is righty trade acquisition Luis Vizcaino, who went 4-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 70 appearances with Arizona. Vizcaino throws very hard and retires hitters from both sides of the plate equally well. He can get out of tight spots. He tends to struggle through the firt half of the season and he gets burned by the longball too often (29 balls left the parkk off of him last season). For a lefty specialist, the Yankees have sidewinder Mike Myers, who went 1-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 62 appearances last season. He's just murder on lefties thanks in large part to his sidearm delivery and doesn't have much trouble with righties either. Even in his best years, his control has been faulty, so he gets into walk trouble (walked 10 batters last season). He's been known to be susceptible to the longball (3 balls left the park off him last season). Brian Bruney is entering what should be his first full season in the bigs. He went 1-1 with a miniscule 0.87 ERA in 19 appearances last season. Bruney has hit the century mark with his fastball, but pitches best in the mid-90's. He also has a strong slider and brings a tough demeanor to the mound. Bruney needs to get ahead in the count early more often and needs to work on his approach with runners aboard. Rounding out the bullpen will be rookie Sean Henn, who was 0-1 with a 4.82 ERA in 4 appearances as a September call-up last season. Righty Jeff Karsens will also start the year on the DL with an elbow injury, but due to lack of experience will be in the minors until September. He was 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 8 appearances, six of those being starts last season. Jose Veras, who had a 4.09 ERA in 12 games as a September call-up last season will start on the DL with an injury to his right elbow and then he'll join AAA Columbus. Starting on the DL with a right forearm strain will be rookie righty Humberto Sanchez who has no MLB experience to date and will be in Columbus.

Designated Hitter: The big lefty Jason Giambi will bat 5th in the order and play all 162 games if healthy. He hit .253 with 37 HR, 113 RBI, he walked 110 times, had a .553 slugging percentage and got on base 41.3% of the time last season. Giambi is an unflappable leader on and off the field. His maximum effort is there on every play and his seemingly boundless will and determination allows him to come through again and again in the clutch. Giambi has mammoth power and terrific plate discipline. He's not very fast on the base paths, though it doesn't really matter when he's hitting doubles and home runs. Josh Phelps may see time as the DH. He did not play at the major league level in 2006. Phelps brings loads of power and a knack for driving in runs. He makes consistent contact with a quick swing. He was groomed as a catcher, so you can rightly assume he can't run. His plate discipline just isn't improving like people hoped it would, keeping all his numbers down.

Catcher: Behind the plate will be the trusty Jorge Posada, who hit .277 with 23 HR and 93 RBI last season. He'll bat seventh and play between 135 and 145 games if healthy. Posada is a legitimate switch-hitting power hitter and has learned to go to the opposite field when batting left-handed, where he has more power. In the clutch, he's the guy you want at the plate. Posada tends to visibly wear down by September. He strikes out too much (97 times last season) and has a catcher's speed. Backing him up will be rookie Wil Nieves who is 0-6, including a strikeout in his six major league AB's.

First Baseman: The defensive-minded Doug Mientkiewicz will be the everyday first baseman, batting ninth. He hit .283 with 4 HR and 43 RBI for the Royals last season. He's a good line-drive hitter who will hit a lot of doubles to the gap. His biggest asset, however, is his superb play at first base, with soft hands, good range and a surprisingly strong arm for a first baseman. He simply can't take advantage of RBI opportunities and has little pure power. He's not a great base runner. Phelps or Giambi will back him up.

Second Baseman: Third year player Robinson Cano, who hit an impressive .342 with 15 HR and 78 RBI last season, will bat eighth and play between 125 and 135 games if healthy. Cano has a quick swing that allows him to line fastballs around the field. He mauls righties. He's also got improving power and a good arm at second. Cano doesn't run terribly well and could stand to improve his approach against southpaws and with runners in scoring positions. Utility man Miguel Cairo, who hit .239 with 30 RBI last season will provide the back-up. If all pitchers were right-handed, he'd be an everyday infielder again. He's surprisingly adept at hitting with runners in scoring position. He has no power and doesn't see breaking balls very well.

Shortstop: All-star MVP runner-up and team captain Derek Jeter will bat in his usual second spot and should play between 150-160 games if healthy. He hit .344 with 14 HR , 97 RBI, scored 118 times, stole 34 bases and got on base 41.7% of the time last season. Jeter is a phenomenol clutch player. On the bases, he has good speed and instincts and he runs like his job depends on it. In the field, he has tremendous instincts and is one of the best at ranging out into left and center field to grab bloopers. Though he generally sprays the ball all over the field, most of his ground balls are to the left side, which makes it easy for opposition infields to set up. And despite is overall hitting smarts, he still strikes out way too much (102 times in 2006). Cairo will back him up.

Third Baseman: Alex "A-Rod", but sometimes called "E-Rod" due to the number of errors he accumulates (24 errors last season) Rodriguez will bat clean-up and play all 162 games if healthy. He hit .290 with 35 HR, 121 RBI, scored 113 times and was a dysmal 1-14 in the playoffs. Despite his numbers, calling him the best all-around player in the game is not too far of a stretch. He hits for power and average, has speed and is capable of excellent defense and has a cannon arm. His running game is becoming less of a threat not that it seems to affect his overall performance. This could be A-Rod's last season in the Bronx. Cairo will back him up.

Left Fielder: Hideki Matsui, who suffered the first major injury of his career (a broken wrist requiring him to miss 4 months of the season. He'll bat 6th and play every game if healthy. He hit .302 with 8 HR and 29 RBI last season. He's a disciplined hitterwho hits for power and knows how to drive in runners. Matsui hits lefties and righties equally well. He tends to be a streak hitter and he doesn't have much speed. Backing him up will be Melky Cabrera, who hit .280 with 7 HR and 50 RBI last season. Cabrera is a switch-hitter who's consistent from both sides, with more power as a lefty. He lines the balls into the gaps and has worked very hard to become a disciplined hitter. Cabrera has below-average power and is not better than an average fielder in the outfield.

Center Fielder: Leading off and playing between 145-160 games if healthy. Damon batted .285 with 24 HR, 80 RBI, scored 115 times and stole 25 bases last season. Possessing one of the league's quickest bats, Damon is nearly impossible to strike out in key situations. He is one of the better speed-and-power threats. In the field, while strong with the glove, his arm is below average. Cabrera will back-up.

Right Fielder: Finally Bobby Abreu will bat 3rd in the line-up and play 155+ games if healthy. He hit .297 with 15 HR, 107 RBI, walked 124 times, and got on base 42.4% of the time last season between the Phillies and Yankees. Abreu demonstrates tremendous patience at the dish. The sweet-swinging outfielder can jack it out over any wall. He is a very smart base-stealer and his exceptional arm has gunned down more than a few runners. He strikes out a lot (138 times last season) but balances it out with walks. His power can be very inconsistent. Backing him up will be Cabrera.

Season Prediction: The Yankees are simply too rich to defeat. They have a strong line-up top-to-bottom, strong pitching, both starters and relievers. They don't have a lot of depth with back-ups. However, if there are long-term injuries, GM Brian Cashman wil gladly trade a top prospect for more talent. Unfortunately, this strategy has not worked in the Playoffs, but will all but certainly lead to yet another AL East title.