2010 Season Record: 80-50

The Toronto Blue Jays have been a thorn in the side of the the Yankees all season and it continued last week with a series at the Rogers Centre.   The series kicked off with a 3-2 loss in which Toronto slugger Jose Bautista provided all the excitement in the game with his bat and with his mouth.  Themajor league leader in home runs hit his 39th and 40thbombs of the season and in between the took exception to a head high pitch from Yankees rookie Ivan Nova.

Even though Nova clearly wasn’t throwing at Bautista, Bautista had some comments for Nova who didn’t back down for a second. Then Bautista went even further and started to head to the mound, which emptied the dugouts and bullpens.  Thankfully ordered was restored rather quickly without any violence occurring.    Though the Yankees lost,  Nova turned in a very respectable performance by allowing two earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched.

Dustin Moseley took the mound in a much less dramatic Game 2; however the game was definitely not short on fireworks.  The Bombers’ bats struck back with a vengeance- blasting five home runs.  Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Marcus Thames, and Curtis Granderson all went deep.   Moseley threw an effective six innings and the Yankees rolled to an 11-5 victory.

In the final game of the series Toronto’s bats once again got the better of Yankees’ starting pitcher.  The Blue Jays left Phil Hughes feeling blue, knocking the right-hander out of hte game after just 3.2 innings pitched.  Hughes control was an issue – he walked 5 batters – and allowed five runners to cross the plate.  Despite a brilliant relief performance from Javier Vazquez, one earned run allowed over 4.1 innings pitched, the Bombers still lost the game, 6-3, and the series as well.

After a much needed day off, the team traveled to Chicago to take on the White Sox.  It was a huge series since Chicago is in a division race of it’s own, chasing the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.

AJ Burnett took the mound for the Yankees in Game 1 and his struggles continued.  The slumping pitcher allowed eight earned runs in only 3.1 innings, including a four spot the 1st inning alone.  Veteran Freddy Garcia took advantage of the run support (7 IP, 1 ER) and the Chisox beat the Yankees 9-4.

The Bombers’ bats struck back with a vengeance in Game 2 by hitting four home runs in a wild 12-9 win.  The big flies were hit by Edwin Nunez (his 1st career home run), Nick Swisher and Marcus Thames, who hit a pair of long balls.  CC Sabathia struggled early for the Yanks, allowing five earned runs in seven innings, but picked up his 18th win of the season.

The series finale pitted Nova against veteran John Danks in a game that was that anti-thesis of Saturday’s slugest.   In his second career start Nova shut down Chicago’s offense, allowing only 1 earned run in 5.2 innings and the bullpen excelled the rest of the way.  Meanwhile on the offensive side, red hot Marcus Thames provided a solo shot and Brett Gardner added an RBI and the Bombers won the game 2-1.

Pinstriped Positives:

Kerry Wood was an after thought by many baseball fans when he was acquired from the Cleveland Indians at the trade deadline.  They had witnessed his struggles and his history of injuries.  However Wood has quickly become a dependablee arm in the Yankees bullpen.  Since donning the Pinstripes, Wood is 1-0 with a 0.71 ERA and has 15 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.

Sticking with pitching the Yankees recent rookie call up, Ivan Nova, has been very impressive so far.  Nova in two starts against tough offensive teams, the Blue Jays and White Sox, is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 14 innings pitched.  Nova has been a nice shot in the arm to the Yankees rotation, which has been scuffling of late.

Marcus Thames has really been killing the ball lately.  In his last 10 games Thames is hitting .294(10-34) and has 6 home runs with 12 RBI.

Negatives:

Derek Jeter has continued to struggle at the plate.  The Captain is batting .135 (5-37) with 1 HR and 4 RBI in his last 10 games.  His current .266 average is well below his career .314 average.

AJ Burnett must be the happiest player on the team now that August is over.  Burnettwent 0-4, 7.80 in 5 August starts, averaging just six innings each time out.

What’s Next:

The Bombers will head back to the Stadium to take on the young and talented Oakland Athletics and those hard hitting Toronto Blue Jays.  The Bombers ended the last full week in August in a tie atop the AL East with the Tampa Rays.  The toughest division in baseball looks like it’s going to come down to the last few days of the season.

John Fetter is a regular Yankees contributor for Baseball Digest.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

Box breakdown—Each 2004 Bowman Sterling box has 6 packs with 5 cards each.  In a box you get 12 first year player cards, 6 veteran relic cards, 6 first year player autographs and 6 first year prospect autographs.  Each hobby box comes with a box loader that has either a black parallel, 1/1 red parallel or Bowman Originals autograph card inside.

Parallels—Each card has the following parallels:  refractors (numbered out of 199), black refractors (numbered out of 25 for autograph and autograph/game used combo cards and numbered out of 16 for first year cards and game used cards) and red refractors (true 1/1’s).

Inserts—The only insert set is the Bowman Originals autograph set which is found in the hobby box loaders.  This is a 46 card autograph set containing cards of Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Barry Bonds, Eric Chavez and Jose Reyes.  Cards are numbered out of 1 to 106.

Rookie cards—Solid rookie crop in this set.  The key names being Adam Wainwright, B.J. Upton, Conor Jackson, Carlos Quentin, David Wright, Delmon Young, Felix Hernandez, Homer Bailey, Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes and Scott Kazmir.

Autographs—I already mentioned the players in the Bowman Originals set.  Some of the better autos you can pull from the base set are Adam Wainwright, B.J. Upton, Carlos Quentin, David Wright, Delmon Young, Homer Bailey, Huston Street, Matt Bush and Robinson Cano.

The test of time—Very slick looking set and I love how they incorporated the autographs and game used cards into the base set.  This makes pulling a rookie card a little more special.  You also have to like the breakdown of the box itself, every pack is loaded.  Online stores have these way boxes for the absurd price of around $275 a box.  If you do some searching you can find them for around $150 to $200 a box on auction sites.  If you can find them for closer to the $150 price you have a great chance at breaking even on an average box.  If you get lucky and pull a low numbered refractor of a star player or get a Bowman Originals autograph of a star you are going to do very well on this box.  Paying over $200 though and your odds of breaking even are going to be very tough.

If you can find this box at a solid price I say go for it.  The cards trade well and a star player still sells well today from this set.  Many other boxes for $150-200 do not give you this much bang for the buck.

Next week I will be taking a look at the 2007 Bowman’s Best release.

2010 Season Record: 69-42

The Yankees went through a disappointing 3-4 week against a pair of AL East foes, but remained ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the divisional race.

The Yankees kicked off the week with a three  game series against the very dangerous Toronto Blue Jays.  Game 1 turned out to be an offensive battle, as both starting pitchers were hit hard.  AJ Burnett lasted only 4.1 innings and gave up eight earned runs.  Toronto starter Brandon Morrow wasn’t much better; he lasted only 5.1 innings and allowed 5 runners to cross the plate.  In the end the Jays beat the Yankees 8-6 with the help of a major league record six doubles.

The Yankees were probably wishing they had saved some of Game 1′s output for the second game of the set.  Ricky Romero, who the Yankees pounded back in July, limited the Yankees to just two runs and a pair of hits.  The Blue Jays offense continued to roll over Dustin Moseley and the Yankees pen en route to an 8-2 win.

Suddenly the Yankees found themselves in 2nd place in the AL East as play began in the series finale.  A-Rod helped kick the game off on the right foot, finally belting his 600th career home run.  Derek Jeter went 4-4 on the day and  Phil Hughes allowed a single run in 5.1 innings before the pen shut down the Jays the rest of the way.  The 5-1 victory, coupled with the Rays loss to the Twins put New York back into a first place tie with Tampa.

After a day off, the Yankees took on their arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in a big four game set at the Stadium.

