Girardi, Yankees look for Bronx magic
It’s never a dull offseason for the Yankees, even when it is. Two new Steinbrenners are now at the top with a new manager in Joe Girardi down in the dugout as New York opens ’08.
It was one of the most successful 12-year stints in Yankees managerial history, and that’s saying something. Some might argue for Miller Huggins, Joe McCarthy or Casey Stengel, and it would be easy to make a case for any of them as the greatest manager New York has ever had. But in terms of New York in the Steinbrenner Era, there can be no argument whatsoever: Joe Torre was the man.
The Yankees went to the playoffs every season under Torre, winning four World Series, six American League Pennants and 10 AL East flags. New York won 1,173 regular season games with him as the field boss, an average of nearly 98 per season. Sure, he had some great players to work with. But so did previous managers that missed the postseason. And no one – other than Torre, King George and maybe some of the players – will ever really understand the job he did insulating the team from the front office and keeping them focused on the game of baseball instead of the business and the media.
But it was the early exit from the playoffs the last three seasons – falling to the Angels, Tigers and Indians from 2005-07 – which ultimately spelled the end for Torre. But hey, don’t feel bad for good ol’ Joe. He’s caught on with another lucrative, high-profile gig out in LA where it’s sunny all the time.
Brian Cashman and the two new Steinbrenners, Hal and Hank, ultimately chose to replace Torre with Joe Girardi who won three rings with the Yankees (1996, 1998-99) playing under Torre, served as Torre’s bench coach in 2005 and spent last season as part of the team’s broadcast team on the YES network.
Girardi no doubt understands what he’s getting into. But just in case he believes it was a pain in the butt to deal with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria when he managed Florida in 2006, he’s in for a big surprise.
PITCHING
While many dream of either playing for or coaching the Yankees, Dave Eiland probably has one of those unenviable jobs this year after being named New York’s pitching coach last November. Eiland, who grew up in the Yankees system as both a player and a coach, will be charged with the task of bringing some semblance of tranquility to a staff that was anything but calm last season when New York used 14 different starting pitchers and 28 pitchers in all.
Yankees pitchers finished eighth in the AL with a 4.49 ERA and 12th in both walks allowed and strikeouts. Only three pitchers – Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina – made more than 17 starts in the rotation, with just Pettitte and Wang delivering overall. The club played a bit in the Johan Santana sweepstakes back in December, but was reluctant to pull the trigger for the players Minnesota was asking in return – Phil Hughes among them – and ended up coming to camp without a new, frontline pitcher that they craved.
Wang, Pettitte and Mussina will once again head the rotation, with Hughes and Ian Kennedy in the last two starting slots. Kei Igawa, a bust from Japan a year ago, could be the odd man out and it will be interesting how New York handles that situation if it comes time to cut him since they missed out on a chance to unload Igawa on the Padres in the winter.
Joba Chamberlain should be a stud starting pitcher someday, but that day won’t be this year as the Yankees look for the big Nebraska kid to fill the primary setup role in front of Mariano Rivera. After some success setting up in Colorado last year, LaTroy Hawkins was inked to a one-year deal this offseason and will join Kyle Farnsworth in middle relief or setup roles.
Billy Traber and Heath Phillips have done well this spring and should make the pen as the two left-handers. Right-handers Chris Britton, Edwar Ramirez and Brian Bruney are also fighting for a job. A decision on Jeff Karstens will depend on the Igawa situation. If Karstens goes back to the minors, he’ll be the first one recalled when a need arises in the rotation.
OFFENSE/DEFENSE
First in the AL in runs scored? Check. First in home runs? Check. First in batting average, on-base and slugging? Check, check, check. That was the Yankees offense last year, their first season under the tutelage of hitting coach Kevin Long, so you have to wonder what Long will do in his encore season.
No, it’s silly to think Long did much for many of the regular position players on the squad. When you’re coaching some of the game’s premier veteran hitters, Long probably enjoys seeing the likes of Andy Phillips, Shelley Duncan and Wilson Betemit around the cage.
