New York Yankees: Best and Worst-Case Scenario for Every Player on 25-Man Roster

It is possible that the New York Yankees have the most complete team going into 2012. They are solid all-around, and it is World Series or bust.

In order for the Yankees to succeed, each player on the roster must pull his own load.

Here is a look at each player on the Yankees and the best and worst-case scenario for them in 2012.

Derek Jeter

Best Case

The best-case scenario for Derek Jeter in 2012 is that he shows 2010 was a fluke and picks up where he left off at the end of 2011. Jeter is a career .313 hitter. The best case for Jeter is if he hits .300.

Worst Case

The worst case for Jeter in 2012 is that he shows that the end of 2011 was the last push he had in his career. He has a similar season to 2010.

Curtis Granderson

Best Case

Curtis Granderson had an MVP-caliber season in 2011. The best case for him is to repeat his 2011 season while possibly increasing his home run total and/or batting average.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Granderson is that he goes back to struggling against lefties and fails to come close to his 2011 power numbers. He has a similar season to 2010.

Robinson Cano

Best Case

Robinson Cano has emerged as one of the best players in all of baseball. The best case for him is that he wins the AL MVP with a breakout power year. Cano ends with a .315 BA, 30-plus HR' and at least 125 RBI.

Worst Case

The worst case for Cano in 2012 is that he shows he has a ceiling. Cano hits below .300 and fails to reach 30 home runs.

Alex Rodriguez

Best Case

The best thing for Rodriguez in 2012 is that the Germany treatments he received are successful, and he stays healthy for the majority of the season. A-Rod plays in 140 games or more and hits .285 with 35 HRs and 115 RBI.

Worst Case 

The worst case for Rodriguez in 2012 is that he remains unable to stay healthy and he continues on his steady decline as his career winds down.

Mark Teixeira

Best Case

The best thing for Mark Teixeira in 2012 is if he gets off to a quick start. He will keep his power numbers where they were in 2011 while raising his average back to where it was earlier in his career. He is a career .281 hitter, and it would be good if he hits somewhere around there. Another thing that would be the best-case scenario would be if he does well in the postseason.

Worst Case

The worst-case scenario for Teixeira in 2012 is that he continues to be a .250 hitter and struggles in clutch situations and the playoffs.

Nick Swisher

Best Case

Many times players will have their best seasons in their final year of their contracts because they are playing for a new contract. Swisher is in his final season, and the best case for him is if he has a contract year. A season like he had in 2010 is probably the best-case scenario.

Worst Case

The worst thing is if the pressure of playing for a new contract gets to him. Swisher hits around .250, with 23 HRs and 80 RBI. His struggles cause the Yankees to consider someone else as their right-fielder after this season.

Raul Ibanez

Best Case

The best thing for Ibanez in 2012 is that he starts off strong and earns himself the everyday DH role. He hits 25-plus HRs and drives in 80-plus RBI.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Ibanez in 2012 is if he does not adjust well to New York and ends up splitting time with Andruw Jones as DH. If he doesn't play everyday, it will cause him to struggle.

Russell Martin

Best Case

The best thing for Russell Martin in 2012 is that he finds his swing of old and remains the everyday catcher. The Yankees have some good, young catchers in their system, and if Martin struggles we could see one come up.

The best thing is if Martin doesn't struggle and hits around .270 with the same power as 2011. Martin and the Yankees have been in discussion about a long-term deal. Martin could have a contract year and lock up his spot as the Yankees' catcher for a few more years.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Martin in 2012 is if he can't handle the pressure of playing for a new contract. He also continues to struggle with a low batting average. It's hard to imagine that his BA could get any lower.

Brett Gardner

Best Case

The two most important things for Gardner in 2012 are consistency at the plate and stealing bases successfully. The best case for him is getting his batting average up and leading the league in stolen bases. Gardner hits .280 or better and steals around 60 bases.