The Yankees struggled offensively and defensively in the opener and the Red Sox took advantage.  Javier Vazquez streak of great starts ended with a 5.1 inning, three earned run performance that was magnified by Francisco Cervelli’s critical error.  Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz was solid in Boston’s 6-3 win.

In Game 2 the Yankees sent their big gun to the mound and CC Sabathia did not disappoint.  The Pinstripe’s ace threw eight strong innings and allowed just two earned runs.  Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano led the offense with two hits and an RBI each and the Yankees were able to turn the table on their rivals with a 5-2 win.

The Yankees kept the ball rolling in Sunday night’s prime time affair thanks to Dustin Moseley’s strong pitching performance.  The Bombers right hander went 6.1 innings, allowed only two earned runs and outdueled the much hated Josh Beckett.  The Yankees offense also did their part and smacked Beckett around the park.  Derek Jeter drove in thee runs and Lance Berkman enjoyed his first big day as a Yankee, going 3-4 with an RBI and two doubles.  The Yankees cruised to a 7-2 victory.

The final game of the series pitted Boston’s new ace, Jon Lester, against one of the game’s brightest stars in Phil Hughes. Unfortunately for the Yankees, it was a pitcher’s duel that Lester won.  Hughes survived a shaky first two innings and trailed just 2-0 when he departed after six innings.

Lester, Daniel Bard, and Jonathan Papelbon shut down a number of late opportunities and the Yankees could only manage a Mark Teixeira home run in the 2-1 loss.

Pinstriped Positives:

Despite a mediocre week, the Yankees still managed to gain a half a game over the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Rays fell to 1.5 games back in the division after going 4-6 over their last 10 games.  (The stretch included a 5 game losing streak.)

Robinson Cano’s bat is back on fire. The All-Star second baseman is 12-35 (.343) over his last 10 games.

Derek Jeter continued to snap out of his season long doldrums with a 13-40 (.325) streak.

Negatives:

Jorge Posada’s bat continues to be dormant; the Yankees’ catcher is just 6 for his last 33 which translates to a .182 average.  Posada’s time behind the plate hasn’t been much better as teams continue to run on him at will.  And to top everything off, he’s been bothered by a sore knee caused by a cyst.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will now take their show on the road as they first travel to Texas for a two game set with the AL West division leading Rangers.  Then the Bombers move on to Kansas City for a four game set with the Royals.

John Fetter is a regular Yankees contributor for Baseball Digest.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

The Rays assigned Wade Davis to face the Yankees in the opener, and he pitched magnificently. He hit the strike zone all night long after giving up a two-run blast to Nick Swisher in the first inning, and he gave the Rays a chance to tie it or win it.

With the way the Rays are hitting these days, one wondered if the two-run lead was good enough for Yankees starter Phil Hughes to win the game. That seemed to be the case when Hughes mowed the Rays down for five innings.

Hughes is good enough where the Rays would have a hard time against him, but he ran into trouble in the sixth inning when he had command problems. Hughes gave up a hit, threw a wild pitch and walked a batter, and then Matt Joyce hit a three-run blast to give the Rays a 3-2 lead.

Davis, Joaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano pitched well for the final three innings in preserving a much-needed victory that could set the tone for a great weekend. The Rays’ chances of winning the series or gaining a sweep is better now after what happened Friday night.

Still, the Rays can’t be content with getting by with this putrid offense. That’s not going to cut it in October. There’s no question runs will be at a minimum in the postseason, and the Rays have several easy outs in their lineup. That’s an advantage the opposing pitcher will have in October, which is why playoff teams believe the Rays are vulnerable.

It’s up to Rays president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman to do something about it. He needs to somehow find a way to get a bat before the deadline expires Saturday afternoon.

Trying is not going to be good enough. With most of the players about to be ending their Rays tenure as a result of free agency, there has to be a sense of urgency. This team has the pitching to create a playoff run in October, but with the way this lineup is constituted, this team can be an one and out team.

In fact, there is no guarantee the Rays will make the playoffs. The Rays have a nice cushion in the wild-card lead, and they kept up with the Yankees by winning consistently, but a long losing streak takes place if the team is in a hitting rut. We saw that in June when the Rays struggled to hit, and they went on a long losing streak.  It can happen again, and the final two months of the season are not the right time to struggle.

The Rays need a designated hitter. Joe Maddon trots out different hitters as designated hitters every game, and that should never happen. A designated hitter should be a player that plays every day instead of once or twice a week.

A guy that fits that role is Adam Dunn, who the Rays are rumored to get. He will strike out often, but at least, he is going to rake the ball out of the park. The Rays could have either gotten Lance Berkman or Austin Kearns, but instead, the Yankees received both of them from all accounts. The Yankees gave up nothing for either of them.

The Rays can find a way to get a hitter without giving up much, no?  Even if Dunn is hard to get, they should try something. Josh Willingham, Luke Scott, Hideki Matsui or Bobby Abreu should be other options for the Rays.

Anything is better than what we are seeing as the designated hitter. If Friedman has to make a trade just to make a trade, so be it. He at least shows he is doing all he can to improve the Rays.

No question the Rays are in a tough position. As a small-market team, they can’t afford to give up prospects with the idea those guys will be the core players next year. Still, they can afford to give up at least one prospect. If Davis is what teams want for a hitter, that deal should be done quickly. The Rays have plenty of depth when it comes to starters.

The Rays will talk about how it’s not a lost cause if they don’t get a deal. They will mention that Dan Johnson and Desmond Jennings can be a boost to the team. The problem with that thinking is it’s too much to ask out of rookies to make a difference. Those two have to learn how to hit in the majors, and that’s a tough adjustment to make right away.

Right now, odds are not good the Rays will get a deal done. Teams are asking a lot from the Rays, and Friedman is not that bold enough to go for it. It’s a tough task for any small-market team general manager to go through.

Maddon did not seem optimistic that a deal would happen. He talked about how it will be the eleventh hour, but he also mentions options at their farm system. The latter part should say it all about the Rays’ chances of making it happening. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg believes it will happen, but he is not going to say it will not happen. It would be bad business.

Still, there has to be something out there. Maybe the Rays find that hitter after the non-waiver trade deadline. It’s possible, but there’s a good chance the Yankees or the Red Sox will do whatever it takes to block the Rays. The Rays can’t take that risk.

Whatever it is, we can only hope Friedman surprises everyone. That’s when folks can tell a trade was made. It’s rare trade rumors actually are executed.

Trades come when no one knows about it. Did everyone know the Twins would get Matt Capps? Who knew the Yankees would get Berkman and Kearns on the same day?

The fact no one knows what the Rays will do is a good sign actually. It’s a sign they can do something.

That’s the only hope to think it will happen.

2010 Season record: 48-40

Breakdown:

As Opening Day 2010 approached, things weren’t looking all that bright for the Mets.  Even those “glass half-full” types needed some magic elixir in that glass to keep their hopes up.  After a disastrous and injury-plagued 2009 campaign, few knew what to expect, but most thought whatever it would be, it wouldn’t be successful.

The addition of Jason Bay, while potentially helpful was not looked at as enough.  Fans and media scoffed at the rotation, and with good reason.  Recent history and opposing hitters hadn’t been all that kind to Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Jonathon Niese.  Even ace Johan Santana was coming off surgery that cut short a subpar season.  Most felt that David Wright would rebound from his tough ’09 season, but that was about as optimistic as people got.

At the beginning of the season, these fears began to come true.  An injury to likely starting first baseman Daniel Murphy forced the Mets hand and opened the door for Mike Jacobs second stint with the Mets.  Jacobs’ brutal start (.208 batting average, 9 total bases in 24 at-bats, 7 K’s) slammed the door on his opportunity.   Ike Davis was quickly ushered into the majors, hoping to inject some life into the lineup and even the clubhouse.  Some early hitting and fearless foul ball chasing endeared Davis to the fans and his teammates.  The Mets maintained some up and down streakiness throughout the rest of April and early May, but at the very least they were fun to watch.

