Hey everyone,

With Mariano's projection up, we've gone through 23 of the major players for the 2006 Yankees so here's a reminder that if you haven't posted your thoughts and projections yet, you still have a little time to do so. I know I've been slacking on my projections, especially through the relievers, but I'll go through them today and tomorrow and I'd encourage everyone who's been waiting & lurking in the wings to go ahead and throw your thoughts in the ring as well. I'd certainly like to read them. Everyone will have until Sunday afternoon to do so and then I'll cull all your projections and post the community's thoughts Sunday night. And then of course, we'll have some real games to watch on Monday (woo hoo!) and we can see just how close we get. All right - PSA over - start commenting!

C: Jorge Posada	SP: Randy Johnson
1B: Jason Giambi	SP: Mike Mussina
2B: Robinson Cano	SP: Chien-Ming Wang
SS: Derek Jeter	SP: Shawn Chacon
3B: Alex Rodriguez	SP: Carl Pavano
LF: Hideki Matsui	SP: Jaret Wright
CF: Johnny Damon	SP/RP: Aaron Small
RF: Gary Sheffield	RP: Kyle Farnsworth
DH: Andy Phillips & Bernie Williams	RP: Octavio Dotel
	RP: Tanyon Sturtze
	RP: Ron Villone
	RP: Mike Myers
	CL: Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera - Closer.
Age: 35 Years Old (Turns 36 in May).

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HD	BlSv	ERA
2003	64	71.2	61	15	13	3	10	63	5	2	40	0	6	1.66
2004	74	79.2	65	17	17	3	20	66	4	2	53	0	4	1.95
2005	71	78.1	50	18	12	2	18	80	7	4	43	0	4	1.38

Outlook: What can possibly be said about Mariano? Perhaps...I wish I had more hands so I could give him 4 thumbs up! No, for Mo, only the highest honor is worthy. That's right: I Heart Mariano. Anything less...would be uncivilized.

I think Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus sums it up quite nicely:


Exactly. We all know what Mo has done to this point in his career; 2.33 ERA, 541 GF, 379 SVs. In 807 innings, 630 Hits, 728 Ks, 215 BBs, 42 HRs. 8-1 with 34 SVs and a 0.81 ERA in 112 postseason innings. Staggering numbers when you really start looking at them. They become even more impressive once you consider what he has done since the rumblings began that he was finally succumbing to time and overuse. Those thoughts weren't entirely unfounded as Rivera posted ERAs over 2 for all three years between the 2000 and 2002 seasons. Prior to those three seasons, the closest he had gotten was a 2.09 ERA in 1996, his first full year in the majors. He also lost part of the 2002 season to injury. Well, apparently Mariano took the phrase "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" to heart since he has been phenomenal (even more so) since 2002. The numbers don't lie: 209 G, 228 Innings, 176 Hits, 209 Ks, 48 BBs - 193 GF, 136 SV - 1.66 ERA, 8.3 K and 1.9 BB per 9 and .32 HRs a game.

Hold on, it gets better. Last year, at the tender age of 35, Mariano posted one of his finest seasons ever. If you take out his misadventures against Boston in his first two appearances last year, his line for 2006 becomes: 1.17 ERA, 9.0 K and 1.8 BB per 9, .12 HRs a game and a 5.13 K/BB ratio. He also put up a line that I will never forget. On the road last year, he gave up one earned run in 35 innings (that's a 0.26 ERA with a 32/5 K/BB ratio). Maybe it was his decision to forgo pitching in the winter leagues during the offseason, maybe it was the implementation of a two-seam fastball into his arsenal, maybe he just found the fountain of youth. It might be a mixture of all three but whatever he's been doing, I hope he keeps doing it because it's worked. I mean, even after accounting for some regression because of his age and worse luck, Mariano still projects to have a great season and until he shows that he can't do it anymore, I can't think of any reason not to expect more greatness from Mo.

It will be a sad day when Mo walks off the mound for the last time but until that day, I will continue to be amazed by his performance, humbled by his modesty and in awe of his faith.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	Innings	W	L	BB	K	HD	SV	BlSv	ERA

Man, is there a lot of good stuff to read out there today!

First off, Cliff Corcoran of Bronx Banter and Patrick Sullivan of The House That Dewey Built are the participants in the Two on Two series over at the Baseball Analysts and preview the American League East. It's a good discussion so I encourage you to go check it out.

While I was reading that, I realized that I had completely forgotten about The House That Dewey Built, which is a very good blog. I don't usually read it a lot during the season but Sully's annual, and pretty detailed, look through every team is a great reference. Combine that with The Hardball Times' 5 Questions series on each team and you can learn quite a bit about the competition. If you have the time, I'd highly recommend both.

Finally, NoMaas is starting up a look at various baseball statistics. It's been done before but I'll be happy to see the NoMaas team inject their usual humor and Yankee-centric view into the discussion. They start off with one of the basics, batting average, and will be building up to some of the more advanced stuff in later days. If you're turned off by the idea of advanced stats, keep in mind that it wasn't that long ago that most people didn't know what OPS was.

Ron Villone - Reliever
Age: 36 Years Old.

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HD	BlSv	ERA
2003	19	19	0	107.2	91	51	49	16	48	91	6	6	0	0	--	4.13
2004	56	10	0	117.0	102	64	53	12	64	86	8	6	0	7	1	4.08
2005	79	0	0	64.0	57	34	29	4	35	70	5	5	1	21	8	4.08

Outlook: It seems like the Yankees had been working toward getting Villone for a while now as his name popped up in trade rumors all the time over the least couple of years. Well, they finally got their man this offseason, trading LHP Ben Julianel to the Marlins for him. It was actually a pretty odd move by the Marlins as they could have easily taken Julianel in the Rule 5 draft and traded Villone for something else of worth once his value had rebounded. Well, their loss is the Yankees gain as Villone is a decent left-handed reliever who has shut down both lefties (.227/.324/.330/.654) and righties (238/.340/.399/.738) over the last three years and can give you the occasional spot start as well. Last year was the first year since 1998 that he was a full-time reliever and he had a phenomenal first half for Seattle (2.45 ERA, 176 ERA+) before being traded to Florida (6.85 ERA, 59 ERA+). (For you statheads out there, his FIP remained consistent at about 3.5)

There are definitely areas of concern though as his control leaves quite a bit to be desired (career walks per 9 is 4.77, 4.92 for the last two years). Also, outside of a short stint in Cleveland in 1998, Villone has pitched for all NL teams except for Seattle (clearly a pitchers park). AL teams with stronger, more patient, lineups could give him problems. Still, his stuff, versatility and durabilty (knock on wood) should make him a good addition to the Yankees pen, especially after looking at the bullpens of the past few years.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	Innings	W	L	BB	K	HD	SV	BlSv	ERA

Mike Myers - Reliever
Age: 36 Years Old (Turns 37 in June).

