2005 Record: 95-67, AL East Champs
New York rebounded from a horrible start in 2005, sitting 11-18 in early May and then reeling off an 84-49 mark the rest of the way. After spending so much on pitching entering 2005, injuries on the mound mounted and it was the offense that fueled New York’s turnaround and 11th-straight postseason appearance.
The offense looks to be the team’s strength once again as the lineup remains drunk with heavy sticks. Assuming good health, it’s a group that should exceed the 886 plate crossings, nearly 5½ per game, last year’s Bronx Bombers tallied. Adding Johnny Damon to the top of the order should give Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi even more RBI chances. Follow that quintet with Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano and Bernie Williams, and the scoring possibilities are truly endless.
On defense, that little part of the game that doesn’t get nearly enough attention from stat heads, New York should be rock-solid on the left side of the diamond with Rodriguez and Jeter at third and short. Though Damon’s arm is often compared to your average grandmother playing catch with her Little League grandson, he’s still a defensive upgrade in center over Williams. With Matsui and Sheffield flanking Damon in the outfield, and Bubba Crosby available off the bench in late innings, the outfield defense should be better than average. Posada is not going to draw many comparisons to Johnny Bench and Pudge Rodriguez behind the dish, but he’s also no Mackey Sasser.
The right side of the infield where you can find Cano and Giambi could be a bit of an adventure. If Cano upsets the Boss one time too many, don’t be surprised to see Miguel Cairo at 2B more than many currently expect. And if Andy Phillips shows something this spring, he could get more time at 1B with Giambi in the DH slot over Williams. As good as this offense should be the Pinstripers can afford to sacrifice a little for added defense.
The mound corps enters the season with more questions than the White House press corps has for VP Dick Cheney these days. Manager Joe Torre used 14 different starting pitchers in 2005, with Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina the only two with more than 17 nods. Johnson’s first year in the Bronx was his worst full season (numbers wise) since his second season in Seattle (1991). At 42 entering 2006, and with nearly 3600 innings of toil on his lefty arm, you can’t help but wonder if Mr. Snappy can rebound enough to fulfill the role of staff ace. Mussina is an even bigger concern than Johnson since his health is often cited for seriously declining numbers the past two years. And both Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, who cost the Yanks better than $50 million before 2005, are complete unknowns at this time.
Even assuming decent showings from Johnson and Mussina, it still puts a lot of pressure on Shawn Chacon, Chien-Ming Wang and Aaron Small. Chacon really handled himself well after coming over from the Rockies, but he’s still a 3- or 4-slot starter at best. Wang’s shoulder is a bit of a concern, and if Small is in the rotation this season it’s because of at least two injuries ahead of him which wouldn’t be good news despite his 10-0, 3.20 stats in 2005.
After coming out of the gate blowing his first two save ops to Boston, Mariano Rivera was a huge concern. By season’s end, he was my pick for New York’s MVP after posting career bests in ERA and WHIP along with 43 saves in his final 45 chances. He’ll have Kyle Farnsworth setting him up, and getting off to a strong start in that role is crucial in order to avoid being run through the grinder that is the Big Apple media. Tanyon Sturtz, plus Small, will be in the long and middle relief roles. Mike Myers and/or Ron Villone are the southpaws out of the pen. And assuming he comes back ok by early June from elbow surgery, Octavio Dotel could really give the bullpen a boost since that could help relieve some pressure from Farnsworth.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Yankees return in 2006 with a team that undoubtedly has George Steinbrenner thinking anything less than a 27th World Series title is a failed effort. In other words, business as usual since the club won its 26th set of rings in 2000.
Key Performer(s): Johnson, Mussina and Farnsworth.
Camp Question(s): Emerging from spring with five healthy arms for the rotation.
My Play: With the present questions in the rotation, my projections have the Yanks struggling to repeat the 95 wins they surged to in ’05. The under 98 (-103) is a no-brainer right now.