And then on May 22^nd, something clicked.  The Mets & Mike Pelfrey beat the Yankees and Phil Hughes.  Pelfrey’s strong start convinced the league (and probably the Mets themselves) that the pitching staff wasn’t a one-trick pony.  Santana’s win the following night gave the Mets a series win against the Yankees, which was then followed up by three straight shutouts of the Philadelphia Phillies.  Suddenly Mets fans started to perk up.  Maybe this team wasn’t just fun, they could actually win.  The rough road trip that followed (2-4 vs. the Brewers and Padres) were merely a speed bump on a strong month of baseball.  From May 22-June 27, the Mets were 25-8 and appeared to put to rest many of the questions that the team took when they packed their bags in Port St. Lucie in April.

The Mets success during this period could be traced back to an encouraging amount of players.  This wasn’t simply David Wright’s team, although his performance in June won him an NL Player of the Month award, as well as winning him back the admiration and appreciation of Mets fans.  Similarly, the return of Jose Reyes the person, followed a couple weeks later by the return of Jose Reyes the player, reminded Mets fans of how vital a part of the team’s success he can be.  Similarly, Angel Pagan’s emergence as a hitter, fielder and outfield leader of this team, may be the most encouraging turn of events from the season’s first half.  The fact that Pagan’s presence is an integral part of this lineup is fascinating; the fact that his performance has been deemed by some as All-Star worthy is simply unreal.  The rest of the everyday and bench players have almost all found ways to contribute to this team.  While Jason Bay and Jeff Francouer have certainly underperformed, they have shown glimpses of what their capable of doing.  It’s safe to say that if the players that comprise the Mets lineup got into their groove at the same time, they’d be just as potent as any other lineup in the majors.  I don’t think I could have written that sentence at the beginning of the season.  I certainly couldn’t have written it while maintaining a straight face.

The Mets starting pitching success has also been something of a shock.  Johan Santana has struggled at times but has put together a solid first half.  There were multiple games in which it could be said that he battled despite not having his best stuff.  For the most part, Santana has pitched well this season and his recent shutout performances have given fans reason to believe that the notoriously stronger second half pitcher will be the team’s ace once again.  Similarly, Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese have proven that it’s possible for the Mets to grow some pitching talent of their own.  Heading into the season, nobody really knew what to expect from Pelfrey whose career had featured more disappointment than satisfaction.  And even though he’s currently experiencing something of a “dead arm” period, he has shown enough growth and maturity as a pitcher to establish himself as a serious threat in the Mets rotation.  Niese was only a few games into his career last season, when a disturbing-looking hamstring injury became the picture that came to mind with any mention of his name.  Nobody knew what he was really capable of prior to the injury.  When this season began his scouting report was basically a shrug of the shoulders.  At this point of the season, it’s safe to say that Niese will keep the Mets in the game at the very least, and shut down the opponent at the very most.  Obviously the Mets will take that.

Injuries and disappointing play by John Maine and Oliver Perez have pretty much removed them from the Mets plans at the moment.  Maine hasn’t pitched since being removed after yielding a leadoff walk on May 20^th.  He is suffering from severe shoulder tendinitis, and while he may have started rehabbing, there is no timetable for his return.  Perez’s inconsistent (at best) performance in the last few seasons allowed him a short leash when this season began.  Ollie underperformed and refused a minor league assignment choosing instead a role as a mop-up pitcher and lightning rod for fans’ anger.  It took a knee injury (from all that sitting, I suppose) to remove him from the 25-man roster.  With the emergence of RA Dickey as a member of the rotation, as well as the job done (sometimes) by Hisanori Tikahashi, it’s hard to figure out exactly how the Mets could work Maine and/or Perez back into the mix.

It seemed the Jerry Manuel’s fate had been figured out by many before the season even started.  The question wasn’t whether or not he would be fired, but when.  Would he be the first manager sent packing in 2010?  No.  Would he make it to the All-Star break?  Fairly easily.  Would he change his entertainingly off-the-wall ways in order to keep his job?  No chance.

Jerry Manuel has used every bit of his personality to keep this team on its feat and allow the clubhouse to be what it needed to be.  He has deflected attention away when necessary (hard to comprehend non-sequiturs will accomplish this) and focused attention on the positive when he can.  He makes some confusing late-game decisions as well as strange pinch-hitting choices, but this team seems to share his positivity and confidence, and at times, laughter.

Upcoming:

The Mets will head back into the regular season having needed some rest.  Pelfrey’s dead arm, Reyes’ strained oblique, Davis’ exhaustion and Bay’s underperformance were all in need of some time away from the game.  The second half will mark the return of Carlos Beltran to the team and hopefully for the Mets, the ability to build on their first half accomplishments.

It’s a hefty to price to pay for Rangers’ GM Jon Daniels. He’s giving up a player who they view as an annual 30-40 home run hitter for a three month rental. Evidently Daniels is worried about the pending bankruptcy of the team and may feel this is the Rangers lone shot at a title.

But it also makes me think of  a 2006 Rangers deal.  Adrian Gonzalez, Chris Young, and Termel Sledge for Aki Otsuka and Adam Eaton”.

Now Cliff Lee is a much better pitcher than Eaton or Otsuka, the latter of which was to fill the closer role at the time. But Gonzalez was a can’t miss prospect and he has proven all the scouts right. Smoak may make Daniels regret this deal as well.

The Yankees and Mariners had agreed to deal in principle that would have sent Jesus Montero, David Adams, and Zach McAllister to Seattle, but the Mariners decided to look for a better off.  They certainly got one.

* * *

With all of the hoopla (pun very much intended) over LeBron James last night, I was shocked to see he was not the subject of conversation on Twitter this morning.  No sooner had my computer booted up then my brain got a jolt as well.  The NY Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees are in deep conversations with the Seattle Mariners for Cliff Lee.

Say what?

By 10 a.m. Sherman had tweeted and written that the teams were on the brink of getting the deal done.  Jesus Montero, the Yankees number one prospect, would be the centerpiece of the trade.  Montero has struggled at the plate for much of his first full season at Triple-A, but is still highly regarded around baseball.  This would also indicate that the Yankees front office is higher on catching prospect Austin Romine for the future.

The Mariners are also said to be intereted in 2nd base prospect, and UVA product, David Adams.  Sherman says a third prospect will also be included in the deal.

With Lee’s free agency on the horizon, you have to wonder if the Yankees will demand a window to negotiate a long term deal with the prized left-hander.  Though the Yankees would be giving up prospects, acquiring Lee would preclude losing draft picks if Lee went elsewhere and the Yankees then signed him as a free agent.

Some feel this deal would be overkill since the Yankees roll out CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, and Javier Vazquez on a regular basis.  Though three of the pitchers are All-Stars, Hughes has an innings limit and Burnett and Vazquez have struggled at times.  It’s possible once he nears the innings limit, Hughes could bolster the bullpen for the remainder of the season as he did last year.

While there are mixed feelings about giving up a top prospect, Cliff Lee is the type of player you give him up for.

Update: 11:20 am ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted that since Lee is set to face them tonight, the Yankees told the Mariners they have to have answer soon.

Joel Sherman has now reported that the Yankees will not ask for a negotiating window to get a long term deal done with Lee.

Update: 3:45 pm Sherman says the deal is off – he just tweeted:
“To repeat the Yankees aren’t getting Cliff Lee. Mariners concerned about David Adams ankle plus apparently another team has jumped in hard.”

Update: 4:20 pm According to several people involved with the Yankees, the deal is definitely dead (for now) with Seattle.

It look the Texas Rangers are the team that has re-entered the fray.  Rangers’ Hall of Fame beat writer T.R. Sullivan says “…the Rangers won’t do (Justin) Smoak”.  Possibilities are Jared Saltalamacchia, Engel Beltre, Derek Holland, Omar Beltre and Blake Beavan.

