Upon the 2006 Yankee Preview- The Starters

The difference between a 27th world series title, and another disappointing playoff exit will come down to the work of the starting pitchers. The Yankees have 6 starters who could be top of the line. Randy Johnson had a solid year, and owned the Red Sox, but it still wasn't up to Big Unit standards. Mike Mussina has alternately looked brilliant and erratic this spring. Shawn Chacon and Chien-Ming Wang were surprises last year, and their repeat performances are yet to be seen. Pavano and Wright can't seem to get healthy, leaving some wondering if their signings will ever pan out. Finally, lurking in the bullpen, there is a guy named Aaron Small who just happened to go 10-0 last year out of absolutely nowhere. So lets see what we've got.


Randy Johnson

As mentioned above, a year in which your staff ace goes 17-8 with a 3.79 ERA, 4 complete games, and 211 strikeouts (more than their 207 hits), would be considered pretty successful. However, we didn't sign up Unit to have pretty successful years. in 2004, his record reflected the woeful state of the D-Backs (16-14), but his 2.60 ERA and 290 K were off the charts. A strong relief appearance in the playoff series was overshadowed by his sub-par starting performance when they were primed to be eliminated. Now we are in 2006, and Johnson is pushing 43. His back will probably continue to bark, and he has to either gain a repore with Posada, or reestablish one with Stinnett. Last year he thrived with Flaherty as his caddy, but his could also be attributed to his reacclimation to the American League and the confines of Yankee Stadium. Will age or comfort be the defining factor of Unit's 2006 season? Moving forward, I remain the optimist with respect to his potential. I feel as though he can put together another strong season, and his mechanics will continue to improve. Familiarity with opposing hitters should allow him to return to his big dominating presence, moving hitters back to allow that frisbee slider to do its damage.

Prediction- 18-12, 3.29, 225K, 5 CG, 3 SO

Mike Mussina

The question for the year with Mike Mussina is "What's left?" the 37 year-old has seen once fine numbers decline into the "decent" range. 2005 was a bit spotty for Mussina, and his peak stuff struggled to emerge. Spring 2006 has seemed to be more of the same, with an 8K in 5 IP one day, and 12 hits and 10 Runs in 4 IP the next time out. At his best, Moose possesses a seemingly endless array of pitches, keeping lefties and righties off balance. His knuckle-curveball is a filthy pitch, and leaves the games best flailing. However, when he gets into it, Mussina will often not conform to an umpire's strike zone, and continue to throw his pitches whether they are being called or not. This results in walks, and then he tries to gas it in frustration and throws bad balls. Moose has had some health troubles in recent seasons, with 2004's trip to Japan throwing him out of wack, and last year's elbow trouble shelving him late in the season. It remains to be seen what is left of this brilliant but mortal pitcher. 17 wins would not surprise me, but 13 wouldn't either. The Yankees expect Mike to step up as the number 2 behind Unit, and throw a precise and dominant Game 2 to Johnson's powerful Game 1 in the post-season. The Yankees need to see Mussina go longer into games, and give them a shut-down day on those (hopefully) rare occasions where the offense is misfiring. If he's got some left in the tank, Mussina will surprise a lot of people this year.

Prediction- 17-9, 4.12, 140K, 2CG, 1 SO

Chien-Ming Wang

Wang was called up early last-year to account for the depeleted Yankee staff, who saw Kevin Brown, Mussina, Pavano, and Wright all fall victim to injury. I believe it is fair to say that Asian pitchers have been somewhat feast or famine in the major leagues. With the various millions alloted to keep non-performing pitchers on the roster, the Yankees got a big lift from this call-up. His early season pitching showed flashes of brilliance, but a threatening shoulder injury shelved him from July through September. Shoulder injuries are always scary, but Wangs youth and easy delivery allowed him to come back by the end of the year, and even get a chance in the playoffs. The Yankees like his sinking stuff, as he keeps balls in the infield and doesn't tend to get his stuff airborne. This spring a comebacker off his knee had the brass worried, but he appears to have come through it ok. I don't have a lot on Wang, because I haven't seen him much. I think this first full season should tell us a lot aboout how he will fare in NY. He doesn't seem fazed by the spotlight or the presure, which is invaluable in a Yankee pitcher.