Worst Case

The worst case for Gardner in 2012 is if he continues to struggle at the plate. If he hits .259 like in 2011 or worse, his stolen bases will decrease.

CC Sabathia

Best Case

The best thing for Sabathia in 2012 is if he wins 20-plus games for the second time in his career. He is his usual self in the regular season and leads the Yankees in the postseason. He wins his second career Cy Young award.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Sabathia is if he feels settled in because of the new contract. As a result, he loses control of his weight and wins 15 games or less—or even his weight finally affects his health and he misses time.

Hiroki Kuroda

Best Case

The best thing for Hiroki Kuroda in 2012 is that he proves he is a veteran and can handle New York. The extra run support finally turns into around 15 wins and single-digit loses.

Worst Case

On the contrary, the worst thing is that he can't handle New York and the change to the AL. He has around a 5.00 ERA, and because of the depth in starting pitching, his spot in the rotation is in jeopardy.

Ivan Nova

Best Case

The best thing for Nova is that he follows up his rookie campaign with a similar season in 2012. He solidifies himself as a quality starter and a spot in the Yankees rotation. He wins 15 to 20 games.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Nova is that he has a sophomore slump. His record ends somewhere around .500, and he has an ERA above 4.00.

Michael Pineda

Best Case

The best thing for Pineda in 2012 is that he starts in the rotation and adjusts to New York well. The extra run support and development of his third pitch help him become a stud pitcher earlier than expected and secure his spot in the rotation.

He ends the season as the true No. 2 behind Sabathia with around 15 wins. Also, the playoffs are everything with the Yankees. So the best thing for him is to pitch well in the postseason.

Worst Case

The worst case scenario for Pineda in 2012 is that he shows he still needs time to develop and is a little overwhelmed in New York. He finds himself back in the minors as he continues to develop.

Phil Hughes

Best Case

The best thing for Hughes in 2012 is that he starts off in the rotation and gets back to his 2010 form. He proves that he deserved to be a first-round pick and wins 15-20 games.

Another scenario could be that Hughes finds himself planted in the bullpen, and he shows the same domination in the bullpen that he did in 2009. He can compete with Robertson, Chamberlain and Soriano to prove who deserves to take over the closer role if Rivera retires.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Hughes in 2012 is that he continues to struggle with velocity like he did in 2011. He is unable to find a spot in the rotation and struggles in the bullpen. He could possibly be traded.

Andy Pettitte

Best Case

The best thing for Andy Pettitte, as he makes his return in 2012, is if he hasn't skipped a beat. He continues right where he left off in 2010, and the year off was important for his aging body. He finds a spot in the rotation.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Pettitte in 2012 is if he can't find the same success that he has had his entire career. The year off actually hurts Pettitte. 

Freddy Garcia

Best Case

The best thing for Garcia in 2012 is that he finds a way into the rotation and matches his 2011 season—or he could be a successful long reliever.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Garcia in 2012 is that he doesn't find a role with the Yankees because of the surplus in pitching.

Andruw Jones

Best Case

The best-case scenario for Jones in 2012 is that he gets significant playing time against lefties and continues the success he had in the second half of 2011. He hits somewhere around 15-20 home runs.

Worst Case

The worst case for Jones is that Raul Ibanez takes up the majority of his playing time. Jones becomes basically a non-factor in 2012.

Eric Chavez

Best Case

The most important thing for Eric Chavez is staying healthy. He has always been able to produce when on the field. However, the problem has been staying on the field. If he can stay healthy and hit somewhere around .250, with 8 HR and 50 RBI, the Yankees should be very happy.

Worst Case

Chavez getting hurt and missing significant time, which has happened so many times in his career, is the worst-case scenario for him. He only played in 58 games in 2011, and that was the most games he has played in since 2007.

If Chavez is unable to reach around 50 games, that is a disappointment. If he can't stay healthy then he can't produce.

