BaseballDigest.com aims to keep up that tradition.  This season, we bring you a Report Card on each team in Major League Baseball from writers that cover that team directly.  At the bottom of each write up, you will find the writer’s name, website, and any other pertinent information.  

The New York Yankees finished with the best record in the American League last season and it’s hard to imagine giving them a report card with less than straight A’s. But expectations in New York are not to just reach the playoffs each year, but to win the whole shebang from year to year. Anything less is a huge disappointment. Since a title every season is impossible, let’s be realistic and take this team apart and see how they really fared for 2011.

Starting Pitching – B-
Remember the panic in Yankee land last year over the failure to sign Cliff Lee combined with the retirement of Andy Pettitte? The Yankees were seen to be entering 2011 with huge question marks in their rotation. But somehow it all worked. C.C. Sabathia faded at the end of the season, but had another dominant year. Ivan Nova opened a lot of eyes, particularly after a brief minor league banishment and arguments can be made that he was their best pitcher down the stretch.

A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes were huge disappointments. The former has become the most hated Yankee in quite a while. Hughes entered the season with a mysterious loss of velocity and only mildly recovered late in the season. Fingers in the dike were provided by the unlikely duo of Freddie Garcia and Bartolo Colon. Garcia’s solid pitching lasted all season while Colon faded in the second half.

Overall, the Yankees finished third in the AL in runs allowed but below average in quality starts and pitches thrown per start. They finished only average as a rotation in average game score and just slightly above average in no decisions.

Relief Pitcing – A
The bullpen was one of the real strengths of the 2011 Yankees. Mariano Rivera continues to defy time and had another great season. David Robertson became the eighth inning guy and no one in the game was better. Robertson allows a lot of base runners, but never gave up runs. And his Houdini acts getting out of bases loaded jams became legendary.  Cory Wade was basically stolen from the Tampa Bay Rays in a waiver pick up and became a valuable bullpen option and Luis Ayala had a surprisingly effective season. The Yankees counted on Joba Chamberlain who ended up needing Tommy John surgery, but they didn’t miss him at all. Rafael Soriano, a last minute pickup by those over Brian Cashman’s head proved disappointing.

Soriano aside, the bullpen was fantastic. They were second in the American League in save percentage, first in inherited runners scoring and led the AL in holds.  And the bullpen accomplished all that by entering games with the highest leverage index in the American League.

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Catching – C+
Russell Martin took over in 2011 from Jorge Posada as Posada had become an extreme defensive liability behind the plate. Martin finished in the middle of the pack of major league catchers as far as Fangraphs evaluation goes, but he was rated fourth in fielding among all major league catchers and was the second best catcher on the base paths.  As for his offense, he started hot, went completely cold and then finished okay. He hit into way too many double plays, but that seems to be a catcher staple.

Francisco Cervelli had a better offensive year as the Yankee back up but his defense regressed completely. The Yankees are stacked for catching talent in the minors and it’s hard to imagine Cervelli filling this role for long.

The Infield – A-
There is a lot of money invested in this infield and they earned it this past season. After a slow start, Derek Jeter finished strong in the second half. Robinson Cano has become one of the most feared hitters in baseball and Mark Teixeira, despite a falling batting average, still drives in a lot of runs and hits a lot of homers all while playing spectacular ball around the first base bag.

Alex Rodriguez had health problems all season, but when he was in there, played excellent defense and even with all his time missed, was one of the most valuable third basemen in baseball. The time he missed exposed Yankee problems on the bench. Eduardo Nunez and Eric Chavez started hot at the plate but faded terribly after that. Chavez was decent with the glove but Nunez was dreadful. Between the back ups and the lack of range shown by Jeter and Cano up the middle, a perfect A can’t be delivered here.

The Outfield – A
What’s not to like about the Yankee outfield? Nick Swisher is underrated in his offensive contributions and has become a good right fielder. Brett Gardner led all of baseball in defensive runs saved and stole over forty bases. He only needs to get on base more consistently to become one of the best outfielders in the league. And what can you say about Curtis Granderson? The guy had a MVP –type season and carried the team early and often. His defensive numbers were probably hurt a bit by how far Gardner ranges in left and seems, at least to the faulty naked eyes to be solid in center.

Andruw Jones is a shadow of his former self, but still turned around some fastballs and plays capable defense in the corners as a backup.

Designated Hitter – C-
The DH was reserved for Jorge Posada to cover the last year of his contract. He had a woeful start and never did hit left-handed pitchers well. But he finished strong down the stretch. The Yankees like to use the DH as a rest stop for their older players and did so with mixed results. This position in the lineup certainly wasn’t one of the Yankees’ strengths.

Team MVP
The team MVP has to go to Curtis Granderson. He blew the league away in runs scored despite a so-so batting average. His production via homers and other extra base hits added up to 7.0 fWAR and places him just above Robinson Cano for MVP honors. But Cano is really what makes this offense go, so it’s hard to separate the two.

Best Pitcher
C.C. Sabathia has few equals in baseball never mind on his own team. Ivan Nova would garner second place votes and Rivera and Robertson tie for third.

William J. Tasker has written as the Flagrant Fan on his own site since 2003. A proud member of Yardbarker and the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, Tasker’s work has been featured often on Foxsports.com/MLB in that site’s Best of Yardbarker category. Tasker can be found daily on Twitter @FlagrantFan and irregularly on his FlagrantFan Facebook page. Tasker currently serves as the president of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance General Chapter.

Two questions crossed most observers minds. What is wrong with the much-hyped phenom and will he ever be the same again?

The question of course was fair game after the Yankees juggled Joba Chamberlain from the bullpen to starter and back again, thoroughly messing with his head and career.

Few wondered if it was the dramatic increase of innings thrown the previous season when he was brilliant through the first half and merely mortal in the second.

However, with his spot in the rotation secure after a cooking accident by the resurgent Freddy Garcia placed him on the DL, Hughes once again showcased his mastery.

Truth be told, Hughes had already begin to turn the corner two starts prior when facing the Chicago White Sox. His fastball showed the type of zip not seen since the days of him charging out of the bullpen, leaving White Sox hitters defenseless in their attempts to square it up.

He was back to being the Hughes who the Yankees envisioned becoming a No. 1 starter when they drafted him at the ripe old age of 18. Without a set spot in the rotation, Hughes found himself heading out through the bullpen gates to keep the Yankees in the game against the Boston Red Sox.

It seemed to be an audition for Yankees management to see if Hughes would be up to the task if his number were called during the postseason. He failed the test, allowing the Sox to walk-off with the win.

Although the starts he has made since, most especially the one against the Minnesota Twins, an eight-inning, one-run outing where he flat out dominated leaves the Yankees with a few questions to ponder.

Sure Hughes was not beaming the ball through the zone in the mid 90s, but his 92 mph fastball gave the Twins hitters fits. They could not square it up, either just fouling it off or weakly hitting into the field for an easy out.

This outing comes just a few days after Bartolo Colon once again struggled in a start, this time against the lowly Kansas City Royals. Since arriving in camp for Spring Training, Colon was seen as a curiosity by management.

It was a low-risk, high-reward deal and Colon quickly emerged as the teams best pitcher, behind only C.C. Sabathia. The 38-year-olds resurgent season came about from his devastating two-seam fastball which moves the length of the plate, leaving hitters to do nothing but pound it to the ground. However, the results have not been kind of late to Colon.

He has failed to surpass seven innings in his last four starts and has surrendered five runs or more in three of his past eight starts. Colon looks tired on the mound, his fastball doesn’t quite have the bite like earlier this season and he is being forced to work for everything, leaving him with high pitch counts in the early innings.

With the Yankees all but assured of a postseason start, manager Joe Girardi must decide what is best for his team during the playoffs. Which pitcher should he trust?

Does he go with the veteran who looks to be running out of steam or the youngster who has compiled an ERA slightly above one over his past three starts — all wins.

The decision he makes will have a big impact on the outcome of any possible series. It could be the difference between advancing or being eliminated and once again falling short of the ultimate goal — a World Series Championship.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, followed on Twitter @RMLazo13 and read his blog Artificially Enhanced.

Dayan Viciedo, RF, Charlotte Knights, International League, White Sox – Viciedo has raised his average every month since the start of the 2011 season. He finished June hitting .371, 43 hits, nine of them doubles. He’s begun July at an excellent pace. He’s gotten nine hits in his last ten games, hitting .325. July also saw him being selected to play in the Futures Game. Overall, he leads the league with 62 RBI and 16 home runs. Highlight: Hard to choose between the July 1st two-home run-game or the July 7th three-RBI-game.

Michael Maness, RHP, Batavia Muckdogs, New York Penn League, St. Louis Cardinals – Maness has a 0.32 ERA in three starts in July, allowing just 2 earned runs in 28 innings. In four innings of relief he had a 0.oo ERA. Since June 19th he’s walked just three batters. Highlight: On July 1st he went six innings, allowing a run (unearned) a hit, and a walk.