Prediction- 16-11, 3.98, 133K, 0 CG


I want to get this up, so I'll post now and do Chacon, Pavano, and Wright later. Bullpen is coming too.

Upon the 2006 Yankee Preview-The Catcher

The last position player on the Yankees is listed here with the players he is most closely connected to, the pitchers. This battery is listed by many as the biggest question mark on this Yankee squad, and I myself wonder if the on-paper potential can live up to the on-field performance.


Catcher- Jorge Posada

Jorgie is coming off another season of declining offensive stats. 2003's highwater mark of .281, 30, 101 seems more and more like Posada's career season. while still solid by catcher standards, .260, 19, and 70 are not the gaudy numbers we once thought we could regularly expect from the backstop. Jorge was once put in with Pudge, Piazza, and Varitek as elite hitting catchers, but this is a show-and-prove year for him. It remains to be seen if he can rediscover the stroke that made him a dangerous swith-hitting bat in the middle of a hot Yankee lineup. Posada can not hope to hit higher than 7th, as there are too many better bats before him. However, It is entirely possible that he could follow Giambi or Matsui, or follow Cano and Bernie. He could project to hit anywhere from 7th-9th. It could be a good idea to keep him and Giambi away from back-to-back spots, as Jason drawing a walk followed by Jorge rapping into a DP is all too possible, as neither would be accused of being fleet of foot.
In terms of defense and game management, Jorge produced career-high assist and caught stealing numbers, and a career low 3 errors.his passed ball numbers also declined for a third straight year. Posada couldn't get on the page with Unit, and John Flaherty ended up caddying for him the rest of the year. Now Jorge must show that he can handle cathing the big-lefty, as well as (hopefully) many more games of Pavano, Wright, and Wang. I think that we shouldn't expect a ton more at the plate than we saw last year, but HR and reliever questions (because of his switch hitting) can still make him an effective player. His game management should sitll be strong, and hopefully he and Guidry can come together well.

Prediction- .268, 23, 80 .993 fielding ptg


Back-up- The Yankees bid farewell to John Flaherty, and let the free-agent catchers swim on, choosing instead to go with veteran Kelly Stinnett. Stinnett is essentially a career back-up, with the exception of a few years with Arizona. Can't hit worth a darn, but what back-up can with the exception of the flying Molina's. Should be serviceable, and Jorge doesn't typically miss many games.



I'll post this alone and get to the pitchers later

Upon a new day dawning

This post is primarily for me.

Take 1 part Fortitude, 1 part tenacity, 2 parts willpower, and several parts love. Repeat as necessary. You should enjoy the results.

Upon the Return of the Stop Award

and the Stop Award goes to..

People who are still buying the DaVinci Code

151 weeks on the best-seller list? Number 2 again this week? Who doesn't own this book? Can't these people who are still buying the book go to the library, or borrow a copy from a friend? I don't know how many copies per week constitutes best seller (hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands), but estimates of this book's total number range between 7 and 14 million in the US in hardcover!! The book wasn't that good in my opinion, and may have even been plagarized or borrowed heavily. Even the Harry Potter books aren't this inexorable.


So to all the people still buying the DaVinci code...STOP!

(Yankee outfield later today.)

Upon to 2006 Yankee Preview- The Outfielders

When looking at the impressive talent in the infield, one would expect the outfield to be composed of some mid-range talents who can play some solid defense, maybe some speedy guys on the basepaths. One might expect this, that is, if we weren't talking about the Yankees. Instead, New York lines up All-Stars at all three positions. Long-time warrior Bernie Williams is back for a victory lap, and after more than a decade of patrolling center field Williams will see a lot of time at DH. He restructured a contract to presumably finish out his career as a Yankee, rather than laboring for more money on a new team, diminishing his career stats and his legacy. Good move by a great guy. Now onto those who will run out there each day.