Stay tuned for updates.

2010 Season record: 51-31

The Yankees opened the week with the last place Mariners, but unfortunately ran up against two of the best pitchers in the game.  The opener was supposed to be a pitcher’s duel between potential All-Stars Phil Hughes and Cliff Lee.  The Mariners left-hander did his part, pitching his third straight complete game.  But the M’s tagged Hughes for six earned runs in 5.2 innings and went on to a 7-4 win.

The Yankees bats were even more anemic the next night when Felix Hernandez tossed a brilliant complete game.  Seattle’s “King” allowed just two hits and struck out 11 Yankees in the 7-0 victory.  Javier Vazquez gave the Yankees a quality start, but the M’s put the game away against Damaso Marte and Chad Gaudin in the late innings.

The Yankees avoided a three game sweep thanks to a great performance by their ace, CC Sabathia.  CC pitched eight strong innings, allowing only one earned run and beat the Mariners 4-2.  Alex Rodriguez  helped him out with a 2-4 night, including a home run and 2 RBI.

The Yanks licked their wounds and welcomed Toronto to the Stadium for the second half of the homestand.  But the Jays picked up right where the Mariners left off.

Starter Brett Cecil worked out of a number of jams and the Blue Jays bullpen shut the Yankees down as Toronto took game 1, 6-1 in 11 innings.  The Yankees did get a great pitching performance from A.J. Burnett, however Joba Chamberlain couldn’t hold the lead in the 8th inning and David Robertson and Chan Ho Park were miserable in the extra frames.

The Bomber’s bats came out with a vengeance in game 2, scoring 11 runs in the third inning.  The Yankee sent 15 men to the plate, including Brett Gardner who started the rally with a single and then broke the game open with a grand slam off of Ricky Romero.  As a result of the offensive explosion and another quality start from Andy Pettitte the Bombers cruised to an easy 11-3 victory.

In the final game of the series the Yankees and Jays got into a heavyweight fight, going back and forth, exchanging blows and scoring runs.  Both starting pitchers allowed five earned runs but in the end it was Marcus Thames who landed the knockout punch.  On the day he was activated from the DL, Thames stepped up to the plate in the 10^th and hit a walk off RBI single that sent everyone home happy.

Even though the Yanks had an off week they did manage to stay on top of the AL East, with less than three games separating them from the Rays and Red Sox.

Pinstriped Positives:

Mark Teixiera’s bat finally seems to have awoken from it’s slumber.  Over his last 10 games the slugger is hitting .342 with 2 HR and 9 RBI.

A.J. Burnett had his first quality start since May 30^th.   The return of pitching coach Dave Eiland seemed to do the trick.

Negatives:

Jorge Posada’s struggles have continued.  The Yankees catcher is hitting an even .200 in his last 10 games with no homers and 2 RBI.   He also had to leave Sunday’s game early with a sprained ring finger on his catching hand and was listed as day-to-day.

The bullpen continues to be a matter of concern for Joe Girardi.  Outside of Mariano Rivera, and even Damaso Marte, none of the Yankees relievers have been consistent.  Dustin Moseley was added to the mix over the weekend to shake things up.

What’s Next:

The Yankees are now out on West Coast for the rest of the first half of the season.  They are going to take on the Athletics for three games and then will have a rematch against the Mariners.

The Yankees are sending Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez to the All-Star game next week in Anaheim.  Yankees fans can go online and vote to send Nick Swisher to the game as well in the final vote.

John Fetter recently joined Baseball Digest as a New York Yankees contributor.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

2010 Season record: 43-27

The Yankees opened up the week against last year’s World Series opponents, the Philadelphia Phillies.  Unfortunately for Yankee fans, the Bombers didn’t fair too well in the rematch and lost two out of three.

The Yanks opened up the week with an 8-3 victory over the Phillies that showcased their abilities to out hit and shut down other teams.  The game was supposed to be a pitchers duel between CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay, but only Sabathia showed up.

Halladay surrendered home runs to Mark Teixiera, Curtis Granderson, and Nick Swisher after having allowed only three home runs all year.  Sabathia got tagged for three runs in the 4th inning, but settled down and didn’t allow another run in seven innings of work.

For the rest of the series against the Phillies the Yankees hitting and pitching struggled.  The Yankees lost Game 2 by a score of 6-3 to the crafty Jamie Moyer, who showed the Bombers just how much he still has at the tender age of 47.

Andy Pettitte went for the Yankees in Game 3 and pitched very well allowing two earned runs in seven innings pitched.  But the Yankees bullpen and offense struggled.  Joba Chamberlain gave up 3 earned runs without recording an out and as a result the Phillies won 7-1.

The Yankees then took on their cross town rival Mets and lost the first game which made it three straight losses for the Bombers.  However they quickly rebounded and won the last two games against the Mets and took the three game series.

The Mets won the opener 4-0 behind Hisanori Takahashi’s brilliant performance.  Takahashi pitched six innings of shutout ball and held the Yankees star studded lineup to just four hits.  To make matters worse for the Yankees they wasted another brilliant pitching performance.  Javier Vazquez allowed just one run in seven innings pitched.

In Game 2 the Yanks righted the ship and stopped their three game skid with the help of Phil Hughes’ strong performance.  Hughes won his 10^th game of the season by holding the Mets to three runs in seven innings.  The Yankees offense awoke from their slumber and got two-run homers from Teixeira and Granderson.  Chamberlain bounced back with a strong outing and the Yankees beat their rivals 5-3.

In the series finale the Yankees gained a split of the six interleague games with Mets with 4-0 victory.  CC Sabathia was dominant, limiting the Mets to four hits over eight innings.  All of the Yankees runs came off the bat of Mark Teixiera who hit a grand slam off of Johan Santana.  For the second time in a week Sabathia had beaten another team’s ace.

Despite the mini slump the Yankees still managed to take a one game lead over the struggling Rays in the AL East.

Pinstripe Positives:

After a slump in May, CC Sabathia has really turned up the heat in the month of June.  For the month, he is an amazing 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA.  On top of that Sabathia’s last two starts came against top tier teams.

In another pitching positive for the Bombers Javier Vazquez has continued to pitch very well.  In his past six starts Vazquez is 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA, and one of those losses includes his last start when he only allowed one run in seven innings.

Negatives:

The Yankees got their perennial all-star third baseman back this week which is a good thing.  However, Alex Rodriguez has continued the slump he was in before his injury sidelined him.  In his last 10 games A-Rod is hitting .167 with no homeruns and 2 RBI.

A.J. Burnett is having another A.J. Burnett type season, which means at times he looks great and then at times he looks like he’s throwing batting practice.  In his last four starts Burnett has given up 23 earned runs.  As a result, Burnett is 0-4 with a mind blowing 10.35 ERA.

The Captain has also been bit by the slump bug.  In Jeter’s last 10 games he is batting .175 with 2 homers and 5 RBI.  Jeter, who has a career average of .316, is currently hitting .280 with 8 homers and 39 RBI.

What’s Next:

The Yankees are going to take their show on the road as they travel to the west coast to take on the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers.

John Fetter recently joined Baseball Digest as a New York Yankees contributor.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

2010 Season record: 40-23

After a long pursuit the Yankees have pulled even with the Tampa Rays atop the AL East.  The Yanks turned up the heat, going 5-1 as they showcased their powerful bats and crafty pitching.  As a result, the Bombers outscored their opponents 41-24 and took two out of three from Baltimore before completing a three game sweep of the Houston Astros.

The Yankees opened the week with a 12-7 win over the lowly Orioles.  The Yankees offense exploded for three home runs – two-run shots by Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher and a grand slam by Granderson.  Phil Hughes continued to make a case for himself to be included on the AL All-Star roster with a six inning, three earned run performace.