Darin Gorski, LHP, St. Lucie Mets, Florida State League – Gorski has dominated the league all season. He has not had a loss yet and collected 9 wins. He’s also leading the league in strikeouts with 102 and his 1.82 ERA is the FSL lowest. Between June 12th and mid-July he has been a revelation: 9 hits, 10 earned runs, 29 strikeouts in 37 innings. He finished June with a 0.79 ERA. Highlight: A one-hitter on June 27th against the Charlotte Stone Crabs.

Tyler Townsend, 1B, Frederick Keys, Carolina League, Baltimore Orioles – Townsend is on the 7-day DL, but before July 13th he was on an offensive tear. Between June 1st and July 11th he put together a seven-game hit streak. He leads the league with 50 RBI. He’s also collected 23 doubles and 13 home runs. Highlight: On July 9th he had a 3-hit, 4-RBI game. He also hit a home run and drew a walk.

My eye on… Anthony Gose, CF, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Eastern League, Toronto Blue Jays

Gose is putting up good numbers for the Fisher Cats, hitting .256, with 39 RBI and 9 home runs in 88 games this season. 

“I think he’s definitely gotten himself in place to be a better player,” said Fisher Cats manager Sal Fasano. “Defensively he’s doing ok. I think he’s got the potential to be Gold Glove caliber in the outfield. If he can consistently bring it on a day to day basis it can be.”

In a a game in early July, Gose exhibited quick thinking and feet on the bases, laying a bunt down, as well as getting a hit off of Phil Hughes. His speed and ability to use it smartly showed improvement. He appears to be translating his tools into skills.

“He’s gotten better on the bases. I think his getting caught percentage is a lot better than last year,” Fasano said.

Gose is in his first season at the Double-A level and exhibiting good pitch recognition and even better patience at the plate than earlier in the season.

The Yankees had been playing well up to that point, but they hit a wall while facing the Sox. Many thought the Yankees were done, they wouldn’t survive, injuries had taken complete control of the team, but a rebound has been in order.

Since their crippling sweep at the hands of the Red Sox, the Yankees have won eight straight series, going 16-5 over the span, showing why they are among the best teams in baseball. It is a resounding message to the rest of the league for one reason — they are on this streak with replacement players.

The 27-Time World Series Champions have an MLB-leading 11 players on the Disabled List, many of them expected to be major players for the 2011 season. One of the said players is Bartolo Colon.

Colon, expected to be only an insurance policy before Spring Training, has been arguably the team’s best pitcher this season. His ERA of 2.88 is the lowest on the team, made possible with the appearance of a wiffle ball-like two-seam fastball thrown to the four quadrants of the strike zone.

When he suffered a hamstring injury, many expected the Yankees rotation to crumble, especially with the loss of Phil Hughes occurring earlier this season. However, that has not been the case.

As has been the case for everyone on the 25-man roster, others have stepped up when others have gone down. Replacing Colon in the rotation had been Minor League retread, Brian Gordon, plucked from the Phillies farm system.

Gordon, in front of his entire family and a sold-out N.Y. crowd, pitched the game of his life, only allowing one run in five innings of work.

Then, not too long afterwards, Yankees captain Derek Jeter also suffered an injury, this one to the calf, pitting him on the DL. Replacing Jeter in the shortstop role would be Eduardo Nunez, the player whom the Yankees would not part ways with to obtain Cliff Lee last season.

Nunez had more than admirably filled in for Jeter on the offensive end, even surpassing him for output, but the defensive side leaves a lot to be desired. His 14 errors have cost the Yankees some runs that he has had to make up for with his bat.

With Hughes, the former 18-game winner from last season, heading back into the rotation, the Yankees will gain even more reinforcements. The rest of the East better beware.
Standing at 18 games over .500 with replacements at the shortstop position, the pitching staff and bullpen, the Yankees are gaining reinforcements, and ready to take aim at the rest of the league.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer covering the A.L. East for baseballdigest.com. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, and follow him on Twitter @RMLazo13.

Hughes returned to his old stomping grounds in what could be his second to last rehab appearance, pitching 6 1/3 innings and throwing 88 pitches. He worked quickly and smartly, not to mention fearlessly. He pitched to contact, attacking with a quality and consistent fastball and cutter, allowing just 3 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks and struck out 8.

“[My comfort level from last start to this one] was much better. I felt like I was throwing more strikes today. Until the end I was commanding the baseball pretty well. I threw a couple poor changeups and the curveball I couldn’t really command height-wise. But fastball-cutter was pretty good.”

Velocity is the other part of the equation and certainly the most concerning. According to a scout at the game Hughes threw his cutter between 91-93 and reached 94. He consistently threw in the mid-90′s.

Hughes will likely need one more start. But the guy behind the plate has even more confidence in him.

“I think he’s ready [to go back to the big leagues] right now,” said Thunder All-Star catcher Austin Romine. “He was very on top of stuff today. He threw in and out well. Cutters in and out. He said he wanted to work on his curveball today and we got a lot of those in there.

Thunder manager Tony Franklin said in a pre-game interview that they Yankees wanted between 85-90 pitches out of Hughes. Franklin could only speak for himself, but what he saw impressed him.

“My pitcher was extremely good. He looked like he was in very good rhythm with his delivery and his mechanics. I never saw a pitch that missed location by a wide margin. That’s a pretty good indication that he’s staying within his lines. He was very good in New Britain, but his command was probably better here.”

Yankees GM Brian Cashman was in attendance for most of the game. What he came to see, he saw.

Hughes was born in Mission Viejo and was an All-American at Foothill High School in Santa Ana, CA. He capped off his scholastic career with a 9-1, 0.69 mark as a senior and committed to Santa Clara University. But Hughes was selected as the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2004 draft by the New York Yankees and found himself making three appearances in the Gulf Coast League that summer. The 19-yr old spent the 2005 season split between Charleston and Tampa, posting a combined 9-1, 2.19 record with 93 strikeouts in 86.1 innings.

Hughes followed it up with a 12-6, 2.16 record with 168 strikeouts in 146 innings at Tampa and Trenton the following season. Expectations in the Bronx were through the roof and Hughes was ranked as the number two prospect in Baseball America prior to the 2007 season. Hughes started the season at Triple-A Scranton, but was called to make his Major League debut on April 26 against the Toronto Blue Jays and current teammate A.J. Burnett.

Hughes was touched up for a pair of runs in the 1st inning before cruising through the next three frames. But Hughes didn’t make it out of the 5th inning and was charged with four runs in 4.1 innings. The much anticipated debut was less than stellar, but his second time out would be a game to remember in more ways than one.

It was May 1st at the Ballpark in Arlington when Hughes took the mound against the Texas Rangers. Hughes walked the lead off hitter Kenny Lofton, but got a quick double play and a strikeout to end the 1st inning. Except for an additional pair of walks, Hughes tossed zeros through the 6th inning and had not allowed a hit. The Yankees offense had handed Hughes a 9-0 lead as he strode to the mound in the 7th inning. Hughes quickly retired the lead off hitter, Michael Young, and faced future teammate Mark Teixeira. That’s when Hughes’ season turned upside down. Hughes over extended himself in attempt to get more torque on his curve ball and pulled his hamstring. He was done for the night (Hank Blalock broke up the no-hitter with a double off Mike Myers to start the 8th) and would not return to the Major Leagues until August the 4th.

It was a rocky return when Hughes did come back to the Bronx. He was just 1-2, 6.40 in six August starts and struggled with his command. But Hughes once again gave hope for the future with a strong final month of the season (3-0, 2.73 in five starts) and an impressive pair of post-season appearances against the Cleveland Indians, which included a victory in the ALDS. But just when you think things are on the upswing, life can kick you where it hurts.

Hughes would make just eight appearances in 2008 due to a variety of injuries and didn’t win a game. Suddenly many of the expectant fans thought Hughes was done or wouldn’t amount to anything. That he was fragile and another Carl Pavano in the making. It didn’t help matters that fellow rookie Ian Kennedy also struggled and the team didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in a dozen years. But each spring training brings renewal and 2009 would be a re-birth for both Hughes and the Yankees.

With the team in need of bullpen help, the Yankees decided to shift Hughes into a relief role. The now 23-yr old responded with dominance. He struck out 10 batters per nine innings and walked just 2.9 per nine innings. The third year player established himself as the 8th inning man in front of Mariano Rivera and was one of the keys to the Yankees return to the playoffs. Though Hughes personally struggled in the post-season, the Yankees captured their first World Series title in nine years and their 27th overall. Hughes had a magnificent year, but GM Brian Cashman was quick to point out that his former first round pick was still considered a starter and would resume that role in 2010.