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HD	BlSv	ERA
2003	64	36.1	38	23	23	4	21	21	0	1	0	6	3	5.70
2004	75	43.2	45	22	22	5	23	32	5	1	0	10	--	4.64
2005	65	37.1	30	14	13	3	13	21	3	1	0	9	1	3.13

Outlook: After holding the Yankees hitters to a .227 AVG and a 1.35 ERA (in 7.2 innings) over the last couple of years, the Yanks decided to add Mike Myers to their bullpen to the tune of $2.4 MILLION dollars...wait, wrong Mike Myers. Mike Myers is a LOOGY, no doubt about it. His sidearm motion is very effective on lefties but lets righties have a long look at what he's throwing, which is often junk. Mike's control was much better last year than it has been in years past and he did get a lot luckier on balls in play so we might see some regression in those areas. His main selling point is that for his career, he's held lefties to a .207 AVG (258 innings) while righties have tattooed him to a tune of .312 (199 innings). This hasn't exactly eased up with time either; over the last three years: .208/.278/.318/.595 vs. lefties and .331/.450/.509/.959 against righties. To beat the point to death, last year, righties put up a line even Joe DiMaggio would have envied: .385/.510/.641. The simple advice is don't pitch him against righties, but hey, that's practically impossible. Every manager (theoretically) will stagger their line-up and there will be lots of switching during the games to counter the relievers. Still, the pluses are many: Myers has one job and he does that as well as anyone, he doesn't give up many homeruns and has been working on ways to make himself less hittable to righties (we'll see about that one) and after last year's Buddy Groom/Wayne Franklin/Alan Embree adventure/fiasco, I think we can all turn to Mike and say, party on dude! Ahhh - someone stop me!

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	Innings	W	L	BB	K	HD	SV	BlSv	ERA

Tanyon Sturtze - Reliever
Age: 35 Years Old.

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HD	BlSv	ERA
2003	40	8	0	89.1	107	67	59	14	43	54	7	6	0	1	--	5.94
2004	28	3	0	77.1	75	49	47	9	33	56	6	2	1	1	0	5.47
2005	64	1	0	78.0	76	43	41	10	27	45	5	3	1	16	5	4.73

Outlook: Another guy that personally, I think I would like. Tanyon seems like a good guy and he sticks up for his teammates but as a player, I can't help but think that his roster spot could be better utilized. To this point in his career (and he's not a young guy), Sturtze, at his absolute best, has been just about league average (and it's only happened twice in his 10 year career). However, there were rumblings of Sturtze 2.0 (credit RLYW for the nickname) that had been taught a cutter by the great Mariano and that Sturtze showed up for the first couple of months of 2005. However, that fell apart after after a spot start on July 4th where he threw 82 pitches. Whether or not it was the spot start or the overuse by Joe Torre that did it, Tanyon reverted back to Sturtze 1.0 and had off and on arm troubles that have continued to spring training of this year. Nevertheless, the Yankees felt compelled to pick up Sturtze's option if only to continue the tradition of keeping old players who aren't that good (especially when there are younger options that might stink as well but at least have some upside - insert Hubie Brown of Jay Bilas joke here). At this point, expecting a league-average season (or even an ERA under 4.5) out of Tanyon might be wishful thinking but one can dream, especially since Joe Torre considers Sturtze to be of the same caliber as Farnsworth.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	GS	Innings	W	L	BB	K	Hld	SV	ERA

Steve L. over at WasWatching posts a picture of the new Yankee Stadium site from a neat site that will be tracking the progress of the project. The website doesn't seem too enamored with the proposal but I haven't had a chance to check out the ins and outs of why they take that position. Going to school in for 4 years in PA and then living here for the last 3 years has positioned me well outside of the loop in regards to the pros and cons of the new stadium. If anyone reading has any thoughts, please feel free to enlighten me.

Aaron Small - Reliever
Age: 34 Years Old.

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	Level	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	ERA
2003	AA	8	7	0	41.0	47	23	22	5	14	24	3	4	4.83
2003	AAA	14	14	0	89.1	95	50	46	12	18	56	6	4	4.63
2004	AAA	27	24	2	154.2	199	95	87	18	29	109	9	9	5.06
2004	MLB	7	0	0	16.1	24	15	15	5	7	8	0	0	8.27
2005	AA	1	1	0	5.0	7	3	2	1	1	3	1	0	3.60
2005	AAA	11	10	0	49.0	62	30	27	5	8	21	1	4	4.96
2005	MLB	15	9	1	76.0	71	27	27	4	24	37	10	0	3.20

Outlook: Simply put, Aaron Small came of out nowhere to pick up 10 wins (and quite possibly save the 2005 season) for the Yankees and the chance of that happening again (in my mind) is slim. Small's career is the definition of the term journeyman - he began pitching in pro-ball in 1989 at the age of 17, and he's 34 now. This is no case of a player being held down in the minors either. He hasn't even been good enough to get tagged with the "AAAA player" label as his career ERA in AAA, in 871 innings, is 4.92 with a WHIP of 1.41. Still, baseball is a funny game - maybe he's finally figured something out that had been missing and maybe he's not just a fluke who benefitted from very good luck on balls in play. Maybe it was just his time to catch fire so that he could get a big payday after toiling so long in the minors ($1.2 million, $800K after taxes in an annuity @ 8% would give you a little over $60K tax-free for the next 40 years - not bad as a secondary source of income, right?). Whatever it is/was, Aaron Small was a wonderful surprise and a great story in 2005 and if he repeats his performance, I will be first in line to congratulate the man and wish him well. Based on his history though, I just can't see it happening.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	GS	Innings	W	L	BB	K	Hld	SV	ERA

Steve Lombardi posted a list of the Mike's in Yankee history, concluding that Mussina is the greatest and he did the same for a number of other first names.

This could be a very significant move in the AL playoff race this year as the Red Sox claimed Hee-Seop Choi off waivers.


I was hoping that the Yankees would take a shot at him when there were rumors that the Dodgers would non-tender him last season. That proved not to be the case but the things I liked about him then ring true today. He is young and I believe that he is good. The move is great for the Red Sox in two ways: A) It gives them insurance in case Mike Lowell is all washed up as they can just move Kevin Youkilis back to third while slotting Choi in at first and B) the move gives them backup in case Youkilis and J.T. Snow are the ones who can't hit. And of course, just having a lefty masher who plays good defense on the bench is still a great asset and as much as I hate that stupid Boy Wonder title that Epstein gets, he is certainly a very capable GM. Very nice move.

