[ThePundit]

New York Yankees 2007 Preview
By John Gottlieb, MLB Contributing Editor

2006 Finish (97-65) - First Place (AL East)

KEY OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: RP - Chris Britton, SP - Kei Igawa, 1B - Doug Mientkiewicz, SP - Andy Pettitte, RP - Luis Vizcaino

KEY OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: RP - Octavio Dotel, SP - Randy Johnson, OF - Gary Sheffield, RP - Tanyon Sturtze, SP - Jaret Wright

PROJECTED LINEUP: Johnny Damon (CF), Derek Jeter (SS), Bobby Abreu (RF), Alex Rodriguez (3B), Jason Giambi (DH), Hideki Matsui (LF), Jorge Posada (C), Robinson Cano (2B), Doug Mientkiewicz (1B)

PROJECTED ROTATION: Chien-Ming Wang (RHP), Andy Pettitte (LHP), Mike Mussina (RHP), Carl Pavano (RHP), Kei Igawa (LHP)

PROJECTED CLOSER: Mariano Rivera (RHP)

MANAGER: Joe Torre

INFIELD

Only in New York can you hit .290 with 35 homers and 121 RBI and be incessantly booed by the fans. Welcome to the world of A-Rod. Simply put, Rodriguez can hit 50 homers and win an MVP, but if he doesn't produce in the postseason the New York fans will never take him in. Rodriguez was 1-for-14 against Detroit and is five for his last 46 in the playoffs. It didn't take long into Spring Training to realize that A-Rod's opt-out clause will be a story all year long. With the way the market is it's hard to imagine that Rodriguez won't exercise his option. Brian Cashman already said that he won't discuss an extension until after the season, and by that time Rodriguez may have had his fill of the Big Apple. His relationship with Derek Jeter isn't what it used to be, and who knows if he's got a problem with Joe Torre for the Sports Illustrated article or batting him eighth in the final game of ALDS. Either way Rodriguez needs to be comfortable with himself before he can get back to playing his game in New York.

Jeter (.343, 14 HR, 97 RBI) led the team in batting average, runs (11, hits (214), stolen bases (34), was second in doubles (39), and had a .417 on- base percentage. He hit .354 at home, .390 against lefties, .381 with runners in scoring position, and .455 with the bases loaded. Other than 2003, when he was injured on Opening Day, he has played in at least 145 games in every year he has been with the club. Despite a team of All Stars Jeter is the one that's counted on to get a clutch hit in the playoffs. Not only can he do it with the bat, but Jeter also won his third straight Gold Glove Award last season.

Cano (.342, 15 HR, 78 RBI) is emerging as one of the best second baseman in all of baseball. Cano's name would've been brought up in the mix for the MVP had he not missed a month with a strained left hamstring. Cano led the AL with a .364 road average and by hitting .363 against right-handers. The sky is the limit for Cano, who would hit in the upper third in almost any Major League lineup.

Who said that 35 is old for a catcher? Don't tell that to Jorge Posada (.277, 23 HR, 93 RBI), who bounced back after a subpar 2005. Posada has started at least 120 contests in each of the last seven seasons and has hit at least 20 homers and knocked in 80 runs in six of them. Posada has always been a good hitter, but under the tutelage of first base coach Tony Pena he vastly improved his defense last season, throwing out 37 percent of basestealers. Posada is in the final year of his contract, but if he has another season like he did in 2006 the Yanks aren't letting him go anywhere.

Trying to better their defense the Yankees went out and signed one of the best gloves at first base in Doug Mientkiewicz (.283, 4 HR, 43 RBI). He played in only 91 games last year with Kansas City after injuring his back. He went on the DL at the end of July and didn't play for the rest of the season. He's never consistently put up the numbers of a first baseman, but he more than makes up for it with his defense.

OUTFIELD

Hideki Matsui (.302, 8 HR, 29 RBI) was cruising along, on his way to another fine season, until he attempted a sliding grab against Boston on May 11 and fractured his right wrist. With that his streak of 1,768 professional games, dating back to Japan, ended. He missed nearly four months, which opened the door for Melky Cabrera to step in. When Matsui returned for the final 19 games of the campaign he hit .396 with three homers and 10 RBI. He's a perfect compliment to this lineup.

Johnny Damon batted .285 with a career-best 24 homers and 80 RBI during his first season with the Yankees and was disappointed. He hit .257 at home and .260 with runners in scoring position, but the Yankees would take this type of a season throughout the length of the contract and be more than happy. Damon had an on-base percentage of .359, stole 25 bases, and scored 115 runs, which tied him for third in the AL. He was willing to play through anything, bringing that tough as nails attitude to New York. He had a broken bone in his foot that plagued him all season long, he pulled an oblique muscle, and had a bruised left hand, but still played 149 contests. He has played at least 145 games in each of the last 11 campaigns.

Bobby Abreu (.297, 15 HR, 107 RBI with Philadelphia and the Yankees) had worn out his welcome in Philly, and Pat Gillick was looking to get rid of his All- Star slugger. Not many teams could afford Abreu's cumbersome salary, but with Matsui and Sheffield both gone for prolonged periods of time Cashman stepped in. Certainly not as brash as Sheffield, Abreu goes out and quietly does his business. After coming to New York, Abreu hit .330 with seven HRs, 42 RBI and a .419 on-base percentage. He led the majors with 124 walks and has eclipsed the 100-walk plateau in each of the last eight seasons.

DH

Finally, the Yankees have done the smart thing and removed Jason Giambi (.253, 37 HR, 113 RBI) from playing first base. Giambi is a liability in the field, making seven errors in only 68 games. Last season Giambi became only the second player in history to drive in over 100 runs with as many or fewer hits (113 hits), joining Mark McGwire (1999). He was second in the league with 110 walks and was hit by a pitch 21 times. He also had a .413 on-base percentage and a .588 slugging percentage.

STARTING ROTATION

Bringing Pettitte (14-13, 4.20 ERA) back to New York became the Yankees biggest free agent signing of the offseason. The pitching staff hasn't been the same since Pettitte left for Houston three seasons ago. Pettitte, who has had elbow problems, is the consummate workhorse, making at least 30 appearances in 10 of his 12 seasons, and setting a career-high in 2006 with 36 starts. The 34-year-old lefty has winning records in each of his 12 campaigns, tying him with Carl Hubbell and Juan Marichal, both Hall of Famers, for the third-longest streak of consecutive winning seasons to start a career. Pettitte, who signed a one-year deal with an option for 2008, went 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA in 16 second half appearances, including 15 starts. As long as he can stay healthy and still saw off righties with his cutter then Pettitte will be fine. Other than Mariano Rivera, nobody on this pitching staff has Joe Torre's confidence more than Pettitte.

Chien-Ming Wang (19-6, 3.63 ERA, 1 save) is now the ace of the pitching staff after finishing second to Minnesota's Johan Santana for the Cy Young Award. He's economical with his pitches (14 per inning), doesn't give up homers (one per every 18.17 innings pitched, which was the best in the Majors), and is an excellent defender (led AL with 42 assists). He threw 218 innings last season, which got the Yanks worried that maybe he was being overused towards the end of the season, but he was the winner in Game 1 of the ALDS. He was 11-3 with a 3.03 ERA at home, 10-2 with a 3.13 ERA after the All-Star break, and 9-2 with a 3.01 ERA after Yankee losses. With the addition of Pettitte the loss of Wang for the first month of the season with a strained right hamstring won't be as bad, but the Yankees are going to need a healthy Wang for a run at a 10th straight division crown.

Mike Mussina (15-7, 3.51 ERA) piled up more than 10 wins for the 15th straight season in 2006. He once again flirted with a 20-win season, going 13-3 with a 3.40 ERA as the calendar turned to August, but Mussina lost four of his last six decisions. Each year Mussina starts out strong but age seems to catch up with him, as he's made a trip to the DL in each of the last three seasons. He's the elder statesman of the rotation and quietly a leader on this team. Mussina is a future Hall of Fame pitcher that has come within earshot of winning 20 games, throwing a no-hitter and a perfect game, but a World Series ring would make him forget all of that.

Pavano will return to the mound for the first time since 2005 after New York signed him to a four-year, $40 million contract. He missed the beginning of last season with lower back stiffness before having arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone chip from his right elbow. Then came the secret car accident, which sidelined Pavano for the rest of the season. He fired his agent and went to Phoenix during the offseason for a better workout regimen. Only time will tell if he's got the mental toughness to pitch in the Big Apple.