Hughes not only returned to a starting role, but had a tremendous first half and made his first All-Star team. He wasn’t as consistent in the second half, perhaps some of his shoulder issues were beginning, but he still finished with an 18-8, 4.19 record and set career highs in innings pitched (176.1) and strikeouts (146). The Yankees makeshift rotation of 2011 has overachieved thus far, but if Hughes can return healthy and throwing hard, the team should be a post-season factor once again.

Also Born On This Date:

Doug Jones (1957 Covina, CA): The pitcher was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Butler University in 1978. He spent 16 seasons in the Major Leagues with all but four of his 846 career appearances coming in relief. Jones career took him to Milwaukee and Cleveland twice, Houston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago (NL), and Oakland. He saved 303 games in his career, currently the 21st highest total in Major League Baseball.  Before Jones retired following the 2000 season, he was named to five All-Star games and finished in the top 15 in MVP voting twice.

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Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Chamberlain, the one-time can’t miss phenom who came up breathing fire in 2007, had seemed to find his niche in the bullpen this season, but this injury will hinder the progress he made. The Yankees tried a formula to make sure arm problems would not plague their young righty, but to no avail.

During his time in the Minors, along with fellow former top prospect Phil Hughes, innings were limited, pitch counts enforced and everything was monitored closely. Once in the bigs, the Yankees enforced the “Joba Rules,” partly because they wanted to protect him and partly because of then manager Joe Torre’s penchant for overusing his relievers.

The rules stated Chamberlain could not throw more than a certain number of pitches per outing nor pitch on back-to-back days. It was the Yankees way to make sure they did everything within their power to protect their investment.

They did the same with Hughes, limiting his innings and only slowly increasing them to prepare his arm for the long haul of a Major League season. However, no matter what the Yankees did, it has not worked.

Hughes has found himself on the disabled list this season following a noticeable drop in velocity — 95 mph to 90 mph — and complaints of arm soreness. Chamberlain suffered a tear in his elbow requiring the elbow reconstruction surgery known as Tommy John, which has a rehab period of 10 to 14 months.

Two top prospects with above average stuff, both following the same plan, yet they both suffered the same fate — arm problems. The Yankees followed a philosophy that is the norm for numerous organizations when it comes to developing arms, but one particular organization has been entirely different and largely successful.

The organization is the Texas Rangers. Once Nolan Ryan, the author of seven no-hitters during his MLB career, took over the reigns as team president, the Rangers had a new philosophy.

Ryan comes from the school of thought that for a pitcher to be successful, they need to pitch — a lot. He does not understand how a pitcher can only be trained to throw six or seven innings a game and then teams wonder why they often suffer injuries.

He says that it’s the equivalent of training a horse to only complete half of a race but then expect him to finish it easily — it won’t happen. Therefore, the Rangers began their transformation in the Minors and slowly implemented their changes on the Major League level.

Thus far the Rangers have seen great results — none of their pitchers have suffered arm injuries and they have been able to throw more pitches and thereby pitch deeper into the game.

Derek Holland, the team’s top lefty, has developed under the system Ryan implemented and has thrived. The 25-year-old has completed almost 300 innings in only 44 career starts, showing the importance of allowing pitchers to throw enough pitches.

However, the Yankees have not changed their philosophy, and down on the farm are the Killer B’s — Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos — who have yet to throw more than five innings in any start for Double A Trenton.

Yet, the Yankees will expect the both of them to not only be top-of-the-rotation starters, but be able to pitch deep into games. Maybe it is time the Yankees learn from their prior mistakes and let the kids pitch.

The Killer B’s have all the promise in the world, both possessing mid 90s fastballs and devastating hooks, but none of that will matter if they suffer arm problems.

There is no tried and true formula for developing arms, but analyzing in simplistic terms — The only way to prepare for a race is to run the equivalent of one. The only way to prepare for pitching in a grueling MLB season is also to throw the equivalent of one.

Perhaps, the Yankees way will finally work out and the Killer B’s will fulfill their promise, or they will be another sobering reality of the volatile world of developing pitchers.

Around the Division:

Baltimore Orioles: Brian Matusz made his return off the disabled list yesterday and suffered through a rough outing. To the average viewer, things did not seem right for the once top prospect. His fastball had lost roughly five miles per hour prior to his injury.

Boston Red Sox: The Sox continued their dominance over the Yankees with yet another sweep in the Bronx. This season is very reminiscent of the 2009 season when the Yankees failed to win a game over their rivals until August.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays won two of three during their series against the Orioles over the weekend as they try to close the gap between them and the first-place Red Sox who have been on a tear as of late.

Toronto Blue Jays: The Jays pitching staff ran into a well-oiled offensive machine over the weekend as they could do nothing to stop the vaunted Red Sox attack. Surrendering games of 16 and 14 runs in the series, the staff will look to rebound once they face the Orioles tomorrow.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com covering the A.L. East. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, followed on Twitter @RMLazo13 and read his blog Artificially Enhanced.

Chamberlain was having a bit of a renaissance this season; not quite as good as his 2007 debut splash, but much more consistent than previous seasons in the pen. With the encouragement of catcher Russell Martin, Chamberlain added his top notch curveball, previously reserved for his time as a starter, to his bullpen repertoire. Until the addition, Chamberlain, like most relievers, was a two-pitch pitcher. (His duo being a fastball and slider, the latter used as his “out pitch”.)

Even with the loss of Phil Hughes (the Yankees actually got some good news today too; Hughes will begin a rehab assignment next week), the starting rotation had exceeded expectations thanks to veterans Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. But the pen was struck a blow in spring training when Pedro Feliciano, signed to be the big guy against left-handers felt something very wrong in his shoulder. The original diagnosis was a rotator cuff strain, but further tests revealed a torn capsule in his shoulder. For now, Feliciano is using physical therapy to avoid surgery, but going under the knife is still a strong possibility. Feliciano’s loss has been magnified by fellow lefty Boone Logan’s inability to retire left-handed hitters this season.

Against general manager Brian Cashman’s wishes, the Yankees signed Rafael Soriano to a three year, $35MM deal. In the past Soriano has had elbow and/or shoulder issues after throwing back to back seasons with heavy workloads. The third time around was not the charm. Elbow ligament inflammation was the call by Dr. Doom, James Andrews, who the Yankees sent Soriano to after team doctors didn’t like the look of an MRI. Soriano is out indefinitely, so you can’t blame Cashman if he runs around yelling, “I told you so” to Randy Levine and Hal Steinbrenner, the two main backers of a Soriano deal.

So where do the Yankees turn now? David Robertson moves into the 8th inning set up role to Mariano Rivera, but then what? Luis Ayala, Lance Pendleton, amd Amaury Sanit aren’t names that inspire a lot of confidence. The Yankees had gotten effective pitching from Hector Noesi, but the Yankees see him as a starter and would really rather have him pitching every fifth day for the Scranton Yankees (Triple-A).  Relief pitching is always at a premium and with so many teams factoring in divisional and wild card races, GM’s aren’t looking to make too many moves right now. Especially to help the Yankees. For now the Yankees will have to look to within the organization to solve their unexpected bullpen weakness.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

It is enough cause for celebration for fans and team members alike after beginning the marathon season with a 34-year-old Venezuelan with diminished stuff holding down the No. 5 spot in the rotation and a rookie holding the No. 4.

Freddy Garcia won the No. 5 spot in the rotation after fending off a very impressive Bartolo Colon during the Spring even though the portly righty had actually out-pitched Garcia. Yankees management said the decision came down to who had the stamina to pitch an entire season and Colon had not stepped on a Major League mound for a two years.

However, after ineffectiveness and then an undiagnosed injury to Phil Hughes, the former 18-game winner from last season, Colon stepped into the rotation. The righty has turned back the clock and is pitching better than his Cy-Young season in 2005.

After not pitching last season and undergoing a controversial elbow procedure, Colon is once again firing the ball in the mid 90s, except this time it is accompanied with otherworldly movement. It can be argued that Colon, who has threw the Yankees first complete game shutout since 2009, has been ace 1A.

Garcia, too, has outperformed expectations. His 3.34 ERA is second on the staff, but he has only four wins to show for his great work on the mound. Even Ivan Nova, the neophyte, has showed enough promise that the Yankees see him as an integral piece for the future.

It helps that the 23-year-old has great poise on the mound to go along with good stuff. His mid 90s fastball is tough to hit in the air, but he does go through some rough patches just like any other young starter. Patience will be a virtue for him and the Yankees.

The question for the Yankees is how long can their good fortune last? Colon and Garcia are not the type of pitchers you expect to count on prior to beginning the season. Except, now the Yankees can not afford them to fall on their face. They need to continue to get exceptional efforts from their staff or else things could get ugly for the 27-time World Series champions.