Teixeira had two additional hits, a pair of RBI and two walks.  Swisher banged out three hits and drove in five runs.

The only negative part of the game was the bullpen, Chad Gaudin to be specific. The recently re-acquired right-hander gave up four runs over the final two innings of the game.

The rest of the Baltimore series were not high scoring affairs like the first game.  The Yankees won the second game 4-2 thanks to a great pitching performance by CC Sabathia who pitched seven strong innings, struck out eight and allowed just two runs.

The Yankees offense took the night off in the last game of the series.  The Orioles won 4-3 behind rookie pitcher Jake Arrieta’s first win. Making his major league debut, Arrieta held the Pinstripes to four hits and three runs over six innings.

Back home at Yankee Stadium, the Bombers came back to life against the Houston Astros.  In game 1 of the interleague series, Andy Pettitte continued his dominance, allowing two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings pitched.  It was the first time Pettitte had faced his former team since returning to the Bronx prior to the 2008 season.

The Yankees bats had a revival in the final two games of the series, putting a nine spot on the board in each contest. In Saturday’s game, Derek Jeter went 2 for 4 with two homers and four RBI.  The Captain’s performance wasn’t the only big offensive outburst. Jorge Posada went 2 for 3 and hit a grand slam in the Bombers 9-3 win.

The Yankees and especially Posada were not done yet.  In the last game of the series, Posada, who caught his first game since May 16, hit another grand slam.  The Yankees beat Houston 9-5 and helped Phil Hughes win his ninth game of the season despite a rough outing.

Pinstriped Positives:

Javier Vazquez is finally starting to pull himself together and show people why the Yankees gave him a second chance.  In his last three starts Vazquez has allowed six earned run in 21 innings (2.45 ERA).

Andy Pettitte continues to amaze people in the baseball world.  In his last 10 games the Yankees pitcher is 7-1 with a 2.77 ERA. The win over Houston was his 200^thas a Yankee.  If he keeps at this pace maybe a Cy Young award will be his next achievement.

Posada had struggled since his return from the DL, hitting just .194 in 11 games.  However, as all Yankee fans saw against the Astros his bat came alive with four hits in nine at-bats. That, of course, included the pair of grand slams. Posada became the first Yankees since Bill Dickey 1937 to hit slams in consecutive games.

Negatives:

Unfortunately for the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez had to leave the finale of the Orioles series in the first inning.  A-Rod was pulled due to tightness in his right groin, which was later diagnosed as hip flexor tendonitis.  It caused the slugger to miss the entire Houston series, but it should not cause a trip to the DL.  On the bright side, doctors determined the injury was not linked to last year’s serious hip injury and surgery.

AJ Burnett has been struggling as of late. Over his last three starts, Burnett went 1-2 with a 4.90 ERA and saw his season ERA jump from 3.28 to 3.86.  Hopefully for Yankee fans he pulls himself together in time for his next start which will be against the Phillies.

What’s Next:

The Yankees are now tied with the Tampa Rays for the lead in the AL East and will need to keep their hot streak going in order to pass them.  The Yankees have a very important six game home stretch against two former World Series opponents, the Philadelphia Phillies and the cross-town rival New York Mets.

John Fetter recently joined Baseball Digest as a New York Yankees contributor.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

Drew Sarver contributed to this report.

6/1–6/6  Record: 4-2

2010 Season record: 35-22

The Bombers continued their push to catch the AL East division leading Tampa Bay Rays, while displaying their ability to out pitch and out hit their opponents.

The Yankees pitching really stepped up allowing more than three runs only once in six games and twice held their opponents to a single run.  As a result, the Yankees outscored their opponents 25-17 and drew closer to catching the Rays.

The star pitcher for the Yankees over the six game stretch was the most unlikely one, Javier Vazquez.  In his first outing against Baltimore the Yankees recorded a 3-1 victory.  Vazquez went seven innings and allowed only one run while striking out seven batters.

In a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays, Vazquez took his game to another level.  He allowed two runs in seven innings, struck out nine batters and did not allow a hit until the 6^th inning.  It was an especially huge performance after the Yankees dropped the first game of the two game series with Toronto.

The Yankees’ great pitching performances were not limited to Vazquez’s dominance.  Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte continued their all-star caliber seasons.  Hughes shut down the Orioles,  allowing one run while tallying seven strikeouts over seven innings.  The Yankees offense rewarded him with a 9-1 victory over Baltimore.

Pettitte continued to remind the baseball world that he’s still got it.  Against the powerful Blue Jays offense, Pettitte struck out 10  and allowed two runs over seven and two-third innings.  However, the Yanks lost the game by a score of 3-2.  The game ended in exciting fashion for Jays’ fans, when in the 14^th inning Edwin Encarnacion scored on Aaron Hill’s walk-off RBI single.

After suffering through a slump in mid May, the Yankees have rebounded and went from disappearing out of the Rays rear view mirror to being only a couple of games back in the AL East.  The Yanks swept the three game series with the Orioles before they lost two out of three to the power fused Jays.  If not for a lack of clutch hitting, the Yankees might very well have taken the series from the Jays as well.

Pinstriped Positives:

In other good news, CC Sabathia broke a string of bad starts and pitched very well against the Orioles leading the Yanks to a 6-3 victory. Sabathia went seven innings and struck out seven while holding Baltimore to three runs.

The positive news for the Yankees wasn’t only limited to on field performances.  Long time catcher Jorge Posada made his return to the everyday lineup on June 2^nd.  Posada went 1 for 3 as the DH in that game, which was a win against the Orioles.  Even though he is back from the DL, manager Joe Girardi said that the Yankees are going to take it easy with Posada and that he will need medical clearance before he puts Posada back behind the plate.  Until then the Yankees skipper is going to keep Posada as his every day DH.

Negatives:

Even though the Bombers had a great week there was still some bad news.  Francisco Cervelli’s slump seems to be getting worse.  In the two series this week Cervelli had 1 hit in 17 ABs.  The catcher’s season average has now dropped below .300 and sits at .282.   Playing every day has clearly begun to take a toll.

A.J. Burnett has pitched very well this season and could possibly pitch in the all-star game.   But against the Blue Jays, Burnett struggled with his control and suffered through a rough performance.  Jose Bautista smashed a pair of home runs and the Blue Jays’ offense tagged Burnett for six runs in six innings of work.

The last bit of negative news comes from last year’s big addition, Mark Teixeira.  The usually powerful bat of Teixeira has  really been slumping this season.  Teixeira went 3 for 24 over the past six games and his slow start is now turning into a very disappointing first half of the season.  The first baseman is hitting .184 in his last 10 games and his season average has dropped to .211.

What’s Next:

In the upcoming week the Yankees will be facing two of the leagues worst teams.  First they will travel to Baltimore for a three game series against the last place Orioles.

Then the Yankees will be back in Yankee Stadium to open up the second round of interleague play with a three game series against the lowly Houston Astros.

Meanwhile, the AL East leading Tampa Rays will be at home for six games this week as they take on the Blue Jays and the Florida Marlins.

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John Fetter recently joined Baseball Digest as a New York Yankees contributor.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

5/24–5/31 Record: 5-2

2010 Season record: 31-20

The Yankees were able to turn it around last week and stopped their May slump.  Timely hitting, clutch pitching and great defensive play were the keys to the Yankees success.    The Yanks outscored their opponents 43-30 for the week, with the pitching staff holding opponents to three or less runs in all five of the team’s wins.

The Yankees dominant pitching opened up the week by shutting out the underrated Twins offense in a game that was completed over the span of two days due to rain.  In the team’s first trip to the new Target Field, A.J. Burnett and four relievers limited the Twins to six hits and Derek Jeter provided the game’s lone run with a solo home run.  The Bombers followed that up by holding Minnesota to a pair of runs as Nick Swisher homered in the 9th for a 3-2 Yankees win.