The batting lineup returns virtually unchanged from last season. Jorge Posada is back behind the plate after a fantastic season. Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez fill out the infield around the horn. And the outfield/DH quartet is where you’ll find the likes of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Melky Cabrera.
In fact, the only real difference anyone will really see this year out on the field is at first base where Doug ‘Alphabet’ Mientkiewicz was much of last season.
It should once again be a devastating offense, unless long-term health woes pop up for several of the regulars. So it does bear mentioning who the reserves will be for if and when any lengthy injuries occur.
Duncan will make the team and play first against left-handers. Wilson Betemit and probably Morgan Ensberg will serve as infield backups, with Betemit able to play any spot in the dirt. Chris Woodward is likely the third infield backup.
The outfield opens a bit thin to begin with as Matsui is coming off knee surgery and a bad neck that bugged him in the winter and early part of spring. Damon is also nursing a sore foot after shooting a foul off his right stomper the other day in a spring game. Duncan can also play some outfield, so that helps. Jason Lane is the top candidate for the last outfield job.
And backing Posada up behind the plate will be Jose Molina.
Key Player(s): Veterans Mussina and Pettitte are listed as key members of the pitching staff by most, and they will be important. But the work that Hughes and Kennedy do will go a lot further into determining this team’s ultimate success. Chamberlain also has to avoid the dreaded sophomore jinx while Farnsworth and Hawkins provide consistent relief. The offense is strong enough to be able to absorb one long-term injury, but after that, it could get dicey.
Futures: The Yankees have not been plus-value in the AL East for a while, but this year 5Dimes has them at +130. New York is +400 to win their 40th AL Pennant and +600 to hoist their 27th World Series trophy. The Greek sets the break for their win totals at 93½, priced at -110 on both sides.
The Under was a winning bet for me last season on the Yankees when the total was set in the 96-97½ range and New York came in at 94. I’m on the Under once again with my sims suggesting an ending tally in the 88-92 range.
It’s never a dull offseason for the Yankees, even when it is. Two new Steinbrenners are now at the top with a new manager in Joe Girardi down in the dugout as New York opens ’08.
It was one of the most successful 12-year stints in Yankees managerial history, and that’s saying something. Some might argue for Miller Huggins, Joe McCarthy or Casey Stengel, and it would be easy to make a case for any of them as the greatest manager New York has ever had. But in terms of New York in the Steinbrenner Era, there can be no argument whatsoever: Joe Torre was the man.
The Yankees went to the playoffs every season under Torre, winning four World Series, six American League Pennants and 10 AL East flags. New York won 1,173 regular season games with him as the field boss, an average of nearly 98 per season. Sure, he had some great players to work with. But so did previous managers that missed the postseason. And no one – other than Torre, King George and maybe some of the players – will ever really understand the job he did insulating the team from the front office and keeping them focused on the game of baseball instead of the business and the media.
But it was the early exit from the playoffs the last three seasons – falling to the Angels, Tigers and Indians from 2005-07 – which ultimately spelled the end for Torre. But hey, don’t feel bad for good ol’ Joe. He’s caught on with another lucrative, high-profile gig out in LA where it’s sunny all the time.
Brian Cashman and the two new Steinbrenners, Hal and Hank, ultimately chose to replace Torre with Joe Girardi who won three rings with the Yankees (1996, 1998-99) playing under Torre, served as Torre’s bench coach in 2005 and spent last season as part of the team’s broadcast team on the YES network.
Girardi no doubt understands what he’s getting into. But just in case he believes it was a pain in the butt to deal with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria when he managed Florida in 2006, he’s in for a big surprise.
PITCHING
While many dream of either playing for or coaching the Yankees, Dave Eiland probably has one of those unenviable jobs this year after being named New York’s pitching coach last November. Eiland, who grew up in the Yankees system as both a player and a coach, will be charged with the task of bringing some semblance of tranquility to a staff that was anything but calm last season when New York used 14 different starting pitchers and 28 pitchers in all.
