It is a weird feeling being a Yankee fan this time of year. Going into the season, especially with the new rotation (We'll dominate the league in 2002!), I expected this to be a rebuilding year, getting younger players better and ready to take over some of the positions that the fading stars will soon give up. Even though it is only mid-June, the Yankees are in the thick of things at the top of the American League East. While worry will always exist for me this season (1-8 to Boston? Really?), I suppose having a season with this kind of start is a little better than wondering about the improvements of the top young prospects (Catchers Jesus Montero, Gary Sanchez, and Austin Bromine as well as pitchers Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances).
I will admit, I am on hold in regards to my Yankee and Major League Baseball fanhood until the NBA season ends, but the Finals are over (sadly) so it is now time for my Yankee faithfulness to come into full effect.
As it stands now, the Yankees are 1.5 games back in the AL East to the Offensive Juggernauts, also referred to as the Boston Red Sox. In a way, this is still promising, because I still do not think that the best Yankees are playing to their full potential. I expected a bigger season from 3B Alex Rodriguez this season, but A-Rod still has yet to have a real hot streak this season. 2B Robinson Cano has had some great weeks, but he is not hitting like 2010 Robbie Cano. CC Sabathia has been solid, but he hasn't given me the confidence I expect from him when I watch his starts. A lot of his wins have been shaky at best, and he has had a tendency thusfar in 2011 to get himself into trouble early in an inning. Swisher is still taking pitches as he always does (one of the best in the league at extending the plate appearance), but he has hit terribly this season and does not look completely comfortable at the plate. On the other hand, some Yankees are surprising me with the starts that they have accumulated. Curtis Granderson has obviously worked on his swing in this past offseason. His 21 homers are tied for tops in the league with slugger Jose Bautista, and wouldn't you know Mark Teixeira! Granderson has shown a lot more patience at the plate and waits for his pitches, instead of the attempts to crank every ball out of the park that we saw in large doses last season. Teixeira is also surprisingly off to a much better start then the ones he has posted in the last few seasons. He seems much more comfortable under the spotlight of New York City media than the past putrid Aprils and Mays we have seen from him. An uplifting surprise for the 2011 Yankees has also come from the bullpen. I have never been entirely confident in the Yankee bullpen leading up to the 9th inning, but Dave Robertson has done his job to create sighs of relief for the team and fans of the Bombers. Although he will offer a share of hits at times, Robertson strikes opposing batters out in bunches. His 1.23 ERA reflects a big increase in confidence from his nervousness last year.
Still, a trade for a starting pitcher seems necessary to keep the Yankees fight with the Red Sox alive. The aforementioned abundance of catchers in the farm system seem to show promise that this could happen. Montero is viewed by many as the best prospect in the league. He is one of the more skilled hitters to play within the Yankees system in the last 15 years. His problem is that he doesn't really have a position: he cannot play catcher very well. This prospect is one that the Yankees will likely keep. The other two are the Yankees more likely options as trade bait. Gary Sanchez is a promising hitter that many other teams have shown interest in. Austin Bromine does not have the skills at the plate that the other do, but plays the position of catcher to perfection.
There are other things to look forward to with this Yankees team this year. I was at Yankee Stadium when Derek Jeter left with the tweak in his calf last week (yes, you can blame me for that, I only bring bad luck when I go to see my teams play).When he does come back, and is able to continue his quest for 3000 hits, it will bring a lot returns to the team for a lot of reason. The pride of the Yankee Faithful will pick up and they will be right behind Jeter in every at-bat he has leading up to it. When the Yankee fans are behind the team, they always play better (as opposed to when the Yankee fans turn against their team, sending them into a gloomy whirlwind). Jeter will have a new sense of confidence and understand his worth to the team even with the regress in his ability and the drop in his step with the added years on the field. Jeter's value this year to the Yankees is much more as a leader and the captain of the team. He needs to get to a place where he is inspiring his teammates and instilling more confidence into their bats and gloves. Jeter's temporary absence also helps Eduardo Nunez's confidence. Playing every day and getting into the grove of hitting and fielding the demanding shortstop position will improve his worth as one of the most important backup position players the Yankees have.
In the northeast, a frightening semblance of players exists to haunt every win and step forward that the Yankees make. The Boston Red Sox are rolling right now and the offense seems to put on a clinic every time they step into a ballpark. With apologies to NESN, this Red Sox offense is not the 1927 Yankees, but it still gives pitchers nightmares and has the potential to put up 10+ runs every game. Adrian Gonzalez has taken over this offense. He does not seem to have a weak spot in the zone and continues to drive ball after ball into the outfield or over the stands. David Ortiz is feeling strong currently, reverting back to the mid-2000s David Ortiz, sending out momentum-building home runs that the rest of the team feeds off. For me, Kevin Youkilis is still the most terrifying Red Sox hitter. Better than Swisher at taking pitchers far into an at-bat, he extends innings and keeps pitchers on their toes while sending them into a psychological frenzy as to what kind of pitch they should throw and where to put it. Josh Beckett is playing the way his contract almost mandates he plays, contrary to his dismal 2010 season. Every time he gets on the mound I feel like he will play as shakily as last year, but he continues to impress me the way he did in 2007.
Injuries, again, are a concern for this team going forward. Jed Lowrie, although his play has declined, has fit in well in the lineup and fielded the shortstop position excellently. Hopefully for Beantown, his stint on the Disabled List will hamper his flow into the game and the improvement he has shown this season. Clay Buchholz, who seems primed to become one of the most effective pitchers from the league, will have to work to get back into form and make this rotation as effective as its been this year. Dustin Pedroia in seasons of late has consistently shown concerns of being able to stay of the field. Pedroia, along with Youkilis and Ortiz, is the glue of the team and crucial to maintaining momentum for this team.
Despite the play of the Tampa Bay Rays to this point in the season, I believe this division is a two-horse race. We will continue to monitor the positions of these two teams and their place in the league for the rest of the season. We also will not be so naive to doubt that injuries, surges, and swoons can have a lot to say to shake things up in this sport.
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