After dropping the finale of the three game series to the AL Central leading Twins, the Bombers took on the Cleveland Indians in a four game Memorial Day Weekend series at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees’ bats exploded in the four game series out scoring the Tribe 37-20.   Red hot Robinson Cano belted a grand slam in the opener, an 8-2 win, to back an outstanding effort by Phil Hughes.

The Yankees poured more runs on the board on Saturday, but a shaky CC Sabathia and an even shakier bullpen led to a 13-11 loss.  The Yankees bounced back though to take the final two games of the series.

A.J. Burnett was outstanding and Mark Teixeira provided the late innings heroics as the Pinstripes rallied for a 7-3 win on Sunday.  Andy Pettitte followed that up on Monday with his seventh win as the Yankees rolled to an 11-2 victory.

Pinstriped Positives:

The week’s positives were not only limited to the win and loss columns.  The Yankees got a little healthier when they welcomed outfielder Curtis Granderson back into the lineup on May 28.  Granderson got back into the swing of things immediately and had a multi hit game in the series finale against Cleveland.

On another positive note, second baseman Robinson Cano continued to light the league up with his bat.  Cano collected six multi-hit games this week including two 3-hit games.  That helped raise his batting average to .366, trailing only Justin Morneau’s .374 mark.

The Captain also wielded a hot bat collecting six multi-hit games during the week.  As a result, Derek Jeter raised his batting average back over .300 for the season.

Out on the mound, Andy Pettitte continued his dominant season by only allowing three runs in two starts. That included a strong eight inning performance against the Twins in which he allowed only two runs.  Pettitte continues to have the season of his life, going 7-1 in 10 starts with an ERA of 2.48.

The Negatives:

Even though the Bombers looked great this week there were still some low points.  Javier Vazquez continued to be a sore spot for the Yanks.  After a great start against the Mets, Vazquez went back to his old, spotty self against the Twins and gave up 5 runs in 5.2 innings pitched.  Vazquez continued to show the Yankees that he is inconsistent at best.

Francisco Cervelli has come back down to Earth recently.  He hasn’t had more than one hit in a game in over a week.  Cervelli hit a measly .212 in his last 10 games and his season average has dropped to .311 as a result.

What’s Next:

The Yankees have a 3-game series against the lowly Baltimore Orioles and the up-and-coming Blue Jays this week and need to continue playing well if they want to keep gaining on the Rays.

The Big Bad Rays have a two game set against the Blue Jays and a 3-game series against the AL West leading Texas Rangers and are looking to stop their own slump.  The Rays are currently only 2.5 games ahead of the Yankees and things are beginning to get interesting, keep watching Yankee fans.

* * *
John Fetter recently joined Baseball Digest as a New York Yankees contributor.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

Here’s how it works:  If a fan purchase a player-specific item this week, say a Derek Jeter signed ball or Ike Davis signed photograph, and that player hits a home run on Saturday, the item is free.  If not, you pay regular price.

Right now, the matchup looks like a tough one for fans looking for home runs.  The two teams’ top young pitchers, Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey, who have combined to allow just three home runs all year, are scheduled to square off on Saturday, and Citi Field has so far been stingy in allowing the long ball, although less so than last year.

Jeff Francoeur signed baseball

Active players on the Mets with the most home runs against the Yankees are David Wright, 7; Rod Barajas, 7; Jason Bay, 4; and Jose Reyes, 3.  Yankees who have hit the most out vs. the Mets include Jeter, 13; Jorge Posada, 12; Alex Rodriguez, 10; Mark Teixeira, 5, and Robinson Cano, 5.

Fans are encouraged to place their orders under the following guidelines: Orders must be placed prior to first pitch on Saturday, May 22, 2010 (approximately 7:10 p.m. ET).  All sales are final, even if a particular player doesn’t appear in the game.  The standard 30-day return policy does not apply.  Game used or Yankee Stadium demolition items do not apply.  This promotion cannot be combined with any other offer and is only valid on new orders placed between Monday, May 17, at 10 a.m. and Saturday, May 22, at 7 p.m.  Should multiple players appear on a single piece, all players must hit a home run to qualify.  Limit of three items per customer.

Quality Starts

Braves at Cardinals: Pitch Derek Lowe & Pitch Chris Carpenter

A solid pitching match up tonight in St. Louis and I recommend starting both Lowe and Carpenter. Lowe’s 5.24 ERA is no laughing matter, however the Atlanta Heyward’s win contests that Lowe starts.

Indians at Angels: Pitch Mitch Tolbert & Ditch Joe Saunders

Tolbert is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA this season against the Tigers, White Sox and Twins.  We may be on the cusp of a breakout season especially with Tolbert giving the business to strong offensive ball clubs.  If he silences the Angels tonight at home, snag him out of the abyss quickly because he will be active on another roster come sunrise.

Innings Eaters

Phillies at Giants:  Ditch Jamie Moyer & Ditch Todd Wellemyer

Padres at Marlins: Pitch Jon Garland & Pitch Anibal Sanchez

Diamondback at Rockies:  Pitch Edwin Jackson & Pitch Ubaldo Jimenez

Mariners at Royals:  Pitch Ian Snell & Pitch Zach Greinke

Pirates at Brewers:  Ditch Jeff Karstens & Pitch Randy Wolf

National at Cubs:  Pitch Livan Hernandez & Pitch Tom Gorzelanny

White Sox at Rangers:  Ditch Mark Buerhle & Pitch CJ Wilson

Dodgers at Mets:  Pitch Charlie Haeger & Pitch Oliver Perez

Red Sox at Blue Jays:  Pitch Clay Buchholz & Pitch Shaun Marcum

Twins at Tigers:  Pitch Francisco Liriano & Pitch Justin Verlander

Yankees at O’s:  Pitch Phil Hughes & Ditch Shaun Marcum

Jay Ferraro is the Executive Producer of Baseball Digest LIVE and Gotham Baseball LIVE.  He is also the Fantasy Editor for Baseballdigest.com as well as a columnist for Baseball Digest Magazine and Assignment Editor for Gothambaseball.com. You can reach him at Jay_Ferraro@Juno.com , follow him on Twitter , add him on Facebook and check out his Official Website.

Quality Starts

Texas at Boston: Ditch Matt Harrison & Pitch Josh Beckett

Harrison has dazzled this season with a 1.38 ERA against the Mariners and Indians. However, he only has 7 K’s to show for it, no wins and in Fenway park starters need an out pitch to be successful. Beckett is a bull dog and will have no trouble with the Rangers today.

Yankees at A’s: Pitch Phil Hughes & Ditch Ben Sheets

A fool would start anyone but a ace against murders row and Ben Sheets is no longer said ace. I realize his last start left owners giddy verses the O’s, but every pitcher in major league baseball has handled the O’s. The A’s offense is extremely weak and look for Hughes to over power them today with his new and improve changeup.

Innings Eaters

O’s at Mariners:  Pitch Kevin Millwood & Pitch The King

Tigers at Angels:  Ditch Jeremy Bonderman & Pitch Jered Weaver

Rays at White Sox:  Pitch Wade Davis & Pitch Mark Buehrle

For the rest of the days pitching matchups, tune into Baseball Digest LIVE today from 11am-1pm EST.

Please click the link to listen live or to past shows:  Baseball Digest LIVE

Jay Ferraro is the Executive Producer of Baseball Digest LIVE and Gotham Baseball LIVE.  He is also the Fantasy Editor for Baseballdigest.com as well as a columnist for Baseball Digest Magazine and Gothambaseball.com. You can reach him at Jay_Ferraro@Juno.com , follow him on Twitter and add him on Facebook.

With players such as Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Brett Gardner now entrenched in the major leagues the Yankees now have the task of replacing them in the system. In addition the trades the Yankees have made this past off season sent two of their top prospects to other teams in order to strengthen the big club.

