New York Yankees 2008 Preview

The Yankees stormed through the second half but fizzled in the playoffs and essentially cost Joe Torre his job. New manager Joe Girardi takes over a team with a loaded lineup but a pitching staff riddled with questions and inexperience. For the first time in more than a decade, the Yankees will not be the favorites in the AL East.

Rotation 
After plowing money into disappointments like Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, the Yankees are forging ahead with a youth movement, believing that the best way to build a rotation is from within. They have drafted wisely and find themselves loaded with strong arms behind the veteran trio of Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina. Wang is a steely ground-ball machine who has produced 19 wins in back-to-back seasons. Pettitte admitted during the offseason to using human growth hormone in the past, but New York fans love him and should embrace him for what might be his final season. He’s coming off 15 wins and still going strong. Mussina faded down the stretch last year. Youngsters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are major-league ready and make this rotation pretty deep.

Statistician
968	Runs scored by the Yanks in 2007, most for the team in 70 years.
38	Wins by Chien-Ming Wang over last two seasons, most in MLB.
13	Consecutive playoff appearances for the Yankees.
200	Saves for Mariano Rivera in last five years, most in MLB
404	Doubles by Bobby Abreu over last 10 years, second to Todd Helton in MLB.
1,019	Starts at catcher for Jorge Posada since 2000, second to Jason Kendall in MLB.
106	Career games over .500 for Mike Mussina.

Bullpen 
This is the greatest area of need, highlighted by the inexperience in the rotation. It’s hard to count on Mussina, Hughes and Kennedy to give 200 innings, which places an added burden on a boom-or-bust bullpen. The boom could come from the potential of the arms the Yankees can choose from: minor league starters like Alan Horne and Daniel McCutchen have big league stuff that could play well in relief, the way Joba Chamberlain’s did last year. But neither has pitched in the majors. For now, Chamberlain, LaTroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth are around to set up Mariano Rivera. The left-handed options are thin beyond Kei Igawa.

Middle Infield 
It’s difficult to find a better middle-infield duo than Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. Jeter’s career may have peaked in 2006, when he was the runner-up for the MVP award, but he’s a sure bet for 200 hits, 100 runs and an average of well over .300 every season. His run of Gold Glove awards stopped at three, but his mobility should be better next season if his sore knee improves. Cano was rather mediocre before the All-Star break but had a blistering second half. He has a reputation for lapses in concentration, but after making three errors in a game last May, he went two full months without a miscue. His arm is so strong that the Yanks considered moving him to third after Alex Rodriguez opted out of his contract. Now that A-Rod is back at third, expect Cano to hold down second in the Bronx for a decade or more.

Corners
Rodriguez creates drama in everything he does, and his tumultuous contract affair was no exception. In the end, though, he’s back in New York through 2017. Rodriguez is coming off his finest season, with career highs in runs, RBIs and on-base percentage to go with 54 homers. He’s a heady baserunner, getting caught only four times in 28 stolen-base attempts, and he’s all but mastered third base, except for pop-ups. Across the diamond, the team will give an extended look to Shelley Duncan, whose power and energy sparked the team last summer. Duncan is a big target at first base, and he’s adequate defensively, especially compared to Jason Giambi, the veteran who will split time between first and DH. Giambi is so prone to injury that the Yankees can’t use him in the field too much, and even when they do, his throws tend to be adventures. But he does scoop balls well, and when he’s playing first, it frees up Hideki Matsui to DH.

Outfield 
Torre, the former manager, traced the Yankees’ 2007 turnaround to the installation of Melky Cabrera in center field. Cabrera doesn’t always read balls well off the bat, but his strong arm keeps runners honest the way Johnny Damon’s weak arm never could. Damon turned out to be a much better fit in left, and his offense improved in each of the last three months as he got healthy. Right fielder Bobby Abreu won’t crash into walls, but he’s quick and does have an above-average arm. Abreu’s patience at the plate helps the whole lineup, and when he’s at his best, his long at-bats wear out pitchers.

Catching 
Jorge Posada was the Yankees’ rock last season, batting .280 or better in every month and guiding a pitching staff decimated by injuries early on. Only two catchers in history (Bill Dickey and Mike Piazza) have ever had a season to match Posada’s 2007 stats in average, runs, homers and RBIs. The Yankees rewarded him with a four-year, $52.4 million extension and signed his backup, Jose Molina, to keep him fresh over the next two years.

Bench/DH 
The Yankees don’t use their bench very much, but this year it should give them plenty of flexibility. Matsui will be the primary DH to rest his surgically repaired knees, but the creaky Giambi will need time there, too, and when Damon needs a rest from the field, he can DH with Matsui shifting to left. Damon also has experience at first, and if he plays there, Giambi can DH with Matsui in left. Switch-hitting Wilson Betemit figures to be the utility infielder when needed. Morgan Ensberg becomes another option at first or third.

Statline Most Consecutive 15-HR/75-RBI/20-SB Seasons
1.	Bobby Abreu	9 ('99-07)
1t.	Barry Bonds	9 ('90-98)
3.	Willie Mays	6 ('55-60)
4.	Kirk Gibson	5 ('84-88)
4t.	Darryl Strawberry	5 ('84-88)
4t.	Bobby Bonds	5 ('69-73)

Management 
Hank and Hal Steinbrenner have taken over for their father, George, at the helm of the franchise. Hank has been instantly comfortable in the spotlight, and for now he seems to endorse GM Brian Cashman’s long-term vision of growing and protecting the farm system while still striving to win the title every year. Cashman is in the last year of his contract, and Girardi is in his first. Girardi will be much more active in all facets of the organization than Torre.

Final Analysis 
If the pitching holds up, Girardi’s Yankees have the ingredients to fuel another run into October. The offense is powerful and versatile, and if the young starters are as good as projected, they’ll be the favorite for the wild card and should challenge Boston for the AL East crown.

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Difference Maker

Until a swarm of Lake Erie midges distracted him in the playoffs at Cleveland, Joba Chamberlain’s rookie season could not have gone better. He proved he could dominate hitters as a setup man with a 100-miles-per-hour fastball and a jackknife slider. He'll start this season in the bullpen, but the Yankees think he’ll be even more valuable as a starter. If Chamberlain can become an ace, the Yankees might match Boston’s tough rotation. If not, they’ll be tempted to keep him in relief to solidify what looks like a shaky pen.

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Beyond the Box Score

Hit Milestone, Cash In The Yankees didn’t want to guarantee Alex Rodriguez a $30 million salary, so they devised a marketing arrangement in which A-Rod will get bonuses of $6 million each for reaching specific home run benchmarks: Willie Mays’ 660, Babe Ruth’s 714, Hank Aaron’s 755 and Barry Bonds’ 762. A-Rod, who has 518 career homers at age 32, will get another $6 million for breaking the all-time record.

This way to the coaches’ room When Joe Torre left for the Dodgers, he took some coaches with him. Don Mattingly, who lost out to Joe Girardi for the Yankees’ managing job, headed West, as did third base coach Larry Bowa. The only coaches to stay on staff were hitting coach Kevin Long and first-base coach Tony Pena. New or promoted coaches include Dave Eiland, Bobby Meacham, Mike Harkey and Rob Thomson.

Unlucky 13 New York is on the road Aug. 13, and it’s just as well. Mariano Rivera blew a save at home on that date last season. It was his first blown save in the Bronx since … Aug. 13, 2005. It was also his first blown save in almost four months.

Youth is served When Phil Hughes made his debut April 26, at age 20, he was the youngest pitcher for the Yankees since Jose Rijo appeared as an 18-year-old in 1984. Hughes did not disappoint, throwing 6.1 no-hit innings to earn a victory in his second start, on May 1, before leaving with a hamstring injury.

Moving Out The Yankees will play their final regular-season game ever at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 21 vs. the Orioles. The team will christen the new Yankee Stadium (yes, that’s the name — the Yanks refused overtures for corporate naming rights) in ’09. The structure of the old Yankee Stadium will be torn down, but the playing field will be preserved.

No 20, no problem At 39, Mike Mussina has probably missed his chance to win 20 games in a season, meaning he’ll go down as the winningest pitcher in history without a 20-win season. He has 250 victories, all in the AL, making him the active leader in AL wins. He has 16 consecutive seasons of 10 or more wins; five of the other six pitchers to do that are in the Hall of Fame, and the other is Greg Maddux.

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