New York Yankees Cumulative statistics are prior to Monday’s games
General Manager – Brian Cashman Cashman returns for another go-round, this time apparently exercising more say in the whole process than he did before. We’ll have to see how it all pans out, but so far, the Cashman of new is the Cashman of old: throwing money at big-name free agents and ignoring the pitching. At least he’s stayed true to his word to not trade Robinson Cano (actually, they should think about it, as he’s eventually going to be moved to left field and not be considered an All-Star there) and Chien-Ming Wang.
Manager – Joe TorreAlso returning for another go round. Joe Torre is rumored to be retiring after his next contract is up, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence he’s surrounded himself with all former managers. He may look to them for more guidance or feel more comfortable in their abilities that he won’t have to have his hand in every aspect of the organization. It feels to me that Torre is starting to run out of gas. Actually, he started in 2004, so he’s close to the empty tank.
C – Jorge Posada Posada, due to turn 35 in August, showed signs of slowing down last year when he hit .262/.352/.430 for the Yankees, after a .272/.400/.481 job in 2004. So far in 2005, he’s hit .288/.395/.452, and while he should slow down over the course of the year, is still a top catcher, although only offensively. He and Varitek have been matching each other for a long time now, and while Varitek won the overall best catcher title last year (nabbing both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards) it should be another fight this year.
1B – Jason Giambi I liked Giambi in Oakland, but he’s truly one of the Yankees I hate now. I don’t quite know why. I think it has to do with when he called a press conferenced and kept apologizing without citing why even though everyone knew why. It just really put him at the bottom of my respect list. Off to a fast start, he’s hitting .344/.554/.852, and while I don’t wish injury or pain to him, I can certainly hope that something happens to put him out for the season. As unlikely as that is to happen, however, I’m doomed to hoping the Sox pitchers can somehow find a way to get Giambi out, who hit .271/.440 (incredible, no matter how much hate I have for him)/.535 last year. He’s not going to go away. So let’s stop him from getting on base.
2B – Robinson Cano He takes over for Alfonso Soriano as the AL’s worst fielding second baseman, and is off to a nice start this year, batting at the bottom of the order. Hitting .316/.341/.443, he’s improved on his 2005 line of .297/.320/.458 in 522 AB. Cano is always going to be considered a good secondbaseman. The problem is he’s going to be moved to left field eventually, and the team who moves him better hope it happens before Cano gets the inflated ego that Soriano currently suffers from. His defense is that bad, so we’ll see what happens from hereinout.
SS – Derek Jeter Why cant A-Gon hit like this? Off to a fast .398/.505/.648 line, Jeter is truly enjoying hitting second in this powerful lineup. It’s pretty obvious Jeter is an eventual Hall-of-Famer, and all I can do right now is sit back and watch Jeter and wonder how he was able to shake off his 2002 and 2004 and getting back to what he does best, which is hit. He’s only an average shortstop, but you don’t need dazzling defense as long as you hit .315/.387/.464 for your career.
3B – Alex Rodriguez The man everyone loves to hate, he’s off to a 2004 start, but not a 2005 start. He’s hitting .267/.390/.477 as compared to last year’s .321/.421/.610. He’s in his third season with the Yankees, after having spent three with Texas. He’s yet another cog in this amazing lineup. It’s truly amazing how powerful this offense is, although it’s not terribly deep from 1-9.
LF – Hideki Matsui Matsui dissapointed a lot of people last year when they thought he’d be in the running for MVP. In 2004, he had hit .298/.390/.522, and slipped to .305/.367/.496 last year. After signing a contract extension, he’s only hitting at .258/.340/.427 for a .767 OPS. It’s very possible Matsui may be slipping, but I’ll have to see his line after June to be sure of anything. The signs are there, however.
