New York Yankees: 10 Reasons They Will Win 100 Games in 2012

It isn't easy to improve upon a 97-win season and better yet, who would want to? Only the New York Yankees would, of course.

That was the goal at the beginning of the offseason and with a few select moves after a long wait, the Bombers appear to have done just that.

With the improvements made, the Yanks could easily win 100 games in the upcoming season which is a prediction that is never easily made in the MLB. However the Bombers should be able to do just that.

And here's why.

Improved Rotation

To bolster their starting rotation, the Yankees added Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda to the mix, easily giving them one of the deepest rotations in the MLB.

Instead of Bartolo Colon and A.J. Burnett filling in the rotation like a season ago, New York will insert Kuroda and Pineda in place of them. Who couldn't say that's an improvement?

Throw in the fact that Ivan Nova is going to have a year's experience under his belt and Hughes should be healthy for the entire season and the Bombers should have no problem eclipsing their rotation's win totals from 2011.

More rotation wins equals more team wins and thus the march to a 100-win season becomes reachable.

Same Offense, Plus Alex Rodriguez

Despite not having Alex Rodriguez for over 60 games in 2011, the Yanks' offense didn't miss a single beat, finishing first in home runs and second in RBI and runs scored.

During the offseason, A-Rod had a special surgery on the same ailing knee that kept him off the field last season. It was a surgery that was suggested to him by Kobe Bryant and it has paid dividends to the Los Angeles Lakers' star as he has yet to have any problems with his legs this season.

That's encouraging to say the least for A-Rod and the Yankees, making it a scary proposition for any team who has to face a top-ranked offense who will be adding another bat with the potential for 30 HR and 100 RBI this season.

That would be double his output from 2011 and that type of contribution in itself could win more games for the Bombers.

Improvement at DH

The Yankees still haven't made their final decision as to who the DH will be this season, but they have certainly ran the gauntlet in their search for one.

We've heard the likes of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Vladimir Guerrero, Raul Ibanez and even the Kansas City Royals DH, Billy Butler as possible options for New York.

In the end, no matter who it is, they can't do much worse than what Jorge Posada did in 2011. As their full-time DH and resident moper, Posada posted a .235 average with 14 home runs and 44 RBI.

If their choice is Ibanez (which has been the rumor of late), then that would be an improvement over Posada. Ibanez posted a similar average at .245, but he did hit 20 home runs and almost doubled Posada's RBI output with 84.

Ibanez, or any of the Yanks' DH options for that matter, has a great chance of increasing their 2011 totals because of the hitter-friendly dimensions of Yankee Stadium. And if that were to happen, any one of New York's free agent options would be an improvement.

Evening the Score with the Boston Red Sox

It's no secret the Yankees got their rear-ends handed to them by the Boston Red Sox last season, posting a 6-12 record against their division rival.

But if history has taught us anything between the Yanks and Red Sox it's that they always even things out no matter how badly one team dominates the other.

I don't expect New York to keep getting shelled by Boston especially since the Yanks have vastly improved their rotation from last season while the Sox have not. The Bombers should have no problem squeezing out more wins against the Red Sox in 2012.

Best Bullpen in Baseball

The one thing that remained constant last season was the Yanks' dominant bullpen.

Sporting one of the best bullpens in baseball in 2011, the Bombers should expect much of the same as they are bringing back an almost identical 'pen for 2012.

The Yanks will still have the best setup man-closer combination in all of baseball with David Robertson handing the ball to Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning. For the seventh, the Bombers will have Rafael Soriano and his closer-type stuff handing the ball to Robertson.

They might have lost a big piece in Luis Ayala who was quite effective for them last year, but Boone Logan will have a year more of experience under his belt while Freddy Garcia should be able to help out as he awaits his chance to make it into the starting rotation.

If Phil Hughes falters, he could end up in the bullpen as well and that's a role Hughes has succeeded in during his Yankee career. That just speaks to the type of depth that New York could be working with out of their bullpen in 2012.

Bench Depth

General manager Brian Cashman always makes sure he has plenty of depth to back up some of the bigger names on the Yankees roster and this offseason was no different.

Cashman re-signed Andruw Jones who provided some pop off the bench last season and there are plans to bring back Eric Chavez as well once the A.J. Burnett trade is done. Rejoining them for another year off the bench will be Eduardo Nunez who showed some flashes of excellence with the bat in 2011.

