A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away #YANKEES

Here we go. Last one.

NEW YORK YANKEES

Once upon a time, eight years ago, the New York Yankees finished the season with 87 wins. Though this number was significantly less than either of the last two years, the Yankees still found a way not just to win their division and advance to the World Series, but they beat the New York Mets in five games.

In 2008 87 wins could maybe buy a postseason berth in the weak NL Central, but it won’t even get the AL Wild Card. To win the AL East, the toughest (even if not the most wide-open) division in baseball, 95 wins is often cited as the minimum needed to even have a reasonable shot at it.

There’s an easy explanation for the 95 win mark: in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees, there’s also Baltimore and Tampa Bay. When a legitimate playoff team plays Baltimore and Tampa, it’s newsworthy if the O’s or the Rays win. When you get to beat up on Baltimore and Tampa 19 times a year each, well, that’s 38 games, 38 wins right there. Of course, it never works out quite that way—Tampa likes to give Boston fits and Baltimore was a thorn in the Yankees’ side all the way until September.

Still, while some may say that 95 wins is because of a lack of competitiveness from many AL teams—the O’s, Rays, White Sox, Royals and Rangers will probably be written off from playoff contention at the beginning of May—you still have to find a way to beat the Red Sox (or Yankees), Indians, Tigers, Angels and Mariners.

Can the 2008 Yankees do it? Yes.

Will they? That’s another question, entirely.

At first glance, if you just look at 1-9 in the batting order and 1-5 in the rotation, the roster doesn’t look much different than 2007. In fact, with the exception of the manager (which I’ll get to in a second), the biggest off-season moves were Re-signing players (A-Rod, Posada, Rivera) and a trade they didn’t make. You know what I mean.

However, if you look a little closer, you’ll see that there are some noticeable differences.

The most obvious difference is that there’s a new Joe at the helm. Instead of the man sitting at 2nd place all-time on the managerial wins roster, there is a guy younger than my parents who has exactly one managerial season behind him. A guy that I remember as a (very solid) player, and I’m only 21. Okay, so I turn 22 in two weeks, but that’s not the point.

With a new manager, there’s a new coaching staff, as well. The most satisfying name to hear on the list is probably that of Dave Eiland as pitching coach. Eiland worked with Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain in the minors and knows them best, and whatever you call them—the Big Three, the Three Amigos, the Holy Trinity, the Three Musketeers, Menage a—their performance will likely be a crucial pivot to the Yankees’ season. If they’re successful, the Yankees’ 08 season could be one for the ages. If not…it could be a long summer. Eiland’s been successful with the youngsters, and you know what they say about if it’s not broke and whether or not you should fix it.

The bench this year is different, too. Instead of Miguel Cairo and Wil Nieves, we have Jose Molina and Shelley Duncan. While Cairo and Nieves are good guys and we certainly wish the best for them, which pair would you rather have hitting in a tight spot?

The biggest difference, however, has nothing to do with who is on the team, but everything to do with the health of the team. This season, it exists.

This season, not only is Carl Pavano not our Opening Day starter; he’s not even in the rotation. Same can be said of Kei Igawa in the two spot. Bobby Abreu doesn’t have a strained oblique. Jason Giambi doesn’t have a weird foot problem.

Right now the Yankees very strongly resemble the team that played from July-September in 07, a team that had to play near a .700 clip just to make the playoffs.

That said, there are some large, looming questions that need to be answered. Just a few of them here:
+ Can Mike Mussina have a bounce-back year?
+ Can the youngsters—including Melky, Shelley and Robbie as well as the pitchers—play to their full potential?
+ Can A-Rod and Posada come close to repeating their monster years?
+ Can the middle relief hack it?
+ Can Joe Girardi survive a New York baseball season?

(first guess: yes, yes, no, not since 1999, yes)

Opinions you read on the Yankees will vary everywhere. Pete Abraham says the Yankees will miss the playoffs. Tom Verducci has them out in the ALCS. The Sporting News doesn’t have them in October. Lindy’s has them at Wild Card.

However hard it is to predict what the Yankees will do this season, there is one thing the Optimism Campaign cannot deny: for a team that thrives on the historic, and legends of October ghosts, 2008 is not just any other baseball season.