Concern over how long their pitchers can last has already reached the mind of general manager Brian Cashman. He recently made a statement that he is not comfortable with the team he currently holds, noting areas that could use some improvement.

None of the improvements will occur to the offense, unless it comes from within — the promotion of top hitting prospect Jesus Montero. However, the pitching, if need be, will be scoured for during the next month before the trading deadline.

The trade market looks bleak thus far with only uninspiring options such as Jon Danks — 0-8 thus far on the season — are available. None would be difference makers for a team looking to contend for a championship.

Cashman may need to look no further than down on the farm at his two most prized pitching prospects in Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos. Betances, standing at 6-foot-9, is currently 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA for the Yankees AA affiliate, The Trenton Thunder.

The Grand Street Campus product has been plagued by control issues since he was drafted at 18 years of age in 2006, but has showed an increasing ability to pitch out of trouble. With a blister issue limiting his innings earlier this season, he would not have an innings limit on him if the decision to promote would be in order.

Banuelos, the 20-year-old Mexican native, has also impressed, pitching to a 3-0 record. His control has been spotty, something that has not plagued him before, but his 2.12 ERA speaks for itself. The Yankees would love to see him develop one more season in the Minors before promoting him, but his performance may dictate otherwise.

With Colon and Garcia exceeding expectations and the possibility of them breaking down at any moment, the Yankees need to explore their possible replacements.

The Killer B’s are ready to sting Major League hitters — however, the Yankees hope the old goats can continue to defy father time and help steer the Yankees to the postseason.

Around the Division:

Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles promising start to the season is almost a distant memory now after they have dropped to five games below .500. Manager Buck Showalter knew he was taking over a rebuilding team and the pieces are in place for that to happen.

Boston Red Sox: In his first start off of the DL, John Lackey completed six innings while allowing three runs — a quality start and the Red Sox defeated the Athletics to keep pace with the Yankees. They now are ready to face their rivals in a three-game set that will decide first-place in the division.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays have fallen by the way-side after their climb to the top of the division. After dropping two of three over the weekend to the Seattle Mariners, they are only one game above .500 and are striving to straighten out their current slide.

Toronto Blue Jays: After a series victory over the Orioles, the Jays are now tied with Tampa for third place in the division. They next visit the Kansas City Royals and look for Brandon Morrow to get back on track.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer for BaseballDigest.com. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, followed on Twitter @RMLazo13 and read his blog Artificially Enhanced.

The pitcher — 6-foot-4 right hander, Ivan Nova. Prior to the 2011 season, the Dominican Republic native had all of 10 starts under his belt — each one coming during the last few months of the 2010 campaign.

In his brief tour in the Yankees rotation, the 23-year-old righty had shown flashes of promise, but a maddening inability to get through an order for the third time. In fact, most of his troubles seemed to come in one particular inning — the fifth.

It seemed hitters would catch on to what Nova was trying to do and they would make the adjustment and welcome the youngster into the Majors by knocking him out of the game. However, Yankees management saw enough promise in his right arm to guarantee the youngster a spot in the rotation.

Many within the organization felt if he could keep them in the game while pitching to a 4.50 ERA then he would be doing a great job. After his debacle in Seattle, a game in which he was staked to an early lead only to blow it all away, inflated his ERA to 4.67 — higher than what management envisioned.

Nova is in critical condition of losing his spot in the rotation because the Yankees can no longer afford to have a pitcher learning on the job. They need someone who they can count on to give them length and quality starts each time out, something Nova has struggled to do.

Injured right hander Phil Hughes completed another step in his rehab prior to yesterday’s game by throwing off a mound and did not report any setbacks. Hughes, once healthy, will almost certainly be handed a spot in the rotation.

The 24-year-old righty is already a proven commodity in the Majors and had been coming off of an 18-win campaign last season, one in which he was a member of the American League All-Star team.

Even though Bartolo Colon is the person who replaced the injured Hughes in the rotation, the Yankees can ill-afford to take the portly righty out of their rotation. He has turned back the clock to his Cy-Young award season in 2005 when he won 21 games.

Colon has dominated A.L. lineups by throwing one pitch, a two-seam sinking fastball. Colon’s two-seam fastball is much different than any other pitcher in the bigs, with its left to right movement around six to eight inches and the same on it’s sink, making it tough to square up.

Even Freddy Garcia has proven to be a quality pitcher for the Yankees, using his veteran moxie to confound opposing hitters with changes in speeds and location. With everyone else in the rotation pitching well and two youngsters on the farm in Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos seemingly ready to make the jump, Nova may find himself in Scranton if he does not turn things around.

There’s always a pressure to win every start you make for the Yankees, but Nova’s maddening inconsistency has put his job in jeopardy, making it paramount to impress.

If he doesn’t, the Super Nova will fall — all the way to Scranton.

Around the Division:

Baltimore Orioles: Baltimore’s flirtation with .500 slowly evaporated over the weekend after they dropped three straight contests to the Oakland Athletics. Even normally reliable rookie left hander Zach Britton suffered through a rough outing, taking the loss in the finale. The O’s now sit three games under .500.

Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox continued their winning ways this week and are the first team in the East to reach the 30 win marker. They sit one game ahead of the next closest competitor, the New York Yankees.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays quick march from the basement of the East to the top was short-live as a series split against the Yankees seemed to slow-down the fast-charging Rays. They currently two games behind the division leading Red Sox.

Toronto Blue Jays: The Jays offense has woken up over the past week and is no longer the Jose Bautista show. The entire team contributed in a 13-4 rout against the Chicago White Sox yesterday. They look to continue the hot-swinging and continue their climb towards the top of the division.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer covering the A.L. East for BaseballDigest.com. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, followed on Twitter @RMLazo13 and read his blog Artificially Enhanced.

Jeter, the Yankees’ captain, struggled mightily at the plate last season, seemingly showing a dramatic sign of decline. Most looked past it as a blip on the radar screen of an extraordinary career, but when it came time to negotiating a new deal — the Yankees let it be known they were concerned.

The 17-year-veteran came off of a season in which he posted the lowest batting average of his career — .270 — along with career lows of on base percentage and slugging percentage. Jeter also grounded into numerous double plays, struggling to hit the ball in the air.

General manager Brian Cashman brought up all of these factors in negotiations and even went as far as stating the Yankees reserve the right to change his position if he is no longer adequate. Jeter did not like the public nature of the negotiations, but signed anyway vowing that this season would be different.

Spring Training unveiled a difference in Jeter noticeable to all. He had changed his batting stance, most notably his stride. He stride was non-existent in an effort to get the bat through the zone quicker to compensate for his lost bat speed.

However, two weeks into the season results did not change. Jeter struggled to hit the ball with any authority nor did he have the ability to get around on a good fastball. The changed batting stance was immediately scrapped and he went back to his old one — a stance that has him on the path to Cooperstown.

Sure, Jeter has had an extraordinary career and has been a true-professional — a great ambassador to the game of baseball — but his days as an impact offensive player seems to be numbered.

The Yankees were weary of this happening, but even they did not expect it to happen as soon as this season. Jeter currently possesses a slugging percentage of only .260 and has not been able to hit a ball with any authority to the outfield.

Every swing he takes has resulted in a ground ball, some of which hit so softly that he reached base on infield singles. The best hitters have to be at the top of the order and Jeter no longer should be in the No. 2 hole, no matter what his past credentials are.

The Yankees are a win-now team and in order to have the best chance to win on a daily basis, Jeter should hit lower in the order. It is a situation manager Joe Girardi may not want to deal with, but Jeter being the professional he is should ask for the change to benefit the team.

However, Jeter did not achieve 2,945 hits in his career without knowing how to hit nor did he just forget how to hit. The problem is his body is no longer coinciding with what his mind wants him to do. This is what happens with age — a natural progression for ballplayers prior to the steroid era.

Jeter has never once been linked to performance-enhancing drugs and his slowly deteriorating skills are evidence of this fact. However, the Yankees signed Jeter to a three-year contract with a player option and need him to perform at peak levels.

For the Yankees to contend this season and in the future, Jeter needs to reconfigure his swing to compensate for his age.

The Yankees legend’s career is coming to an end, but Jeter and the Yankees are hoping he goes out with a roar and not a whimper. There’s nothing in Jeter’s stellar-career that suggests he won’t be able to do just that.

Around the division

Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles ended their recent woes with a victory over the Red Sox last night. The Orioles sit in last place in the A.L. East, but are only 3.5 games behind the Yankees who reside in first.

Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox had been on a roll before falling to the Orioles last night. The Red Sox sent a message to the rest of baseball that they are back with their series sweep against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The panic that has surrounded Red Sox nation has subsided and the Sox will be playing meaningful baseball all season.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Tampa Bay Rays were rained out last night, but will continue their series against the Minnesota Twins tomorrow night at Target Field. Sam Fuld, the Rays young wonder kid, currently is one of the top Rays vote getters for the All-Star game.

Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays offensive attack has come alive as of late and it has produced some stability for the up and down team. The Jays out-slugged the Rangers at their own game last night, earning a 10-3 victory.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer covering the A.L. East for BaseballDigest.com. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, followed on Twitter @RMLazo13 and read his blog Artificially Enhanced.

The Baltimore Orioles started out like gangbusters winning their first four games and six of seven. The media quickly jumped on the bandwagon, “The Orioles have turned things around”; “Buck Showalter is a genius”. Well hold on to your crab cakes, the O’s have lost eight straight. Teams live and die with their pitching- during the losing streak the Orioles’ staff has given up nearly seven runs a game. Let’s all hold off on considering the O’s AL East contenders. Mm, k?

Speaking of fast starts, the AL Central leaders squared off last night. Twins? Tigers? White Sox? Forget it; it was the Indians and Royals. Yes, Cleveland and Kansas City entered Monday night’s play as the only two AL Central teams above .500. The Tribe won in extra innings and are a remarkable 12-4. The Indians rotation has been bolstered by their #3 and #4 starters, Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin, who have gone a combined 6-0, 2.03 in their six starts. The Indians have also gotten big time offensive production from an unexpected source- their middle infield. Second baseman Orlando Cabrera and shortstop Asdrubel Cabrera have combined for 25 RBI. And could it be that Travis Hafner’s shoulder is finally healthy? “Pronk” has a 1.061 OPS through 14 games. The Indians also turned the season’s first triple play- you can check it out here.

The Indians built most of their record without the services of center fielder Grady Sizemore who returned on Sunday with a home run. In two games, Sizemore is 5-9 with a pair of doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored.

Will Troy Tulowitzki break Barry Bonds’ home run record? No, but the star shortstop is healthy (and hopefully he stays that way), which should mean a huge offensive year. The Rockies have won 12 of their first 16 games in no small part because of Tulo’s 1.259 OPS, 7 HR, and 14 RBI. 2010 NL MVP contender Carlos Gonzalez has also picked up where he left off with 12 RBI. The Rockies are getting contributions from everywhere and at this rate I am going to have to eat my words for saying the Rockies wouldn’t make the playoffs. I get some redemption for talking about how overlooked Jhoulys Chacin was as a rookie last season. He’s off to a 3-0, 1.64 start and has picked up the slack for the injured Ubaldo Jimenez.

It looks like someone has finally gotten through to Matt Kemp, the Dodgers’ Mr. Inconsistency. Who better than new manager and hitter extraordinaire Don Mattingly? Kemp has always had the ability, but has been knocked for his inability to produce. Hello .459 batting average. Throw in 3 HR, 13 RBI, and 8 SB, and you have a monster season in the making. No expects Kemp to keep the average going, but a .325-30-100 line sure would be appreciated by the Dodger faithful.

The Twins are the consensus pick to repeat as AL Central champs, but they better wake up soon, especially their bullpen. Off to a 6-10 start and in last place, the Twins bullpen, a supposed strength is crumbling. Joe Nathan, a year removed from Tommy John surgery, returned to his closer role and last year’s closer Matt Capps became the 8th inning guy. Great 1-2 punch, right? Someone forgot to tell the two of them. Perhaps he’s not at 100%, but whatever the reason Nathan is out at closer after two blown saves, a loss, and five earned runs allowed in 5.1 IP. Capps struggled in the set up role, but has saved both games he entered as the new closer (he did blow one save prior to that in extra innings after Nathan had blown the lead in the ninth inning.)

Monday night the Tigers’ Ryan Raburn became the first player to hit a ball off the roof in Seattle’s Safeco Field. The ball was foul the entire time and fell between third baseman Chone Figgins and catcher Miguel Olivo in foul territory.

Ryan Franklin’s days as St. Louis’ closer are close to being over (they should have been already). The guy with the creepy goatee has blown four saves already in just 16 games. With the competitive NL Central, you just can’t be giving games away. At least someone hold him down and shave that thing off.

Some Q & A between me and me.

Should Yankees fans be worried about Derek Jeter and Phil Hughes?

Worry is probably too strong of a word, but if you follow the Pinstripes you should be concerned. Some fans and media (e.g. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan) have already pushed the panic button and feel Jeter should be batting eighth or ninth. While Jeter struggled for most of last season and hasn’t hit too many balls out of the infield this season, this season has only consisted of 14 games. Jeter’s reputation, at the very least, has earned him a full month or more before a move should even be considered.

Hughes is the bigger concern for manager Joe Girardi at the moment and rightly so. In his three starts, last year’s 18-game winner’s velocity has been missing in action. Normally throwing 92-93 mph, Hughes isn’t hitting 90 on the radar gun this season and has been battered around the ballpark. He’s now on the DL with a “dead arm”, which he at first didn’t want to own up to (perhaps he’s not really injured), and will work on long tossing to strengthen his prized right arm.

Are Josh Beckett and John Lackey for real?

Good question. Beckett has had back to back dominate performances, one of them against an impressive Yankees lineup. While I don’t believe he’ll continue throwing 2-hit ball for seven innings, it does give Red Sox Nation some hope.  Lackey on the other hand could be a real problem. The 215 innings Lackey threw last year concerned me since he his numbers have steadily declined since he topped 200 innings in 2006-2007. He’s won one of his two starts this season, but has an ERA of 15.88 and has had his turn skipped once. Manager Terry Francona: “A lot of his pitches, it didn’t seem like he finished them, [he] left them in the middle. He had two walks, a hit batsman, and all three scored. Against that (Yankees) lineup, you got to make them earn everything they get, because they’re that good.”

Is Zach Britton the real deal?

Though he got knocked around in his last start, you bet he is. While Britton, the Orioles number one pitching prospect wasn’t expected to contribute until later in the season, he won his first two games and posted a 0.69 ERA. ESPN’s Buster Olney feels that Britton could generate as much buzz this year as the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg did last season.

Will Jose Bautista pop 50 home runs again?

Not a chance, but Bautista should hit 30-35.  He’s hit three already and is slugging at a .510 rate, but a lot will depend on how much protection he gets in the order. At the moment that responsibility falls to Adam Lind; after a quick start, Lind is hitting just .230 as he tries to recapture his 2009 season (.305-35-114).

Biggest surprise and disappointment

Teams – If Tampa Bay hadn’t just won 7 of 10 it would have been them, but the Red Sox 2-10 start (now 5-10) is the winner for losing/disappointment. 2-10? Incomprehensible. I have to go back to the Tribe for the surprise. 12-4? Get out of here.

Players – Alex Gordon, KC. The uber-prospect may finally be reaching the heights expected of him. He’s batting .353 so far and is playing like someone with confidence. Finally. (Matt Kemp gets honorable mention) The biggest disappointment, hands down, is Boston’s Carl Crawford. The big free agent signee is already being vilified in Boston for his .133/.175/.167 splits. And when you don’t get on base, you don’t steal. Crawford has just two thefts in three attempts. (Phil Hughes gets honorable mention)

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Whispers surrounded Hughes during Spring when he struggled to throw his fastball harder than 85 to 87 mph, however, most analysts pegged him as a sure thing and instead focused on A.J. Burnett. Once the season began, Hughes became the problem in the rotation.

The velocity — which just last season was consistently around 92 to 95 mph — now barely reaches 90. Hughes is a prototypical power pitcher, standing at 6-foot-5-inches, who relies on his high-octane stuff.

A power-pitcher does not rely on location, but instead is able to get away with mistakes because of high velocity which leaves the hitter little time to decipher whether to swing. Hughes is no exception: his control is below average and he leaves too many pitches over the plate, something he can no longer afford with decreased velocity.

The Yankees repeatedly stated that Hughes only needed to increase his arm strength, but three starts into the season entered his name into infamy. He became one of only three Yankees pitchers to surrender at least five runs in his first three starts of a season without completing five innings in each.

The blame of this sudden drop of velocity lies within the Yankees higher command. Hughes was mismanaged last season and it has come back to haunt the Yankees this season.

Acclaimed sportswriter Tom Verducci completed a study that showed a pitcher who increases their innings by more than 35 innings from the previous season is at an increased risk for injuries in the coming season.

It is true that Hughes completed a season in which he threw 146 innings combined between the Minor and Major Leagues, but that took place three seasons ago. In 2009, Hughes only completed 86 innings while spending most of his time in the set-up role. Last season, Hughes threw 176 innings, not including playoffs.

If Yankees management limited Hughes’s innings total, then it is possible he would not be dealing with a velocity issue this season. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Yankees management has mismanaged their young pitcher. The precedent actually resides in their bullpen: Joba Chamberlain.

