10 Days until Opening Day!

The 2011 MLB season officially gets underway exactly 10 days from now.  With the season approaching so quickly, I thought this would be the perfect time to give a preview of the projected Yankees roster as well as discuss the remaining question marks for the team that is once again expected to contend once again for the world series. 




Projected Roster:
Infield:
C: Russel Martin - For the first time in about a decade Martin will be the first starting catcher not named Jorge Posada.  It will be interesting to see if Martin regained his offensive swing from three years ago when he was an all star for the Dodgers.
1b: Mark Teixeira - Teixeria will look to get off to a quick offensive start after a horrible start last season.  Teixeira is hoping to remain injury free after having several nagging injuries throughout last season.
2b: Robinson Cano - Cano will look to carry over his 2010 season to this season.  If he does, he should contend for the MVP.  Hitting coach Kevin Long believes Cano has the ability to hit 40 home runs. 
3b: Alex Rodriguez- This spring, Rodriguez has returned to the form he had prior to his hip surgery in 2009.  Rodriguez is leading the team in home runs this spring and hopes to continue that this fall.
SS: Derek Jeter - To put it plain and simple, Jeter is looking to avoid his disastrous 2010 season.  After resigning with the only team he's ever played for, Jeter revamped with his swing with Long and is now hitting a solid .330 this spring.  Hopefully, these results will carry over to the season.
DH: Jorge Posada - Posada will have to adjust to his first season as the team's full time DH.  A break from catching everyday should benefit Posada's aging body, who like many Yankees is also seeking a bounce back season offensively.
Outfield:

RF: Brett Gardner - Gardner too, revamped his swing with Long this spring.  He's trying to become a better bunter after raising his average significantly last season.  Gardner may bat lead off this fall which could be beneficial to Jeter.
CF: Curtis Granderson -After reviving his swing last summer, Granderson looked like an entirely different player offensively.  In his second year in New York, Granderson is just trying to stay consistent offensively while remaining a solid force in the field.
LF: Nick Swisher- Over the last two years, Swisher has been very solid during the regular season but his bat has gone stone cold in the postseason.  Swisher hopes to get off to a hot start and keep it going throughout the season.  Last season, he hit a career high in home runs. 
Starting Pitchers:

SP: CC Sabathia -Sabathia will look to repeat the two seasons he's already had in New York.  This season in particular could be especially important for Sabathia as he has stated he might opt out of his contract following the 2011 campaign.
SP: AJ Burnett - How do I say this bluntly? I can't. Burnett was TERRIBLE last year.  But, with the help of new pitching coach Larry Rothschild Burnett has made his delivery more simple and has looked tremendous this season.  He's improved so much, he earned the second spot in the rotation ahead of Phil Hughes.
SP: Phil Hughes - Hughes is looking to improve his 2010 all star campaign, except he wants to be better.  Hughes hit a wall after the all star break but still managed to finish the season with 18 wins.  His goal though is to lower his ERA which was 4.19
SP: Ivan Nova - Nova was a dark horse candidate to even make the pitching staff.  But, this spring he has already gone 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four games this spring.  Nova forced his way into the rotation and it will be interesting to see if his success will continue once the regular season begins.
SP: Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon - Both Garcia and Colon are veteran starters who once had great success.  Unfortunately, due to injuries to both, their careers are now in jeopardy of being over.  Both signed minor league contracts in the off-season with a chance to make the team.  Garcia already stated he will not go to Triple A if he doesn't make the major league team.  As of right now, I have to believe that Colon has the upper hand over Garcia.
Bullpen:

P: Mariano Rivera - After an interesting off-season, one in which Rivera admitted to entertaining offers from the hated Red Sox, he finally resigned.  I expect nothing but the usual greatness from Rivera, although it will be interesting to see if he continues to age gracefully.
P: Joba Chamberlain- Oh Joba... what can I say about you? Chamerlain showed up much heavier then he was over the past two seasons.  Chamberlain was also injured last week, with an oblique strain.  Ironically, maybe it has something to do with his weight? Chamberlain will probably share the 7th inning duties with David Robertson.
P: Boone Logan - Logan came over to the Yankees in the trade that brought Javy Vazquez to the team for a second time.  Fortunately for Logan, he turned to be the most important part of the trade and was one of the most important parts of the bullpen.  He'll probably serve as the lefty specialist again.
P: David Robertson- Robertson proved his value to the Yankees last season as he was one of the team's most consistent relievers.  Joe Girardi trusted Robertson so much last season that he became the 8th inning guy over Joba Chamberlain.  This season however, he'll probably serve as the primary 7th inning guy as the team signed Rafeal Soriano.
P: Rafeal Soriano- Soriano had a career season last year with the Rays when he served as the team's closer.  This season he will serve as the 8th inning man as he is a crucial part of the bridge to Rivera.  If all goes well, when Soriano's contract is up and Rivera is retired, he may be the Yankees new closer.
P: TBD (most likely Pedro Felicano)
Bench:
C: Francicso Cervelli (will start season on DL due to broken bone in foot) - Cervelli's spring training's have been plagued with bad luck for him.  This season, was no different.  Cervelli broke a bone in his foot and is in a walking boot.  Because he is a catcher he can't do anything.  Cervelli will begin the season on the DL with either Austin Romine or Jesus Montero.
INF: Ramiro Pena or Jorge Vazquez, Eric Chavez - Pena and Vazquez who are good friends, are competing against each other for a spot on the Yankees bench.  While Vazquez has out hit Pena this season, he is not guaranteed a spot.  Pena proved his value defensively last season so it will be interesting to see what the team decides to go with.  Chavez is looking to regain his all-star form from when he was with the Athletics.  Chavez has looked great this spring and if he remains injury free, it will be hard for Girardi to keep  him on the bench. 
OF: Andruw Jones, Colin Curtis or Greg Golson - Jones has played sparingly in the past two seasons with the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox.  Jones will most likely start at DH against left handed batters.  He's become a defensive reliability, which is sad considering he was a 10 time gold glove winner with the Atlanta Braves.  As of right now, Golson has the job over Curtis.  Curtis, dislocated his shoulder earlier in Spring Training so Golson will most likely start the season with the Yankees.  

Now, it's time to address what questions will follow the team around throughout the season. 

1. Which AJ Burnett will show up?

• The Burnett who was the leader of the Marlins staff in 2008?  The mediocre but effective Burnett in 2009 or the horrific Burnett of 2010?  Hopefully it will be somewhere between 2008 and 2009. 

2. Will the Yankees be able to get by with Nova and Colon/Garcia as their fourth and fifth starter or will GM Brian Cashman make a trade?

• Again, it's just something that's going to have to play out

3. Will Derek Jeter bounce back?

• All signs are indicating Jeter is now comfortable with his new swing but we will not know until he sees consistently decent pitching throughout the season.

4. Will CC Sabathia opt out of his contract at the end of the season?

• Hopefully not, but he might because of the money that Cliff Lee got this past offseason. 

5. Do the Yankees have enough talent to make the playoffs?

• Offensively, Yes I believe they do.  Pitching wise?  Check back with me in a month.

That's all for now.  I'll be updating again soon!

Yankees take three of four from Indians

Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.
Yankees Overall Record: 31-20
Series MVP: third baseman Alex Rodriguez
Honorable Mention: Andy Pettitte
Quote of the Series: comes from manager Joe Girardi on the team's overall performance in the month of May

"Obviously you would've loved to have a better record in the month of May," Girardi said. "But 29 games in 31 days, some split doubleheaders, suspended games — we went through a lot. We went through some injuries. I thought our guys just kept going at it, and I'm proud of them for that."

The Yankees returned home from Minnesota and got back to winning ways in the Bronx.  The mediocre pitching staff of the Indians and the resurgence of the Yankees pitching staff was quite the dose of medicine the Bronx Bombers needed.