FOR THE FANTASY BUFFS

Buy: Robinson Canò, Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, Joba Chamberlain
Sleepers: Ian Kennedy, Shelley Duncan

PREDICTIONS

Team MVP: Robinson Canò
Team RoY: Ian Kennedy
Team Comeback Player of the Year: Jason Giambi
Team Gold Glove: Melky Cabrera
All Stars: A-Rod, Jeter, Canò
Team we love to play: Kansas City Royals
Team we can’t stand: Toronto Blue Jays
Best months: July, September
Worst months: April, August

AMERICAN LEAGUE—How they’ll finish

EAST
New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Rays
Baltimore Orioles

CENTRAL
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers*
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox

WEST
Seattle Mariners
LA Angels
Oakland Athletics
Texas Rangers

Yankees over Tigers
Indians over Mariners

Yankees over Indians

(Do you honestly think I’d pick different?)

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #29

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Chicago White Sox

It's hard to believe this team won the World Series in 2005; last year they had to fight off the Kansas City Royals just to stay out of the AL Central basement. In one series in July, the Yankees had a game in which they hit a barrage of home runs, and, in another game, when the White Sox had an eight run top-of-the-second, the Yankees repeated the feat in the bottom of the inning.

There's no denying that manager Ozzie Guillen is a colorful character, but that alone does not a playoff team make.

They've got some pitching talent in Javier Vazquez and Mark Buerhle, but when you still have Jose Contreras in your rotation, you know something is very, very lacking.

Paul Konerko at first base is an underrated player. I end up with him on my fantasy team every year, so I'm partial.

Bobby Jenks is great when the team needs him, but when you have a season like the White Sox did last year, being the closer is probably not too much fun.

Threat to the Yankees: Green, proceed normally.

The White Sox don't instill a whole lot of confidence. That said, some of the bats can do some big damage, but in a division with the Indians and the Tigers, they aren't likely to be much of a threat.




All right, just one more left--I'll bring you all a Season Preview of the Yankees tomorrow!

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #27 & #28

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins

At first glance, these AL Central teams look like they're heading in opposite directions. Detroit's recently stocked up with Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, while Minnesota unloaded ace Johan Santana for....Phillip Humber?

Detroit is by far the easier team to read.

They are in a win-now mode, and with Magglio Ordoñez, Gary Sheffield, Ivan Rodriguez, Placido Polanco and now Miguel Cabrera in the line-up, it's hard to see how the team won't score 1000 runs this season.

Detroit's problem--and it could easily be one big enough to keep them from the postseason--is twofold: A very questionable pitching staff and the injury bug. In fact, these two things are combined in the personages of Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya, though you have to feel for Zumaya who injured his shoulder while moving furniture from those massive California wildfires last fall.

Still, outside of Justin Verlander, the Tigers' rotation does not inspire a terrible lot of confidence. Dontrelle Willis is coming over from the National League, on many accounts a league simply not as good as the American, and he did not have a great year last year. While he's young, he's not that young: he was on the Marlins when they won in 2003. Kenny Rogers is on the wrong side of 40 (for a pitcher not named Satchel Paige, anyway). Bonderman can be really good. Or not.

Worse for the Tigers, their bullpen is currently resting on the shoulders of Todd Jones, and not Joel Zumaya or Fernando Rodney.


Tigers threat to the Yankees: Orange, exercise extreme caution.

Despite the pitching question marks, the Tigers line up is that good, and if the Yankees falter or suffer a large growing pain, the Tigers could easily step in and make life very difficult.


The Twins are a harder team to read. On one hand, they lost franchise player Torii Hunter to the Angels and traded Johan Santana--the best player on the team, and one of the best pitchers in the entirety of baseball, and got next to nothing in return (as far as we can tell). On the other, they signed Joe Nathan, one of the game's best closers through to 2012.

Perhaps Francisco Liriano can come back from missing last season; but the fact that Livan Hernandez is the Twins' #2 starter is not encouraging in any sense of the word.

It's kind of confusing; a few years ago the Twins were a legitimate playoff team, and they could have easily built on a strong roster, but instead they seem to have gone all Florida Marlins on it. Strange times.

Threat to the Yankees: Yellow, Exercise Caution

They're not an NL team and we do play them. Liriano and Bonser could come through and surprise people. However, this is not a team that is likely thinking about October.