Chamberlain’s ascension to the majors followed a movie script, he dominated the opposition and became a rock star. The Yankees management decided to implement the Joba Rules, which said that he could not be used on back to back days because he had never pitched out of the bullpen.

A side-note for the implementation of the rules is then Yankees Manager Joe Torre was notoriously known to abuse his relief pitchers. Torre signal-handedly shortened the careers of Tanyon Sturtze, Scott Proctor, Ron Villone and Paul Quantrill by using them often throughout the season. This made General Manager Brian Cashman decide he needed to protect his young investment and make sure Torre did not abuse him as well.

However, even with this information, most criticized the implementation of the rules. Former players such as Nolan Ryan said the only way to increase arm strength is to throw a baseball. The Yankees hid behind this defense — they envisioned Chamberlain as a No. 1 pitcher.

The next season witnessed the Yankees begin the transition of Chamberlain into the rotation. The whole scenario was a process. He started the season in the bullpen and by mid-season, he finally began to start games.

However, he would only be allowed to throw a certain amount of pitches or innings per game as he built up his strength. It was obvious at this point that Chamberlain was not the same.

Like Hughes this year, Chamberlain struggled to find the high velocity he came wielding out the of the bullpen just one season prior. Instead of firing his high-octane 98 mph fastball by a batter, he was only hitting 91 to 93 mph.

The velocity drop did not just affect his fastball, but his other pitches as well. His slider no longer had the bite it used to because it, too, lost the velocity it was once thrown with.

The Yankees ignored the warning signs and left him in the rotation for the 2009 season. He made 31 starts and was not the starter the Yankees envisioned. He compiled a 9-6 record to go along with a 4.75 ERA. His strikeouts also significantly dropped — only notching 133 in 157 innings.

The next season witnessed Chamberlain being placed in the bullpen for what the Yankees management would say the last time. He struggled in the relief role last season, pitching to a 4.40 ERA while only possessing a 93 mph fastball.

It took almost three full seasons, but Chamberlain has now rediscovered his fastball for the 2011 season. He is firing it in the upper 90s on some occasions then low 90s the next. He is still not the same phenom who charged out of the bullpen emphatically striking out batters, but he is improving.

Chamberlain and Hughes were supposed to be front of the rotation starters. The Yankees management stated this scenario multiple times, but their chronic mismanagement in developing starters left them with this: a relief pitcher who does not possess his trademark confidence and a starter who has misplaced his fastball with no clue on how to find it.

When the Yankees higher command looks for how this may have happened to two of their top pitching prospects, they might as well turn towards the mirror because the blame lies within them.

Baltimore Orioles: After a hot start to the 2011 season which saw them lead the American League East division, the Orioles have since dropped their seventh straight. The sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Indians leaves the Orioles with a 6-8 record.

Boston Red Sox: The Boston Red Sox struggles have seemingly come to an end after a weekend series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays leaves them with a 4-10 record. It is still an uphill mountain to climb, but with more than five months of baseball to go, the Red Sox have no need to panic.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays failed to sweep the struggling Minnesota Twins over the weekend after they won the first two games of the series. The Rays had matched the Red Sox loss for loss during the first two weeks of the season, but have since turned the tides around and now stand at 6-9.

Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays headed to Fenway Park hoping to extend the Red Sox early season woes, but after winning the opening game of the series they dropped the next two. The Jays reside in second in the already tightly contested A.L. East with a 7-8 record.

Ryan Lazo is a Senior Writer covering the A.L. East for BaseballDigest.com. He can be reached at RMLazo13@gmail.com, followed on Twitter @RMLazo13 and read his blog Artificially Enhanced.

Since Pettitte’s return to New York prior to the 2007 season, he’s taken his time each off season to decide whether or not to return the following season. Since the 2010 season ended, Pettitte seemed to be heavily leaning towards calling it quits. Conversations with manager Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman gave every indication that the chances of Pettitte’s return for 2011 was less than 50%.

Pettitte finishes his career with a 240-138, 3.88 mark after playing in New York from 1995-2005, followed by three seasons in front of his hometown crowd  in Houston, Texas, and a return to New York in 2007. His four years back in the Bronx included his 5th World Series ring in 2009.

Pettitte finishes with 203 wins as a Yankee, trailing only Whitey Ford (236) and Red Ruffing (231) in franchise history. His 1,823 strikeouts were 133 behind the franchise leader Ford. His overall numbers and post-season success make him a viable Hall of Fame candidate, but his admitted use of HGH will probably keep him from being seriously considered.

Pettitte’s retirement also means the Yankees only have three guaranteed spots in their rotation- CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett. The final two spots will be determined in spring training. Among the candidates are Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Sergio Mitre, any and all prospects, and whomever the Yankees can sign between now and opening day.

We wish you the best in retirement Andy Pettitte. You always carried yourself with class even when you proved you were human.

Update 2:40 pm – An official press conference will be held at Yankee Stadium tomorrow morning at 10:30 am and will be viewable on the YES Network channel and the MLB official website.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

You should never make a move in reaction to another’s move unless your playing chess or at war, and when I say war I really mean war (Note to Kellen Winslow Jr.).

Brian Cashman made a number of poor moves last winter. Nick Johnson chief among them. This off-season the main focus has been on Cliff Lee. We all know how that panned out. But that had nothing to do with Cashman, though some feel otherwise. Lee never wanted to play in NY and for that matter didn’t want to return to Texas either. I doubt Nolan Ryanis getting vilified in Arlington.

More importantly, the Yankees chief rival in the AL East has gotten stronger. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez have replaced Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre in the lineup. That’s a big plus for the Red Sox especially since, at the moment, the Yankees have no left-hander in the starting rotation other than CC Sabathia.

So what’s an elfin, building rappelling GM to do? Go hard after Zack Greinke. The Royals righty has decided he’s had enough of bad baseball in Kansas City. The team has no hope for contending especially since ownership is putting their luxury tax dollars right into their own pockets.

We all know that Greinke has been dealing with anxiety issues. He’s not the only one in major league baseball or in life to do so. Not all have gone public with their inner demons. It’s now a trendy thing too, but it’s still taboo in many circles to admit to “mental” issues. People hear the word mental and they think psychotic which is absurd. Some of us deal with anxiety, depression, or other psychological issues on a daily basis. That’s what therapy and/or meds are for, unless your Tom Cruise of course.

The Yankees rotation right now is CC Sabathia (A+), Phil Hughes (B), A.J. Burnett (A, B, C, D, F depending on the day; hell, depending on the inning). My feeling is Andy Pettittewill be back, but until he makes his mind up, and decides he likes the money figure, that’s up in the air. The rest is Ivan Nova (high upside, little experience), Sergio Mitre (experience, mediocre), and a bunch of kids who aren’t ready for prime time.

Felix Hernandez isn’t going anywhere according to the Seattle Mariners hierarchy. The remaining free agent starters aren’t front end guys, unless you count Carl Pavano. Don’t make me laugh.

As the headline says, it’s time for the Yankees and Brian Cashman to roll the dice on Zack Greinke. Perhaps they have studied reports about Greinke’s well-being. We know that playing in the plain states is not the same as playing in the Big Apple. NYC has chewed up many a player (Yes, Bobby Bonilla had the smile wiped off his face), who thought they could handle it. But Greinke isn’t the same guy he was three years ago. People get past the things holding them back and they get better. I know from experience.

Greinke had his ups and downs this past season on the mound, but playing for a bad team with little fan support doesn’t help. Playing with a passionate fan base, with a lineup that can hit, and with a defense can support you will do wonders for your game. Yes, he will have to listen to monotonous questions about his well being. It’s best to hold a press conference with no or little questions (the Yankees can see to that) and get it out of the way immediately if they land him.

Greinke won’t come cheaply. Possibly Jesus Montero. Ivan Nova. Brandon Laird. Andrew Backman. Delin Betances. Gary Sanchez Hector Noesi. Those are names I’m throwing out..it won’t take all of them.

Greinke makes $11.5M in 2011 and $13.5M in 2012. That’s $25M off the Royals payroll, which means the Yankees shouldn’t have to give up as much either if the Royals were taking some of the money on.

The time is now. The Rays are going to be considerably weaker than the last year. The Red Sox offense has gotten stronger, their pen better with the addition of Bobby Jenks, but their rotation still has questions. Jon Lester is a stud. Josh Beckett is coming off an awful year, which included injury. John Lackey is on the downside. Clay Buchholz was magnificent, but can he repeat? Dice-K, Tim Wakefield? More awful than good.

Only one team should make it out of the west, but the White Sox and Twins will battle for both the AL Central and Wild Card, which means the Yankees MUST bolster their starting rotation and bullpen in order to REALLY compete in the AL East and for the Wild Card.

So roll the dice Brian Cashman, roll the dice. Show the Yankees fan base you have the stomach for it.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

In New York, Yankees fans cried, whined, and sighed. And Met fans applauded that the Yankees lost out on Lee. Apparently it hasn’t sunk in yet that the Mets will have to face the Phillies rotation 19 times a year.

