New York Yankees 2007 season preview

Hey Yankee fans! Spring training is under way, and that means the season is almost here! But what are we to expect this season? Jaret Wright, Randy Johnson, and Gary Sheffield as well as other smaller time players have left. We have also added many players, such as Doug Mientkiewicz and Luis Visciano. Lets break it down, position by position!

Starting Pitching

Our starting pitching has been very suspect as of late. It has been said that our lack of starting pitching has prevented us from winning World Series title #27. This staff has potential to be very good, or very bad. Though the possibility of Phil Hughes or Roger Clemens coming to the Yankees (or being called up in Hughes’ case) I will go with the “official” starting 5.

Chien Ming Wang- The worm killer is back, and I expect him to be better than ever! Sporting a 19-6 record with a 3.63 ERA, Wang was our ace last year. Look for Wang to work on his fastball and ability to get strike outs. He sports what many have called the best sinker in the league, Wang may become a legit Cy Young candidate this year.

Mike Mussina- Moose is loose again this season, coming off a 15-7 campaign with a 3.51 ERA, Mussina has been a great #2 starter his whole career here, and I don’t expect that to change. Moose is getting old, his numbers may tail off a tad, but I still expect a very solid campaign from him.

Andy Pettitte- While he is expected to be a team leader, nobody knows what to expect from Pettitte this year. Though he was plagued with injuries, he finished 14-13 with a less than spectacular 4.20 ERA against lesser NL competition. Pettitte has shown he can play extremely well in New York, but that was years ago. Pettitte may be older, and more injury plagued, but I still expect him to be a decent to solid #3

Carl Pavano- This is the biggest question mark on the team. I for one will believe that he will pitch when I see it. But, assuming he does pitch here is what to expect. During his short stint with the Yankees, Pavano was shaky at best. He has had 1 “good” year in his career. I don’t think Pavano will even pitch, and if he does will fail miserably. I hope the opposite happens, but this is the way I see it.

Kei Igawa- Kei was among the best pitchers in Japan. In 2006 he became the 5th fastest pitcher in Japanese baseball history to reach 1,000 k’s. He was 86-60 with a 3.15 ERA and 1,174 K in 1,244 innings in his Japanese baseball career (his record would have been much better if not for lack of run support).
Still a productive hurler, Igawa became a target of fan criticism due to his inability to perform at his prior level. In the Japanese 2005 World Series , Kei struck out 9 in 6 innings but allowed 10 hits and five runs in his loss in game one. His fastball goes up to 92 MPH, he also has a curve ball, slider and change up.

Bullpen

Our bullpen, other than Mo, is very questionable. This is another area on the team that can be great or terrible. Mo is solid, but can Proctor follow up with another solid season? can Bruney prove he wasn’t just a fluke? Can Farnsworth prove he’s not farnsWORTHLESS? Can Villone return to mid season form from last year?

Closer: Mariano Rivera- The greatest closer in the history of baseball is back and better than ever. He has seemed to become better and better as his career goes on, and I would expect nothing less than a sub 2 ERA and 35-45 saves, the usual.

Kyle Farnsworth- Farnsworth was the definition of inconsistent last year. The dynamic set up man with the 100 MPH fastball just couldn’t seem to find his groove last season. Can we expect Farnsworth to get it this year? I personally think he will do better. He has a year in the league, a year on the Yankees and I think he will settle down a little and be a solid reliever, though I do think he will slip to a middle reliever.

Scott Proctor- Scott was the best guy in the bullpen other than Mo last year. He sported a 3.52 ERA, but I personally think that he pitched better than his ERA indicated. The main question with Proctor is how will he respond to his 83 games and 102 innings pitched. Will he come back strong, or will he come back like Tanyon Sturtze? I expect him to come back just as good as last year, and emerge as the 8th inning pitcher we have needed all year.

Brian Bruney- I don’t expect Bruney to repeat last years 0.83 ERA, but I do expect him to become our 7th inning guy. He has dynamic stuff that includes a 97 MPH fastball, and he showed it in his short stint last year. Bruney has the potential to perhaps be our closer one day, but for now he/s a young pitcher who has to prove that he was not a fluke, and that he is for real.`

Mike Myers- Our lefty specialist was good, but not automatic against lefties as he was supposed to be last season, sporting a .233 batting average against. I think you will see Myers get a DFA or be involved in a trade, because we can’t be taking up a roster spot with a guy who does so little.

Luiz Visciano- This guy was terrible against right handers (.290 Batting average against), but automatic vs. lefties (.163 Batting Average Against). If Visciano can A. do better vs./ righties (.260 range would be fine) and B. prove he can go more than 1 inning, he may replace Mike Myers as our lefty specialist.