A Preview A day Keeps the Winter Away, #26

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Kansas City Royals

A couple of years ago the Royals were the worst team in the American League (if not all of baseball) no questions asked. While they still might not be legitimate playoff contenders, they have made some significant strides--nearly finishing out of the AL Central basement last year as well.

In Gil Meche, Zack Greinke and Brian Bannister are solid pitchers, though there are significant questions outside the three.

While they don't have many names that jump out at you as far as regulars go, but they did sign Jose Guillen and some of their young players, such as Billy Butler show potential.

The Royals have not made a postseason berth since 1985 and it's not likely to change this year, but they are laying the foundations for a future run, and look to be moving in the right direction.

Threat to the Yankees: Green, Proceed Normally.

I don't remember what our record against them was last year, but I know we swept them at least once, and I think maybe twice (or we at least took two of three), so I doubt the Yankees feel terribly threatened by them.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #25

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Colorado Rockies


Of all the possible opponents for the Red Sox in the World Series last October, the Rockies seem like they would have been the most unlikely--they had to win 21 of 22 games just to get there.

The Rockies have lost LaTroy Hawkins and Kaz Matsui, but they have gotten Luis Vizcaino (remember him?)

While their pitching is as strong as it's been in the Rockies' short history, their true strength is their infield: Todd Helton (remember when he was supposed to hit .400 in a season?) Marcus Giles (okay, so he's so-so), Garrett Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki, who used to idolize Jeter. Matt Holliday in the outfield is also a good reason the Rockies can be considered a postseason contender.

Threat to the Yankees: Green, Proceed Normally

We don't play the Rockies this year though they did sweep us last year. I have my doubts they'll repeat as NL champs.

Now that the Rockies were my last National League team (from hear on out it's Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Yankees), I can have some basic NL predictions. Keep in mind, I'm about as good a fortune teller as that dude at your local Rennaisance Faire.

East:

Phillies
Braves
Mets
Marlins
Nationals.

Central:

Cubs
Brewers
Reds
Cardinals
Pirates
Astros

West:

Diamondbacks
Padres*
Rockies
Dodgers
Giants

Diamondbacks over Padres
Cubs over Phillies

Diamondbacks over Cubs.

Padres over Phillies
Diamondbacks over Cubs

Diamondbacks over Padres

(What? Sorry Chicago, but after Bartman, I don't have any faith...)

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #24

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Boston Red Sox

Admit it. No other team matters nearly as much to a Yankee fan as the Red Sox, with good reason: they're in our division, and they're (usually) good. Their rotation, if healthy and living up to its potential, can win a World Series (heck, it just did). They don't have a line up like the Yankees or Tigers, but they've got a knack for clutch hitting. You know as well as I do how much your heart bounces when Mo's on the mound, bases loaded, David Ortiz at bat...

Anyway, let's start by looking at the starting pitching:

Josh Beckett: Undisputed ace of the staff. He's shut down the Yankees a few times, and seems to pitch better in more important situations. He's been having back spasms, though even my friends who are Sox fans believe the injury is not serious and being used as a decoy to keep him from Japan.

Curt Schilling: Out until at least July. He's kind of the anti-Yankee, killing us in 2001 and 2004, so while you don't want to see anyone hurt, the Sox missing him on staff is both theoretically convenient for the Yankees, and (more importantly) exposing of the lack of depth in the Sox system.

Daisuke Matsuzaka: Japanese import who, last year, didn't quite live up to expectations. He racked up the strikeouts, sure, but was not the dominant All Star many hoped for. Both Yankee and Red Sox fans agree that last year was likely a fluke, but where we diverge is in what kind of year we expect him to have this year. Red Sox fans believe that he'll have a great year now that he's used to AL hitting, Yankees fans (of course) think the opposite. If he lives up to expectations, the Red Sox are in much much better shape. If he doesn't, it won't be pretty in Boston.

Tim Wakefield: Getting older in a hurry. Is either really on or really not. You probably remember him for throwing a pitch to Aaron Boone in 2003. Does not inspire much fear for the Yankees, though his knuckleball can still pack a punch.

Jon Lester: Great story, coming back from cancer, but it tends to overshadow his ability to pitch. Made 12 starts last season without a loss, but his official record was 4-0. He is still young, though, so there is room for improvement.