Octavio Dotel - Reliever
Age: 31 Years Old (Turns 32 in June).

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HD	BlSv	ERA
2003	76	87.0	53	25	24	9	31	97	6	4	4	33	2	2.48
2004	77	85.1	68	38	35	13	33	122	6	6	36	0	9	3.69
2005	15	15.1	10	6	6	2	11	16	1	2	7	0	4	3.52

Outlook: I thought that the Dotel signing was one of the best ones of the offseason (though I would have preferred a two-year deal but I guess you do what you have to do to add the guy). By now, everyone knows the story with Dotel. He started last season as the closer for the A's but had Tommy John surgery on June 6 after having pitched in only 15 games (this was done against the advice of the Athletics, who wanted him to try some R&R first). Dotel's continued with rehab since then, signed a one-year deal with the Yankees and will begin the season on the DL and depending on who you ask, will be ready to pitch anywhere from mid-May to the end of June.

To get a historical perspective on Dotel, keep this in mind. As a reliever, he has 481 strikeouts (11.49 Ks per 9) while giving up 268 hits in 390 innings since the start of the 2001 season, the most (by far) in the majors while putting up a 2.68 ERA. This is even more impressive considering this includes last season, which was lost due to his injury. His closest comparision is probably to an older Brad Lidge. If healthy, he and an effective Farnsworth could provide a lights-out bridge to Mariano.

What are his negatives? Well, he gives up more home runs than you would like (he's a fly ball pitcher - 0.51 G/F ratio in 2004), he's coming off an injury (though he has been pretty durable prior to the surgery) and he apparently doesn't have the "mental edge" (or whatever it is) to be an effective closer. He has found far more success as a set-up man than he has as a closer so hopefully, this will be a good experience for him. If nothing else, he can teach the rest of the Yankees pitchers how to live with some flair.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	Innings	W	L	BB	K	HD	SV	BlSv	ERA

Aaron Gleeman is going through his annual Top 50 prospect list and Philip Hughes comes in at number 38. No more information here than what's already been said before but hey, if this many people are this high on the kid, we as fans can get a little excited, right? Here's what Aaron had to say (emphasis mine):


I'd check out the rest of the list as well. There won't be any more Yankees prospects on that list but reading Aaron's work is always pretty interesting.

Kyle Farnsworth - Reliever
Age: 29 (Turns 30 in April).

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HD	BlSv	ERA
2003	77	76.1	53	31	28	6	36	92	3	2	0	19	3	3.30
2004	72	67.2	67	39	35	10	33	78	4	5	0	18	4	4.73
2005	72	70.0	44	18	17	5	27	87	1	1	16	19	2	2.19

Outlook: It's always a little harder with the new guys since you don't have a Yankee track record to use and you haven't found out whether or not the player can handle the crucible of NY. It doesn't help that Kyle has a reputation as a little bit of a hothead in his career. To date, he hasn't handled pressure all that well (7.36 ERA in 11 innings of postseason work) and he has often lost focus on the mound (as many a Cub fan can attest to). It also doesn't help that Kyle seems to follow a pattern: odd years - good/great seasons, even years - medicocrity. Look at the graphs - it's like a rollercoaster ride! Take that for what you will.

Don't get me wrong though - I liked the signing a lot. Kyle only turns 30 years old in April (a good 7.5 years younger than the man he's replacing) and he strikes people out (9.09 K per 9 for his career), which is always a nice way to get out of a tight spot. He's also working on the mental aspect of his game by putting in some reading time . Hopefully, these practices have helped him grow as a person but I (seflishly, I know) also hope they keep him pitching like he did last year. Improvement in the playoffs would also be a plus but then again, as many people have pointed out, Flash wasn't exactly reliable in the playoffs either so he doesn't have a very high bar to jump over. Finally, while he has been uneven, overall, the general direction of his seasons has been better. In his latest bad season (2004), he gave up a line of .260/.348/.426/.769 which is a far cry from his previous off seasons (2002: .293/.370/.558/.924 and 2000: .291/.392/.476/.864). Farnsworth might have just turned the corner and established a consistent level of performance but it will be an interesting trend to watch.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	Innings	W	L	BB	K	HD	SV	BlSv	ERA

He only pitched 38 of his 419 games here, but it started here and it ended here, so I figure it's worth a note. Al Leiter has retired.

Jaret Wright - Starting Pitcher
Age: 29 Years Old (Turns 30 in June).

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HD	BlSv	ERA
2003	50	0	0	56.1	76	46	46	9	31	50	2	5	2	4	3	7.35
2004	32	32	0	186.1	168	79	68	11	70	159	15	8	0	0	--	3.28
2005	13	13	0	64.2	81	51	43	8	32	34	5	5	0	0	--	6.08

Outlook: Well, no one can say that they didn't see the signs. They were just ignored. Signing a starting pitcher off of one good season (where he worked with Leo Mazzone and in front of a good defense) following a storied history of arm trouble is not exactly the smartest move. Not surprisingly, Jaret's 2005 season justified all of these initial criticisms. He only pitched 20 innings in April (with an ERA of 9.19!) before he had to be shut down because of shoulder problems. When he came back, he had one good start against Toronto (who slaughtered him the next two times they saw him) and one good start apiece against Seattle and Tampa Bay. Outside of that, he was awful and ended the season with three starts where he averaged 2 innings and 3 earned runs per start. I give Jaret credit for rehabbing and working hard to come back from his initial shoulder problems but I simply don’t think that he has the strength or the stuff to be a starting pitcher in the AL. His K rate was horrible (4.81 per 9) which is a problem if you’re not a groundball pitcher. Couple that with awful control (almost 5 men per 9 innings) and you have the explanation for an ERA over 6.

To date, he has pitched 11.2 innings in spring training and has given up 21(!) hits and 12 earned runs. That's an ERA of 9.26 for those of you without your calculators handy, which is pretty close to what he did last April. In my mind, it would practically take a miracle for Jaret Wright to be a useful pitcher for the Yankees and if he lives up (or is it down) to my expectations, he would go down as one of the worst signings in Yankee history.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	GS	Innings	W	L	BB	K	Hld	SV	ERA

Carl Pavano - Starting Pitcher
Age: 30 Years Old.

