Spring Is Almost Here: New York Yankees Season Preview

With a little over forty days until the 2008 New York Yankees season opener. With Spring Training's lack of importance, I will move straight to the 2008 regular season. The team's composition will most likely be the same as it was at the end of the 2007 season. Joba Chamberlain will remain as the set-up man, despite popular demand and the Yankees' addition of LaTroy Hawkins. With this in mind here is an evaluation of the Yankees likely starting rotation:

1. Chien-Ming Wang: Although his season was shortened by injuries, last year, he still finished the season with a record of 19-7 with a 3.70 ERA. As the year draws near and Wang's poor postseason performance falls out of memory the question must be asked, Is this the year he eclipses 20 wins in the regular season? If he remains healthy the answer will be a resounding "yes."

2. Andy Pettitte: His testimony on Capitol Hill should not affect his play in 2008, especially since his expectations are low to begin with. The fact is he won 15 games in 36 appearances for the Bronx Bombers last year, at his age that is a solid season. The stamina is still there as he ranked 9th in the American League last year with 215.1 innings pitched. If he stays healthy and gets more run support than he did last year, he will have another solid year.

3, 4, 5. The is nothing more than a toss up. There are four guys battling for three spots. Ian Kennedy was possibly the biggest surprise, talent wise, for the 2007 Yankees. After his promising performance last year he should definitely be a front runner for a spot in the starting rotation. Philip Hughes had a decent season that could possibly have been better had he not injured his hamstring against the Texas Rangers during his no-hit bid, however he seemed to fall apart late in the season, finishing with a season record of 5-3 with a 4.46 ERA. Despite the disconcerting ERA he too should also make the starting rotation. Mike Mussina had a confusing season, since he had the win four straight, lose four straight type of season. However, he is still Mike Mussina, and his competition for a starting role is not Gargantuan. Finally, Carl Pavano, you read correctly, Carl Pavano the 40 million dollar bust maybe, and I emphasize "maybe," ready for action come opening day, or five days after opening day because how could manager Joe Girardi position him any higher than fifth in the starting rotation, if he is ready to go. The fact is he had a throwing session, and I use that term loosely, on February 8th, and he could be fully recovered by Spring Training.

The Yankees bullpen comes down to four questions:

1. Will Mariano Rivera be Mariano Rivera?

2. Can Joba Chamberlain stay away form flies?

3. Can Kyle Farsworth stop himself from consistently losing games for the Yankees?

4. Will LaTroy Hawikns make a difference?

The Yankees lineup is almost as sketchy:

What will left field look like? Melky Cabrera will be the Yankees starting center fielder, there is no question. This means yet again Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui will yet again battle for position. The question of left field will be answered by the Yankees starting First Baseman; if Jason Giambi is plays 1B then Matsui will DH and Damon will play LF or vice versa, but if Shelley Duncan or Wilson Betimit start at 1B, Giambi will most likely DH and we will be back to the same question, "What will left field look like?" Good luck Joe Girardi.

The rest of the lineup is a little more simple:

A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, at 3B, Derek Jeter at SS, Robinson Cano at 2B, Jorge Posada will do the catching, and Bobby Abreu potrollingright field and having communication problems with center fielder Melky Cabrera.

To put the upcoming 2008 season in perspective, the Yankees are the smallest question mark of the premier teams in the MLB. The reason being, their name, the New York Yankees will always be the New York Yankees. They have a Steinbrenner at the helm and perhaps the best GM in the business, Brian Cashman. This team is probably more determined as they have been in recent memory, as Derek Jeter will quickly tell you, in recent years the Boston Red Sox have 2 World Series championships and the Yankees have none. Yankees fans, all is not lost.