Shortstop

Starter: I think it's pretty clear who the starting SS will be in 2009. Captain Clutch will be entering his 13th year as starting shortstop for the New York Yankees. Over his 14 seasons with the Yankees, he has hit .316/.387/.458. Jeter's performance in the playoffs has been absolutely stellar as well. In 25 playoff series, Jeter has hit .309/.377/.469. People have good reason to call him captain clutch. Jeter is very consistent at the plate, so you know what you are going to get from him every year. He is getting older, so his HR might decline, but expect his AVG to hover right around .300 as it always does. Despite winning 3 Gold Gloves, Jeter is said to be the worst defensive shortstop in the MLB. To be honest though, this doesn't bother me. Jeter does so much for the team on and off the field that (I think) outweighs his poor defense.  Jeter is a role model for so many people because of his good sportsmanship, strong desire to win, and selflessness. He has emerged as the good guy from the "steriod era" because he consistently put up great numbers and has never/will never be accused of steriods. He is the poster child of Yankee Baseball, and I hope that he can continue his great play. I really can't say enough about Derek Jeter

Backups- Angel Berroa is the backup. Since his ROY season, he has fallen off the perch. His career stats are .260/.305/.378, which is pretty bad. He will be a fine backup for the occasional Jeter day off, but I don't think he will suffice if Jeter goes down for an extended period of time. 

Interesting Read

I just read an interesting article comparing Derek Jeter to Martin Brodeur. The have pretty similar careers, which is pretty cool. The article is titled, "The Man Derek Jeter Should Envy (But Likely Doesn't). With all due respect to Reed Albergotti, I don't think Jeter should be envying to many people.

I'm about to hop in the car to drive home from Vermont. Great ski weekend for all of you ski fanatics. I'll post about the SS situation when I get home.

Second Base

Starter: Robinson Cano has been the Yankees primary 2B since 2005. Despite his rough season last year, Cano has been a fantastic addition to the team. In his first season with the Yanks, he hit .297/.320/.458 and finished 2nd in the ROY votings. His following season, he hit .342/.365/.525, was voted onto the All-Star team, won a Silver Slugger Award, and came in 3rd for the AL Batting Title (behind Jeter and Mauer). In 2007, he had another great year, hitting .306/.353/.488. Last season, he only hit .271/.305/.410, which, granted, is rough, but clearly not indicative of his talent and potential. He did a lot of work with Kevin Long at the end of last season and over the winter to rework his swing, which will hopefully lead to him getting back to where he was in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Cano has often been criticized for his lack of plate discipline, but he worked with Long on this as well. Unfortunately, he isn't a great fielder, but he is by no means terrible. One thing that I like about Cano is the energy he brings to the team. Him and Melky have great chemistry and together they really seem to give the team a boost. Cano has taken a lot of heat for his off season last year, but what people have to realize is that he is still young (25) and has plenty of time for major improvement. I have no doubt that Robinson Cano will return to form and really contribute to the team's success this season. 

Back up- Cody Ransom is the backup at second base. I'm not going to profile him right now though, because I wanted to wait for 3rd base, where he will have a much greater impact with the A-Rod injury.

Prospects- Kevin Russo is the Yankees primary 2b prospect. He posted impressive stats in AA Trenton last year, hitting .307/.363/.416. He figures to be the everyday 2b for AAA next season, but if Cano goes down, Russo should get a look.

Brett Gardner: Revamped

So I didn't know this, but Brett Gardner did a bit of an overhaul on his swing this year. According to PeteAbe, Kevin Long approached Gardner after he had gotten sent down (August) and asked him to "plant his foot firmly and open up his stance". Before this, Gardner "took a big stride, leaving his body unbalanced and unable to generate power". The new stance mirrors Albert Pujols. It certainly seems to be paying off in camp, and lets hope it continues during the season.

First Base

Today I'm going to continue my "series" with First Base.