In Arlington, Ron Washington’s gut is in hiding. After all, it was Washington’s gut that told him Lee was coming back to Texas. And the Rangers are back where they were before last season’s trade deadline; with a huge hole in their rotation.

The Red Sox fans joy is twofold. 1) The Yankees didn’t get Lee and 2) The Yankees didn’t get a top left-hander to negate their lefty-laden lineup.

Meanwhile, Yankees GM Brian Cashman has to go to plan ‘B’. He told area beat writers this morning, via a conference call, that means “patience”. For now the Yankees have just three definite spots in their rotation- CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett. So the next logical step will be to see what Andy Pettitte’s status is. With no Lee in NY, Pettitte will probably ask for a higher amount of money than had the Yankees landed Lee. I can see a $15M asking price, though the Yankees will want the figure to be closer to $10M. Incentives can make both sides happy.

Another winner in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes is his agent Darek Braunecker, who is now a household name.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Former Yankee Hideki Matsui finalized his one year deal with the Oakland A’s. It’s worth $4.25M. Good job by Billy Beane.

The Yankees may not have gotten Lee, but they did get the catcher they wanted. Russell Martin, recently non-tendered by the Dodgers, has agreed to a one year deal.

Lyle Overbay has agreed to a one year, $5M deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Overbay had a nice offensive year in 2010, but it’s not his norm. Still you would think there would be some upper echelon teams interested in him.

The Nationals have signed pinch-hitter extraordinaire Matt Stairs to a minor league deal.

One of the Rangers plan ‘B’ options is apparently Chien-Ming Wang. The former Yankee missed all of 2010 after undergoing shoulder surgery and was non-tendered by the Nationals. Nolan Ryan and company are reportedly also looking at Carl Pavano.

The Cardinals have agreed to a deal with Gerald Laird as a backup catcher to Yadier Molina. Laird will receive $1M for one year.

According to the Kansas City Star’s Terez Paylor, the Royals are still shopping Zack Greinke and looking for the best fit.

The Rays have re-signed lefty J.P. Howell to a one year deal. Howell, who had torn labrum surgery in May, will miss the start of the season and his exact return is in question.

The Mariners, looking for parts, inked Royce Ring, Ryan Langerhans, Denny Bautista, and Chris Giminez to minor league pacts.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

It’s fortunate that athletes don’t generally read fan message boards or Twitter or blogs.  Some of what they read in the mainstream media maybe damaging enough to their egos and confidence. They don’t need to be exposed to the rantings and ravings of the average fan. Phil Hughes is one of those athletes who has hopefully never googled himself on the web.  Had he done so, he would have seen “thoughts” back in 2008 ranging from “This kid will never amount to anything” to “He’s another Carl Pavano in the making.” (Yes, I really did see someone state that back then.)

Hughes didn’t earn a single win in that awful ’08 season, appearing in just eight games at the major league level.  After most of his ’07 season was wrecked by injuries, the then 21-yr old was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his ribcage in May and was expected to miss at least two months.  Setbacks followed and Hughes didn’t return to a major league mound until a four inning start in September at Yankee Stadium.   With the team struggling, Yankees fans took out their angst on Hughes and fellow youngster Ian Kennedy.  Some of those fans, many of whom probably cheer him on now, were saying he was done at 21 years of age.

Thankfully for his teammates and his manager Joe Girardi, those fans couldn’t have been further from the truth.  Hughes bounced back in 2009; though he only made seven starts, his 44 relief appearances were a key to the Yankees run to the post-season.  The pen had been in shambles; Girardi mixed and match to no avail as he tried to figure out a bridge to Mariano Rivera. But Hughes stepped in and stepped up his game. He went 5-1, 1.64 after the All-Star break with three saves and 13 holds.  Though he struggled in the post-season, the Yankees never would have made the playoffs had Hughes not excelled during the regular season. The Phil Hughes that the Yankees saw rapidly progress through the minor leagues was starting to round into major league form.

Buoyed with confidence, Hughes won the battle for the 5th starter spot this past spring and never looked back.  He made his first All-Star appearance after posting an 11-2, 3.65 mark with 90 strikeouts in 101 innings pitched.  Though he struggled in the second half, he still finished with 18 wins and then turned things up a notch in his first ever post-season start.

Facing the Minnesota Twins in game 3 of the ALDS, Hughes had the chance to finish off the series with a three game sweep.  His fastball popped at 95-mph, his curveball broke with a nasty snap, and his change up kept the Twins hitters off balance.  The result was seven shutout innings in which Hughes allowed just four hits, walked one, and struck out six. Oh, and a 6-1 Yankees win.

Some of the media were saying last night that there isn’t much pressure on Hughes in game 2 after the Yankees dramatic victory in game 1.  But that couldn’t be further from the truth.  With Cliff Lee looming on the game 3 horizon, Hughes knows that the Yankees will be in much better shape facing Lee up 2-0 rather than even at a game apiece.

No matter the outcome of today’s game though, with lessons learned from his very young past, the now 23-yr old Hughes will be ready and confident.

Notes

C.J. Wilson and the Texas Rangers fans had to have thought they had game 1 in the bag Friday night.  But the patient Yankees lineup attacked the Rangers bullpen once Wilson departed and pulled out a 6-5 victory.  Robinson Cano got things started in the 7th with a solo home run and Brett Gardner’s hustle, head first slide single in the 8th ignited a 5-run rally.  The Rangers put the tying run in scoring position in the 9th, but Mariano Rivera struck out Michael Young and got Josh Hamilton to ground out to preserve the win.

It was a major league record third time in post-season history that the Yankees rallied to a victory from a 5-run deficit.

Like Hughes, Colby Lewis makes his first ALCS start tonight for the Texas Rangers.  Lewis had a break out season in 2010, winning 12 games and recording 196 strikeouts in 201 innings.  Lewis spent the last two seasons playing for the Hiroshima Carp in Japan.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

2010 Season record: 93-64

The Yankees opened up a big rivalry week and their final homestand of the season with a four game series against the Tampa Rays.  With the division title quite possibly hanging in the balance the Yankees continued to disappoint the Yankees Universe by continuing their late season slump.  The Yankees are 11-13 in the last full month of the regular season and have allowed Tampa Bay to overtake them in the AL East.

The first game of the series was an emotional one as a monument to recently deceased principle owner George M. Steinbrenner was unveiled in monument park.  The pitching match up pitted Matt Garza against rookie Ivan Nova.  The Yankees’ starter tossed five scoreless innings before he and the bullpen faltered in the 6th.  A 4-0 Yankees lead was suddenly gone, but the Yankees offense responded quickly with four runs of their own in the home half of the 6th. Curtis Granderson  homered twice in the game, including the game winner in the Bombers 8-6 victory.

The next game was a match up between two of the games best young pitchers, Phil Hughes and James Shields.  The Rays right-hander had dominated the Yankees previously this season (2-0, 2.77 in 3 starts), but the Yankees offense ruined his day this time around by tagging him for five earned runs. Hughes struggled with his control, but fought his way through six-plus innings to earn his 17th win. Robinson Cano and Lance Berkman led the offense with 2 RBI each in the 8-3 Yankees win.

The Yankees sent A.J. Burnett to the mound to clinch the series with a victory, but the inconsistent pitcher suffered another blow to his season.  This time around the culprit was from Mother Nature. The game was delayed for over two hours due to a rather impressive lightning show and heavy rains.  Unfortunately for Burnett, that meant he wouldn’t return after allowing one earned run in three innings pitched.  The Yankees bullpen was completely ineffective- four pitchers combined to allow six earned runs in six innings.  Meanwhile the Rays’ pitching excelled and Tampa Bay cruised to a 7-2 triumph.

The series finale featured a rematch of two of the top AL Cy Young contenders, CC Sabathia and David Price.  Unlike their faceoff in Tampa on September 13, neither pitcher was particularly sharp, especially Sabathia.  The big left-hander allowed seven earned runs in 5.1 innings.  Meanwhile, Price gave up an early 2-run home run to Marcus Thames, but the Rays earned a series split with a 10-3 victory.

After the clash with their new rivals the Yankees then took on their old rivals from Boston.  Andy Pettitte couldn’t make it out of the 4th inning as the Red Sox teed off on him in the series opener. The game turned out to be a slugfest as Jed Lowrie and Bill Hall hit 3-run homers early in the game and the Yankees responded with a season high six home runs, two each by Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.  However the Bombers bats came up short on the 10-8 loss.

Ivan Nova took the mound in the second game against Jon Lester.  Lester outshined the rookie by baffling Yankee hitters all day.  The Yankees managed just two hits off of Lester, who picked up his 19th win with seven shutout innings.  Nova on the other hand allowed four earned runs in just 4.2 innings pitched.  The Red Sox were thinking sweep after a 7-3 victory.