The Yanks also signed Bill Hall and Russell Branyan to minor-league deals. Both of those guys have MLB experience and plenty of it. Not to mention, New York has some of their younger prospects ready and willing to help out during the 162-game marathon.

Look for Brandon Laird, Ramiro Pena, Austin Romine and countless others to get a look at some point during the season. It just continues to show that the Yanks have unimaginable depth and experience up and down their bench with plenty to spare.

Pitching Depth in Minors

Forget about the over-abundance of starting pitching the Yanks already have and that's not even including Burnett who is on his way out the door. In the minors, the Bombers have plenty of other arms ready and able to take the ball if need be.

Adam Warren and David Phelps are two names you might see first if any injuries or ineffectiveness occur to Hughes and Garcia during the season. Both pitchers are considered major league-ready and would be the first names called up if any of the two situations I mentioned should arise.

You can also tack on Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, two more of the Yanks' top prospects, who could potentially get a few experimental looks during the season with spot starts.

Clearly, New York is stacked with pitching in the minors and that will make any manager rest easy if one of his reliable starters has to miss a game or two.

No Improvement in the American League East

When looking at the American League East, just who has improved?

The easy answer to that is nobody.

The Tampa Bay Rays have great depth in their rotation, but their offense, which was lacking in 2011, remains about the same. And there's a damn good chance they won't be as lucky as they were in 2011 at the expense of the Sox.

The Red Sox will be minus John Lackey, chicken wings and beer. They haven't made any significant improvements to their rotation or offense, leaving them with an almost identical team from that of the 2011 version that suffered the worst collapse in MLB history.

We'll hear how the Toronto Blue Jays are on the verge of breaking through this season, but like the Red Sox, they look very similar to the 2011 version that went 81-81. Until the Jays are actually in the playoffs, we're all going to have to see it to believe it.

And the Baltimore Orioles? They're all set for another season in obscurity as they could be the worst team in the American League.

Nobody is better and even if the Yanks mimic their 2011 AL East results, they're still in good shape. Seeing as how they are improved, there is no reason why the Yanks can't beat up on the same division they had decent success against in 2011.

American League Is Vastly Improved?

Naysayers of this article and the Yankees in general will have a problem with this entire piece. And their argument? The vastly improved American League.

It's true that the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers effectively stole two of the National League's best hitters, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, but that in no way makes either of those teams better than the Bombers at all.

Prince Fielder could bring 40 home runs and 120 RBI to an already dangerous lineup, but he is just a more powerful version of Victor Martinez and more importantly, a long-term and expensive replacement. Detroit will have to wait until 2013 to see those two in the same lineup with Miguel Cabrera.

The Bombers almost had two 40 home run hitters last season with Curtis Granderson's 41 and Mark Teixeira's 39.

Other than a power boost, Detroit's rotation hasn't had any drastic improvements during the offseason. It should be interesting to see if Max Scherzer can mature on the mound and solidify their rotation as one of the best in baseball.

But at this point, the Tigers could have prospects battling for the No. 5 slot in the rotation.

After Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda, the worst the Bombers could do would be either Phil Hughes or Freddy Garcia. Not exactly slim pickings in the Bronx.

As for the Angels, they went crazy this offseason. Long-term, expensive, maniacal genius crazy. They signed the two best offseason prizes the market had to offer for a boat-load of money in Pujols and one of the most coveted pitchers, C.J. Wilson. Their rotation will be as strong as ever and they will have a great deal of depth to match up with.

Even with Pujols, the Yankees can match that with a possible healthy season from A-Rod. If so, the Bombers already top-ranked offense would enjoy an addition from a guy good for 30 and 100 in a full season. Even without A-Rod the Yanks have proven offense is never a problem.

These three teams are certainly comparable in every aspect of the game and are about as even as anyone can agree to. It should be a competitive run to the MLB postseason in 2012.

Logic

Since 1900, the Yankees have won 100 games in an MLB season 18 times. That is eight more than the next closest team, the Oakland Athletics. The Bombers were also the last and only team to win 100 games in 2009 when they notched 103 in the win column.

The penny-pinching Yankees still have the most money and the most resources to make a move at any given time. Resources give them depth and consistency, the two most important factors in having a great season.

Money doesn't always guarantee a 100-win, World Series winning season but it sure as hell gives you a better shot at one.