CF – Johnny Damon He hit .316/.366/.439 for the BoSox last year, and all this wailing about his atrocious numbers in Yankee Stadium over his career haven’t amounted to much as he’s at .312/.400/.505 this year. I doubt he can keep up this hot start, but there’s no doubt that he’s earning his contract right now. After 2006 is a completely different story, but we always knew that. Damon’s fully a Yankee now, and perhaps we can all start moving on, but I have a nagging feeling we won’t, much like we never quite got past Roger in a Yankees uniform. (He went 0-4 in his return to Boston, greeted by loud boos and a smattering of applause that increased once he waved to the crowd. I’m a bit dissapointed in the reaction, but it is what it is.)
RF – Gary Sheffield Off to a .341/.390/.516 start, Sheffield was rumored to have broken his hamate bone in his hand, but further tests were negative. He’ll probably sit out tonight against Wakefield and then go up against Beckett tomorrow. He’s still going as fast as ever, putting up numbers similar to his other years in New York, and will be a free agent this upcoming year. He’ll certainly go to the highest bidder, but that’s fodder for the winter. For now, he’s a dangerous weapon in the middle of New York’s lineup.
DH – Bernie Williams He’s done. He won’t last past May. Either he’ll take over Bubba Crosby’s role, with a better hitter coming in to DH, or he’ll be released, or he’ll save face and retire. Either way, his .217/.262/.283 line is too bad to keep on going with. It’s been a rapid decline over the last few years for Bernie, and he just keeps trying to contribute, but that’s over with. Whenever he plays in right field tonight, we have to take advantage of his weak arm. This glaring hole in the lineup makes it not as good as the 2003/2004 Red Sox, but it’s still pretty powerful.
Bench – Kelly Stinnett, Andy Phillips, Miguel Cairo, Bubba Crosby The backup catcher, Stinnett, was brought in due to his past relations with Randy Johnson. He’s appeared in eight games, 12 AB so far this year, hitting .250/.308/.333. Phillips is fighting to retain his job as Carlos Pena makes noise in the minor leagues. Phillips is off to a.154/.214/.269 start in 26 AB this year, and I have a feeling Giambi’s going to move to DH with Carlos Pena manning first sooner rather than later. Cairo returns after a stint across town in Shea Stadium in 2005, and is back to his hitting ways that mystified the nation. It’s like he hits better simply because he’s a Yankee. He’s at .300/.364/.450, after 327 AB for the Mets last year hitting .251/.296/.324. For reference, in 2004, Cairo hit .292/.346/.417 in 360 AB for the Yankees. Crosby rounds out this utterly pathetic bench, which will remain utterly pathetic even once Crosby is subtracted and Williams added, by hitting .200/.333/.300. If the Yankees fail this year, they will fail due to a pathetic bench and no options should someone get hurt.
SP 1 – Randy Johnson Randy Johnson was apparently back to the Johnson of old during Spring Training. I was skeptical, and I still am skeptical, based on his last three years. For Arizona in 2004, he was 16-14 with a 2.60 ERA, and 0.90 WHIP (.197 BAA) in 245.2 IP. Last year for the Yankees, he was 17-8 with a 3.79 ERA, and 1.13 WHIP (.243 BAA). So far this year, his BAA is .248, his WHIP is 1.13, his ERA is 4.71, and he’s gone 4-2. He’s been miserably bombed in some of his starts, and I think the Cy Young Johnson is a thing of the past.
SP 2 – Mike Mussina Enjoying a resurgence so far this year, Mussina will become a free agent after this year when the Yankees decline his $17 million option. He’s 4-1 with a 2.31 ERA, after two straight years of showing his age. In 2004, he was 12-9 in 27 GS (164.2 IP) with a 4.59 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. In 2005, that WHIP rose to 1.37, he started 30 games going 13-8, and had a 4.41 ERA. His WHIP is down to 1.08 this year. I doubt he can keep it up, but if he can, the Yankees will take it because right now, they don’t have an ace save for Mussina, or even a true, bonafide #2.
