Health is a big concern with the Yankees starters as it is. Sabathia has been healthy so far in his career, but he has logged a tremendous amount of innings in recent years. Will his arm still be able to hold up? Burnett has had a career full of injury problems and rarely pitches a full season. Wang is coming off foot surgery following his injury last season. I mentioned Joba’s shoulder problems last year. Pettitte will be 37 years old this year so age doesn’t help him in terms of preventing injury. It will be something to look out for this year.
Either way, this year’s staff certainly stacks up as one of the best in baseball this season and one of the best the Yankees have had in a long time. If players stay healthy, and with the line-up the Yankees have, I can see four of the five starters winning at least 15 games with Pettitte winning between 10 and 12.
Sabathia has a chance to win 20 games, as he won 17 last season and is now playing on a team with a much better line-up, even if it is a tougher offensive league. Burnett won 18, and while I don’t know if he’ll win that many, can certainly be a major force in the Yanks’ rotation.
Bottom line is, the Yankees have the tools to put out a solid 1-5 rotation, even if there are some injuries that occur, which there likely will be. However, if the starting five doesn’t perform up to expectations and injuries begin to mount left and right, the Yanks will be in trouble. This team’s rotation is just as good as the Red Sox, Rays, or any other team in baseball. The big question is: Will they stay healthy? I guess we’ll find out.
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