2012 MLB Season Preview: New York Yankees

The next team in the Call to the Pen MLB Season Preview series is the defending American League East Champion New York Yankees.

2011 NEW YORK YANKEES RECAP

As it is with every season the New York Yankees went into 2011 with high expectations. However, many pundits had them missing the postseason, with the Boston Red Sox looking unbeatable on paper and the upstart Tampa Bay Rays with another season of grooming under their belts.

A lot of this also went back to the Yankees offseason. They lost out on Cliff Lee and their contingency plans were a couple of veterans trying to rediscover themselves. They signed Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon to minor league deals hoping that at least one of them would pan out.

They invested a lot of time in trying to re-sign future Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter in a contentious negotiation. They finally agreed to a 3-year, $51 million deal with a fourth year option. They also signed Mariano Rivera to a two-year deal worth $30 million.

Yankees’ ownership (Hank and Hal Steinbrenner) went against general manager Brian Cashman’s advice and signed Rafael Soriano to a three-year deal worth $35 million. Cashman has publicly denounced the deal. The Yankees also signed Russell Martin to be their starting catcher, thus thrusting Jorge Posada into the role of DH. In the end, the offseason was a loss because of missing out on Lee.

Both the Red Sox and the Rays got off to horrible starts essentially giving the Yankees a leg in. This isn’t to say that it was shocking that the team could win, but the Red Sox and Rays gave them a head start in the standings.

The Yankees’ first issue seemed to be the rotation. Not many believed that Garcia or Colon, let alone, both of them would be successful. The team started out the season with C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes as the top three starters. Sabathia was every bit as reliable as expected turning in a 19-8 season with a 3.00 ERA. He struck out 230 batters in 237.1 innings. Burnett continued to frustrate the Yankees brass and fans alike. For a pitcher so talented, he never seemed to have his head straight. He finished the season 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA. Hughes was placed on the DL just 3 starts into the season due to arm fatigue. He returned in July and was largely ineffective.

The surprises came from Garcia, Colon and rookie Ivan Nova. Garcia and Colon were never truly shutdown starters but held many opponents in check and pitched well enough to allow the Yankees’ offense to take over. Garcia finished with a 12-8 record and a 3.62 ERA. Colon, who hadn’t pitched in the majors in two seasons, was 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA. Nova was the biggest surprise by far. He was brought up in June and never looked back. He won 16 games against only 4 losses. He was the runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting to Tampa’s Jeremy Hellickson.

At the plate the Yankees were built for power and they displayed it throughout the season. They had eight players with double-digit home run totals. Curtis Granderson was hot early and carried his stroke all the way through the season. He ended up hitting 41 homers with 119 RBI, both team highs. He added 25 stolen bases. Robinson Cano hit .302 with 28 homers and 118 RBI. Mark Teixeira walloped 39 home runs and drove in 111.

The Yankees didn’t just bash. The combination of Jeter and Brett Gardner set the table at the top and bottom of the order. Jeter started out the season slow and again people began to question if his age was finally catching up to him. But once the middle of the season struck Jeter began to catch fire. After a DL stint he came back and finished off his pursuit of 3,000 hits in grand fashion. The 3,000th hit was a monster home run in a game in which he went 5-for-5. After the game he was hitting .270. He went on a tear for the remainder of the season. He ended up hitting .297, quelling some of the talk of his demise.

Gardner continued to flash his speed and after a few hiccups early on he began to swipe bags with more efficiency. He ended the season with 49 stolen bases.

Russell Martin was a pleasant surprise. He had some down seasons in Los Angeles with the Dodgers, but started out strong at the plate. He tailed off a bit at the end of the season, but his work behind the plate was much better than anyone expected.

Alex Rodriguez played most of the season hurt. He was only able to appear in 99 games. He managed 16 home runs and 62 RBI in 420 plate appearances.

Nick Swisher also had a rough start but turned it on late in the season. He finished with 23 HR and 85 RBI.

Jorge Posada, in what would be his final season, was frustrated by his role as DH and never really got it going. In his heart he felt he could still catch and never truly accepted the position change.