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	ERA
2003	33	32	2	201.0	204	99	96	19	49	133	12	13	4.30
2004	31	31	2	222.1	212	80	74	16	49	139	18	8	3.00
2005	17	17	1	100.0	129	66	53	17	18	56	4	6	4.77

Outlook: Well, they don't call the man "Glass Carl" for nothing. True to many Yankees fans' predictions at the beginning of the season, Pavano broke down after a few good starts. SG over at RLYW has taken a look at Pavano's splits and remains convinced that Pavano's start on May 17, where he threw 133 pitches, eventually led to his injury problems last season. Looking at the stats, he might be onto something there. Pavano was 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA during that time and in the following start and his peripherals were pretty good too, 5.5 Ks and 1.6 BBs per 9. He looked like, surprise surprise, Carl Pavano from 2004. From that point on, 6.46 ERA, 4.4 Ks per 9 and eminently hittable - hmm, not so good. Combine that with the continuation of his injuries into this spring and then the stories/rumors that he was unhappy in NY and he there was just a bad taste in a lot of fans' mouths.

Well, what's done is done. Pavano is under contract for three more years and you can make the case that Carl is one of the most important pieces of the 2006 season. If he can stay healthy and pitch to his ability (which he has only done once since 1998) or at least be a little better than league average, the effect on the rest of the staff is tremendous. First, it takes Jaret Wright and Aaron Small out of the equation and they can then be used as the pitchers of last resort. If he can be a good innings-eater, that puts a lot less stress on the bullpen and we have all seen what good a rested bullpen is for the postseason. If however, Pavano falls victim to the injury bug (again), Wright, Small and hopefully DeSalvo and Rasner (but they'll probably end up using Sturtze and Proctor) will be pushed to the forefront, weakening both the starting and relief pitching. But right now, you can sum up Pavano pretty quickly in a phrase, you just don't know what to expect. Will he be healthy? Will he be any good if he is? For the Yankees sakes, hopefully he is.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	GS	Innings	W	L	BB	K	ERA

There is a great article about Mo at Courant.com:

...but Mike A. actually puts it into words.


Mike A. should think about making that an open petition and having people who agree sign in the comments. I'm definitely on board. The only difference is that I never thought that was a good signing. I hated it when it was announced, during and after the season...and hate it now. I think it might actually be one of the worst signings in Yankee history! Still, strangely enough, I actually started pulling for the guy during the season. I know he stunk but he worked his butt off to try to come back for the end of the 2005 season and he genuinely looked like he wished he could justify the signing. Well, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Maybe he just needs to take a year off from baseball to heal up but for now, he looks like done (though I hope he can prove us both wrong).

Ben Jacobs over at The Hardball Times posted the final third of his Offseason Rankings and the Yankees come in second (the Dodgers were first). That's pretty high praise coming from a die-hard Red Sox fan (you may remember Ben from the Rivals in Exile pieces that he did with Larry Mahnken last season). Here's a quick excerpt and head over over to read the rest.

Mattingly dreams of managing in bigs:


Torre's the man. But, when the time comes, I do think Donnie would be a good choice. And having him be a coach under Torre like this is a great way to get him ready for it.

Shawn Chacon - Starting Pitcher
Age: 28 Years Old.

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HLD	BLSV	ERA
2003	23	23	0	137.0	124	73	70	12	58	93	11	8	0	0	--	4.60
2004	66	0	0	63.1	71	52	50	12	52	52	1	9	35	0	9	7.11
2005	27	24	0	152.2	135	59	58	14	66	79	8	10	0	1	--	3.44

Outlook: If you look at Chacon's work for both Colorado and the Yankees last season quickly, there really wasn't all that much difference between the two except for a couple more walks there, a couple less hits here and oh, huge differences in ERA and batting average allowed (2.85 ERA, .225 AVG with the Yanks vs. 4.09 ERA, .260 AVG in Colorado). SG did some legwork with his splits and makes a good point that all of a sudden Shawn became very good (or just very lucky) with runners on and that his batting average on balls in play took a nosedive. Looking at those numbers and factoring in the DH and other league adjustments, I think that most fans will agree that some regression is inevitable - it's just a question of how much there will be.

Those are the negatives, here are some positives. He just turned 28, he doesn't have a lot of innings on his arm, he's finally left Colorado and is now pitching for an organization that he (outwardly at least) seems to love. If you add his attitude on the mound (I fondly remember him stepping to and jawing at A.J. Pierzynski), you have a lot of reasons to like what Shawn brings to the team. All he has to do now is show that he can be better than average and stay healthy (he's maxed out at only 160 innings in his major-league career) and Yankees fans will love him.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	GS	Innings	W	L	BB	K	ERA

Our league drafted last night. The draft results are at the site. The draft order was Damons Monkeys, In George We Trust, Hip Hop Jorge!, Mill, Patrick, Osprey, Curry Monsters, Dog Pound, The Sporting Brews, Evil Empire, Big Catz and Green Day. The first round went A-Rod, Pujols, Vladdy, Manny, Johan Santana, Teixeira, Carl Crawford, Derrek Lee, David Ortiz, Sheff, Miguel Cabrera and Tejada. It was a good turnout in the live draft as I believe we had 8 of the 12 managers (was Mill there? If so, 8).

Let's take a look at where all of the Yankees ended up:

Damons Monkeys: A-Rod, Mo and Pavano.
In George We Trust: N/A.
Hip Hip Jorge!: N/A.
Mill: N/A.
Patrick: Giambi, Jeter, Wang and Chacon.
Osprey: N/A.
Curry Monsters: N/A.
Dog Pound: N/A.
The Sporting Brews: N/A.
Evil Empire: Cano, Sheffield, Damon and Mussina.
Big Catz: N/A.
Green Day: Jorge, Matsui and Randy.

Should be fun. Good luck everyone.

Edit: Unfortunately, people not in the league can no longer access the league page, I guess. If I'm wrong and you can, please let me know Thanks.

Chien-Ming Wang - Starting Pitcher
Age: 25 Years Old (Turns 26 in a couple of weeks).

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	Level	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	ERA
2003	AA	21	21	2	122.0	143	71	63	7	32	84	7	6	4.65
2004	AA	18	18	0	109.0	112	53	49	6	26	90	6	5	4.05
2004	AAA	6	5	2	40.1	31	9	9	3	8	35	5	1	2.01
2005	AAA	6	6	0	34.0	40	16	16	4	6	21	2	1	4.24
2005	MLB	18	17	0	116.1	113	58	52	9	32	47	8	5	4.02

Outlook: All right dude. You're 26 and a front-line starter for the greatest team in baseball: move out from your parents' house already! (though he does make a great point-no one cooks like Mom!) Seriously though, I think fans in general have a tendency to overvalue their own home-grown products and for a team that hasn't produced a solid pitcher from their farm system in a long time, Yankees fans are very susceptible to this with Wang (especially since he has so many cool nicknames: Obi-Wang, Wanger, Tiger Wang, I could go on). Let's keep in mind that he is young, has a history of injuries and his career high in innings pitched is 150, which he pulled off last year.