The series finale was a wild one in Sunday night prime time.  Phil Hughes faced off against Daisuke Matsuzaka in a surprising pitcher’s duel.  Hughes allowed a single run in six innings while Dice-K had one of his best starts of the season (8 IP 2 ER). A-Rod’s dramatic 2-run home run in the 7th had given the Yankees a 2-1 lead and prompted Joe Girardi to go to Mariano Rivera for a four out save.

After getting the final out in the 8th, Rivera ran into trouble in the 9th or I should say the Red Sox ran all over Rivera and catcher Jorge Posada.  Ryan Kalish and Bill Hall stole two bases each in the inning as the Red Sox rallied for a pair of runs and a 3-2 lead.

Then the Red Sox sent their dominant closer out to the mound, but Jonathan Papelbon also blew a save after he allowed an RBI single to Robinson Cano.  The Yankees came up with the 4-3 game winner the following inning when Juan Miranda walked with the bases loaded.

Positives:

After struggling for much of the second half, Phil Hughes has pitched to a 3.79 ERA in his last three starts.

The Kerry Wood deal keeps looking better and better.  The one time Cubs phenom has not been scored upon in 12.1 innings in September and has allowed just one earned run in 25 innings since his trade deadline acquisition.

Negatives:

The Yankees don’t have their fate in their own hands when it comes to the division title.  Tampa Bay owns the tie breaker having won 10 of the 18 games played between the two teams, so the Yankees need to win the division outright.

Mariano Rivera has been struggling as of late; the Yankees always unhittable closer has been getting hit.  The closer has two blown saves in September, and in his last 10 games has a 5.06 ERA allowing six earned runs in only 10.2 innings pitched.

The Yankees continue to have concerns with their starting pitching which has been very inconsistent over the last couple of weeks. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman have a lot of thinking to do when it comes to setting the playoff rotation. Sabathia is without a doubt the game 1 starter, but after that it’s anyone’s guess.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will end the season with three game series against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox.  This is the Yankees last chance to put the ship back on the right track.

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

After wasting a golden opportunity in the 9th inning to win it, the Yankees loaded the bases with no one out in the 10th against Hideki Okajima.  Curtis Granderson lined a lead off single and Brett Gardner followed with a sacrifice bunt. When catcher Victor Martinez’s throw ricocheted off Gardner and into shallow right field, Granderson raced to third.  Terry Francona elected to walk Derek Jeter to load the bases to set up the force at any base.

Okajima got pinch-hitter Marcus Thames to bounce into a force out at the plate, but Juan Miranda drew a walk to force in the game winning run.  A celebration worthy of ending a four game losing streak and lackluster play deservedly ensued.

The key to the game was the decision to go with Hughes.  He gave the Yankees six solid innings before departing in the 7th after walking back to back batters.  His fastball was sharp and had movement, and his curveball broke off nicely.  Most of all he gave the Yankees bullpen a breather.  Hughes left down 1-0, on a 3rd inning RBI single by Victor Martinez, as Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka was even better.

The Japanese native allowed just a pair of singles and faced one hitter over the minimum through the first six innings.  Mark Teixeira had one of those hits and got another with one out in the 7th inning.  Alex Rodriguez entered the game swinging a red hot home run bat – three home runs in the prior two games – and came through again with a shot that landed in the front row in right-centerfield before bouncing back on the field.

The Yankees kept that 2-1 lead until the 9th with Mariano Rivera looking to finish off a four out save.  But it would turn out to be one of the weirdest innings Rivera would ever be a part of.  Ryan Kalish reached on a one out single and promptly stole second and third.  With the infield forced to play in, Bill Hall ripped a single past Rodriguez to tie the game.  Hall followed suit with a pair of steals and scored the go ahead run on Mike Lowell’s deep fly to center.

The Yankees have had success against Jonathan Papelbon, especially this season, and it continued Sunday night.  After retiring Derek Jeter, the Red Sox closer gave up back to back singles to Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira to set things up for the Bombers.  Pinch-runner Eduardo Nunez pulled a play out of the Red Sox playbook and swiped third base to put the pressure back on Boston.

Papelbon walked Rodriguez to load the bases and gave up an RBI single to AL MVP contender Robinson Cano to tie things up at 3-3.  But the game went to extra innings when Papelbon bounced back to strike out Jorge Posada and got Lance Berkman to fly out to end the inning.

Notes

The Yankees finish the regular season with a three game series in Toronto, have a day off on Thursday, and then conclude the 162 game schedule with three games at Fenway Park against the Red Sox.

Surely to be forgotten in Sunday night’s game will be the work of reliever David Robertson in the 7th inning.  With Red Sox runners on second and third, one out and the infield in, Robertson got Bill Hall to ground out to Jeter for the second out.  Then struck out Anderson to keep the Yankees down just a run.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and followed on Twitter.

2010 Season Record: 86-52

The Yankees began the week tied with the Rays atop the AL East and were coming off a week in which they struggled.  But like the saying goes, “The great teams win when they have to.” and the Yankees did just that, reeling off an eight game winning streak.

In Game 1 the Yankees sent Dustin Moseley to the mound to oppose Oakland’s ace Trevor Cahill.  Moseley couldn’t make his way out of the 4th inning, but the Yankees hammered Cahill for eight earned runs in just four innings. The Yankees offense were led by the powerful bats of Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Marcus Thames, who combined to go 9 for 11 with 2 homers and 7 RBIs.  As a result the Bombers beat the A’s 11-5.

The Yankees potent offense kept the roll going in game 2.  Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, and Teixeira all went deep en route to a 9-3 victory.  Phil Hughes continued to get some of the best run support in the majors as he picked up his 16th win of the season.

Game 3 saw AJ Burnett show some signs of breaking out of his recent struggles.  Burnett allowed three earned runs in six innings struck out a season high eight batters.  The Bombers won the game 4-3 behind the continued dominance of Mark Teixeira’s bat.  The slugging first baseman went 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI.

In the finale of the four game series the duo of CC Sabathia and Curtis Granderson completed the Yankees sweep of Oakland.  Sabathia allowed only one hit in eight innings of work and shutout the boys from the bay.  Granderson wasn’t in the starting lineup, but when Nick Swisher left with an injury, he quickly put his stamp on the game with a pair of home runs.  Sabathia picked up his 19th victory as the Bombers rolled to a 5-0 triumph.

Player of the Week, Mark Teixeira

After the Oakland series the Yankees welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays to “The House That George Built.”  In the first game of the series, starter Ivan Nova struggled on the mound.  The rookie starter allowed three earned runs in only 4.2 innings of work.  However the Yankees bullpen and offense overcame Nova’s bad outing.  The Yankees lineup collected 11 hits and scored seven runs, three of them driven in by the red hot Granderson.  The Bombers picked up their 7th straight win win a 7-3 victory.

The next afternoon the Yankees offense put up another seven spot, but it took Marcus Thames’ 2-run home run in the 7th inning to snap a 5-5 tie.  Unfortunately, the win wasn’t a complete success.  Javier Vazquez who was given a second chance as a starter struggled.  The right-hander allowed all five earned runs in just 4.2 innings and did not qualify for the victory.  For the second straight game, however, the Yankees pen bailed out an ineffective starter- this time with 4.1 scoreless innings of relief.

The final game of the series saw the Yankees eight game winning streak come to an end as the Blue Jays pounced on starter Phil Hughes.  The neighbors to the north nailed Hughes for six runs in six innings and went on to a 7-3 win.  Despite the loss, the Yankees won their third straight series and maintained a 2 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Pinstriped Positives:

Even though the Yankees lost the final game of the Blue Jays series, the Yankees lineup got a boost with the return of Alex Rodriguez.  The All-Star third baseman went 2-5 and picked up his 98th RBI of the season.

Andy Pettitte threw a mid-week bullpen session and then a controlled game on Saturday, and felt good after both occassions.  He’s scheduled to throw a minor league rehab game for Double-A Trenton on Wednesday, 9/8.

Negatives and Concerns:

The Yankees starting rotation is still in chaos.  CC Sabathia is definitely the ace of the staff but questions remain as to the rest of the rotation.   The Yankees MUST have a healthy Andy Pettitte if they stand a chance of repeating.  Phil Hughes has been  very inconsistent in the second half.  A.J. Burnett has been up and down all season, with more bad starts than good ones.  Javier Vazquez, Dustin Moseley, and Ivan Nova have either been a regular starter or a fill-in, but none has inspired extreme confidence.

What’s Next:

The Yankees will stay in New York for the first part of next week as they take on Buck Showalter’s revived

Baltimore Orioles in a three game set.  Then the Bombers will head to Texas for what could be a playoff preview with the Rangers.

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