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.