On the bench they received pop from Andruw Jones (13 HR in 190 AB) and speed from Eduardo Nunez (22 SB).

Rivera saved 44 games including # 602 which gave him the all-time saves record previously held by Trevor Hoffman. He ended with a 1.91 ERA bringing to question if he’ll ever leave the game. David Robertson established himself as one of the top set-up men in the game striking out 100 batters in 62.2 innings with a 1.08 ERA. He held batters to a .170 AVG. Robertson’s shot at the eighth inning came after Soriano was hurt and ineffective at the beginning of the season.

The Yankees played fairly consistent baseball from the start of the season through the end. June was their best month (18-8) and never had a month below .500. They clinched the AL East on September 21st in part due to the epic collapse of the Red Sox.

The Yankees faced off against the AL Central Champion Detroit Tigers and lost the 5-game series in the fifth and deciding game at Yankee Stadium by a score of 3-2. The Yankees were sent home earlier than they hoped.

2012 NEW YORK YANKEES OUTLOOK

The offseason was relatively quiet until one 24-hour period where GM Brian Cashman completed a deal for Michael Pineda, which jettisoned catcher/DH Jesus Montero. Montero had been on the trade block for a couple seasons, so finally the Yankees felt they were getting a good deal for him. The Yankees never looked at Montero as a catcher of the future, but loved his bat. They are deep at catcher in the minor league system which made Montero expendable. Cashman then signed Hiroki Kuroda for one season at $10 million. He could be a bargain for that price if he can work his way around the potent offenses of American League East opponents.

The Yankees surprised many, announcing in early March that they signed Andy Pettitte out of retirement to a minor league deal. If he makes the team he’ll earn $2.5 million which is chump change to the Yankees, and the upside of an effective Pettitte adds significant depth to a rotation already six deep.

At the time of this writing, Michael Pineda is suffering from a sore shoulder and has been diagnosed with tendinitis. He had been showing signs of trouble from the outset of Spring Training with diminished speed on his fastball. This will likely place Freddy Garcia into the rotation as the fifth starter.

With C.C. Sabathia, Kuroda and Ivan Nova leading the way, the Yankees rotation is a strength for the first time in a long time. The depth is going to be significant during the long 162 game season. The Yankees are hoping Phil Hughes can find his way back to the 2010 version who won 18 games. Anything similar from Garcia as he gave last season will be fine until Pineda and/or Pettitte can get on the mound for the Yankees sometime in May. If the starters are able to pitch through the sixth on most days, then the seventh, eighth and ninth innings can be handled by Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera.

The biggest issue with the Yankees is age. There are more than a handful of players who are reaching their middle to late thirties (or 42 in Rivera’s case). Manager Joe Girardi becomes responsible for effectively managing their playing time. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez will need to be spelled on occasion by Eduardo Nunez. Expect to see Mark Teixeira receive some off days as well or at least some time at DH.

Sep 19, 2011; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera (42) throws a pitch during the game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John O

The Yankees’ middle relief may represent another weakness. The Yankees had hoped to have Joba Chamberlain back at some point this season from Tommy John surgery, but he suffered a dislocated ankle while playing on a trampoline with his son. This will most likely keep him out for the season. Boone Logan is their primary lefty and the Yankees could carry one more. Right-hander Corey Wade, who was refreshing last season is having a tough spring.

In the end the Yankees offensive fire power led by Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson should compensate for any letdowns in the rotation or bullpen. They have plenty of financial resources if required at mid-season and are never shy about making moves via trades to fix deficiencies. As such the Yankees could reach a win mark in the high 90s this season. They are finally set to be three starters deep, possibly four, for the postseason. The Yankees are perennially in the mix and this season should be no different. Will Mariano Rivera need to use his other hand for one last World Series ring? For the Yankees, a World Championship is always the goal, anything less is unacceptable.

Find your team’s 2012 season preview or when it will be published here.

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You can follow Chris Carelli on Twitter at @Chris_Carelli.