Clay Buchholz: Threw a no-hitter in his second start, which is awesome, but then again, Boston was playing Baltimore. Still, he's the Sox prized pitching prospect (try saying that three times fast), and with reason. The question for Yankees fans and Sox fans will be whether or not he's on an innings cap (it'll be a mistake if he isn't), and what that innings cap is.

Summary: Boston's got a great rotation if, and only IF, it can stay healthy and live up to expectations. This shouldn't be a problem for Beckett, and possibly Matsuzaka, but everyone else is hit-or-miss. With Schilling out, there is a considerable lack of pitching depth in the rotation.

Good thing Boston's got, arguably, the best bullpen in the league if you're a Red Sox fan.

Hideki Okajima: Was a throw-in in the Dice-K deal and then pitched himself to a 2.22 ERA (0.83 before the break) and .202 BAA. Seems to have gotten tired at the end of the season, though given that the American season is longer than the Japanese season, it's not that surprising. Will be interesting to see how (if) he adjusts this year.

Jonathan Papelbon: The Sox think he's better than Rivera. He's good, no questions ask, but better than the greatest of all time is pushing it. Can do a mean Irish jig.

Manny Delcarmen: Had 44 appearances last year and pitched to a 2.05 ERA.

However, the bullpen's not going to help your team score runs, so let's look at the line-up:

Dustin Pedroia: Rookie of the year for a reason. Got off to a slow start, but when he picked it up, he REALLY picked it up. Played the final two months last year with a broken bone in his wrist. Batte .317, 8 hr and 50 RBI. Had .380 OBP.

Kevin Youkilis: Target practice for Joba. Had 1080 chances to make an error on the field last year and made none. Had a .388 postseason batting average.

David Ortiz: Bane of pitchers everywhere. Last year was an off year and he still hit 35 home runs. Best as a DH. When hitting in front of Manny forces pitchers to pitch to one of the two. Rumored to be a good guy off the field.

Manny Ramirez: First Yankee game I went to, he hit a home run for the Indians. I'm not a huge fan. However, excellent hitter. Not-so-great defender. "Manny being Manny". Get past Manny and Ortiz and the rest of the lineup looks like a cakewalk.

J.D. Drew: Boras client signed to a multi-year deal, who very promptly had a not-up-to-expectations season. Had a better September and October to finish .270, 11 HR, 64 RBI.

Mike Lowell: Had an excellent season last year, and World Series MVP. Best third baseman in the AL outside of Alex Rodriguez. Finished .324, 21 HR, 120 RBI. Good in the field as well.

Jason Varitek: Aging catcher. Has ten postseason home runs and hits over .300 after the seventh. Over all, he finished .255, 17 HR, 68 RBI. Good game caller. Doesn't usually catch Wakefield, but with Mirabelli released, it will be an interesting situation.

Coco Crisp: Breakfast cereal fielder will probably be replaced by Jacoby Ellsbury, the Sox's prized rookie position player. Can still hit, but strikes out a lot. Good fielder.

Jacoby Ellsbury: Prized rookie. Sox wouldn't trade him for Santana. Untested over a full season, but shows all-star potential.

Julio Lugo: Weak hitter--.237 last year. Subpar fielder. Very, very weak spot in the line-up.

Summary: The top four guys in the Sox line-up have enough power to knock a pitcher on his backside, but the rest of the lineup, outside of Lowell (last year, anyway) is very pedestrian. They do play their home games in a quirky park they can use to their advantage, and they do.

Overall summary: They've got a good team when everything's clicking, but there are some serious weaknesses. It's not if, but when the weaknesses get exposed, and what Theo Epstein and company will do about it. Not trading for Santana could hurt, especially if Buchholz doesn't pan out, but that's a big if.

Threat to the Yankees: Red: Danger!

I really don't have to explain this one. If I do then you're probably really, really new to baseball.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #23

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Cincinnati Reds

The Reds were not supposed to be a legitimate contender last year, but the NL Central is such a weak division, that at one point towards the end of the season you couldn't count them out.

Ken Griffey, Jr., is obviously their most recognizable player, and he can mash, but only when he stays healthy, which he seems to have more than a little bit of trouble doing with any regularity.