Left Field- Hideki Matsui

Another favorite here on the Widening Geier, Matsui is one of those "put your uniform on and go to work" players. You put Matsui's name in the lineup card in pen, as he has not missed a game with the Yankees, and had not missed one with his Japanese team before coming over. Good health and great training have assisted Godzilla in becoming one of the most reliable players in baseball. The Yankees know that they can expect to see Matsui each day, and after three years with the club they have come to know what they can expect from him performance-wise. Matsui will hit right around the .300 mark, hit 25-35 HR, and drive in 110+ runs. A power dip last year cost Dek some of the HR he had been known for, and he seems to have made the adjustment into a consistent hitter instead of a power hitter. The diversity of pitches seen in MLB means that Hideki will not hit 40-50 fat fastballs and mistakes out of the park each year. Instead, he has steadily improved his average, RBI, doubles, and runs scored. The Yankees love his power swing, and clutch hitting, but have plenty of thunder from other locations. I do get a Paul O'Neill feeling watching this guy, not in terms of demeanor, but in terms of how you can count on him. With the glove, Matsui is a solid right fielder. His .990 fielding percentage in 2005 was his best yet, and his error numbers were also the lowest for his MLB career. His quick-release throw makes up for some arm-strength deficiencies, and he will always hit the cut-off man rather than to sail a mistake throw.

Prediction: .315, 27, 103, .980 fielding ptg

Back-up: This will hopefully not be an issue again this year, but Bubba Crosby is available on DH days, or at the end of blowouts. Crosby is the OF utility man who subbed for Williams and Sheffield at times last year. Mostly a pinch runner, Crosby showed brief signs of some hitting under the tutilage of Mattingly. Don't expect much.

Center Field- Bernie Wil.. sorry, thats Johnny Damon

The Yankee's big off-season signing of Johnny Damon was a twin-killing. They managed to strengthen their team with a marquee player at one of their deficiency positions, while simultaneously weakening an in-division opponent. The Red Sox recovered decently with Coco Crisp, but the Yankees have to be pleased with the player they acquired. Damon is a lead-off hitter who sets the table well, and allows Jeter to slide back into the two-spot in the batting order. I believe that Damon was able to thrive in the heavy hitting Boston line-up, and contributed greatly to the high number of runs they scored each year. With the players from 1-9 in the Yankee hit squad, I don't see a drop-off in his run scoring. Damon had his best season average wise last year, but for the past two seasons has looked to have hit a wall at critical times. People will remember his two HR against the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS, and not the poor showing he put on before then. I hope that a move to NY, and a desire to prove hit mettle inspires 2 or 3 top-notch seasons from Damon, but the focus here is on 2006. I see his left-handed stroke flourishing in the Stadium, and his speed and grinding setting the table all year. He could struggle, prompting groans from the Bomber faithful, but he should have the constitution to stand up to the NY media glare. Defensively Damon proved that he is not gun-shy after his collision in the outfield a few years back. He repeatedly took head-long dives in the Boston outfield, particularly in its Bremuda triangle areas. The confines of Yankee stadium are much more manageable, as Damon can use his speed to track down a lot of outs. He does not improve much on Bernie's throwing arm, but Bernie was never Vlad or Ichiro and the Yankees managed to do fine. Damon will be a crowd pleaser, and knows the Red Sox from the inside, which could be beneficial if the race comes down to the same two teams.

Prediction- .288, 13, 79, 124 runs .980 fielding ptg

Back-up- Bernie and Bubba, though Damon is durable.



Right Field- Gary Sheffield

A new contract should have the mercurial Sheffield in good spirits entering this season. His last three years have been excellent in terms of offensive production, with each year being hampered by a nagging injury. 2004's shoulder gave way to 2005's hamstring. These injuries limited Sheff to a .290 average, with 35+ HR and 120+ RBI. Gary provides a ferocious right-hand bat, and no let-up for a pitcher who has just thrown to Damon, Jeter, and A-rod, and still has to see Giambi and Matsui. Sheffield hates to strike out, and his approach at the plate is a highly underrated tool. With his huge swings on any count, pitchers are immediately aware that any mistake pitch is going out. You will rarely if ever see Sheffield late on a fat pitch, and if he is, the next swing is that much harder. Health is a key question for Gary, as noted above, and there were questions about roids. However, if he is able to stay in shape his production should stay in the expected range. In the field, Sheff still has a cannon for a throwing arm, which he sometimes misjudges, resulting in some bad choices. I hate to knock Sheff as a defensive liability, as he does man right field well, but some of his playoff D was poor. If he's healthy though, look out.


Prediction- .287, 37, 111 .988 fielding ptg.

Back-up- Bernie and Bubba, possibly Melky Cabrera.

Next up, Starting Pitchers and Catchers.