Still, while I might be buying into the hype, I really believe that Wang is the goods, with that one big injury caveat (though you could probably say the same with any young pitcher). I don't believe that he is a No. 1 pitcher but I think he can project to be a good #2 and very soon. The lack of Ks that people seem to worry about aren't really that much of an issue. First, and this may sound too simplistic but he doesn't necessarily need to "miss bats" as often since he's a predominantly a groundball pitcher (2.90 G/F ratio in 2005), he just needs to miss the fat part of the bat. Second, I fully expect his K rate to rise substantially this coming year, from 3.64 K/9 in 2005 to around 5 in 2006. If you factor in Wang's added experience and his track record in the minors (career 3.28 ERA and a 7.16 K/9 in 439.2 innings), I don't think that's much of a stretch. The only caution flag is his health - if he can just stay healthy, I think that Chien-Ming will give Yankees fans a lot to cheer about.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	GS	Innings	W	L	BB	K	ERA

It's unfortunate that Doc Gooden can't seem to escape his addictions.


A man in a cage, even if it is a cage of his own making, is still a very sad thing. I wish him well and hope that he can recover his life.

Mike Mussina - Starting Pitcher
Age: 37 Years Old.

Three-year history and splits:

SEASON	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	ERA
2003	31	31	2	215.2	192	86	81	21	40	195	17	8	3.40
2004	27	27	1	165.2	178	91	84	22	40	132	12	9	4.59
2005	30	30	2	180.2	199	93	88	23	47	142	13	8	4.41

Outlook: For the second year in a row, Mike Mussina wasn't the pitcher Yankees fans have come to expect. He was just another old (37) league average (ERA+ of 101) pitcher who battled injuries to pitch 180 innings. He definitely wasn't the hall-of-fame caliber pitcher (yes, I said it - don't believe me? Read this) he had been in the past. He started off slow but he had a long good stretch during the season, essentially pitching well from May through July (110 2/3 innings) when he posted a 9-4 record with a 3.50 ERA. Then the injuries kicked in (elbow problems) and he just wasn't the same throughout the rest of the year. The real question now is; which pitcher is going to show up in 2005 (see a trend here?). I know that he was coming off an injury but unlike Randy Johnson who finished strong, Moose disturbingly went 4-3 with a 5.16 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break.

I like Mike and it's known around the league that Moose is a smart guy but if your fastball is topping out at 90 mph (he barely even touched that high early on in the season) when you used to consistently hit the low 90s, you will have problems adjusting. That's what looks to be happening here. Mussina is still a good pitcher and barring further injuries, I think that he will show flashes of his old dominance during the season. I just don't think that the stuff is there for Yankees fans to expect a return to the Mussina of old. Still, if anyone can figure out a way to work and thrive with a new set of tools, the Moose from Stanford can.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	GS	Innings	W	L	BB	K	ERA

Randy Johnson - Starting Pitcher
Age: 41 (Turns 42 in September).

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	ERA
2003	18	18	1	114.0	125	61	54	16	27	125	6	8	4.26
2004	35	35	4	246.2	177	88	71	18	44	290	16	14	2.60
2005	34	34	4	226.2	207	102	95	32	47	211	17	8	3.79

Outlook: There are probably a lot of people out there who would categorize Randy’s first season in pinstripes as a failure but at the end of the season, he did lead the Yankees starters in wins (4th in the AL), innings pitched (5th), Ks (2nd), WHIP (2nd) and batting average against (5th). Also, of the original five man starting rotation, he had the best ERA by far. He allowed less than a hit an inning, walked very few batters and struck out quite a number of batters, all of which are recipes for success. However, home runs were an issue as he gave up 14 more homeruns than last year in 20 less innings (4 of those came in one spectacular meltdown of an inning against the White Sox) and while he did strike out a lot, his Ks per 9 innings were under 9 for the first time since 1990 (and under 10 for only the second time since 1990).

Still, there remains hope that Randy can be dominant in the AL as he pitched a lot better after the all-star break (ERA was almost a run better and his BAA went from .268 to .208). To be more specific, he pitched that well after sitting down with Joe Kerrigan and apparently fixing some flaws in his mechanics. From that point on, Randy was pretty much the Big Unit that the Yankees thought they were getting at the beginning of the year. Hopefully, Randy has figured out what those underlying issues were and permanently fixed them because there are several other concerns including his turning 42, his bad knees, bad back and of course, the attitude. Since the Yanks are on the hook for both 2006 and 2007, we can only hope that the second half Randy is the real one.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G	GS	Innings	W	L	BB	K	ERA

The YanksBlog.com Fantasy Baseball League is full. We'll be posting about the league from time to time, so, I thought we'd take a look at who's playing.

Curry Monsters (James)
Evil Empire (Michael)
Patrick (Me)
Dog Pound (Seamus)
In George We Trust (Mike A. of In George We Trust)
The Sporting Brews (Joseph P. of The Sporting Brews)
Osprey (Brandon Levan, phpBBHacks.com Support Team Member)
Green Day (Sean, My Brother)
Big Catz
Hip Hip Jorge!
Damons Monkeys
Mill

The draft is Tuesday night. One thing is for sure: Yankees are going to come at a premium in this league! :) Should be fun.

This column by Mike Bianchi with the Orlando Sentinel was reprinted today in my local paper. I thought he was so right about alot of things that I would make mention of it here.


There it is said by Roger Maris' own son, leave it up to baseball to make the decision on what to do with these records. But I speak for myself, and probably other fans of the game, when I say that these records are sacred and must be protected somehow.


You'll have those that say let it go, or cry racism, or countless other allegations that are unfounded or detract away from the issue. Call it for what it is, and that is steroids has put a stain on a pure game. The only way to wash the stain is to have a notation added to each stat in question. Who is added to this list, and which stat is affected, is clearly evident in the player that is upon the list. You probably already have a mental list made up. I know I do.

You'll never clear the game completely of this, but the league is taking the right steps with drug testing and suspensions. Let's hope it will be enough.

We need one more for our fantasy baseball league. James, Michael, Seamus and myself are all playing along with a number of regular readers (including my brother Sean) and people that blog about the Yankees. We have 11 now and I want any league that I am responsible for to have an even number of teams (who likes bye weeks?!). So, there must be one more person out there. :) Check it out!