Friday's game allowed the Yankees offense to break out for the first time in a little more then a week.  The offense scored eight runs in an 8-2 victory.  Phil Hughes was once again masterful and allowed two earned runs, while lowering his earn-run average to 2.70, second to only Andy Pettitte.  Hughes earned his sixth win of the season while striking out eight.  Curtis Granderson returned from the disabled list and was in centerfield for the first time in over a month. To make room for Granderson on the roster, veteran Randy Winn was designated for assignment.

Saturday's game was rather unforgettable.  CC Sabathia was a bit wild once again.  Although he did have to sit through a lengthy delay in the third inning as Indians starter David Huff had to be attended to after taking a liner from Alex Rodriguez off of his head.  Huff was sent to the hospital and was back by the eighth inning.  But Sabathia gave up five runs in six innings.  His ERA stands at 4.16, much higher then normal.  The biggest culprit in Saturday's game though was reliever Joba Chamberlain.  Chamberlain allowed four runs in 1/3 of an inning.  The Yankees lost Saturday's game with a final score of 13-10

In Sunday's game AJ Burnett pitched eight masterful innings allowing three runs, only one earned, and had eight strikeouts.  Burnett's biggest strength of the day was he had no walks, which almost never happens.  (This is the guy who pitched a no hitter and had around nine walks in the same game.)  The offense broke out and scored seven runs.  Mark Teixeira  hit his eighth home run of the season.  Mariano Rivera came in in the ninth to pick up another save on the season.

Finally, Monday's game belonged to two people. Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte.  A rejuvenated Pettitte pitched seven innings and allowed only one run.  Oh did I mention he's 38 years old? The fact that Pettitte has been around for 15 years and still manages to rake up wins and have the second lowest ERA in the league at 2.48 in amazing.  Rodriguez hit his second grand slam of the season, and 20th all time after Mark Teixeira was intentionally walked in the seventh inning.  Rodriguez hits virtually everything in site after Teixeira is intentionally walked before he goes up to bat.  Hopefully opposing managers won't read those statistics.  Derek Jeter also had two hits in the game in the Yankees 7-2 victory.

Next Up: The Yankees are in the middle of a three game set with the Baltimore Orioles.

Yankees split series with Red Sox

Opponent: Boston Red Sox
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Yankees overall record: 25-14
Series MVP: the Red Sox defense
Quote of the series: comes from Javier Vazquez, who earned the win Monday, on AJ Burnett's antics of throwing a pie in the face during walk off wins.

“I was watching from afar last year, all of the pies in the face from A.J.,” Vazquez said. “I was glad to finally see one in person.”

The short two-game series was definitely a tale of pitching and defense from either side.

Monday's game began as a pitching match up between Yankees starter Phil Hughes and Boston hurler Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Like each of Hughes' starts this season, he started very strong.  Though as the game progressed he got wilder.  He was staked to an early 5-0 lead before eventually giving up five runs himself.  The game was then passed on to the bullpen which for the exception of Chan Ho Park did a great job.

Park returned from the disabled list after a month's stay.  In his first game back, he gave up three runs. All three runs were from home runs, from Yankee killer, Kevin Youkilis and catcher Victor Martinez.

Luckily the offense was not immune to the fastballs Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon throws.  Alex Rodriguez hit a game-tying home run to tie the game at 9 which set the stage for the winning runs.  New Yankee right fielder, Marcus Thames, who was playing for the injured Nick Swisher, hit a two-run, game-winning home run for a final score of 11-9.

Thames was christened to the newest Yankee tradition of a pie in the face after hitting the walk off home run courtesy of Burnett.

Tuesday's game was the complete opposite of Monday's.

CC Sabathia started against Red Sox starter Josh Beckett.

Like much of the series at Fenway two weeks ago, Beckett was awful.  He gave up five runs and was forced to leave the game early due to a tight back.