However, the Reds have a true #1 starter in Aaron Harang, and one of the top rookies in all of baseball in Jay Bruce. Adam Dunn and Brandon Phillips also have some considerable talent. It's not enough to make the team a realistic contender for anything other than the Wild Card, but it is a start after seven losing seasons in a row.

Threat to the Yankees: Green, Proceed Normally

We do play the Reds three times this year, but on the whole they're unlikely to impact our place in the standings. Anyway, when was the last time Griffey stayed healthy through all 162?

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #22

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa is not one of the league's best team, not even really a contender, but they ARE much improved from the Rays of old, and if the Yankees are not careful, they could be more than a thorn in the side for the season.

Let's start by looking at their pitching:

Scott Kazmir: Legitimate #1 pitcher. Makings of an ace if he can stay healthy. Has a lot of fun beating the Red Sox and losing to the Yankees, but has some injury concerns.

James Shields: Good pitcher, but he was on the mound when the Yankees scored 21 back in July. Good #2 guy for the Rays.

Matt Garza: Came over from the Twins in the Delmon Young trade. Young and fairly untested, but with a relatively high ceiling. Highly strengthens the Rays' rotation.

Edwin Jackson: Not very goo, but gives the Yankees fits.

Andy Sonnanstine: Same deal.

I'm not going to go into the Rays' bullpen, because, well, it's really not very good. If you can get past the Rays' starting rotation, you should be in the clear, as long as you're not down by like, I don't know, 20.

As for the line-up:

Akinori Iwamura: 3B will likely move over to 2nd to make room for prized prospect Evan Longoria. Lead-off type hitter.

Carl Crawford: This guy is FAST and, I think, was the only Ray to make an all-star team last year. Excellent in the field and with a bat, though not everyone thinks he's playing up to his full potential.

BJ Upton--Fast, like Crawford, and with a strong bat. Doesn't project as high as his brother Justin, but when you consider how high Justin projects, that's not really saying a whole lot. It's like saying you're not as good of a third baseman as A-Rod.

Carlos Peña--Had a resurgence last year. Probably won't put up the same numbers again, but no reason he can't come close. Yankees gave up on him too soon, but oh well, if we hadn't we would have not gotten to know Shelley!

Cliff Floyd--Good bat, not so good OF.

Evan Longoria--The Rays' prize rookie, and perhaps the best prospect in all of baseball outside of Jay Bruce. Not sure about the relationship to Eva. The Rays starting him in the minors is a bit like overcooking the meat.

Rocco Baldelli--On the DL with an undiagnosed fatigue condition. Thoughts and well-wishes with him.

Dioner Navarro--He was once our top catching prospect. Yeah, I know.

Jason Bartlett--Okay, I guess, but nothing special.

Summary: The Rays have some serious talent on the team, especially in the outfield positions. On a day when Kazmir, Shields or Garza is pitching, there's no reason they should be considered an AAAA team, especially when you consider Baltimore or San Francisco.

Threat to the Yankees: Orange, Exercise Extreme Caution

This team is still a season or two from a serious postseason run, but it is one of those teams that, talent-wise at least, has the ability to sneak up on you, and if the Yankees start taking them for granted, which is somewhat tempting, they may very much regret it.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #21

Hey, whaddya know, it's officially spring!

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Texas Rangers

No matter what happens, the Rangers will likely always be known as the team that gave us A-Rod, which is okay, as long as you remember that this is a team with an offense that, despite losing A-Rod a few years ago, could still put up a 30-spot against the Orioles.

Granted, to not score an abysmally high number of runs against the Oioles is pobably moe worthy of notice, but 30 runs is...30 runs.

Anyway.

The Rangers haven't done much to improve their pitching staff, which is a head-scratcher seeing as theirr pitching staff was arguably the weakest point of their team last year, even after they traded Gagnè to Boston.

The angers have decided to take a chance on Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley, who can be great additions if they stay healthy and keep their tempers in check.

Michael Young is an excellent shortstop, and with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Frank Catalanotto, it's alphabet soup at the bottom of the order.

Threat to the Yankees: Yellow, exercise caution.

The Rangers are not a playoff caliber team, especially not in the AL, but the Yankees do play them six times and it would be unwise to take the team for granted. Then again, this was the team that Phil Hughes was no hitting....

A Preview a Day Keeps the Winter Away, #20

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Pittsburgh Pirates

Go on and name me five players on the Pirates. Can you do it?