 

Bench

Our bench is as good as it has been in recent years, with 22 year old stud MelkyCabrera, Miguel “jack of all trades” Cairo and a slew of 1st basemen and catchers. Lets see how our bench stacks up.

Melky Cabrera-OF: One of the Yankees brightest young prospects will be having his first full season as a Yankee, and he looks prepared. Melky is arguably the best defensive outfielder on the Yankees, and is also a good hitter and speedster on the base paths. Melky will likely play the role of giving each Out fielder a day off every 5 games, this will give him at the very least 32 starts, not to mention being a substitute and incase of injury Melky will get sufficient playing time.

Miguel Cairo-Infielder: Cairo has been very good defensively at the 3 positions (3B,SS,2B) he is assigned and is ok with the bat for a backup infielder. He will probably be relied on as a defensive replacement and to give some guys a day off. Cairo, being the only guy to do this will probably also get decent time.

Andy Phillips-1B: while its up in the air, it appears to me that Phillips will probably be the backup 1B. Andy is a pretty good defensive 1B who can be good with the bat. Andy’s main problem is that he has a lack of plate discipline. If Phillips can overcome this, he could become one of the best backups in the league.

Will Nieves-C: The backup catcher is a crapshoot, but im just going to pick Nieves. Will is a 30 year old rookie, he has been in the minors his whole career. I admittedly know almost nothing about him, but this may be his first chance at sufficient MLB playing time, so at 30 he had better take advantage of it.

Starting Lineup

CF: Johnny Damon- Heeeeres Johnny! Damon showed a very good defense in center field last year (besides his arm), showed a substantial power increase (3 HR’s to 24 HR’s) and seems to have become one of the clubhouse favorites, and on top of all that, played almost the whole season injured. If Johnny can return from his injury and be even better, watch out, he will make our line up even more dangerous.

SS: Derek Jeter- El Captain is coming off the best season of his career, hitting at a .343 clip and being seriously considered for MVP. Jeter won yet another gold glove at SS and stole a career best 34 bases. Jeter is getting older, but he seems to get better with age, and he may be even better this year.

3B: Alex Rodriguez- A-Rod had another unreal season, hitting .290 with 35 HR’s and 121 RBI, yet was criticized mercilessly for his lack of clutch hitting and his clubhouse issues. If A-Rod can put those issues behind (HUGE if) look for him to boost his morale and have another MVP type season. If not, look for the media to dog him all year, he may be miserable and look for him to possibly opt out of his contract. A-Rod may determine how the season goes.

DH: Jason Giambi- Giambi, a very bad defensive 1B, has switched to a full-time DH. This could be very good for Giambi, who while he had 37 HR’s last season hit only .253, as he will be able to focus on hitting and be more rested. Giambi seemed to take a role of trying to snap A-Rod out of his slump, and from the SI article it seems that he was a leader in the club house. If Giambi can improve his hitting stats (up average, maybe HR’s) he may be the most dangerous hitter in the line up.

LF: Hideki Matsui- Matsui was injured the vast majority of last year, but hit .302 with 8 HR’s, a very encouraging sign. Matsui’s offensive production was missed last year, but he has shown he is capable of hitting 30 HR’s. If Matsui can do that, we may have the most dangerous 3-4-5 in baseball.

RF: Bobby Abreu- Bobby didn’t disappoint when he came to the Bronx last year, hitting .297 with 15 HR’s at the end of the year. Abreu showed a little bit of power last year, but we are not looking for power, we are looking for an on base percentage machine, and that’s what Abreu is. Abreu can extend pitch counts, take walks and hit, all extremely well. If he does that, it will help us wear down pitchers and with the guys in front of him likely give him a chance to drive in some RBI.

Robinson Cano: Arguably the best 2nd baseman in MLB, Cano had the most Home Runs from August to October, almost won the batting title and played a good 2nd base in the field. It’s almost unfair that a potential .340, 30 HR 100 RBI guy is likely to bat 7th in this lineup, but that’s just a testament to how insane this lineup is. Cano is my sleeper (ecause not a lot of people outside of New York give him props) to become one of the best hitters in baseball.

C-Jorge Posada: Posada improved every aspect of his game this past season, offensively he had a higher average, more HR’s and more RBI than the 2 previous ones. Defensively he made huge strides, increasing his Fielding percentage by a lot. Posada must prove that this wasn’t a fluke season, that he will perform at the level he performed at, or else it was 1 good season. If Posada can do that, it makes the Yankees defense excellent and offense even more excellent than previously.