SP 3 – Shawn Chacon Chacon had a nice New York debut last year, posting a 2.85 ERA after failing in Colorado like so many others do. He shaved his WHIP from 1.44 in COL to 1.22 in NYY, but this year it’s back to 1.44 and he has a 4.56 ERA, and a record of 3-1 in four games started and two relief appearances encompassing 25.2 IP. He’s far from a sure thing, and i think we’re seeing the real Shawn Chacon right now.
SP 4 – Chien-Ming Wang Jorge Posada is impossibly high on Wang. The way he talks, Wang could be an ace one day. I’m here to tell you it won’t happen. He’s crafting a career as a dependable #3, though. He has a 4.80 ERA on the season, starting 5 games and going 1-1 in 30 IP with a 1.43 WHIP, way up from his 1.25 WHIP and 4.02 ERA of last year. Batters are also hitting better off him. This sounds like the sophomore slump. It’ll take guile from Wang to shake off the sophomore slump and turn into a good pitcher. Until then, he’ll be a back end of the rotation starter.
SP 5 – Jaret Wright He’s still posting ugly ERAs, trying his hand at 7.20 this year after a tidy 6.08 last year. Quite simply put, when Wright pitches, Yankee fans all over spit about how terrible his contract is. That’s what you get when you sign someone coming off one good year under Leo Mazzone to a pricey contract. We could smell it a mile away.
RP – Kyle Farnsworth, Tanyon Sturtze, Mike Myers, Ron Villone, Scott Proctor, Aaron Small Farnsworth so far is living up to his setup duties, posting a 2.89 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. Last year for Detroit, he had a 2.32 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. After being traded to Atlanta, he had a 1.98 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. Don’t count on him in big games, though. He left Atlanta with a guaranteed closer’s job to be a setup man in New York, with similar dollars. Sturtze defies logic by still being on the Yankees roster. His ERA’s in 2004, 2005, and 2006 are thus: 5.47, 4.73, 5.40 (in 8.1 IP). The end is nearing. Myers, who spent two years in Boston, was brought in to be a lefty specialist, and has performed admirably so far. He has 6.1 IP under his belt with a 0.00 ERA and 0.63 WHIP. We’ll see him against David Ortiz this series. The other lefty in the pen, Villone, has hurled 9 IP of 2.00 ERA. He was the mopup man to serve the year, but is slowly gaining a more integral role in the bullpen. He shouldn’t continue this, but he won’t be as terrible as he was in Florida last year (6.85 ERA). Proctor so far has throwin 16 IP for a 1.69 ERA and the Yankees faith in him seems to be paying off, as his WHIP is way down to 1.13 as well. Last year he threw 44.2 IP, 1.41 WHIP, 6.04 ERA. Aaron Small was just activated from the DL, has yet to pitch, but last year gave us all a Cinderella story, as he had 15 G, 9 GS, to go 10-0 with a 3.20 ERA. I doubt it lasts.
CL – Mariano Rivera Perhaps the best closer who ever lived, Mariano is showing his age a bit. He checks into Boston with a 3.72 ERA, four saves, a 1.24 WHIP, and an 0-2 record. In 2005, he had a 7-4 record with 43 SV, 1.38 ERA, 0.87 WHIP in 78.1 IP. Is he slowing down? Let’s wait and see.
DL – Carl Pavano, Octavio Dotel Similiar to Jaret Wright, Pavano had a mess of a 2005 before going on the DL. In 2005, he was 4-6 with a 4.77 ERA in 100 IP. He’ll come off the DL in May. Coming in June is supposed to be Octavio Dotel, who we battered around last year shortly before he went on the DL for Tommy John surgery. He had a 3.52 ERA before the injury and should help their bullpen once he returns.
Fire Brand’s Most Favorite Move – Johnny Damon (at least for 2006) It’s a terrible longterm move and there’s no question the Sox will benefit more from Coco Crisp than Damon, but right now, Damon has been everything the Yankees wanted. That’s about it.
Fire Brand’s Least Favorite Move – It’s about the B-E-N-C-H Ew. That’s all I have to say about their bench, which may kill their season.
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