Consequently, the Yankees filed a protest to the Commissioner's office because Joe Girardi felt the Sox were trying to hide Beckett's injury, thus giving their reliever ample time to warm up.  A decision will have to be made in the next couple weeks regarding the protest, but it is likely the decision will be upheld.

Like Monday's game, the bullpen blew the game.  This time though it was Joba Chamberlain's fault.  He had a 5-1 lead before coming in the inning, and when he left the score was tied 5-5.

In the ninth, Mariano Rivera gave up two runs thanks to a costly error by Thames.  The score of 7-5 at the end of the inning.

The Yanks had a chance to come back in the bottom of the ninth and even scored a run with no runs to make the score 7-6.  They unfortunately were not able to get Robinson Cano in from third with two outs remaining.

Next Up: The Yankees welcome the Rays to the Bronx for a crucial two-game series that will help determine who will win the AL East.  Burnett will get the ball in game one.

Phil Hughes wins Fifth Starter Role

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees brass has decided that Phil Hughes will in fact be the number five starter rounding out the rotation.  The other members of the rotation include CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte and Javier Vazquez.  It is undetermined the order Joe Girardi will put the rotation in after Sabathia.  He may want to break up the fast ballers in Sabathia and Burnett by putting Pettitte in the middle but then hitters would be facing two back to back left handers.  

Hughes proved his value to the team last season when he emerged as one of the top set up men in the game .  His performance (except for the postseason) was all but dominant and quite frankly amazing.  He showed poise that a 23 year old hardly possesses in just his second full season in the big leagues.  

By moving Joba Chamberlain back to the eighth inning role, the Yankees are showing that they have all but lost hope in him starting.  After having to endure his short and painful five inning stints where he would walk men, give up multiple hits, especially in two out situations and of course throw about 25 pitches per inning every five days, the team figured it wouldn't hurt them to give Hughes another shot.  

The last few times Hughes has been in the rotation was when he was filling in for someone that was on the disabled list.  Hughes himself would often end up getting injured with either hamstring or shoulder injuries.  (Hughes tore his hamstring in the middle of a no-hitter during his debut season of 2007.  Unfortunately the injury had him sidelined until September of that year when the injury occurred in May.)  Hughes proved his value to the organization in 2007 when he relieved an ineffective Roger Clemens, Hughes' idol growing up, and pitched a very effective game, earning his first victory of the postseason and extending the yankees playoff life for one more miserable game.

To me, I'm very pleased with the way the Yankees are heading.  I've always preferred Hughes to Chamberlain for a variety of reasons.  The biggest issues though have to deal with work ethic and accountability.  When Joba has a rough outing he always blames someone or something else but never accepts the responsibility.  Hughes on the other hand will plainly state how much he stunk on a particular night and offers no excuse, similar to what Clemens did.  

I think by spending the majority of last season in the bullpen and having the wise and all powerful Mariano Rivera there for advice really benefitted Hughes last season.  Not surprisingly, Hughes developed confidence to throw his change up and has proved to be effective this spring.  Perhaps Joba's extended time with Mo this season in the bullpen will help him too.

Unfortunately, I feel that Chamberlain is too cocky and that his early success spoiled him.  Hopefully something will make him realize that even if you have talent you still need to work hard to achieve success.  

- Courtney 

Spring Training Questions

With spring training about to begin on Wednesday, I thought it'd be a good idea to address the biggest questions facing the Yankees.

Question #1: Who will be the fifth starter? 
Right now the competition is boiling down to Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes.

Advantage: Chamberlain.
My biggest hope is that Hughes will somehow beat out Joba. Hughes is a more mature in every aspect when it comes to competing. Joba has not developed a thick enough skin to pitch in New York and he still hasn't learned how to pitch out of trouble without throwing what seems like a million pitches in an inning. Thus only being able to carry the team for five or six innings before forcing Girardi to call on a reliever.
Hughes proved to be valuable last season coming out of the bullpen late in the game. But with his fastball and nasty splitter (which has been compared to Roger Clemens in the past), Phil is more valuable to the team starting every fifth day and not coming out for an inning or for five outs.  Then again, Mariano Rivera is the one player the Yankees can no afford to lose and he only pitches an inning every other day so I could be wrong.