1B: Doug Mientkiewicz- Minky is an excellent defensive 1B, perhaps the best in the league, but his bat is a concern. While he may save several runs with his glove, he could give up many with his bat. At .283 with 4 HR’s and 43 RBI in 90 games, he may be capable of hitting 70 RBI in and hitting .270-.290. Perhaps he will be a surprise, but for now he is in the lineup for his glove.

Well there is the preview of your 2007 New York Yankees. Spring training games are very close, the regular season is as well, and we have a lot to look forward to this season. Go Yankees!!!

MO Situation

We all know that when it comes to contract extensions Yankee GM Brian Cashman does not like to talk contract until the season is over. There has been precedence to this during Brian Cashman’s tenure as Yankee GM, just as recent as last year during Mike Musinna’s contract extension where the contract was extended when the season was over. With the recent comments from Rivera…….”The Yankees always give me the respect,” Rivera said Monday. “When the time comes, if they want me back, they want me back. Otherwise, I’m not going to sit in my house crying. I have to move on.” Rivera has a lot of leverage when it comes to his contract extension at the very moment he is considered the best closer to ever play the game because of his ability of to produce when the bright lights are on during the month of October. As a Yankee fan you have to understand where Brian Cashman is coming from as a GM if you quickly respond and give and extension that opens the flood gate of players getting the misconception that if you talk to the media and make this a back page story the Yankees will give you what you want ala a contract extension and Cashman has done a good job of establishing the fact that he does not negotiate during the season. You also have to understand where Rivera is coming from he is extremely underpaid knowing he is the best closer in the game and sees a person with the ability of Billy Wagner across town making more money then him.

Now with all that being said there has to be a exception made for Mariano Rivera. This is not Mike Mussina this is not Bernie Williams who is a shell of the All-Star caliber player he use to be this is Mariano Rivera who was the biggest and most important piece of the Yankee Dynasty, the guy who made Yankee post season games for the opponent seven inning games, the guy who still pitches at an extremely high level who at the age of 37 shows no sign of decline putting up a .96 WHIP and a 1.80ERA. While Rivera has been loyal during his years as a Yankee we should not expect that Mariano Rivera is not like every professional athlete who wants to be paid what he thinks he is worth. The best thing at the moment would be for Brian Cashman to sign Mariano as soon as possible and not let this linger into the regular season and eventually the off season because the last thing you want to see is Mariano Rivera a free agent and the Red Sox driving up the price.

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A-Rod and Jeter’s relationship has cooled? No way…

Breaking news has just hit the wire. According to ESPN, A-Rod says he’s not as close with Jeter as he used to be. Wow, what a revelation. Let’s break down some of A-Rod’s comments to see if they hold anything we haven’t heard or speculated before. Here’s this “gem”: “

“People start assuming that things are a lot worse than what they are, which they’re not. But they’re obviously not as great as they used to be. We were like blood brothers,” Rodriguez said Monday. “You don’t have to go to dinner with a guy four, five times a week to do what you’re doing. It’s actually much better than all you guys expect, but I just want to let the truth be known.”

Let me say this before I continue with my diatribe: I’m actually glad to see some actual candor coming from Alex Rodriguez, who, along with Jeter, is the king of saying something and meaning little. So, allow me to begin now. What A-Rod just said here is actually confirmation of what many fans and the mass media has been saying since the arrival of Alex to the Yankees: that their relationship off the field is not the same as it once was. It really hasn’t been since Alex’s comments in “Esquire” magazine, where he said, “Jeter’s been blessed with great talent around him” and “he’s never had to lead.” I think that one really got to Derek, and I don’t think they’ve ever completely repaired that rift, and A-Rod’s comments today do some more to prove that fact.

Now that I’m done rehashing comments from back in the day, let’s continue breaking down A-Rod’s quotes from today’s article. Here’s a winner:

“We were best of friends about 10, 13, 14, years ago, and we still get along well. We have a good working relationship. I cheer very hard for him. He cheers hard for me. And most importantly, we’re both trying to win a world championship,” Rodriguez said.

I don’t see anything wrong with this one either. It’s natural to assume as the years pass, that A-Rod and Jeter will take on different attitudes and just be generally just different people then when they were younger. You can also take into account that now that A-Rod is a married man, he can no longer go out and party it up with the unmarried Jeter. The two lifestyles do impact the relationship they now have.

