Wednesday, July 22, 2009

JA's State of The Yankees Address


When I started this blog, I had every intention of covering all aspects of the sporting world that matters to whomever is a reader...this is me following up on my end of the deal...
I have made it well known that I bleed orange and blue..but right now i'm going to take a glance and share my thoughts on the New York team that for the first time this season, has sole possession of first place in the AL East...The New York Yankees
As of this post...the Yanks stand at 56-37 with a 5-game winning streak to boot.
At the beginning of the season, this team had several question marks. Can this team return to October after missing it's first postseason in 12 seasons? How would the bullpen hold up? Would spending over $400 million dollars in the offseason solve their issues with their Starting pitching as well as first base? Would A-Rod be the cancer that destroyed the team? Well to answer all of these questions...none of these issues have stood in their way thus far...
For starters...the lineup contains 8 hitters that have already hit 10 or more HR. The captain Derek Jeter is enjoying a renaissance season at the plate hitting .320 with 10HR 37RBI and 18SB...not to mention that he is putting all his doubters to rest by playing an above-average Shortstop. Mark Teixeira has recovered from a slow start and has his avg back to.280 with 23 bombs...and then there's A-Rod...
Regardless of what he's done in the past...love him or hate him...he's still one of the premier players of the game..Since the 23rd of June when he was hitting a measly .207, A-Rod has hit .330 with 10 HR and 26 RBI in 22 games...he's getting warmed up people.
As far as the starting pitching goes...it has managed to remain solid as well...C.C is 9-6 with an e.r.a of 3.65 and Burnett is regaining his form after a slow start and sits at Burnett is setting himself up to be 9-4 with a 3.60 e.r.a as he is currently shutting out the O's as we speak. Pettite has also been a legit #5. Joba is hanging in there...Although his starts are a tad tough to watch, if his last start vs. the Tigers is any indication Joba could be turning the corner as well. Wang has been a disaster to say the least...had he regained some of the form that made him a 2-time 19-game winner, Joba would be able to move back to the bullpen where he rightfully belongs.
The bullpen in April reminded me of the 2008 Mets (we all know how that turned out), but since May they have turned it around with solid work from Phil Coke, Alfredo Aceves and Phil Hughes...oh yea they also still have one of the best closers in baseball yet in Mariano Rivera; who at age 39 is showing no signs of slowing down with his 27 saves...imagine if Joba was in this bullpen mix with Hughes in the rotation? The game could be over after 6 innings...
The Bombers are 39-20 since May 14 and they are showing no signs of slowing down. If this solid play keeps up they will surely be gracing our TV sets in mid-October....now if only they could finally win a game against the Red Sox...
kudos to baseball-reference.com for the statistical info

No comments:

Post a Comment