I don't know if there's no better hallmark of a team that hasn't had a winning season in fifteen years than being, generally, irrelevant. In the NL Central, probably the weakest division in the Majors, it can easily be argued that only the Pirates can't realistically entertain hopes of winning the division.

The Pirates aren't the worst team in the majors; they're not even the worst team in the National League, but they aren't a good team, at least, not yet. Perhaps starters Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Snell can significantly distance themselves from the pack, and Damaso Marte might be the most sought-after bullpen lefty specialist, but there's no one on team that immediately grabs your eye, with the possible exception of Xavier Nady who just has a really, really cool name.

Don't get me wrong, the Pirates have some solid athletes--like Freddie Sanchez--but there's still something missing. They'll be better than San Francisco, and possibly the Marlins and the Nats, but it's a long way to go before they're truly ready to compete at the top level.

Threat to the Yankees: Green, Proceed Normally.

Well, we did sweep them last year, and we get the luxury of trying it again this June, though hopefully this time we won't be distracted by Roger Clemens un-retiring for the fourth, fifth or sixth time.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #19

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies went to the playoffs last year on smoke and mirrors. They were good, sure, but they weren't supposed to be nearly as good as the Mets, and a rash of injuries, most notably to Chase Utley should have lead to an early winter. However, the Phils never said die, and with a little help from Lady Luck, they made an October appearance.

In Cole Hamels and Brett Myers, the Phillies will hopefully have something this year that actually resembles a pitching staff, and if there was ever a guy that understood the concept of aging gracefully, it's Jaime Moyer.

Philadelphia has a more-than-solid infield with Utley, Rollins and Howard, but it won't do them much good if they can't stay healthy.

The Yankees have already played them twice in Spring Training; there's no secret that the Phillies could be considered favorites to repeat as NL East Champs.

Threat to the Yankees: Yellow, Exercise Caution

They are a legitimate NL Playoff team, like the Pares, and thus should not be taken too lightly.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #18

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The San Diego Padres

I don't know about you guys, but when I think about the Padres, I think all the way back to 1998...and, aside from Trevor Hoffman, a much different team.

The Padres now are not a bad team, and they are a competitive team in a division where only team can be said to not have a realistic shot at a playoff berth.

However, one cannot ignore how their season ended last year, with their inability to close out frist over the Brewers and next over the Rockies. As much as one might want to blame Trevor Hofffman, one player does not a team make.

In Jake Peavy and Chris Young the Padres have an excellent 1-2 punch, but Maddox, while still effective is not young and Randy Wolf has injury concerns. They've got solid position players, though Jim Edmonds has been known to have back problems.

Threat to the Yankees: Yellow, Exercise Caution

The Pares are a legitimate NL playoff team, and, for that reason, the Yankees should be a little more mindful of them than say, the Giants.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #16 and #17

(Call it Irish luck, but you get two today)

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Washington Nationals and The Baltimore Orioles

You have to feel for baseball fans in the DC metro area; they're blessed with two baseball teams, but they're cursed by the Montreal Expos and Pete Angelos at the same time.

As the former Montreal Expos, have not had the expectations of being a serious contender, although last year they did take to the role of spoiler quite nicely. Just ask any Mets fan.

Of note for Yankee fans: Tyler Clippard and Wil Nieves are on the Nationals now, so if you're a fan of either of them (or both) you might want to pay attention to the days that Clippard starts.


Nationals Threat to the Yankees: Green, Proceed Normally.

They were much better last year than they were supposed to be, losing "only" 89 games instead of the 100 they were supposed to, but this is still not a team likely to play in October.


Now, the team that will be of greater interest to most of you: The Orioles.

The Orioles are easily the worst team in the American League, and quite possibly the only team that has not taken steps to improve. It's one thing if Boston or Cleveland doesn't do much in the off-season, given the philosophy of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but the Orioles have not had a winning season since 1997.

The best way to sum it up, is that the Texas Rangers, a team with no postseason plans whatsoever last year, beat Baltimore in a game by a score of 30-3, and now, the only really significant move Baltimore has made is trading Erik Bedard to Seattle--their one, and possibly only, decent pitcher.

Daniel Cabrera is supposed to be good, but like Edwar Ramirez, he's either really really good or really really bad. No one else on the rotation has distinguished himself.