Finally, here is the last quote from A-Rod I found remotely interesting:

“I’m a big boy. I’m 31 years old now, so I should be able to help myself out there,” he said. “I care about what he thinks about me on the field. I think it’s important for us to be on the right page. And we are. We’re here to win a championship together.”

Again, I admire A-Rod being honest about the whole situation. Like many fans think, and this is sometimes how I feel as well, A-Rod should be able to take care of himself: he shouldn’t need Derek Jeter or anyone else for that matter to back him up when he struggles. Still, it would be a nice gesture for some of the Yankee players, especially the Yankee captain, to step up to the plate and defend his teammate from criticisms. But it has yet to happen and I don’t see it happening in the near future. Stay tuned.

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The Bernie Williams Condundrum: My Thoughts

So how is it people in blogland? My first real real post on the blog here. Well, let me give a little refresher course on people who are not already well-versed in the saga that has been the Bernie Williams situation. After filling in admirably last season when the Yankees went through injury problems, it appears that the Yankees have no room for Bernie. Remember back to that season when it didn’t seem like they would sign Williams either, but it got done, and Williams also got a good amount of at-bats, although a lot of that was due to injuries. The acquisiton of Bobby Abreu, the return of the now departed Gary Sheffield and the rather quick recovery by Hideki Matsui, Williams’ at-bats were curtailed to the point everyone thought the would be at when the season began. With the end of the season opened speculation that Bernie’s time with the Yankees had come to an end.

So at that point a lot of time passed, and there was nothing. Absolutely nothing on the Bernie Williams front. Meanwhile plenty of things happened to the Yankees: the signing of Andy Pettitte, Kei Igawa, the trading of Jaret Wright, Randy Johnson, and Gary Sheffield. But the biggest signings in terms of Bernie Williams and his future were these. The signing of Doug Mientkiewicz and the Rule V acquisition of Josh Phelps have spelt the probable end of Bernie Williams in pinstripes. Now I know what a lot of you are thinking: Doug Mientkiewicz and Josh Phelps are the reasons Bernie’s career with the Bombers is coming to a close? So I will try to rationalize it for everyone, although I will tell you all that I am not sure if the Yankees thought process here is sound. The Yankees plan on going with a first base platoon of Doug Mientkiewicz, Andy Phillips, and Josh Phelps. They plan on using Doug more as Jason Giambi’s caddy at first, as he is a defensive whiz, but his batting statistics have fell off over time during his career. So they want to make him the starting first baseman, and put Giambi at DH full time. With that in mind, they want Phelps (who has to remain on the roster unless he has to be offered back to the team that he was taken from, the Orioles) to battle for playing time with Andy Phillips. The loser of that battle will probably lose his spot on the team, especially with the recent signing of Ron Villone to a minor league contract. Villone in all likelihood will make the roster. So by the Yankees estimations (and when I say “Yankees” I mean the man calling the shots now, Brian Cashman), there is no room for Bernie Williams. So, he was only offered a minor league contract, a Spring Training invite, which he has yet to accept or decline.

Now I find that hard to believe, for a couple of reasons. First off, Torre is in Bernie’s corner, and also is another Yankee who is also in the news: Mariano Rivera. And Derek Jeter has also stated how he would like to see Bernie back on the team. Now, that doesn’t mean a ton because Cashman still calls the shots, but does Brian want to cause a rift between himself and Torre/Rivera who both are on the end of their respective deals this season? I think not. Also, are the Yankees going to let Bernie Williams tenure with the Yankees end because of Andy Phillips and Josh Phelps? Are you serious? I just have a weird feeling that Joe Torre will get his way on this one and that Bernie will make the 25 man roster. And I think that will please the majority of Yankees fans, including myself.

And: as always, please check out our message board. Yankees Message Board

Next wave of Latin greats

As previously mentioned by Dan, we’ll be covering every level of Yankees baseball–from the big league team in Bronx down to the Dominican Summer League in the Dominican. With that said, let’s meet 5 of the most talented Yankee prospects who should make their US debuts from the Latin countries.

1. Jesus Montero, C, 6-4 225, B/T: R/R, 17/yo — Montero was the highlight of an impressive crop of international free agents from last years class. The Yankees were able to land him with a bonus of 2 million dollars. Scouts seldom rank a prospects tool an 80 on their 20-80 scale, but Montero’s power has no problem achieving that recognition. 500 feet bombs certainly help obtain that kind of recognition. Not only does Montero have astronomical power, he is also a great hitter with an approach well beyond his years. Since he has signed, the Yankees have made adjustments to his swing in order to get him to go the other way more often and have less trouble with outside pitches. As like most catchers, Montero is a below-average runner.