Well, with the posting of projections for Andy Phillips and Bernie Williams, we're now done with the offensive side of the Yankees. We'll be shifting our focus to the pitching now, beginning with the starters and a look at the Big Unit and working our way through the relievers all the way to the great Mariano Rivera himself.

The position players' projection pages (try that three times fast) will remain open until we're done with the rest of the team so if you haven't put in your two cents yet for those guys yet, you still have time.

Andy Phillips - Infielder
Age: 28 (Turns 29 in April).

Three-Year History & splits:

SEASON	Level	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	AAA	17	67	7	14	4	0	2	5	5	17	0	.209	.264	.358	622
2004	AA	10	42	8	15	2	1	4	16	3	1	3	.357	.383	.738	1121
2004	AAA	115	434	83	138	19	6	26	85	51	60	2	.318	.388	.569	957
2004	MLB	5	8	1	2	0	0	1	2	0	1	0	.250	.250	.625	875
2005	AAA	75	300	60	90	14	1	22	54	36	61	2	.300	.379	.573	952
2005	MLB	27	40	7	6	4	0	1	4	1	13	0	.150	.171	.325	496

Outlook: Andy Phillips probably should have been in the majors in 2004. Who knows, he could have been a difference-maker in the ALCS and couldn't possibly have been worse than John Olerud and Tony Clark (.167/.231/.417 (14 ABs) and .143/.143/.190 (21 ABs) respectively in the series). That being said, after the "shot" the Yankees gave him last year, it looks like Andy will get some decent playing time this year. Well, it's about time. He's no longer a prospect, has nothing more to prove at AAA and can play three infield positions and outfield in a pinch so this should have been a no-brainer a while ago. Now, all he has to do is hit and looking at minor league numbers, that shouldn't be a huge problem. Of course, all the minor league success in the world cannot guarantee major league success so this will be interesting to watch. The only real question is if he can make enough contact because when he does, he seems to always hit the ball hard (which seems to be a theme - 39% of his minor league hits and of his 6 out of his 8 MLB hits were of the extra base variety). Hopefully, Andy can come through and hit enough to not only be used as a backup for Giambi and A-Rod but also to take as many ABs from Bernie as possible.

Bernie Williams - Outfielder
Age: 36 (Turns 37 in September).

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	119	445	77	117	19	1	15	64	71	61	5	.263	.367	.411	.778
2004	148	561	105	147	29	1	22	70	85	96	1	.262	.360	.435	.795
2005	141	485	53	121	19	1	12	64	53	75	1	.249	.321	.367	.688

Outlook: What can be said about Bernie? He's one of the all-time Yankee greats. However, time and injury have robbed him of his baseball gifts and while signing him to be a backup was a good karma move, it's a bad baseball one. He barely qualifies for the role of backup outfielder on a contender, let alone a full-time DH. Looking at his splits for 2005, there are very few good things to be found. Before the break, he was bad; after the break, he was even worse. Home, away, early in the game or late in the game, there's just not much to get excited about. He did put up decent stats as a DH (.286/.360/.427/.787 in 85 ABs) but that's probably just small sample size. Still, because you can't help but root for the guy, I pray that Bernie shows enough spark this season so that he can end his career on a high note.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG

Mike A. over at In George We Trust checks in with his thoughts on the Top 20 prospects in the Yankee organization. It's a very easy read and Mike links to the numerous, in-depth prospect profiles that he's done so far. I'd head over and check it out if you're interested in the system.

Gary Sheffield - Right fielder
Age: 37 Years Old.

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	155	576	126	190	37	2	39	132	86	55	18	4	.330	.419	.604	1.023
2004	154	573	117	166	30	1	36	121	92	83	5	6	.290	.393	.534	.927
2005	154	584	104	170	27	0	34	123	78	76	10	2	.291	.379	.512	.891

Outlook: Gary Sheffield: 2003 MVP Voting: 3rd place. 2004 MVP: Runner-up. 2005: .291/.379/.512 - MVP 8th Place. And yet, it looks like there are some chinks in that armor. His 2005 numbers, while very good, were less than his career averages and his OBP dipped below .392 for only the first time since 1994. Gary will be also be going into his age 37 season next year with 2,190 games and 7,886 at bats under his belt. With the way that he plays and how hard he swings that bat, that's a lot of wear and tear on that (in my mind) Hall of Fame body. You have to wonder if and when the wheels will start to come off. Will he experience a slow decline and still be of use to the club? Or will we be looking at a Bernie type fall, where we see the seemingly overnight transformation of a baseball superstar into someone that can and should be easily replaced. I'd pick the former for Sheff as he's still got that bat speed and that keen eye that very, very few players can match. Of course, that might be my wishful thinking since his option will be picked up (there looks to be very few impact players among next year's free agents so it makes sense). Still, a healthy Sheff will probably mean another Silver Slugger (no. 4 in a row) and protection that the Yankee lineup can depend on throughout the season. You can find SG's look at Sheffield here.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG

John Sickels recently posted his Top 20 Prospects for the Yankees organization. No big surprises here outside of Melky Cabrera not being included in the top 20. John is not as high on him as others are but after a disappointing year last year, it's understandable. That being said, Cabrera is going into his age 22 season at AA Trenton and will already have 426 ABs at that level under his belt so hopefully, he can make some strides this year.

John also comments that it's an improving system but that there is still a ways to go. I agree with him in some respects but I think that there is a little more quality there than he does. Of course, he has far more experience than I do and he knows to balance upside with risk. I, on the other hand, being the Yankee fan that I am, have no problem seeing just the tools and the upside. I'd check out the comments on the post as well as there was some good discussion taking place. (Also, Brian Edit: make that David Regan has some thoughts on the Yankee system over at THT - see #5).

Finally, a lot of NY papers are making points that a lot of the prospects getting more playing time this year due to some stars taking off for the WBC (Damon, Jeter, A-Rod & Bernie) and others who are battling various injuries (Sheffield, Giambi). I personally am glad. Let's give some of these guys some exposure. Sure, most of them can't help us immediately but there are some who can. Matt DeSalvo, Kevin Reese & Kevin Thompson come to mind, as do J.B. Cox, Matt Smith and Mr. Bean in the bullpen.

Both Kevins are better options than Bubba Crosby. Period. I've been saying it since last November and I reiterate it now. I think that Kevin Reese should be carried on the 25 man roster to begin the season instead of Bubba. Then, after Kevin Thompson gets a handle on AAA (it usually take Thompson two cracks to outpace the league), he should replace Reese. He is a good on-base guy (career minor-league OBP of .371) with great speed (188 SBs with a 79% success rate) and who plays good defense. Basically, his average season would be Bubba's career year and he is still 3 full years younger. It seems like a no-brainer to me.