It doesn't get much better in the field. Brian Roberts is all-star caliber, but there's not much else there. Kevin Millar (Cowboy Up?) batted .215 as a DH last year (though he did have a .999 fielding percentage). Melvin Mora had two home runs after the break last year. The outfield, complete with Payton, Gibbons and Huff (et al), is not very good, and that's putting it nicely.

Of course, a lot of Baltimore's poor fortune can be blamed on owner Pete Angelos's really, really bad decision making, but these birds are going to be grounded for a long time to come.

Threat to the Yankees: Orange, exercise extreme caution

Huh, you're asking, right?

Well, remember, they weren't much better last season, but it wasn't until SEPTEMBER that we were able to take a series from them. No team ever goes 0-162.

We play the Orioles eighteen times in a season, and that's more than enough to impact the standings. The worst mistake the Yankees could make wold be to take the team for granted, even if they should demolish them.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #15

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The New York Mets

Well now, what can you say about a team that last September just had to win two games, with 17 to play, to grab a playoff spot...and couldn't?

You could say that they needed to make some changes, and, well, trading for Johan Santana is certainly up there, but aside from that, they haven't done much. Omar Minaya, who scouted the likes of Sammy Sosa, has done a less than stellar job as Mets GM.

This was a team in first place since May, that could not hold on, and that, for a time this spring, had exactly TWO healthy regulars. It almost makes you feel for them, but, of course, they're the Mets.

It's the last year for Shea Stadium as well, but of course Shea isn't quite the same as Yankee Stadium, and I will never forget the wet peanut shells on my seats when I went...yuck!

Anyway

Threat to the Yankees: Yellow, Exercise Caution

We do play the Mets the same amount of times we play AL Central and AL West teams, so thus we can't ignore them. They've got a legitimate shot at the NL East title as well, though I'd be suprised if the Wild Card came out of that division as well.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #14

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Florida Marlins

If there's ever been a team the victim of poor ownership and fan indifference, the Marlins certainly seem to fit the bill.

It's a team whose entire payroll is less than that of A-Rod's yearly salary, and just as they're about to win it all, they are broken up and shipped out. Hard to believe it was only five years ago that Beckett and Pavano won rings together.

This year's Marlins will have to do without franchise star Dontrelle Willis and power bat Miguel Cabrera, but they did receive two young, highly valued talents in return--Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin. While most seem to think that, for now at least, Detroit came off better in the trade, I'm going to go ahead and say that if not this year, than in a feew, the Marlins will have gotten the better end of the deal.

It's likely that just as last year, the Marlins will be fighting the Nationals to stay out of the NL East basement.


Threat to the Yankees: Green, proceed normally.

While I still haven't forgotten 2003, I do have to thank the Marlins for a) giving us Joe Girardi, and b) taking Hanley away from Boston.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #13

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Seattle Mariners

The Mariners won't generally get the same reaction from Yankee fans that the Angels will, mostly because we can and have beat the Mariners when it mattered, but this is not a team to take lightly.

They have some weak spots (I'm looking at you Richie Sexson) in their line-up, but, they've also got Ichiro and Adrian Beltre, and guys with cool names, like Kenji Johjima (it's just fun to say!), who can also hit.

Their pitching staff, which was a large part of their undoing last year, is much improved with the addition of Erik Bedard (so they don't have to worry about having the bad Weaver), and J J Putz in their bullpen might be the most underrated closer in the league.

The Angels, for one, had better watch their back.

Threat to the Yankees: Orange, exercise extreme caution

This team has the possibility to slip under the radar, kind of like it did last year, and the Yankees shouldn't let that happen. They might not be up there with the Indians, Angels and Red Sox, but they are getting close.



Brent of The Bronx Block
will have a Mariners preview up a little later, he asked me to ask you to take a look, and so you should.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #12

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The Cleveland Indians

If someone mentions "Indians" to you, and you're a Yankee fan, you'll probably remember midges. Lots and lots of midges.

Probably a good idea to remember that Cleveland's got a pretty good baseball team, too.

It's got virtually no similarities to the Indians team of the late nineties, but one could argue that this year's squad is better than that team. In CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, they arguably have the best 1-2 "punch" in the American League. In Grady Sizemore and Asdrubal Cabrera they have some excellent young talent.

