The Yanks Haven't Won It All Since 2000

For years now, the Yankees have been baseball’s most loved and most hated franchise. While fans of the team will point to the number of championships and playoff appearances, those playoffs appearances have not amounted to a World Series victory since 2000. For most fans, this would be acceptable. For Yankees fans, this is a travesty. Rival fans, however, take issue with the ways in which the Yankees build their teams. Owner, George Steinbrenner (assisted now his sons Hank and Hal), has never been afraid to spend money on free agents. For years now, the Yankees have led MLB with the highest payroll. During the 2008-2009 off-season, Steinbrenner once again spent money on three of the premiere talents on the free agent market. While the high payrolls have not led to a Championship in quite some time, this could be the year the Yankees start a new dynasty.

Season Recap

After signing free-agents CC Sabathia (7 years 161 million), Mark Teixiera (8 years 180 million), and AJ Burnett (5 years 82.5 million) the Yankees seemed to have the most talented team in baseball. Much was made of the Yankees early struggles, especially against the Boston Red Sox. Mark Teixiera only hit .200 in April with 3 home runs, and Alex Rodriguez spent most of his time on the DL. The Yankees fell to 0-8 against the Red Sox on the season. However, Teixiera turned it on in May hitting 13 home runs with a .748 slugging percentage. Alex Rodriguez came off the DL and had another 30 home runs season, and Derek Jeter found the fountain of youth. The Yankees really started to dominate immediately after the All-Star Break. Following the break, the Yankees won 8 straight games. The second half success continued, as the Yankees dominated the Red Sox and evened the season series at 9-9 following the 0-8 start against their rivals. Derek Jeter set the Yankees all time hits record on September 11, and 10 days later the Yankees became the first team to clinch a playoff berth in 2009. On September 27th, the Yankees won the AL East title. The Yankees led all of baseball with 103 wins, and had the highest run differential in the AL with +162.

Rotation

With the off-season acquisitions of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, the Yankees bolstered a large weakness. Sabathia is one of the game’s best pitchers. While his walks have been on the rise in recent years, he has started at least 28 games in each of his seasons since 2001. There are, however, two major concerns about Sabathia heading into the post-season, and they might be related. Sabathia has pitched a lot of innings in his career, and his workload could be a concern. This may be one of the major reasons for Sabathia’s struggles in the post-season (7.92 ERA, 22 walks in 25 IP). If Sabathia breaks down again in the post-season, the Yankees may not have enough to get by without him. AJ Burnett has had an inconsistent, and injury plagued career, but he has been healthy the last two seasons. Burnett had another solid season in 2009, and will be caught by Jose Molina and not Jorge Posada during the playoffs. Andy Pettitte is a durable, veteran starter on the team that still pitches effectively. Of the three, Pettitte has the most post-season experience. Sabathia, as mentioned before, has struggled, while Burnett has never appeared in the playoffs. If the Yankees were to advance to the ALCS, it is unclear who would start Game 4 at this time.

Relievers

Mariano Rivera continues to be, perhaps, the best closer in baseball. Even at the age of 39, he still dominates hitters consistently. He piles up strikeouts and is extremely stingy with his command. Phil Hughes thrived once he was moved to the bullpen. The 23 year old began pitching like everyone thought he would with a 1.40 ERA and 65 Ks in 51.1 innings. Hughes wound up as one of main setup men in front of Mariano Rivera in 2009. Alfredo Aceves also blossomed this season, and should be counted on almost as much as Hughes. The biggest surprise in the post-season could be Joba Chamberlain’s role in the bullpen. In the ALDS, it appears that Chamberlain will pitch out of the pen. He was fantastic out of the bullpen two seasons ago, but was inconsistent as a starter in 2009. If he can regain his form from 2007, the Yankees will be a handful in the late innings.

Lineup

While Sabathia is the clear anchor of the pitching staff, the Yankees have a slew of superstars in their everyday lineup. Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, and Nick Swisher all had resurgences in 2009. Mark Teixiera, Alex Rodriguez, and Hideki Matsui all performed as expected. As a matter of fact, the Yankees lineup measures pretty highly in some key statistics.

As you can see from the table, more than half of the Yankees starting lineup ranks within the top 30 at all some very important offensive measures. This is a team that gets on base, but also is able to hit for power. Outside of Jeter and Brett Gardner, the Yankees don’t have too much speed on the base paths. Although, Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, and Alex Rodriguez all managed to accumulate double digit steals in 2009.

Defense

Here is one area that the Yankees struggle with. The Yankees rank 28th in the entire MLB in UZR heading into the playoffs. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise, but that makes them the worst defensive team in the 2009 playoffs. While there were reports that Jeter actually improved defensively this season, there are still a number of old veterans that don’t have the range they used to.

Bench

There aren’t too many players on the Yankees ALDS bench as they took 11 pitchers on the team. Jerry Hairston Jr and Eric Hinske will provide infield protection, but neither are huge assets off the bench. Hairston should provide some speed off the bench and Hinske will contribute a little bit of power. In the outfield, the Yankees carried Brett Gardner as a reserve. Gardner stole 26 bases in 2009, and is one of the fastest players on the team. In perhaps the most surprising move, the Yankees elected to carry three catchers on the roster for the ALDS.

Coaching

Joe Girardi leads the Yankees into the playoffs for the first time in his young managerial career. He was named the NL Manager of the Year in 2006 despite the fact that the Marlins fired him after the season. He was also criticized that year for his handling of the young pitchers on Florida’s staff. However, Girardi took over a team where less is probably more. There is little need to bunt and play small ball when more than half of your team has ridiculous slugging percentages. As a former catcher, Girardi is believed to know how to handle his pitching staff.

Reason why they will win the WS

The Yankees have the best offense in baseball. Almost every player in the lineup is a threat to hit a home run. However, the Yankees have great plate discipline and can wear out opposing starters when they need to. The back of the bullpen is loaded with young talent that emerged this season. Not to mention, Joba Chamberlain might regain his form as a dominant reliever. Mariano Rivera will shut you down in the 9th. While Sabathia has struggled and Burnett lacks experience in the post-season, both can completely dominate a team on any given day.

Reason why they won’t win the WS

Well, Sabathia’s workload could wind up being a problem in the post-season. He hasn’t pitched particularly well in the seasons his teams have advanced. While “defense wins championships” is a phrase you hear more in football, the Yankees poor defense could lead to their defeat in the post-season. With their bench as small as it is for the ALDS, an injury to one of the regulars could be a problem. Then again, this team clearly has the talent to overcome most of their weaknesses.