One of the gentlemen of the game passed away yesterday at the age of 45. We at YanksBlog.com would like to pay our respects to him and his family.

He led the Twins to two World Series Championships in '87 and '91. He had to leave the game much too early in '95 because of Glaucoma in his right eye that he lost sight in a few years later. He nicknamed Don Mattingly, "Donnie Baseball", and for that we thank him.

I think we as Yankee fans will continue to look at Kirby's numbers as a measuring tool for Donnie's numbers as to getting him in the hall. They are really close, and besides the two rings he won with the Twins, there is not much difference between the two.

A tribute can be found on mlb.com here.

RIP Kirby.

Johnny Damon - Centerfielder
Age: 32 Years Old

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	145	608	103	166	32	6	12	67	68	74	30	6	.273	.345	.405	.750
2004	150	621	123	189	35	6	20	94	76	71	19	8	.304	.380	.477	.857
2005	148	624	117	197	35	6	10	75	53	69	18	1	.316	.366	.439	.805

Outlook: To date, Johnny Damon, the Yankees latest splash in the free-agent market, is probably one of the more difficult Yankee starters to project. Yankee Stadium is a different playing environment than Fenway Park and there are a number of flags that go up when thinking of what Damon can do, not the least of which is his age (another guy on the wrong side of 30). His career line at Yankee Stadium is .252/.301/.346/.647 (even lower during his years with the Red Sox) and of course, common wisdom says that most Yankee free-agents take a year or so to get acclimated to their surroundings so take these nuggest however you would like.

On the plus side, the man is going to be the first in a long line of very good hitters. Seriously, who would you rather take a shot with? Johnny Damon or Derek Jeter? He'll be seeing some good pitches to hit and if you add in his selectiveness (he's averaged just below 4 pitches per plate appearances over the last 5 years), we could be looking at a very good year. Last year, his protection was Edgar Renteria and he still put up .316/.366/.439/.805 (you can adjust for yourself for contract year and all but hey, he was playing hurt).

Damon also has good speed and very good instincts on the bases so a return to his higher stolen-base totals might not be so far-fetched (he put up 30 SBs as recently as 2002-03). However, Torre might not want to run down George's new $52 million aquisition so keep that in mind. Still, if all Damon does is pull a Knoblauch and get the Yankees back to the promised land, I think any Yankee fan would take that trade, even if it means the release of Johnny's book, Idiot! The Second Coming. (You can find SG's look at Damon here.)

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG

Two former Yankee relievers, Paul Quantrill and Gabe White announced their retirement this past weekend.

I liked Paul Quantrill and he always seemed to be a gamer (and someone who stood up for his teammates) but he never seemed to regain his form after tweaking his knee in Japan during the first game of the 2004 season. Of course, he was overused during the season (95.3 innings) which probably didn't help the healing process. Nevertheless, he did have a nice career and was one of the more dependable relievers in the league for a while.

The same couldn't really be said of Gabe White, who had a less than stellar run with the Yankees which reached its nadir in 2004 when he put up an ERA of 8.27 in 21 innings. Of course, I'll always remember him as an amusing figure - that mustache and gold chain cracked me up every time.

Hideki Matsui - Left Fielder
Age: 31 Years Old (Turns 32 in June).

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	163	623	82	179	42	1	16	106	63	86	2	2	.287	.353	.435	.788
2004	162	584	109	174	34	2	31	108	88	103	3	0	.298	.390	.522	.912
2005	162	629	108	192	45	3	23	116	63	78	2	2	.305	.367	.496	.863

Outlook: After a big-time jump in power in 2004, a lot more of Hideki Matsui's fly balls stayed in the park in 2005 and his home-run total declined from 31 to 23. Still, Godzilla set career highs in batting average (.306), hits (192), doubles (45), triples (3), RBI (116) and total bases (312). Basically, Matsui "slumped" back down to a better version of his should-have-been Rookie-of-the-Year campaign in 2003.

There are definitely some question marks under the surface though. Matsui went through one heck of a hot streak from June 14th until the end of July, which accounted for all of but 10 of his home-runs. If you were to take that away, you are left with a surprisingly different and far more average player as Matusi's line after the all-star break was .289/.347/.458/.805, very similar to his 2003 numbers. The main difference between the years, and forgive me for being simplistic, lie in those power numbers and as it stands right now, his 2004 campaign and his hot streak in 2005 look like the outliers. Still the question remains; will Hideki swing for the fences again or be content to be a doubles machine? (SG also took a look at Matsui earlier this month.)

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG

Our next interview is with Cliff Corcoran of the very popular Bronx Banter.

When you're not blogging about the Yankees, thinking about the Yankees, talking about the Yankees, reading about the Yankees or watching the Yankees, what are you doing?

Apologizing to my fiancée. But seriously, folks... listening to music, watching movies (both of which I do almost as intensely and thoroughly as I follow the Yankees), working my day job as a book editor. Eating, sleeping. You know.

How long have you been blogging about the Yankees?

I started Clifford's Big Red Blog in August 2003 and moved over to Bronx Banter in March 2005.

» Read More

Alex Rodriguez - Third Baseman (Ummm...graphs)
Age: 29 Years Old (Turns 30 in July).

Three Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	161	607	124	181	30	6	47	118	87	126	17	3	.298	.396	.600	.996
2004	155	601	112	172	24	2	36	106	80	131	28	4	.286	.375	.512	.887
2005	162	605	124	194	29	1	48	130	91	139	21	6	.321	.421	.610	1.031

Outlook: What can be said about A-Rod that hasn't been said already? The AL MVP was an absolute beast in his second season with the Yankees. His 48 home runs were the most by any right-handed batter in Yankees' history, he became the youngest player to reach 400 homeruns and he just put up the best season ever by a Yankee third baseman. Heck, he even stole 21 bases (out of 27 attempts for a 77.8% clip). Even more astounding was the man's consistency. Every month, before and after the break, he put up awe-inspiring numbers. Seriously, what's the worst thing anyone can say about him? He struck out 139 times, the most times in his career (topping his previous high set in 2004). Yeah, but he also set his career high in OBP (.421). He's not clutch. Yeah, except for his .293/.418/.520/.938 line in close and late situations and hitting .305/.406/.551/.957 with runners on.

