New York Yankees' 2012 Season Outlook: Nick Swisher

The New York Yankees again are among the MLB  teams that are favored to win the World Series in 2012. Their starting right fielder is still Nick Swisher and he will have a significant role for the Yankees' success.

I started with C.C Sabathia and will now take an in-depth look at Nick Swisher and give an outlook for his 2012 season.

Outlooks completed:

C.C Sabathia: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1056682-new-york-yankees-2012-season-outlook-cc-sabathia

History

Nick Swisher made his MLB debut with the Oakland Athletics in 2004. He has had a pretty rocky career; however, the one thing that has remained consistent is his ability to hit the ball over the fence.

Swisher has been with three teams in his eight MLB seasons.

Swisher's stats with Oakland:

Total: 458 games, .251 AVG, 80 HR, 255 RBI

Average (not including 2004): 146 G, .251 AVG, 26 HR, 82 RBI

He then spent one year with the Chicago White Sox and it was probably the worst year of his career.

Swisher's stats with Chicago:

153 G, .219 AVG, 24 HR, 69 RBI

After his time spent in Chicago was a failure, the Yankees took a shot on him and acquired him in a trade from the White Sox.

Swisher's stats with New York:

Total: 450 G, .267 AVG, 81 HR, 256 RBI

Average: 150 G, .267 AVG, 27 HR, 85 RBI

Health

Throughout his career, Swisher has been able to stay healthy. Aside from minor bumps and bruises, injuries have never kept him out for any significant amount of time.

At 5'11" and 210 pounds, Swisher is always in good shape which helps him avoid any serious injuries.

Since 2006, Swisher averages 152 games per season and over 500 at-bats. There is no reason to believe that Swisher will be unable to stay healthy in 2012.

Monthly Predictions for 2012

2012 is Swisher's contract season as he will become a free agent in 2013. Typically players have their best seasons in their contract years because they want to get the best contract possible in the offseason. Expect a year close to the year he had in 2010.

March/April

Totals: .257 AVG, 30 HR, 91 RBI

Average: .257 AVG, 4.29 HR, 13 RBI

2012 Prediction: .276 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 76 AB, 21 H

May

Totals: .257 AVG, 24 HR, 87 RBI

Average: .257 AVG, 3.43 HR, 12.43 RBI

2012 Prediction: .326 AVG, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 89 AB, 29 H

June

Totals: .258 AVG, 32 HR, 113 RBI

Average: .258 AVG, 4.57 HR, 16.14 RBI

2012 Prediction: .253 AVG, 7 HR, 12 RBI, 91 AB, 23 H

July

Totals: .255 AVG, 31 HR, 102 RBI

Average: .255 AVG, 4.43 HR, 14.57 RBI

2012 Prediction: .304 AVG, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 92 AB, 28 H

August

Totals: .261 AVG, 35 HR, 103 RBI

Average: .261 AVG, 5 HR, 14.71 RBI

2012 Prediction: .277 AVG, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 94 AB, 26 H

September/October

Totals: .233 AVG, 33 HR, 84 RBI

Average: .233 AVG, 4.71 HR, 12 RBI

2012 Prediction: .242 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 91 AB, 22 H

Overall 2012 Prediction:

.280 AVG, 31 HR, 88 RBI, 533 AB, 149 H

Awards and Accomplishments

Nick Swisher has never been in MVP discussions or Gold Glove discussions; however, he has been a quality player throughout his career. He rode his strong start in his 2010 season to an All-Star game selection.

Going by the first three months of the 2012 season predictions, Swisher will hit .285, with 13 home runs and 41 RBI. This is not far off from the first three months of his 2010 All-Star year, in which he hit .288, with 13 home runs and 47 RBI. We may see another All-Star selection for Swisher in 2012.

Swisher has 185 career home runs, leaving him 15 home runs shy of 200. He also has 939 career hits, which is 61 hits from 1000. Swisher will most likely reach the 200 career home run milestone and the 1000 career hits milestone in 2012.