On the defensive side of the spectrum, Montero is raw, and understandably so considering he’s so young and hasn’t had the proper coaching until now. Even though he’s a big guy, the Yanks believe that he can remain at catcher with continuous effort in improve his defense. He boasts a very strong arm.

Expected debut: GCL Yankees

2. Carlos Urena, OF, 6-2 180, B/T: R/R, 17y/o — Urena, who hails from the DR, signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in July 2006 for $350,000 and at that price he may turn out to be a bargain. Urena has true 5-tool ability. He makes consistent hard contact and drives the ball to all fields. With his frame and natural strength it’s hard not to project him having plus power in the future. Urena has good speed, and should swipe double-digit stolen bases but won’t be confused for a burner.

Urena especially shines on defense. He shows a very strong, and accurate arm. He also possesses excellent instincts and is capable of playing any of the 3 outfield positions. His reads and routes are plenty good as of now and should only continue to get better as he gains more experience.

Expected debut: GCL Yankees

3. Abraham Almonte, 2B, 5-9 170, B/T: S/R, 17y/o — Almonte was signed in July 2005 out of the DR. Almonte is an exciting young player who boasts two exceptional tools: hitting for power, and speed but he also shows a skill uncommon for such a young player; patience at the plate. He had a very good year in the DSL Yankees1, putting up a line of .257/.409/.456. He showed great power for a middle infielder(11 2B, 8HR) and excellent speed(36 SB). But perhaps the most impressive stat when looking at his line is his eye at the plate(55/45 BB/K). With his power, game-changing speed and patience at the plate, he makes up a dynamic offensive force.

Almonte certainly has the tools to become a great defender but as or right now he’s raw and has plenty of work to do. He needs to improve his footwork and take better routes on grounders.

Expected debut: GCL Yankees

4. Prylis Cuello, 2B, 5-11 170, B/T: S/R, 18y/o — Cuello is a 2005 signee out of the DR. Cuello enjoyed a fine season at the DSL Yankees2 team finishing with a line of .279/.395/.498. He lead his team in numerous offensive categories, including doubles(18), triples(4), home runs(7), runs(43), RBIs(38), and walks(41). Cuello makes easy contact and should hit for a high average while showing very good power. He’s adept at going the other way and stays within himself. Cuello has solid speed and should steal 10-15 bases in the big leagues. Another category that Cuello led his team on was strikeouts, and he has to cut down on them as he struck out 69 times, for a 32%. For comparison’s sake, proficient big-leaguers strike out less than 20%.

Cuello is a solid defender, showing a strong arm, solid footwork, and soft hands. In order for Cuello to become a better defender, he needs to position himself better.

Expected debut: SI Yankees

5. Andres Santos, LHP, 6-2 190, 20y/o — Santos is a 2003 signee out of the DR. Santos has the size and stuff to one day star in the middle of a rotation. He throws his fastball anywhere between 91-93 and can reach back for some more velocity if he needs it. Santos shows a very good change-up with excellent fade and he disguises it well. His breaking ball shows potential but he needs to become more consistent with it. He throws his pitches on a good downhill plane. Santos shows good command of his arsenal and should have no problem dominating once he reaches pro ball in the US. Santos had a very good year in the DSL Yankees1, pitching 40.2 innings, allowing 27 hits, walking only 14 and striking out 50 and should only improve upon those numbers.

If he starts trusting his curve more and gains more consistency with it, Santos has a chance to move up quickly. If he doesn’t, his fastball-change combo could make him a very effective reliever.

Expected debut: SI Yankees

Honorable Mentions: Francisco Gil(RHP), Zoilo Almonte(OF), Andres Dionicio(3B), Hario Heredia(RHP).
Photos courtesy of yankees.scout.com

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Welcome to “Made in 1903″

Hey, my name is Dan, and I just wanted to give you a quick run down of what this blog is all about. This blog is supposed to be a synopsis of all things Yankees, from critiques of Yankees news, the minor leagues, or even some “around the league” stuff. And of course it will all be presented from the perspective of Yankee fans, as all of the people who write on this blog are Yankee fans. Let me tell you that once you start reading this blog regularly, you will want to keep coming back because I know firsthand how insightful the writers on this blog are from personal experience. They are some of the most knowledgeable Yankee fans around, no question about it. Keep reading: you won’t be disappointed.

Also, I would like to take the time to mention something. The creators of this blog have also made a Yankees message board, in which opinions about the Yankees can be shared by all users, not just the writers of this site. Please feel free to sign up at the site listed below. It is greatly appreciated.

Yankees Message Board