Francisco Cervelli

Best Case

With the talented, young catchers in the Yankees system and getting playing time in the minors, Cervelli remains the backup catcher. He has been very serviceable at that position over the past few years. The best-case scenario for Francisco Cervelli in 2012 is that he remains the backup catcher throughout the entire season.

He has an impressive .272 career average, and the best case for him would be to remain around there in 2012. He is 26 and maturing as a player. The best-case scenario would be that his stat line reads something like .280 with five HR and 33 RBI.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Francisco Cervelli in 2012 is for him to lose his backup catching position. This could happen two ways. He could play his way out of it, or one of the young catchers gets promoted. 

Eduardo Nunez

Best Case

Due to aging players like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, Nunez should receive decent playing time in 2012. The best case for him is that he hits around .300 and lowers the high number of errors that he had in 2011.

He could either play well enough in 2012 to become a valuable trade piece or prove he is the heir to Jeter at short. Nunez could become a player that another team thinks can start for them.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Nunez is if he fails to make the team in 2012. However, the worst-case scenario if he does make the team is that Nunez continues to struggle defensively and fails to take the next step offensively. The lack of consistency in playing time causes him to struggle. Nunez only gets around 250 at-bats and hits .250 or worse.

Rafael Soriano

Best Case

The best thing for Soriano in 2012 is if he earns the contract he got last offseason. He shows that he should take over the closer duties after Rivera retires, with a season like 2010 in which he had a 1.73 ERA and led the league with 45 saves.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Soriano in 2012 is if he repeats his 2011 season.

David Robertson

Best Case

Basically the best case for David Robertson in 2012 is if he has a season like or close to 2011. He was one of the best relievers in baseball and is probably on top of the list of people to replace Mariano Rivera after he retires. 

Worst Case

The worst thing for Robertson in 2012 is if his freak foot injury becomes an issue during the season. He regresses and comes back down to earth after his incredible 2011 season.

Boone Logan

Best Case

The best thing for Boone Logan in 2012 is if he becomes the consistent left-handed reliever that the Yankees have been searching for over the last few years. 

Worst Case

The worst thing for Logan in 2012 is that he struggles against left-handed batters, causing the Yankees to look elsewhere for a lefty in the bullpen. In 2011, right-handed batters had a .262 BA and left-handed batters had a .260 BA against Logan. If he doesn't lower left-handed opposing hitters' BA, the Yankees could look somewhere else for a lefty specialist.

Cory Wade

Best Case

Wade had a quietly solid 2011 season. He went 6-1 with a 2.04 ERA. The best case for him is to put up similar numbers in 2012 and solidify himself in the Yankees bullpen.

Worst Case

With the depth that the Yankees have in the rotation, Wade struggles to get consistent time out of the bullpen. In 2009, Wade had a 5.53 ERA in just 27 games for the Dodgers. If Wade pitches like he did in 2009, he may lose a spot in the Yankees rotation.

Joba Chamberlain

Best Case

The best thing for Chamberlain in 2012 is that his surgery was successful and he doesn't experience any setbacks. He set his goal return date to be mid-April, and that would be ideal. Many times Tommy John surgery will add a few MPH to a pitcher's velocity.

The best case for Chamberlain would be that he gets his velocity back to where it was when he made his MLB debut in 2007. Chamberlain can get back in the discussion of being Mariano Rivera's replacement after this season.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Chamberlain in 2012 is that he experiences some setbacks with the surgery and struggles to stay healthy. He only appears in 30 games or less.

Mariano Rivera

Best Case

The best thing for Rivera and the Yankees in 2012 is if he continues to pitch like he has basically every single season in the MLB. Although the best case is that this isn't his last year, but if it is, the other best case is that he goes out with another Hall of Fame type of season and with another World Series ring.

Worst Case

The worst thing for Rivera is that age finally catches up with him and retirement after 2012 is the correct decision. He has an ERA above 4.00 for the first time since becoming the Yankees closer.