Starters- The first base situation for the Yankees is pretty much on lock down for the next 8 years. As everybody knows, the Yankees signed free agent 1b Mark Teixeira to a 8 year mega-deal, worth 180 million dollars. The Yankees haven't had a regular first baseman since 2001, when Tino Martinez manned 1B. Teixeira has been consistently awesome, spending time with the Rangers, Braves, and Angels. His career stat line is .290/.378/.541, which is very impressive. His best performance came in the second half of last year, where he hit .358/.449/.632 with the Angels. His bat isn't the only facet of his game. Teixeira is a two time Gold-Glover (2005, 2006) and has constantly been regarded as one of the best defensive first basemen in the game. In my opinion, Teixeira is probably the 2nd or 3rd best 1b in the game, behind the amazing Albert Pujols. I think that the Teixeira signing was great for the Yankees because he provides them with a stellar all-around 1b, something that they haven't had in a while. He professional attitude, strong work ethic, and great talent will surely make him a fan favorite in NY.

Backups- The back up 1B for the Yankees this season will probably be the newly acquired Nick Swisher. Swish was slated as the teams first baseman when originally acquired from the White Sox, but the signing of Teixeira pushed him into the outfield. Swisher has solid power, hitting 21, 35, 22, and 24 HR in the last 4 seasons, respectively. He isn't known as an average guy, but his OPB greatly outweighs his low average. In 153 games last season, Swisher hit .221, but still managed to pull off a .332 OPB. In 2007, his OPB was .381, while only hitting .262. Swisher plays a pretty solid 1b, so if Tex goes down, he will be a very capable replacement.

Juan Miranda is another guy to consider if Teixeira goes down. Miranda had a very good season in AAA last year, hitting .287/.384/.449. His fielding isn't incredible, but it's not bad either. Another good option for 1B if Teixeira gets injured

Stuck- There were a few players who were subject to speculation in regard to taking over the 1b job at the tail end of their career. Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter, sorry, but it's not happening. Jesus Montero figured to move to 1b (size), but is now stuck at catcher as well. To be honest though, this doesn't bother me at all. Teixeira is a fantastic player and I'm extremely excited to have him in pinstripes.

Don't forget to send in your ideas about the contest...

Catcher

Hey All, 

Over the next week or so, I am going to analyze the Yankees at each position, their starters, and the depth that the respective position has in the farm system(except for starting rotation, which I analyzed in my Top 5 Rotations post). Today, I'll start off with the Yankee Catchers.

Starter- Jorge Posada will undoubtedly be the starting catcher this season. He has had the catching job in NY since 1998 ("spilt" time with Girardi, playing 33 more games than the now-manager) and will hopefully fill the void that he left last season. Posada has been a great player for the Yankees throughout his career and was an integral part of the World Championship teams of the Late 90s. For his career, he has hit .277/.380/.447 OPS+124, which has consistently put him among the best offensive catchers in the game. His most impressive season came in 2007, when he hit a spectacular .338/.426/.543 with an OPS+ of 154. Last year, Posada had an injured shoulder, and it really took a toll on the team. Posada's offense was clearly missed, and he will be a huge addition to the line-up if his shoulder holds up. Age might become an issue soon, considering he is 37 years old this year. He is signed through 2011, but I find it hard to believe that he will remain at catcher the whole time. He is extremely important to the team, both as a leader and an offensive presence, and I am very excited to have him back.

Backups- The two other catchers on the 40-man roster are Jose Molina and Francisco Cervelli. Molina served as the backup last season, and ended up playing a lot because of the Posada injury. The 33 year old Molina played in 100 games for the Yankees this season, posting a line of .216/.263/.313, which is pretty bad. In fairness to Molina, he has never been known for his stick. His great defense is his claim to fame. Last year, he threw out 44% of baserunners, which is pretty solid. Molina is definitely a capable backup, but lets hope that he isn't given as big a role as he was last season, strictly because of his poor hitting.

Francisco Cervelli is also on the 40-man, but probably won't be given the backup job, at least not right out of camp. Cervelli is 23, and is also known more for his defense than his offense. In 21 games with Trenton last season, Cervelli hit .315/.432/.384. He could be another viable option for the backup role this season.

Prospects- The Yankees have 2 main catching prospects, Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. Montero is an absolute beast. He stands at 6-4, 225 lbs and is only 19 years old. He is definitely known for his huge bat. Last season in A ball, Montero hit 17 HRs with a line of .326/.376/.491. According to Baseball Prospectus, he is the number one prospect in the Yankees farm system. It has been said by many that he is too big to remain at catcher for his whole career, but the Yankees have made it clear that they will have him stick it out behind the dish. He definitely needs to improve his defense though.