New York rebounded from a horrible start in 2005, sitting 11-18 in early May and then reeling off an 84-49 mark the rest of the way. After spending so much on pitching entering 2005, injuries on the mound mounted and it was the offense that fueled New York’s turnaround and 11th-straight postseason appearance.
The offense looks to be the team’s strength once again as the lineup remains drunk with heavy sticks. Assuming good health, it’s a group that should exceed the 886 plate crossings, nearly 5½ per game, last year’s Bronx Bombers tallied. Adding Johnny Damon to the top of the order should give Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi even more RBI chances. Follow that quintet with Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano and Bernie Williams, and the scoring possibilities are truly endless.
On defense, that little part of the game that doesn’t get nearly enough attention from stat heads, New York should be rock-solid on the left side of the diamond with Rodriguez and Jeter at third and short. Though Damon’s arm is often compared to your average grandmother playing catch with her Little League grandson, he’s still a defensive upgrade in center over Williams. With Matsui and Sheffield flanking Damon in the outfield, and Bubba Crosby available off the bench in late innings, the outfield defense should be better than average. Posada is not going to draw many comparisons to Johnny Bench and Pudge Rodriguez behind the dish, but he’s also no Mackey Sasser.
The right side of the infield where you can find Cano and Giambi could be a bit of an adventure. If Cano upsets the Boss one time too many, don’t be surprised to see Miguel Cairo at 2B more than many currently expect. And if Andy Phillips shows something this spring, he could get more time at 1B with Giambi in the DH slot over Williams. As good as this offense should be the Pinstripers can afford to sacrifice a little for added defense.
The mound corps enters the season with more questions than the White House press corps has for VP Dick Cheney these days. Manager Joe Torre used 14 different starting pitchers in 2005, with Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina the only two with more than 17 nods. Johnson’s first year in the Bronx was his worst full season (numbers wise) since his second season in Seattle (1991). At 42 entering 2006, and with nearly 3600 innings of toil on his lefty arm, you can’t help but wonder if Mr. Snappy can rebound enough to fulfill the role of staff ace. Mussina is an even bigger concern than Johnson since his health is often cited for seriously declining numbers the past two years. And both Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, who cost the Yanks better than $50 million before 2005, are complete unknowns at this time.
Even assuming decent showings from Johnson and Mussina, it still puts a lot of pressure on Shawn Chacon, Chien-Ming Wang and Aaron Small. Chacon really handled himself well after coming over from the Rockies, but he’s still a 3- or 4-slot starter at best. Wang’s shoulder is a bit of a concern, and if Small is in the rotation this season it’s because of at least two injuries ahead of him which wouldn’t be good news despite his 10-0, 3.20 stats in 2005.
After coming out of the gate blowing his first two save ops to Boston, Mariano Rivera was a huge concern. By season’s end, he was my pick for New York’s MVP after posting career bests in ERA and WHIP along with 43 saves in his final 45 chances. He’ll have Kyle Farnsworth setting him up, and getting off to a strong start in that role is crucial in order to avoid being run through the grinder that is the Big Apple media. Tanyon Sturtz, plus Small, will be in the long and middle relief roles. Mike Myers and/or Ron Villone are the southpaws out of the pen. And assuming he comes back ok by early June from elbow surgery, Octavio Dotel could really give the bullpen a boost since that could help relieve some pressure from Farnsworth.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Yankees return in 2006 with a team that undoubtedly has George Steinbrenner thinking anything less than a 27th World Series title is a failed effort. In other words, business as usual since the club won its 26th set of rings in 2000.
Key Performer(s): Johnson, Mussina and Farnsworth.
Camp Question(s): Emerging from spring with five healthy arms for the rotation.
My Play: With the present questions in the rotation, my projections have the Yanks struggling to repeat the 95 wins they surged to in ’05. The under 98 (-103) is a no-brainer right now.