Question #2: The third outfielder goes to ________?
Even though Johnny Damon has not officially signed with another team yet, I've accepted the fact that he sadly will no longer be apart of the 2010 Yankees.  The leading candidates to join Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson in the outfield are Brett Gardner, Randy Winn, and Marcus Thames.

I'm going to go with Gardner winning the spot.  He is clearly the best defender out of the bunch and I think that's what earns him the starting role.  Now if it's left field or center field will be up to Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman.  The only ailment that Gardner will face will be his bat.  He's already been down at the minor league complex in Tampa working on his bunting and other skills with the bat.
I'm pulling for Gardner.  He's a generally good person and deserves this job after the hardships he went through last year from his reduced playing time, to breaking his hand.  But in the end defense will help you when ball games.  If he can't hit, he's got eight others guys in front of him that can help.

Question #3: How will the Derek Jeter contract situation be played out?
We all know that Derek Jeter is playing in the final year of his 10-year $189 million contract.  Everyone knows that Jeter will re-sign with the Yankees (at least I hope and pray he does) but the question is will ownership and Cashman see eye to eye with Jeter and his agent?  I hope so. Fans have already been through one nasty divorce with Joe Torre.  I personally can not take another one.
Jeter's value goes far beyond what he does on the field.  He's an excellent leader and has never been in trouble or cause drama, which is an accomplishment itself after playing for 15 years in New York.  It will be interesting to see if Jeter's contract will be worth more then Alex Rodriguez's.
I wish the front office would just get the contract done early and reward him for what has been done.
Remember this, Jeter has been shortstop in New York for the last 15 years.  Where have the other "trinity of shortstops" gone?  Nomar Garciaparra is now trying to find a team, lingering from position to position and too often injured.  The other member?  Rodriguez, is of course Jeter's teammate and plays third base.

End Note: It was officially announced today by the Yankees that head trainer Gene Monahan will miss all of spring training and the possibly the beginning of the regular season due to a severe illness.  This will be the first time in 27 years that Monahan will not be attending camp.  Let's hope for a speedy recovery to him and we're looking forward to seeing you back on the field Gene!

- Courtney 

Great Day for the Yanks & GMen

The New York Yankees finished off the regular season with a win against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees scored 10 runs in the sixth inning. Alex Rodriguez, had 7 of those RBI's thanks to two homers, one of them a grand slam. Arod became the first player in American League History to have 7 RBI's in one inning. Is Arod preparing for an October where he will finally produce?? One can only hope. AJ Burnett backed up his past few performances with a strong start to conclude the regular season.. Burnett allowed 2 runs ( 1 earned) over five innings. But what may have overshadowed Burnett's start was Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain had one perfect inning, and his fastball was clocked at 95. When will Joba's postseason fate be determined? Will he be left off the roster or used as a reliever in the ALDS and a possible starter in the LCS if the team makes it that far?? Can he be trusted as a reliever? We'll only know probably as soon as the Yankees know which team they will be playing in the LDS. The Tiger and Twins will play a one game playoff on Tuesday. It is then that the Yankees will determine which playoff scenario they will chose. All signs point to that they will indeed pick Option A, with more day offs scheduled. Look for an updated postseason post on Tuesday.

The Giants continued their perfect start to the season with a commanding 27-16 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Eli Manning threw for 292 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interception. His favorite receiver of the game was Steve Smith. Smith caught 11 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. The only concern the Giants have is Manning's health. Manning hurt his heal and had to come out of the game. Manning was seen on the bench with a trainer, getting his heal taped up. David Carr replaced Manning. Manning does expect to play next week, however.