Austin Romine also appeared on Baseball Prospectus's list, falling at #4. According to Baseball Prospectus, Romine "should be considered the catcher of the future". They went on to say that he "provides above-average potential at the dish and behind it", which is a promising statement. The 20 year old hit .300/.344/.437 last year in Charleston. 

There you have it. Let's hear what you have to say in the comments. I'll do a piece about 1st base tomorrow.

Please be sure to comment and/or send me an email regarding ideas for the contest. It should be fun and we would love your input.

Contest

Hey Everybody,

Kevin is gone for the next 10 days so it's just me! I'm totally swamped with work right now, but I wanted to quickly introduce a contest that we will be holding.

A&E was nice enough to send Kevin and I a few copies of their new disc set, "The New York Yankees" Essential Games of Yanke Stadium". It's a six disc set that includes 1976 Game 5 Vs. KC, 1977 WS Game 6, 1995 ALDS Game 2, 1996 WS Game 6, 2001 WS Game 4, and 2003 ALCS Game 7. Kevin and I have watched a couple of games, and the series is really really great. We are going to be doing a full review of the disc set in the coming weeks, but the 22 hours of footage is taking us a little while. Here is a link, so you can view the set on your own http://shop.aetv.com/detail.php?p=71428&SESSID=171b579e0c4c32bf45ca3aa6808de5f6&v=All. From what I have seen so far, its an awesome set. 

Anyway, A&E sent us another copy to give away on 6P8OBJ! So, we are going to hold a contest to see who gets this great DVD set. Here's the thing, we haven't picked a contest yet... SO, Kevin and I were wondering if you could provide some insight and maybe leave some ideas for contests in the comments. We would both love your input. Once the contest idea is picked, we'll run the contest, probably in the next 2 or 3 weeks. 

Chone Figgins

I want Chone Figgins. That's all there is to it. Here's why...

The 30 year old Angel is very very versatile. In his career, he has played every infield position (besides 1st base) and every outfield position. He tends to play most of his games at CF and 3rd base, which would simply be perfect for the Yankees. He could fill in at 3rd for the 6-9 weeks that A-Rod and then be moved to CF. He would then fight for the CF job against Brett Gardner (ST Phenom) and Melky Cabrera, who have been vying for the job for the last year and a half. If he failed to get the CF job after A-Rod comes back, he would be an ideal utility player because he has a ton of speed (238 SB in 7 seasons) and because of his ability to play most positions. 

Offensively speaking, he isn't fantastic. His OPB hovers around .350 every season (.356 career), his high coming in 2007 when he had a .393 OPB. He holds a .290 career Batting AVG and a .387 career SLG. His main offensive threat comes on the base paths. Over the last 4 seasons, he has stolen 62, 52, 41, and 34 bases, respectively. The last 2 seasons he has had injuries that decreased his SB output. 

Overall, he would be an excellent addition to the team. He could fill in for A-Rod, play CF after A-Rod returns, or simply improve a bench that definitely needs help. Unfortunately, he will cost a lot. Even so, I would love to see Cash make an attempt to get Figgins to NY. What are your thoughts?

Operaton A-Rod Surgery: Accomplished

A-Rod had his surgery on his hip today. According to PeteAbe, Dr. Philippon said that the surgery went just fine, which is good news for the Yankees. According to Pete, A-Rod's "rehab protocol requires him to be riding an exercise bike by the end of the day today. He is wasting no time getting back into shape. He'll be back in 6-9 weeks. 

A-Rod to have Surgery

A-Rod will have the surgery on his hip. Bob Dutton writes that the Yanks could be interested in Mark Teahen. Peter Abraham says that right now Cody Ransom is the only option for third base. I say we sign Ray Durham or Mark Grudzielanek. If there was any chance that Swisher or Nady could play third, I would be up for that too. If we are going to make a trade, we have to remember that A-Rod will be back in May, so we need someone that can move around and become a reliable backup. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I want Chone Figgins. It won't happen most likely, but I sure wish it would. The Angels need power, so a Nady/Figgins trade would let them put Brandon Wood play third and then have Nady play first. Nady isn't a first baseman by trade, so Swisher would make more sense for the Angels, but the Yanks would probably prefer to keep Swish.