Cleveland's biggest issue right now is tht they have to play in the same division as Detroit. While Cleveland clearly has less questions concerning its pitching staff than Detroit does (outside of Verlander, the Tigers' staff doesn't inspire much confidence), Detroit's line up is much more intimidating.

This isn't to say Cleveland doesn't have a good line up. In fact, with Sizemore, Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner, Cleveland's got a better line up than most teams. It's just that Detroit, right now, probably has the best line up in the league, and given that of the Yankees, that's saying something.

So keys to Cleveland's 2008 Season:

1) Like the Yankees, they need the young guys to produce. This wasn't much of a problem last year, so it theoretically shouldn't be a huge problem this year.

2) Establish pitching depth outside of Carmona and Sabathia. They have a great prospect in Laffey, but the division in talent between their first two pitchers and Jake Westbrook and Paul Byrd is considerable.

3) Stay healthy. I might as well.


Threat to the Yankees: RED--DANGER

Well, they did beat us last October, and while you can blame one game on freak midges, you can't blame all three losses on it.

We don't play them the same amount of games as the AL East teams, but not only are they a very likely playoff foe, there's a considerable possibility we wi8ll be fighting them off for the Wild Card spot, unless Detroit utterly collapses.

Which has been known to happen.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #11

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The San Francisco Giants

Well, there's no reason to sugar coat it: without Bonds, the Giants aren't even mildly intriguing. The only team in the entirety of the major leagues that could possibly be described as out of contention on April 30th, would likely be Baltimore, and the Orioles don't even play in the National League.

The Giants do have a couple young arms in Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, and you (of course) can't ignore that they have a Molina catching, but that's it. I mean, their shortstop is Omar Vizquel, who is a little past his prime.

It could be argued that the Giants' front office hasn't been able to see past Bonds--there is little other way to explain it, but one hopes that when the fans stop coming, because Bonds isn't there any more and the team is still losing, the FO will finally realize what sort of mess their team is in.

Threat level to the Yankees: Green, Proceed Normally.

Yeah, umm. If the Yankees and the Giants play each other this year, we would probably be having a conversation about the oddest year in baseball, ever.

Honestly, the Rays are a bigger threat.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #10

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up today: The LA Dodgers

I won't lie: the fortunes of the Dodgers this year will be on the mind of many Yankees fans, and for one reason: Joe Torre.

Yankees fans are, of course, lucky that the managing job Torre got was in LA, meaning that the Dodgers' fortunes are unlikely to impact our own, and thus, Torre fans need not feel bad rooting for him, and Torre haters may not feel bad rooting against him.

Anyway, as for the Dodgers themselves...last year, there was a large issue with the veterans and the youngsters being, shall we say, not the best of friends. They've got a great starter in Brad Penny, and some solid bullpen arms (well, at least until Torre has his way with them), but their line up has some serious question marks--they were the team that bit on Andruw Jones after an awful year with Atlanta last year, as well as with Jeff Kent and Rafael Furcal.

Threat to the Yankees: Green, Proceed Normally

If the Dodgers can figure out a way to work out all the kinks, they might have a chance at a Wild Card spot, but given the other competition, especially in their own division from Arizona, Colorado and San Diego, it's not likely.

The biggest threat the Yankees will have is when Torre comes to town to play the Mets, and steals a back page or two.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #9

(Okay, so I'm a horrible person and lied about having this up this morning. Apologies)

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up Today: The Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks don't bring back many happy memories for the Yankees, but that isn't the entire story as, from the perspective of a fan of the game, the 2001 World Series was one of the most intense, indeed, one of the best, played in recent memory, if not ever.

However, that team is largely gone, and, like the Yankees, 'Zona has gone with youth, such as Justin Upton, brother of BJ, and Brandon Webb, who pitched something like three straight shut outs, or near to it. In fact, with the exception of Randy Johnson, no one on the team is older than Augie Ojeda who's an ancient 33, and now they've added Dan Haren to their staff as well.

Arizona's largest problem, however, is their offense--which they have not remedied in any significant way this off season. Last year the Diamondbacks were actually outscored; while they could outpitch the Cubs the lack of offense hurt them in the NLCS.


Threat to the Yankees: Yellow, Proceed with Caution

I haven't forgotten 2001.