It was an up and down year for the Yankees in the minor leagues as several of their top players experienced injuries such as Dellin Betances, Jairo Heredia, and Jesus Montero. Former first round pick Andrew Brackman struggled in his first professional season but found success at the end of the season out of the bullpen. Others however emerged such as the young Jose A. Ramirez who ended the year on the NY-Penn League championship roster of the Staten Island Yankees.

1. Jesus Montero – Young, big, and powerful are three words that can best describe catching prospect Jesus Montero who comes as no surprise to be number one on our New York Yankees top prospect list. The 6 foot 4 inch 225 pound right handed slugger has impressed at every level he has competed at.
2. Austin Romine – Coming in right behind the slugging Jesus Montero is the best defensive catcher in the organization in the form of Austin Romine. The Yankees selected the 21 year old catcher in the second round of the 2007 First-Year Player draft out of high school and made his professional debut later that season appearing in just one game where he went 1 for 2 with a RBI for the Gulf Coast Yankees.
3. Manny Banuelos – Probably the best left-handed pitching prospect the New York Yankees have developed since current Yankee Andy Pettite. Manny Banuelos was neck and neck with Arodys Vizcaino for the title of best pitching prospect in the Yankees organization but a trade solved that debate.
4. Slade Heathcott – One of the two members of the 2009 First-Year Draft class who made our Top 10 prospect list is outfielder Slade Heathcott. Although he appeared in only 3 games during the season with the Gulf Coast Yankees.
5. 

   Zach McAllister pitching for the Trenton Thunder - Photo Credit: Robert M. Pimpsner

   Zach McAllister – Zach McAllister was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 3^rd round ove the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and made his professional debut later that season as a piggyback starter with fellow draft pick Dellin Betances.

6. JR Murphy – John R. Murphy is the second member of the 2009 Draft class to be named to the Top 10 Prospects. Murphy was selected in the second round of the draft out of high school. The 6foot 190 pound catcher then made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Yankees where he hit .333 in 9 games with a homerun, a double and 7 RBIs.
7. Andrew Brackman – As a former two-sport athlete in college the towering Andrew Brackman never has been through the regular off-season training routine that typical pitchers went through, in addition sitting out a season due to Tommy John surgery he did not have his best stuff in 2009, but the Yankees still liked what they saw from his development.
8. Wilkins DeLaRosa – Originally signed as a right fielder with a killer arm DeLaRosa’s bat was not able to come around and the Yankees moved him to the mound in 2007.
9. Jeremy Bleich – Selected in the supplemental round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft the left-handed pitching Jeremy Bleich made his professional debut pitching 3 innings allowing 2 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 4 for the Staten Island Yankees in September of that season.
10. Ivan Nova – Ivan Nova is a guy that Yankees fans could see sometime soon in the Bronx. The young right hander signed on July 15, 2004 as an International Free Agent and then made his United States debut in 2006 with the Gulf Coast Yankees.

Other Names to Know

Beyond the top ten prospects are several players that could break into the list next year such as right-handers Jose A. Ramirez, DJ Mitchell, Christian Garcia and Hector Noesi. That latter was added to the 40-man roster this past off-season. Infielders Bradley Suttle and Corban Joseph are also names to follow in the minors. Newly signed catcher Gary Sanchez has yet to get into a game but could be on the list next season after making his professional debut. In addition the young Kyle Higashioka has the ability to be great defensive catcher as well as become a good hitter.

Check back throughout the week as we take a closer look at the Top 10 New York Yankees Prospects

At first glance, this signing looks like an incredible pickup for the Red Sox. In 2009, Lackey pitched well against all of the AL East teams except for the Tampa Bay Rays. In his career, he has pitched well against the AL East and interleague teams. Lackey will join Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka to top off the first four spots in the rotation.

Even Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe cannot ignore this impact signing has in the arms battle with the New York Yankees.

A rotation of Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka and either Clay Buchholz or Tim Wakefield would be better than what the Yankees have right now in CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, TBA, TBA.

While Abraham’s assessment discounts the real possibility that Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes will continue to develope and improve, the reality is the Red Sox rotation is now stacked with pitchers who have shown the ability to succeed for full seasons and continue that success in the postseason.

The biggest concern for John Lackey’s 5 year deal with Boston is probably with his health. Lackey started each of the last two seasons on the disabled list, but avoided the DL once in the rotation. He made 24 starts in 2008 and 27 in 2009.

The question that arises now, with the Mike Lowell to Texas trade potentially hitting a snag due to Lowell’s thumb injury, will Clay Buchholz become expedible in hopes of acquiring a third baseman to fill Lowell’s shoes? How 43 year old Tim Wakefield responds to back surgery could play a role in Buchholz’s future in Boston as well.

After a relatively quiet Winter Meetings for Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox, it seems Christmas has come early for Red Sox fans!

It is that time of the year again. The World Series is over, awards are being handed out and before you know it, pitchers and catchers will be reporting.

For the next eight weeks, we will be taking a quick look inside each division and will address the offseason outlook for each of those teams. First up, the American League East.

NEW YORK YANKEES:

Well, what more could you really want? They just won their 27th World Series, while leading the majors in wins and $100 million contracts. The season was a gigantic success, even if they did pay top dollar for it. “If it aint broke, don’t fix it”, right? Well, sort of. There are several issues that will need to be addressed in the offseason.

For starters (pun intended), as nostalgic as it may have been to see Andy Pettitte succeed in the post-season once again, one has to wonder whether his time is almost up. He was great in April and August, but was below average for most of the 2009 season. At 37 years old, he can hardly be considered a mainstay in a World Series-caliber rotation. Loyalty can only be stretched so far and I am not sure that I consider bringing back a 37-year old starter in the twilight of his career a smart move. Expect the Yankees to be at the forefront of the John Lackey and Aroldis Chapman bidding wars and heavily involved in trade talks with the Blue Jays regarding Roy Halladay.

Enough is enough. “Joba-rules” has even been referenced on Chamberlain’s Wikipedia page, and I can’t take it anymore. Take the kid off the leash. He clearly lost a bit of confidence towards the end of 2009 and it seems the pitch-counts did more harm than good. Phil Hughes’ role is another situation that needs to be worked out prior to April. A trade to the Blue Jays could resolve the issue for the Yankees, but assuming he remains in the Bronx, is his effectiveness in the bullpen going to keep him out of the rotation yet again? Or better yet, can the Yankees afford to give him a rotation spot? If they are able to acquire another top-of-the-rotation starter, I think they have to keep him in the late-innings role he was so successful in during the 2009 season.

Lastly, the Yankees are going to be very active in the free-agent outfielder market. They have to be. As great as their lineup was in 2009, Melky Cabrera was very inconsistent and Brett Gardner is a one-trick pony. Re-signing a 36-year old Johnny Damon isn’t exactly the best-case scenario. He is primed to earn one last big contract after resilient 2009, and it would be tough to expect a positive return on investment beyond 2010 as his age catches up with him. You can bet Scott Boras is going to milk as much out of Damon’s 2009 season as he can and I believe the Yankees would be foolish to pay that type of premium.

BOSTON REDSOX:

Boston’s season was largely a disappointment, but there were a few positives to make note of. For one, Jon Lester has officially established himself as one of the top starters in the A.L.. From June on he was one of the most dominant pitchers in all the majors. Take this comparison into consideration.

June through September:

Player A: 8-7, 147 IP, 2.76 ERA, 154 Ks
Player B: 11-3, 138 IP, 2.34 ERA, 151 Ks

What would you say if I told you that one of these players won the A.L. Cy Young Award on Tuesday? Well, you probably wouldn’t be too shocked. However, what if I told you that Player B is Jon Lester? Now that is shocking.

