Five Questions for the New York Yankees: Preseason 2009

Let me preface the following article with some ground rules.

First off, let me make clear that I am not a delusional fan who believes that my team can do no wrong. Second, to actually do a proper analysis, one must be critical of everything to see if certain things really do make the grade.

Third, I am pretty much done with the Derek Jeter thing. I mean really people, enough is enough. I love what he did when he was great, however even Cal Ripken had to change positions to keep being a productive player.

Now then, with no further delay, my list.

Will problems still plague the players up the middle?

By up the middle, I mean the following positions: Catcher, Second Base, Shortstop, and Center field. Let’s take a look at them individually, shall we?

Will problems still plague the players up the middle? CATCHER

Nobody knows what this season will bring for Jorge Posada. What we do know is that the Yankees are depending on him to be out there for 120+ games.

Do I think that will happen? No. By mid-May we will see Molina more than we see Posada catching if my suspicions are correct.

Verdict: Weakness

Will problems still plague the players up the middle? Second Base

Second Base and Robinson Cano is certainly not a sure thing. Questions exist that can only be answered after 162 games. Will he bounce back? Should they trade him?

What goes on in this kid's head sometimes? I can answer these very simply. He better.

They should have. He's humming to himself the same way Manny does. His defense is subpar at best.

Final Verdict on Second Base: Adequate, pending further review.

Will problems still plague the players up the middle? Shortstop

I don't want to bash Derek Jeter here as to many fans, he can do no wrong. I also don't wish to argue about the merits of what he has done compared to what he is currently doing.

In sticking with the topic, the Yankees won't go far if they get another season from Jeter in 2009 like the one he had in 2008.

If he is indeed starting to slip, he has to attempt to temper the drop off. Even if the offense doesn't slip any further it's the defense that concerns me. How many runs can he give up this year?

Verdict: Adequate enough, but they could do better.

Will problems still plague the players up the middle? Centerfield

Long gone are the days of DiMaggio, Mantle and even Williams. Actually, I miss Bernie Williams most of all. Being far too young to have seen DiMaggio or Mantle; Williams always showed what it meant to be a Yankee.

To play all in when it counted.

In the coming season we will see time split between as many as four different players if things come to pass as they are projecting. However, not one of these players is a sure thing.

Once again, these players value offense over defense.

Verdict: Weakness.

Up the middle wrap-up

Overall, the players up the middle should not inspire confidence for a fan or for the team. Offensive players or not, the defense will be below average to put it mildly.

Best guess, the defense will cost them a net of six wins. If both Jeter and Cano can bounce back, maybe it will drop to four.

Which Steinbrenner runs this asylum anyway?

I miss George Steinbrenner. I'm not sure which Steinbrenner to listen to anymore. Hank was supposed to be the chosen one. The loud-mouthed, irrational quote machine never stops running his mouth. You have a microphone, he has a moronic quote.

Then you have Hal Steinbrenner; the one who seems to actually be making the decisions. That however will not stop Hank from running his mouth. How will the players, new and tenured react when the verbal criticism starts flying? My belief is with the same detached responses as always.

While the cameras are rolling the players all say the right things. Away from the stadium, I wonder how much it erodes their confidence to deal with all the extra baggage of being a Yankee in New York.

Does Joba rule?

Sometime soon the Yankees will need to pick one place for Joba Chamberlain. Is he the missing link in the getting the ball to Rivera in the ninth, or is he destined to be a starting pitcher?

I would say reliever, just because Joba reminds me too much of a young Kerry Wood in his approach. I would hate to see Joba go through what Wood did.

How many times in one lineup can you sacrifice defense for offense?

The Yankees have started to let the players who are allergic to defense walk. Letting Abreu and Giambi walk were good decisions. These should merely be the beginning moves.

How many people cringe at the idea of Hideki Matsui playing out the season in left if things don’t go well with Posada (thus keeping DH open)?

How many extra runs will these players generate that their play on defense just gives back to the opposing team?

How will the injured players do?

What can we expect from Chien-Ming Wang, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui to name a few?

Actually the most important player on that list is Wang. No matter who they added to the pitching staff, the entire season went van Gogh on the Yankees last year when he got injured.

If he can bounce back to form, that is a gain in the win column as due to offseason signings, he is essentially the third starter.

That is most certainly an upgrade over last year, when depending on how things landed, you would be facing Darrell Rasner.

Are the Yankees done?

Are the players we see now the same one who will be there at the end of the season? With many teams uncertain of how the finances of the coming season will affect them, will the Yankees be buyers as the trade deadline looms?

The answer to that is the same formula as always, who can they get at what cost? What holes will have to be addressed by then? This is a topic to be revisited in early July.

This is when Brian Cashman will shine.

Final analysis

The Yankees are improved over last year’s opening day roster, they are not significantly better in all facets. If anything, I would imagine this team is no better than second best in the AL East. If all the pieces fall together just right, they could win 110 games.

If it goes all van Gogh again, they will be lucky to win 80. My guess is 92 wins in a very competitive AL East. That should be good enough for the wild card. Not total domination, but as teams continue to prove, it’s not how you get into the playoffs. It’s getting there that counts.

Once you get that far, wipe all the slates clean and hope with the short rotation they can march out that they get hot.