New York Yankees 2010 season preview
Article By smcneal.tsn on 30th March, 2010
Stan McNeal
Joe Girardi wore No. 27 last season and the Yankees won their 27th World Series. This season, he is sporting No. 28. Next year, no one will be surprised if he asks backup catcher Francisco Cervelli to give up his No. 29. The Yankees are primed to become the first team to repeat since, well, the Yankees completed a three-peat 10 years ago. "They're the team to beat once again," Rays manager Joe Maddon says.
Javier Vazquez looks like an upgrade for the Yankees' pitching staff. Three questions 1. Are the Yankees better than last season?
They don't need to be to repeat. On paper, however, they should be slightly improved because of the addition of righthander Javier Vazquez. His numbers with the Braves last season were better than any of the Yankees' starters. The offense will be younger with center fielder Curtis Granderson, DH Nick Johnson and left fielder Brett Gardner replacing Melky Cabrera, Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon. Being younger doesn't mean the offense will be better, but as long as the hitters with the eight-figure salaries -- Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada -- don't suffer drastic drop-offs, the Yankees' offense should be as dangerous as a year ago.
2. Who's in left?
The leading contender to replace Damon is Gardner, who is faster and superior defensively but doesn't have Damon's power. Gardner will have competition, however, from Randy Winn, Marcus Thames and Jamie Hoffmann, the first pick in the Rule 5 draft. Winn, 35, signed a discount deal after enduring his worst season (.318 OBP, two homers in 538 at-bats) with the Giants. Thames, who was signed to a minor league deal, has the power the other candidates lack (13 homers in 258 at-bats with Detroit last year). Hoffmann, 25, hit .283/.355/.401 in five minor league seasons in the Dodgers' system. (UPDATE: Gardner is the man in left. Also, the Yankees shipp...
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Javier Vazquez looks like an upgrade for the Yankees' pitching staff. Three questions 1. Are the Yankees better than last season?
They don't need to be to repeat. On paper, however, they should be slightly improved because of the addition of righthander Javier Vazquez. His numbers with the Braves last season were better than any of the Yankees' starters. The offense will be younger with center fielder Curtis Granderson, DH Nick Johnson and left fielder Brett Gardner replacing Melky Cabrera, Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon. Being younger doesn't mean the offense will be better, but as long as the hitters with the eight-figure salaries -- Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada -- don't suffer drastic drop-offs, the Yankees' offense should be as dangerous as a year ago.
2. Who's in left?
The leading contender to replace Damon is Gardner, who is faster and superior defensively but doesn't have Damon's power. Gardner will have competition, however, from Randy Winn, Marcus Thames and Jamie Hoffmann, the first pick in the Rule 5 draft. Winn, 35, signed a discount deal after enduring his worst season (.318 OBP, two homers in 538 at-bats) with the Giants. Thames, who was signed to a minor league deal, has the power the other candidates lack (13 homers in 258 at-bats with Detroit last year). Hoffmann, 25, hit .283/.355/.401 in five minor league seasons in the Dodgers' system. (UPDATE: Gardner is the man in left. Also, the Yankees shipp...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
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Tampa Bay Rays Tickets: The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in 1998, the club has played at Tropicana Field.
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The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland Indians Tickets are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League.