It gets better. A-Rod is still in his prime. There's a chance he could repeat these numbers (heck, you don't have to dream too big to imagine him surpassing his 2005 numbers). He's got the same protection behind him (with the addition of a full year of a healthy Giambi) and good batch of table-setters in front of him. Add to that the fact that after a "rough" first year in pinstripes, he seems to have adjusted pretty well to Yankee Stadium (.351/.448/.666/1.114 at home vs. .291/.395/.556/.951 away) and it's pretty hard to temper your expectations of him. His natural ability, endurance and consistency don't hurt either.

(For anyone who's still hating on A-Rod, I'd recommend this article by Alex Belth from Bronx Banter who sums up how I feel about A-Rod far more eloquently than I could. Also, SG has taken a look at A-Rod in 2006 from a sabermetric view.)

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG

Derek Jeter - Shortstop
Age: 31 Years Old (Turns 32 in June).

Three Year History and splits:

SEASON	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	119	482	87	156	25	3	10	52	43	88	11	5	.324	.393	.450	.843
2004	154	643	111	188	44	1	23	78	46	99	23	4	.292	.352	.471	.823
2005	159	654	122	202	25	5	19	70	77	117	14	5	.309	.389	.450	.839

Outlook: First off, it amazes me that it's been 10 years since Jeter's Rookie-of-the-Year campaign. 1930 hits later (yes, that's right - barring injury, Derek will be getting hit #2000 early on in the season), the man will be turning 32 during the season. Wow.

Last year, The Captain kept up the pace that he had set in 2004 after that horrific slump. As a leadoff man, he did exactly what was asked of him, which was to get on base (6th in the AL) and score runs (2nd in the AL). The RBI numbers are somewhat artificially low as the Yanks #9 hitters were awful all year long (.247 AVG/.292 OBP) but Jeter didn’t exactly help himself with his batting with runners in scoring position. Still, Derek was very even throughout the year and his splits before and after the all-star break are practically identical. However, the same can’t be said of his home and away splits. It looks like Derek has figured out how to use Yankee Stadium to the best of his abilities because he hit an amazing .354 at home and only .265 away from the Bronx. Honestly, I can’t really explain such an extreme split but it will be interesting to watch if this trend continues.

This year, Jeter will have have much better production in front and still have that fearsome protection behind him so he should get some good opportunities to drive in more runs while getting some good pitches to hit. Let's just hope he doesn't get sac-bunt happy like in 2004. Of course, and we'll see this becoming a recurring theme - he's another year older and on the wrong side of 30. I don't expect his numbers to fall off but we have to remember who we're talking about here. While Jeter has been remarkably durable for most of his career, because of the way he plays, he goes through most seasons with a good amount of injuries. That being said, Derek Jeter is "Derek Jeter". Year in, year out, he's put up numbers most other shortstops would give their fielding arm for and until he shows that he can't do it anymore, I can't find any reason to bet against him doing it again. SG, who did an analysis on Jeter recently, recapped the player in a single phrase: "He's so consistent he's almost boring". (Man, SG's getting pretty good at these one-liners).

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG

Into fantasy baseball? Would you like to play in a league with other YanksBlog.com readers, YanksBlog.com Bloggers and Yankee fans? Join our league!

Please post in the comments of the entry who you are and what your team name is. If you'd rather e-mail that info, you can do so at patrick@ifroggy.com. If you do not do one of those, your team will be removed. If you cannot make the live draft, a team will be drafted for you - and you can always pre-rank players, as well.

Thanks. Should be fun!

Here is the info:

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All I can say about this article about a true blue Yankees fan is wow.


If you get a chance to read the article, scroll down to the bottom to see the author notes. A fitting tribute, I think.

Credit for the link to Steve L. over at WasWatching.

I like Mike Mussina. I can't help it. I like his cerebral approach. I like his repetriore of pitches. I like the way that the stuff that comes out of his mouth actually makes sense. I like how he winds down between games. And of course, I just like watching the guy pitch. However, the man just became my hero.


80's T-Shirts: Alan Alda. Marty McFly, Captain America, oh my! Seriously, can you really root against a man who owns a Captain America t-shirt? Truly a man after my own heart. Of course, he very easily could have gone Octavio Dotel's way and turned into Rico Suave.


Link via Steve L. over at WasWatching.

Robinson Cano - 2nd Baseman (Ummm...graphs)
Age: 23 Years Old.

Three-Year History and splits:

SEASON	Level	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	A	90	366	50	101	16	3	5	50	17	49	1	.276	.313	.377	690
2003	AA	46	164	21	46	9	1	1	13	9	16	0	.280	.341	.366	707
2004	AA	74	292	43	88	20	8	7	44	24	40	2	.301	.356	.497	853
2004	AAA	61	216	22	56	9	2	6	30	18	27	0	.259	.316	.403	719
2005	AAA	24	108	19	36	8	3	4	24	6	13	0	.333	.368	.574	942
2005	MLB	132	522	78	155	34	4	14	62	16	68	1	.297	.320	.458	778

Outlook: After breaking onto the scene last year when taking over for the much-maligned Tony Womack, Robinson Cano heads into the 2006 with the burden of expectations. A lot of Yankee fans who have been looking for the next great homegrown product have latched onto this kid and might be expecting a bit too much of a leap from the 23-year old.

That being said, Cano was an above-average second baseman last year (and worlds better than Womack). He was 4th in the majors last year in batting average amongst qualified second basemen, 14th (of 16th) in OBP, 8th (of 16th) in SLG and 8th in extra base hits (even though he had about 100 fewer plate appearances than the rest of the players on the list). What does that tell us? Well, for the most part, he puts up decent power numbers for a second baseman but his value is driven mostly by his BA and will remain so as long as his plate discipline remains at the same level. He's put on some muscle this off-season that hopefully won't result in a decline in his ability to make contact or in Cano trying to jack everything out of the park. He was consistent last year (except for a horrid August when his line was .207/.252/.261/.513) and actually got a little better in the second half. He might have been pressing a little bit in front of the home crowd as he put up much better numbers on the road (.252/.274/.378/.652 at home vs. .335/.358/.525/.883 on the road). Who knows, this could just be a fluke but with another year under his belt and now firmly entrenched as the second baseman, hopefully it evens out a little bit. Also, keep in mind that in the past, he's improved in his second go-around in the league so rather than a sophomore slump, we could be looking at a sophomore superstar (but Bryan Smith over at Baseball Analysts doesn't expect that to happen).

SG over at RLYW did a good outlook for Cano earlier and this one line really sticks when thinking about Robbie: "I'll just try to enjoy what Cano can do, not focus on what he can't do, and imagine the possibilities if things break just right."

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in thecomments section:

AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG