Starting Rotation- Instead of trading multiple prospects for Johan Santana before the 2009 season, the Yankees wisely waited until the following year and signed CC Sabathia to anchor the staff. CC was everything the Yanks could have hoped for, becoming the ace of the staff in his first year on the team. He will be the #1 starter on this squad for years to come.
A.J. Burnett was his usual up and down self throughout 2009, looking great some days and sucking more dick than Brett Pedroia on others. Taken as a whole, his 2009 season was still a success, as he stayed healthy all year and posted quality numbers. He was pretty good in the playoffs up until Game 5 of the World Series, when he decided to shit the bed. My only concern with him is how he will handle things if Jose Molina isn't brought back in 2010. If Molina is gone, A.J. might have a Captain Willard like nervous breakdown.
Andy Pettitte had a rock solid season as the #3 starter, erasing the bad memories of his brutal second half of 2008. He stepped up his game in the playoffs, winning the clinching game during each of the 3 rounds of the postseason. There will be a spot for Andy in this rotation for 2010, assuming he does not retire. And I don't think he will.
As for the rest of the starters, they all had their moments. Phil Hughes was so-so as a starter early in the season, but really turned the corner when he was thrown into the setup role in the bullpen. He seemed to lose confidence in the postseason, but it's a good bet he will turn things around come 2010, whether he is a starter or a reliever. Joba Chamberlain was doing good as a starter for the first 4 months, but then the Joba Rules kicked in and the coaching staff started fucking with his head. The Joba Rules are some of the most retarded around, and he really regressed over the final 2 months. But Joba looked good out of the bullpen for the postseason, with an increased velocity on his pitches. Honestly, he looks more comfortable out of the pen. If the Yanks go out and sign some starting pitching, then that's where he will be. And as for Chad Gaudin, he was a very effective spot starter for the Yanks down the stretch. He would be good as a long man/spot starter out of the pen for the future. But there might not be room for him.
Bullpen- What can you say about Mariano Rivera at this point? He is by far the greatest relief pitcher to have ever played the game, and is still at the top of his game. Shit, he could pitch at an All-Star level well into his 40's and it wouldn't surprise anyone at this point. As automatic as automatic gets. The rest of the bullpen was solid as well, with Dave Robertson and Damaso Marte really stepping up big time in the playoffs. My only wish is that we never have to see Phil Coke on a Yankee roster ever again. I would have more confidence in a coke head named Phil than I would in Phil Coke at this point.
Showing posts with label 2009 season in review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 season in review. Show all posts
12/5/09
2009 Positional Review, Pt. 2: Outfield/DH
Left Field- Talk to any Boston fan about their 2004 playoff run, and they will tell you that the turning point was Dave Roberts' steal of second base against the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS. So what could the Yankees do to trump this? How about two steals on one play by the same person! Johnny Damon did this during Game 4 of the World Series. He will be forever remembered for this heads up play that turned the tide of the series back to the Yankees. With all that said, I would let him walk during free agency. He is 36 years old, and has gone from an above average defensive CF to a mediocre one in LF. Plus, I think it is time the Yanks got a little bit younger. I wouldn't be upset if he came back on a 2 year deal, but it looks like his agent, Scott Boras, is looking for a 4 year pact. That is way too long, so I would see what offers he got on the market before going any further. But we'll always have the double steal.
Center Field- It was a very productive bounce back season for Melky Cabrera, as he won the CF job out of spring training over Brett Gardner, and never looked back. He had a solid season, leading the team in shaving cream pies to the face. I would not hesitate to bring him back as the starter in 2010, but there are rumblings that the Bronx Bombers are looking into Curtis Granderson. Getting Granderson would be awesome, but it would certainly cost the Yanks stud prospect Austin Jackson. If the right deal was available I would pull the trigger. But you could do worse than have Melky keep the seat warm for Jackson for at least one more season.
Right Field- Going into the season, it seemed as though Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady were going to battle for playing time all season long. But thanks to Nady's shoulder injury, Swisher took over the everyday job, and had a good season, with lots of HR's and walks. While he will strike out a ton and never hit for a high average, Swishalicious will continue to show good power and have a solid on base percentage. He is signed at a reasonable rate through the next two seasons, so he should be a fixture in the lineup till at least 2011.
Designated Hitter- If 2009 was indeed the final season in Pinstripes for Hideki Matsui, he went out with a bang, winning the World Series MVP despite only starting 3 of the six games in the series. He was unstoppable at the plate, hitting .615 with 3 homers and 8 RBI's during the 6 game series. Unfortunately, his knees seem to be betraying him as Matsui is no longer able to play the field. It wouldn't be a terrible decision to keep him around, but we could use a little versatility on this team. Mark DeRosa would be the perfect fit here. He could play pretty much every position but catcher. Signing him would allow multiple players to rotate at DH, keeping everybody fresh. Plus it wouldn't break the bank to sign him.
Center Field- It was a very productive bounce back season for Melky Cabrera, as he won the CF job out of spring training over Brett Gardner, and never looked back. He had a solid season, leading the team in shaving cream pies to the face. I would not hesitate to bring him back as the starter in 2010, but there are rumblings that the Bronx Bombers are looking into Curtis Granderson. Getting Granderson would be awesome, but it would certainly cost the Yanks stud prospect Austin Jackson. If the right deal was available I would pull the trigger. But you could do worse than have Melky keep the seat warm for Jackson for at least one more season.
Right Field- Going into the season, it seemed as though Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady were going to battle for playing time all season long. But thanks to Nady's shoulder injury, Swisher took over the everyday job, and had a good season, with lots of HR's and walks. While he will strike out a ton and never hit for a high average, Swishalicious will continue to show good power and have a solid on base percentage. He is signed at a reasonable rate through the next two seasons, so he should be a fixture in the lineup till at least 2011.
Designated Hitter- If 2009 was indeed the final season in Pinstripes for Hideki Matsui, he went out with a bang, winning the World Series MVP despite only starting 3 of the six games in the series. He was unstoppable at the plate, hitting .615 with 3 homers and 8 RBI's during the 6 game series. Unfortunately, his knees seem to be betraying him as Matsui is no longer able to play the field. It wouldn't be a terrible decision to keep him around, but we could use a little versatility on this team. Mark DeRosa would be the perfect fit here. He could play pretty much every position but catcher. Signing him would allow multiple players to rotate at DH, keeping everybody fresh. Plus it wouldn't break the bank to sign him.
12/4/09
2009 Positional Review, Pt. 1: Infield/Catcher
This past season was a return to glory, as the Bronx Bombers reclaimed their rightful place atop the baseball universe. But there's no time to waste, as the hot stove season is upon us once again. I will be reviewing the roster, position by position, over the next few days leading up to the Winter Meetings. Feel free to drop some feedback in the comments section, as it's always appreciated.
Catcher- Jorge Posada had a great bounce back season, as his shoulder was able to hold up for the entire season. It was great to see him mash again at the plate, showing no ill effects from his injuries of a season ago. While Jorge might forget certain little things, like the pitch count or the number of outs in an inning, he is still a highly effective player at age 38. Yankees fans shouldn't take him for granted, as we probably won't see a catcher in Pinstripes as good as him for a long time (at least until we sign Joe Mauer).
First Base- Early last offseason, it looked like the Yankees were going to hand off first base to Nick Swisher, acquired in a trade from the White Sox for the immortal Wilson Betemit. But the front office was merely waiting for the right time to deliver a knockout punch to the rest of the league, swooping in at the last moment to sign All-Star slugger Mark Teixeira. Although he has made some questionable moves the last few years, you have to give a lot of credit to Brian Cashman for this one. He slow played the negotiations at the start, then swooped in to kick Boston in the balls and steal Tex away at the last second. I loved every minute of it. Of course, Teixeira went on to lead the A.L. in HR's and RBI's. On top of that, he plays some of the finest defense this side of Donnie Baseball. No worries here for the next seven seasons. Think Boston could have used him last year?
Second Base- I'm gonna give you two sets of numbers: Player A: .320 25 HR's 85 RBI'sPlayer B: .326 17 HR's 83 RBI's Looks pretty similar, right? Well, what if I were to tell you that player A wasn't even an All-Star in 2009, while player B WON the MVP in 2008? Could never happen in a million years, right? Wrong! Dustin Pedroia, the little weasel that could, took home the MVP in 2008 while Robinson Cano was snubbed out of an All-Star berth in 2009. So for any Boston fans that want to cry about a Yankee bias, please shut the fuck up. The media is on Pedroia's nuts so hardcore it's sickening. And, unlike Little Dusty, Cano is actually tall enough to ride on roller coasters. So he has that going for him. Plus, as far as I know, Cano doesn't have any older brothers who trick little boys into giving them a blow job for a bag of Skittles. Can't say the same for Dustin's brother Brett.
