New York Yankees Mid-Season Review

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

We're just about halfway through the MLB season. The Yankees and Red Sox are having their perennial fight for the top of the American League East (and the Rays are catching up too). The Tigers, White Sox, and Twins are all duking it out while the Angels and the Rangers are swapping punches.

Then you have the National League.

The Phillies are lackluster in their title defense with the Marlins (yes, I just said the Marlins) on their tails. The Brewers and Cardinals are putting up some decent battles. The Dodgers are tops in the league, expecting nothing less from a manager like Joe Torre.

But alas, we're not here to talk about the NL...nor most of the AL.

We're here to talk about the Yankees. The 26-time World Champs. Granted, it's been nearly a decade since they've won a title, but hey, the Red Sox still have 19 more until they catch up with the Yanks. Sure, they've won two this decade, but we'll let history speak for itself.

Now it's time to go on a journey. This journey will take us through all the positions with analysis and grades. Get ready, because here we go!

First Base: Mark Texeira

Texeira is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) free agent signings the Yankees have made. As of today, Texeira is sporting a fielding percentage of 1.000. Through his 71 games played, he has not made one error (and hopefully that doesn't curse him for tonight).

He is second in the AL with 20 HRs, fourth with 60 RBIs, tied for fourth with 22 doubles, and is in the top 10 when it comes to walks.

There is no doubt that this signing was not a mistake. Thank God he didn't go to Boston.

Grade: A+

Second Base: Robinson Cano

Cano is sporting a .991 fielding percentage this year, which is higher than his career best of .984, an average he's carried for three straight years. There is no doubt that Cano has improved defensively, but I think his offensive improvements are more remarkable.

His .300 batting average is modest, but it's low compared to the .342 he put up three or so years ago. His 12 home runs that he has puts him on pace for 26 by the end of the season, which will outmatch his career-high by seven. His 92 hits are tied for fifth in the AL and eighth in the league.

There's no doubt that this everyday player is maturing into the player that Yankees fans have expected.

Grade: A

Shortstop: Derek Jeter

Jeter's fielding percentage is at .989. This is much better than any year he's played.

People argue that he's gotten slower as he's gotten older, which may or may not be the case. Either way, he's become a smarter player as he's gotten older. He's figured out how to make that play while still saving his body for the next inning.

Slower? Maybe.

Smarter? Definitely.

There's no doubt that he has his ups and downs at the plate. Take a look at these batting averages:

2003 - .324

2004 - .292

2005 - .309

2006 - .343

2007 - .322

2008 - .300

In 2009, Jeter is sporting an average of .307. If the trends are read correctly, then I think you can predict a meteoric rise in his batting average next year.

But I'm talking about this year. His batting is better than last year. He is on pace for 201 hits after only hitting 179 last year and 33 doubles after his 25 from last year. There is no doubt that he is getting better with age.

Grade: A

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez

Okay, first I'd like to point out that Ramiro Pena didn't do the greatest job while filling in while Rodriguez was out, nor did Cody Ransom. Yes, Pena did a great job over the weekend at shortstop, but not at third. You better bet that first month will affect this grade. As for Angel Berroa, I'd just like to forget about him.

There's no doubt that A-Rod's fielding percentage dipped when he came to the Yankees. His current FP of .961 isn't exactly the best we've seen, though it's better than the .937 of 2006 when he had 24 errors (yikes).

As of late, he's been on fire with the rest days he's been receiving. When he came off the diasabled-list, he was on fire as well.

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