Kei Igawa (14-9, 2.97 ERA with the Hanshin Tigers) is the Yankees answer to Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka. Igawa, a 27-year-old left-hander, isn't projected as an ace, but he's a relatively cheap alternative for the backend of the rotation. The Yankees paid a $26 million posting fee and signed him to a five- year, $20 million deal. He's got a low-90's fastball to go with a slider and change. He's got a career record of 86-60 with a 3.14 ERA, 1,174 strikeouts and 395 walks in eight seasons. He's either tied or led the league in strikeouts three times.

BULLPEN

There is not much to say about Mariano Rivera (5-5, 1.80 ERA, 35 saves) other than when he's gone the Yankees are going to have a huge problem replacing the first ballot Hall of Famer. Hopefully, for New York's sake, that is still a few years away. However, Rivera is in the final year of his contract and the Yankees have made it clear that they are not going to throw the bank at a 37- year-old pitcher that missed 22 games last season with a right forearm problem. Rivera, normally the quiet type, came out in Spring Training, saying that he wanted to be respected by the Yankees. If not, he would take his ball and go elsewhere when the season was done. The Yanks aren't going to let Rivera go anywhere as long as he proves he's healthy. However, he could make next fall very interesting. Until then, count on another 70-plus innings, a sub-2.00 ERA, and 40-something saves from the greatest relief pitcher of all time.

Scott Proctor (6-4, 3.52 ERA, 1 save) became a go-to-guy in the late innings of close games last year. He made a league-high 83 appearances and threw a Major League-leading 102 1/3 innings for a relief pitcher. He held opponents to a .232 average, struck out 89 batters, and walked 33, while preventing 75 percent of inherited runners from scoring. He proved himself to be an untouchable piece of the Yankees future, but how will he respond from so much work last season?

Kyle Farnsworth (3-6, 4.36 ERA, 6 saves) had a habit of making things interesting during his 72 appearances last season. He always seems to be working in and out of trouble. Farnsworth struck out 75 batters and walked 28 in 66 innings. He is better if he doesn't pitch on consecutive days.

Luis Vizcaino (4-6, 3.58 ERA), who was the lone Major Leaguer acquired in the Randy Johnson trade, held left-handers to a .163 average. Mike Myers (1-2, 3.32 ERA) is the situational lefty brought in to get out David Ortiz, etc. Brian Bruney (1-1, 0.87 ERA) was picked up after Arizona released him and really impressed the coaching staff at the end of his season, striking out 25 hitters in 20 2/3 innings. Jeff Karstens (2-1, 3.80 ERA) was a midseason call- up for spot starting and will most likely get a spot with the ballclub due to Wang's injury. However, he left a start late in spring with right elbow soreness. If he has a serious injury then Darrell Rasner (3-1, 4.43 ERA) would be the next choice to step into the rotation. Chris Britton (0-2, 3.35 ERA, 1 save), who was acquired for Jaret Wright, Sean Henn (0-1, 4.82 ERA), and Ron Villone (3-3, 5.04 ERA) are fighting for one of the remaining spots in the bullpen.

New York Yankees 2007 Preview - MLB
ThePundit's prediction: 1st in AL East. Assuming Wang is only out about a month, they have the deepest team in the Major Leagues. And because Joe Torre's job is on the line, he may actually manage this year instead of just being a spectator. What does everybody else think about the Bronx Bombers this year?

[azrael492]

I have them in first also. They have incredible talent again. I bet they get Clemens to come aboard at some point too.

[MJHMarc]

I definitely would place them at the top of the AL East. Boston will be up there, but they can't compare to the greatesy dynasty in baseball history.

[Lefty Noob]

Yep, same here. Not 100% sold on their pitching, but the lineup will score enough runs to win most of their games.

[MJHMarc]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Yep, same here. Not 100% sold on their pitching, but the lineup will score enough runs to win most of their games.

Isn't that always the story with the Bronx Bombers?

[legend]

Yankees will have a very tough battle with Boston this year. I do think that Boston has a comparable lineup for scoring runs, but that their pitching is being really overrated and will let thme down enough fior the Yankees to squeak out another AL East crown. But we all know that they need to do much more than that to be considered as success.