Third Base- After one of the most bizarre seasons of all time, Alex Rodriguez came out of it looking better than ever. It started when hack journalist Selena Roberts reported that A-Rod's name was on the list of 103 players that failed a drug test prior to the 2003 season. It got even worse when it was revealed that Rodriguez had a torn labrum in his hip, and would miss the first 6 weeks of the regular season. So suffice to say, A-Rod was pretty down in the dumps. When he came back, he started slowly. But once the weather warmed up, Alex got going. He finished the year with 30 HR's and 100 RBI's despite playing in only 124 games. And once the playoffs started, you knew he was going to be the "Centaur" of attention, whether he produced or not. Fortunately for the Yanks, he was superb. He finished the 2009 playoffs hitting .365 with 6 HR's and 18 RBI's. Without a doubt, he was the best player during the entire playoff run, and was able to shed the choker label once and for all.
Shortstop- Before the season started, there was much speculation about the supposed decline of Derek Jeter. All the assholes in the media were claiming that he was slowing down, that he was nearing the end. So what does the Captain go and do? He shuts them the fuck up by putting together an MVP caliber season and winning his fourth gold glove. Jeter is only signed through 2010, but it would be shocking if he were to ever leave the Yankees. He could play short at a high level for at least another 4-5 seasons.
Catcher- Jorge Posada had a great bounce back season, as his shoulder was able to hold up for the entire season. It was great to see him mash again at the plate, showing no ill effects from his injuries of a season ago. While Jorge might forget certain little things, like the pitch count or the number of outs in an inning, he is still a highly effective player at age 38. Yankees fans shouldn't take him for granted, as we probably won't see a catcher in Pinstripes as good as him for a long time (at least until we sign Joe Mauer).
First Base- Early last offseason, it looked like the Yankees were going to hand off first base to Nick Swisher, acquired in a trade from the White Sox for the immortal Wilson Betemit. But the front office was merely waiting for the right time to deliver a knockout punch to the rest of the league, swooping in at the last moment to sign All-Star slugger Mark Teixeira. Although he has made some questionable moves the last few years, you have to give a lot of credit to Brian Cashman for this one. He slow played the negotiations at the start, then swooped in to kick Boston in the balls and steal Tex away at the last second. I loved every minute of it. Of course, Teixeira went on to lead the A.L. in HR's and RBI's. On top of that, he plays some of the finest defense this side of Donnie Baseball. No worries here for the next seven seasons. Think Boston could have used him last year?
Second Base- I'm gonna give you two sets of numbers: Player A: .320 25 HR's 85 RBI'sPlayer B: .326 17 HR's 83 RBI's Looks pretty similar, right? Well, what if I were to tell you that player A wasn't even an All-Star in 2009, while player B WON the MVP in 2008? Could never happen in a million years, right? Wrong! Dustin Pedroia, the little weasel that could, took home the MVP in 2008 while Robinson Cano was snubbed out of an All-Star berth in 2009. So for any Boston fans that want to cry about a Yankee bias, please shut the fuck up. The media is on Pedroia's nuts so hardcore it's sickening. And, unlike Little Dusty, Cano is actually tall enough to ride on roller coasters. So he has that going for him. Plus, as far as I know, Cano doesn't have any older brothers who trick little boys into giving them a blow job for a bag of Skittles. Can't say the same for Dustin's brother Brett.
Third Base- After one of the most bizarre seasons of all time, Alex Rodriguez came out of it looking better than ever. It started when hack journalist Selena Roberts reported that A-Rod's name was on the list of 103 players that failed a drug test prior to the 2003 season. It got even worse when it was revealed that Rodriguez had a torn labrum in his hip, and would miss the first 6 weeks of the regular season. So suffice to say, A-Rod was pretty down in the dumps. When he came back, he started slowly. But once the weather warmed up, Alex got going. He finished the year with 30 HR's and 100 RBI's despite playing in only 124 games. And once the playoffs started, you knew he was going to be the "Centaur" of attention, whether he produced or not. Fortunately for the Yanks, he was superb. He finished the 2009 playoffs hitting .365 with 6 HR's and 18 RBI's. Without a doubt, he was the best player during the entire playoff run, and was able to shed the choker label once and for all.
Shortstop- Before the season started, there was much speculation about the supposed decline of Derek Jeter. All the assholes in the media were claiming that he was slowing down, that he was nearing the end. So what does the Captain go and do? He shuts them the fuck up by putting together an MVP caliber season and winning his fourth gold glove. Jeter is only signed through 2010, but it would be shocking if he were to ever leave the Yankees. He could play short at a high level for at least another 4-5 seasons.
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