Another pleasant surprise of 2009 was the way Jason Bay fully acclimated himself in front of the “Green Monster”. Bay did about as much as he could to guarantee himself the largest payday of his career, posting career-highs in HRs (36) and RBI (119). In addition to the power production, Bay registered an on-base percentage of .384 and walked 94 times. The highest either of those numbers had been since 2006. The Sox are expected to make a big push for one of the two big-name free agent outfielders (Bay and Matt Holliday), but the fact that Bay has already demonstrated his ability to deliver in a market like Boston should swing the Red Sox interest his way. They are going to have to reach deep down into their wallet for either one of them, so they might as well write the check to the guy who has already proven his worth to the organization.

One of the few glaring concerns the Red Sox have heading into the offseason is what they are going to do about the shortstop position. The Sox declined their $6M option on Alex Gonzalez and Jed Lowrie is clearly not the answer. There also isn’t anyone in the minors even remotely close to successfully occupying the position on an everyday basis. They could bring back Gonzalez at a discounted rate or they could not-so-shockingly gut the farm system to bring back Hanley Ramirez. At this point the Sox intentions are anyone’s guess, but they do have the pop in their lineup to reserve the position for a defensively superior player like Gonzalez. I have a tendency to think they may want to think long-term at shortstop and Alex Gonzalez will be 33 when pitchers and catchers report.

“The Kids Are Alright”. Lester, as mentioned above, is turning into one of the best lefties in the game. Josh Beckett ran into some rough patches throughout the year and he is again giving up too many HRs, but he remains an ace in his own right. Even Clay Buchholz rebounded nicely in the second half of the season. However, Tim Wakefield’s body continues to grow more brittle by the day and although Daisuke Matsuzaka seemed to pitch with considerably more conviction towards the end of the season, he really can’t be trusted to deliver quality starts on a consistent basis. The Red Sox will almost certainly want to explore the possibility of acquiring another top-flight starter, and whether they go after John Lackey, Roy Halladay or even Rich Harden, one thing is for certain. The Red Sox have always understood that depth at the front of the rotation is a must for a World Series run and the defending champion New York Yankees will likely be stocking up once again.

Offseason Outlook: A.L. EAST (Part 2) will cover the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles later this week.

Down 3-0, Alex Rodriguez, hitless to that point, got the Yankees on the board in the 4th when he lined a 2-run home run off a televsion camera near the right field corner.  Originally ruled as being in play, the umpires conferred and went to replay to confirm the call (Fox’s Joe Buck continued to call rhe replay inconclusive the rest of the night).

Pettitte helped out his own cause with a game tying single an inning later and Johnny Damon put the Yankees ahead for a good with a 2-run double in the same frame.

Nick Swisher, who snapped out of a 4-35 skid with a double, added a solo home run in the 6th and Hideki Matsui added some insurance with a pinch-hit solo shot in the 8th inning.

Pettitte started out shaky and the Phillies took advantage.  Jayson Werth hit the first of two home runs  in the 2nd inning and the Phillies added two more when Pettitte walked Jimmy Rollins with the bases loaded and Shane Victorino followed with a sac fly.

But Pettitte settled down through the middle innings.  He dominated the dangerous left-handed trio of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez.  Howard, in fact, has gone 0-8 with seven strikeouts in the last two games.

Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte, of all people, retired all six batters they faced to build the bridge to the 9th.  Joe Girardi decided to go with Phil Hughes, but after retiring the first batter, Hughes gave up a solo shot to Carlos Ruiz to make it a 3-run deficit.  On came Mariano Rivera, who needed just five pitches to close the ball game out and give the Yankees their first series lead.

Series Notes

Pettitte’s RBI was the first game tying RBI by a Yankee pitcher since Jim Bouton during the 1964 series.  Pettitte, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera became the first trio to play in a World Series together 13 years apart.  Pretty cool.

Hideki Matsui’s home run was ironic in that it was the first one he hit to the opposite field all season.

People are still marveling over the performance by A.J. Burnett in Game 2.  Burnett has heard all the praise – plus fastball, wicked movement on breaking pitches, among the bestcurveballs in the game.  He’s also heard all the negative- no heart, empty head, bad attitude.  Burnett shook off the latter and a slow start and dominated thePhillies hitters for seven innings.  It was actually surprising that Girardi didn’t send him out for the 8th inning so that Rivera wouldn’t have to go for a six out save.

CC Sabathia faces Joe Blanton tonight in Game 4.  Sabathia will be working on three days rest for the second time in the post-season.  Burnett is scheduled to face Game 1 winner Cliff Lee in Monday night’s Game 5.

The Yankees hitters were off balance all night as CC Sabathia did his best to keep his team in the game. Despite not having his best stuff or control, the big man allowed just two runs, both Chase Utley solo home runs, in seven innings of work.

The Phillies scratched across four more against a suddenly very shakey Yankees bullpen. Phil Hughes, David Robertson, and Brian Bruney were chief among those who didn’t get their job done.

The Yankees had never been shut out in the opening game of a series, but nearly were last night. They got a run in the 9th, in part thanks to a Jimmy Rollins throwing error. It snapped a streak of 17 scoreless innings by the Yankees in World Series play (they had been shut out by Josh Beckett in the final game of the 2003 series).

Chase Utley joined Babe Ruth as the only left-handed hitters to have a 2-HR game against a left-handed pitcher. The Bambino accomplished the feat against the Cardinals in 1928.

The Yankees and Andy Pettitte trailed Carl Pavano and the Twins 1-0 after six innings.  That’s right, the former “American Idle” had blanked the Bombers on just two hits up to that point.  Pettitte was nearly Pavano’s equal, having not allowed a base runner through four innings, and just one earned run and three hits.  That’s when the Yankees newest Mr. October, at least for round one round of the playoffs, struck.

Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with out in the 7th and drilled a 3-2 fastball high atop the wall in right-center field for a game tying home run.  In seven career post season game against the Twins, Rodriguez has now driven in nine runs. Pavano bounced back to strike out Hideki Matsui for the inning’s second out, but Jorge Posada went the opposite way for a solo home run to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

The Yankees bullpen then took over as Pettitte exited with one out in the bottom of the 7th. Joba Chamberalin allowed a double to Delmon Young, but retired Brendan Harris and Jose Morales to preserve the lead.  Phil Hughes would need a little luck in the 8th inning to do the same.

Nick Punto doubled to lead off the inning and Denard Span followed with a bouncer back up the middle.  Derek Jeter cut the ball off, but had no play on Span at first.  But the Captain alertly spun and threw home to keep Punto at third.  He did more than just that.  Punto had gone half way down the line and was now caught in between.  He scurried back to third but Posada’s throw beat him to the bag and A-Rod applied the rally crushing tag.  Instead of runners on the corners with no one out, the Twins merely had a man on first with one out.  Ron Gardenhire, hands a top his head in frustration, looked on in exasperation, his team having run themselves out of another potential big inning.

Hughes retired Orlando Cabrera for the second out and Joe Girardi sent for Mariano Rivera to face Joe Mauer.  Rivera shattered Mauer’s bat as the soon to be AL MVP grounded out meekly to Mark Teixeira for the final out of the inning.

Posada and Robinson Cano added RBI singles in the 9th and, after allowing a lead off single to Michael Cuddyer, Rivera retired the next three batters for a four-out save and sent the Yankees back to the ALCS for the first time since 2004.

Series Notes

Alex Rodriguez was 5-11 (.455) with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in the series.

The Yankees three starting pitchers – CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte combined to allow three earned runs in 19 innings.

Johnny Damon was just 1-12 in the series and swung and missed his way to the “Golden Sombrero” in Game 3.  It comes on the heels of a 22-89 (.247) last month of the season.

Andy Pettitte tied John Smoltz for the most career post season wins with 15.

Joe Mauer was 5-12 (.417) with two walks, but his RBI in Game 3 was his only one in the series.