With spring training in full progression, the MLB regular season is just around the corner. The Yankees come back with some new faces in addition to the champions that went down in history as the 2010 World Series winners. Among the additions are outfielder Curtis Granderson and the second-comings of starter Javier Vasquez and DH Nick Johnson. Among those who have left the Pinstripes are Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Chien-Ming Wang, and Melky Cabrera.
While it certainly seems like our outfield will improve drastically, some have raised questions on where the lost runs from Damon, Matsui, and Cabrera will come from. Granderson is bound to do well at the plate, but Gardner (who looks to be Damon’s replacement) hasn’t had much success at bat in the majors and some don’t see Swisher coming through again. Either way though, as long as the big guys can stay off IR and remain healthy, there shouldn’t be much to worry about. Plus, with some younger guys in the outfield with a new team, we may just see some changes in their stats as well.
In the rotation, things look even better this year with the addition of Javier Vasquez. The loss of Wang won’t be felt much as he missed most of last season any way, although he is a good pitcher either way. Rivera is expected to be Rivera and hopefully the rest of the pen can stay at it.
It will be an interesting season as the Yankees pursue a repeat title. We still have a dangerous team, but with some big changes in Boston and elsewhere around the league, nothing can be guaranteed. As a Yankee fan, I still place all my faith in our Pinstripes and will be eagerly awaiting October.
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Ian Kennedy is one of the top prospects in baseball right now. He has played extraordinarily throughout his career at all levels. All levels except one. In his “second chance” in the bigs, Kennedy failed miserably, lasting under three innings. The Angels’ batters were all over him and he wasn’t able to catch a break. It is still early in his career and he will certainly have more shots at proving himself, but sadly when -if- he breaks through is unknown.
For the Yankees this is devastating news, as we really needed him to do well in place of Joba. Hopefully this was just a one night thing, but looking at Kennedy’s performances thus far this year, we can’t count on it. Currently, we are still in third place, but are now 7 games behind Tampa. With the season flying by, we really need to pick it up and start winning soon if we want to make the playoffs. Joba did tell reporters recently that he plans on being back later this month, but until then we really need Rasner, Kennedy, and Ponson to pretty well as a unit.
Even after the outcome of this season is decided, the Kennedy question will still exists (unless he is able to make a quick turnaround of course.) How long will it be until we see IPK develop into a major league pitcher?
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It has been quite a road for the Yanks thus far this season, with a plethora of big happenings, both good and bad. The team continues to fight on in the death match with the Red Sox and Rays, but the injury bug just won’t go away. Combine that with the reliance on young guys and you can really see that the Yanks have been through a lot. First it was the struggles of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, as they continue to try and find their place in the bigs. Then it was Chien-Ming Wang getting hurt while base running, and after that Posada and Matsui leaving a void in the lineup after sustaining injuries.
The Yankees, as always, didn’t give up as they continued to stay in it with the likes of Darrell Rasner, Dan Giese, and Sidney Ponson stepping up when needed. Brian Cashman responded with a couple of deadline moves, bringing in good replacements for Posada and Matsui with Ivan Rodriguez and Xavier Nady as well as extra bullpen help in Damaso Marte. Yet, the injury bug still didn’t care. It has bit again and Pudge is now out, again leaving the Yanks without a good-hitting catcher. Joba has also been struck, having been placed on the 15-day deal and putting even more pressure on the iffy rotation.
Yet, the Yankees will continue on. We really have no other choice. Andy Pettitte will likely continue to play consistently and Mike Mussina looks like he can keep this up. But, after that it’s still a mess. Perhaps Sidney Ponson will be able to keep up this run, but it’ll have to be something we hold our breath with. Same goes for Giese and whoever the other starter will end up being (for now its Kennedy, but I don’t know how long that will last; hopefully he can surprise us.) Let’s just hope that this group can keep us in it until Joba comes back, if he does this season.
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Yesterday kick-started a very important span for our division, with a series between the Red Sox and Rays. After that series the BoSox will play our Yankees in a four-game series and after that the Bombers will go on to play the Rays for a two-game stint. The coming 8 days may have a huge impact on the division in terms of who will go on to win it as well as who will get second place (which will most probably be the wild card.) The Rays are currently in the best situation, sitting atop the division with a 1.5 game lead on Boston. If Tampa can continue to pull through this week may be where they really set themselves apart from the rest of us. The Red Sox can also reclaim their lead atop the division if they win a few games, but it won’t be enough to give them much breathing room over the Rays (or Yankees.)
Let’s hope that things go another way and the Yankees end up dominating in the combined six games against our division rivals. A good run can certainly put us right there with them at the top, in what will be an even closer three-team fight.
If any team falls behind in the next week and a half they will still have a shot at getting back to the top, but it will be harder. Just keep in mind that all three teams will be playing each other again, so it won’t be the end of the world for anyone if they lose. It sure would be nice to see the Yanks get to second place though…
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Joba Chamberlain effectively shut up all of his critics after another good performance as starter for the Yankees. Who said that moving him to the rotation would be a bad idea? There were plenty, but for now all we will hear from them on the issue is silence. Joba has effectively transitioned to the starting role and I think even his harshest critics now realize that this kid is really something spectacular. And the dominance is only beginning…
Last night’s game was the first in which the Nebraska native didn’t have a pitch count limitation. Without the restriction he will have one less thing on his mind and he will be able to concentrate more on doing what he does best: pitching well. The match against the Pirates also helped Joba get his first win as a starter, another hurdle which he no longer needs to be questioned or worried about.
In his five starts for the Yankees, Joba has been phenomenal, with a 2.03 ERA since he moved up and 26 Ks in 25 innings pitched. He has regularly hit 99 mph on the radar gun and his control seems to be back after a shaky first couple of starts. That’s really a small issue though, considering that it takes time for relievers to ease into a starting role, and such issues are ordinary. As time passes we can expect Chamberlain to get even more comfortable, but I don’t know if the stats can really get any better because they have already been simply amazing. His bb/ip ratio is sure to go down, the only reason it being a bit high is because of the aforementioned transitional side-effects.
Simply put, Joba Chamberlain is going to be one heck of a pitcher for the Yankees. We all knew it would happen, but seeing it actually happen is a lot more than just speculating about it. For the Yankees he will be a potent weapon and for our opponents a nightmare. We are on the verge of an exciting era in Yankee baseball. I for one can’t wait for his future starts.
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Yes, that’s right, at this moment the Yankees are only 4.5 games behind division leaders, Boston. The Red Sox lost to the D’ Backs last night and the Yankees had an off day so we moved up by .5 game. We are only 3.5 games behind the Rays for second place.
The Yankees will start a series against the Pirates tonight, so we should win atleast a couple of games against them. Meanwhile, the Red Sox still have two games left against potent Arizona, who’s pitching continues to dominate. This bodes well for the Yankees because the BoSox are bound to lose atleast one more (hopefully) and if the Yanks can keep playing well we will be able to bring the standings even closer.
Tampa will start a three-game series against state-rivals, the Marlins, tonight. The fish have been playing well thus far this season, but I wouldn’t count on them beating the Rays (although it still is possible) due to the lack of pitching. At this point I am not really worried about the Rays though because as long as the Yankees keep winning we will be fine.
The point of this post was just to show that in the past two weeks a lot has changed for the Bombers and good things are coming. Just keep having faith and remember that it’s never over ’til it’s over, atleast for the Yankees.
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