The Yankees enter 2013 at a bit of a crossroads. Mainstays like Jeter, A-Rod, Rivera, Pettitte, and Texeira are either aging, hurt, or both. In their stead are newcomers like Kevin Youkilis, Eduardo Nunez, and Ichiro Suzuki. Thus, the Yankees aren’t the powerhouse they’ve been in the past and they run the risk of missing the playoffs in a tough AL East. The pitching is strong behind CC Sabathia, but it’s old and not very deep. The issue for the Yankees, though, will be power and run production–deficiencies that they’ve not suffered for quite some time. It’ll be an interesting summer for the Bombers; they’ll either surprise the experts by playing to traditional Yankee glory, or surprise the fans by falling into the dregs of the division.
Projected Lineup:
- Brett Gardner Cf
- Eduardo Nunez Ss
- Robinson Cano 2b
- Kevin Youkilis 1b
- Vernon Wells Lf
- Ben Francisco DH
- Ichiro Suzuki Rf
- Jayson Nix 3b
- Fransisco Cervelli C
Projected Rotation:
- CC Sabathia
- Hiroki Kuroda
- Andy Pettitte
- Ivan Nova
- David Phelps
Strengths:
Robinson Cano: Cano is one of the game’s best. He hits for power and average and is the lynchpin of this lineup. He’s a free agent at the end of the season and primed for big things. Watch for him to be an MVP candidate come fall.
Top of the Rotation: CC Sabathia has been the best left hander in baseball over the past decade. Kuroda proved last season that he’s weathered the move to the AL East and can still be effective. They make an experienced and potent 1-2. After them, Andy Pettitte is a savvy veteran who is the active MLB leader in wins. He can be counted on for a slew of quality starts.
Rivera: I know he’s 43 and coming back from an injury, but he’s still the all time leader in saves. There’s very simply nobody better to end a game. This will be Mo’s last season and you can rest assured he’ll go out on top.
Weaknesses:
History: The Yankees’ roster is filled with players with long and impressive track records, but a lot of miles on their bodies. The Yanks have to hope that they don’t all age at the same time. It seems that that may be a lot to ask for, however, given that Granderson, Jeter, A-Rod, and Texeira are already hurt, and Sabathia and Rivera are coming off injuries too.
Lineup Depth: The Yankees have no first basemen, no catcher, no DH, and are very thin everywhere else. Eduardo Nunez, Jayson Nix, Frankie Cervelli, and Vernon Wells have no business as starters. Wells was the Angels’ 5th outfielder but immediately slotted in as the Yankees’ 2nd. This lineup is a disaster right now and has a while to go before it heals. Their starting DH, Ben Francisco, played for four teams over only 82 games last season. I honestly can’t think of another team on which he would be the opening day DH.
Back of the Rotation: Ivan Nova is very hit or miss, David Phelps has yet to convince anyone that he can be a viable longterm starter, and Yankee fans are rightfully about to give up on Phil Hughes. Like the lineup, there is no depth here.
Storylines:
The Yankees have tried to downsize their payroll to get under the Luxury Tax threshold but it’s not an easy strategy when you have so many massive salaries. As a result, the Yankees still have one of the highest payrolls in the game but have absolutely nothing to justify it. It seems like all those years of signing older players to huge deals may have finally caught up with them. The truth is, they’re not a very good team. The ceiling is high enough that they’ll win their fair share of games, but there is a massive drop-off after the best five or six players on the roster.
What will Marino Rivera bring to the table in his final season?
Will A-Rod play? How well?
What will Jeter be when he gets back?
Will Mark Texeira be able to hit like his old self after returning from the wrist injury?
Will all the innings and pitches finally catch up to Sabathia?
Prediction:
85-77, 3rd Place, AL East. The Yankees very simple aren’t as good as they’ve been in the past. Third place might be an optimistic projection.
Bold Predications:
- Robinson Cano wins the AL MVP
- CC Sabathia makes 18 starts
- Alex Rodriguez plays 50 games and hits 10 homers
- Derek Jeter doesn’t play a game until June
- The Yankees miss the playoffs
-Max Frankel
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