Yankees pitchers finished eighth in the AL with a 4.49 ERA and 12th in both walks allowed and strikeouts. Only three pitchers – Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina – made more than 17 starts in the rotation, with just Pettitte and Wang delivering overall. The club played a bit in the Johan Santana sweepstakes back in December, but was reluctant to pull the trigger for the players Minnesota was asking in return – Phil Hughes among them – and ended up coming to camp without a new, frontline pitcher that they craved.
Wang, Pettitte and Mussina will once again head the rotation, with Hughes and Ian Kennedy in the last two starting slots. Kei Igawa, a bust from Japan a year ago, could be the odd man out and it will be interesting how New York handles that situation if it comes time to cut him since they missed out on a chance to unload Igawa on the Padres in the winter.
Joba Chamberlain should be a stud starting pitcher someday, but that day won’t be this year as the Yankees look for the big Nebraska kid to fill the primary setup role in front of Mariano Rivera. After some success setting up in Colorado last year, LaTroy Hawkins was inked to a one-year deal this offseason and will join Kyle Farnsworth in middle relief or setup roles.
Billy Traber and Heath Phillips have done well this spring and should make the pen as the two left-handers. Right-handers Chris Britton, Edwar Ramirez and Brian Bruney are also fighting for a job. A decision on Jeff Karstens will depend on the Igawa situation. If Karstens goes back to the minors, he’ll be the first one recalled when a need arises in the rotation.
OFFENSE/DEFENSE
First in the AL in runs scored? Check. First in home runs? Check. First in batting average, on-base and slugging? Check, check, check. That was the Yankees offense last year, their first season under the tutelage of hitting coach Kevin Long, so you have to wonder what Long will do in his encore season.
No, it’s silly to think Long did much for many of the regular position players on the squad. When you’re coaching some of the game’s premier veteran hitters, Long probably enjoys seeing the likes of Andy Phillips, Shelley Duncan and Wilson Betemit around the cage.
The batting lineup returns virtually unchanged from last season. Jorge Posada is back behind the plate after a fantastic season. Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez fill out the infield around the horn. And the outfield/DH quartet is where you’ll find the likes of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Melky Cabrera.
In fact, the only real difference anyone will really see this year out on the field is at first base where Doug ‘Alphabet’ Mientkiewicz was much of last season.
It should once again be a devastating offense, unless long-term health woes pop up for several of the regulars. So it does bear mentioning who the reserves will be for if and when any lengthy injuries occur.
Duncan will make the team and play first against left-handers. Wilson Betemit and probably Morgan Ensberg will serve as infield backups, with Betemit able to play any spot in the dirt. Chris Woodward is likely the third infield backup.
The outfield opens a bit thin to begin with as Matsui is coming off knee surgery and a bad neck that bugged him in the winter and early part of spring. Damon is also nursing a sore foot after shooting a foul off his right stomper the other day in a spring game. Duncan can also play some outfield, so that helps. Jason Lane is the top candidate for the last outfield job.
And backing Posada up behind the plate will be Jose Molina.
Key Player(s): Veterans Mussina and Pettitte are listed as key members of the pitching staff by most, and they will be important. But the work that Hughes and Kennedy do will go a lot further into determining this team’s ultimate success. Chamberlain also has to avoid the dreaded sophomore jinx while Farnsworth and Hawkins provide consistent relief. The offense is strong enough to be able to absorb one long-term injury, but after that, it could get dicey.
Futures: The Yankees have not been plus-value in the AL East for a while, but this year 5Dimes has them at +130. New York is +400 to win their 40th AL Pennant and +600 to hoist their 27th World Series trophy. The Greek sets the break for their win totals at 93½, priced at -110 on both sides.
The Under was a winning bet for me last season on the Yankees when the total was set in the 96-97½ range and New York came in at 94. I’m on the Under once again with my sims suggesting an ending tally in the 88-92 range.
