The New York Yankees started the season with All-Stars Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez all on the disabled list. These four athletes, along with Robinson Cano, are the core of the team. It's no easy task replacing four All-Stars in one off-season—however, the Yankees needed to find players to play a role in the team until they come back.They compiled a lineup of unproven athletes and journeymen veterans such as 35-year-old-Travis Hafner, 36-year-old Lyle Overbay and the most overpaid player in baseball, Vernon Wells. The Bronx ...
The New York Yankees have made the playoffs in 16 out of the last 17 seasons, with 2008 being the lone exception, but that's not the only reason why New York is destined to return to the playoffs in 2013.A slew of injuries scattered throughout both the offseason and spring training put the Yankees in a seemingly insurmountable hole even before the regular season's first pitch was thrown.Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson have all yet to play a game for the Bombers while Michael Pineda has ...
Dear Alex Rodriguez,Or should I address you as "A-Rod?" Yeah, that sounds good. Certainly easier to type, anyway.At any rate, I hear you're on the comeback trail. It's been almost four full months since you had surgery on your left hip, and the word on Monday from Adam Berry of MLB.com was that you can finally participate in some baseball activities.The word after your surgery was that there was a chance you could return to the New York Yankees around the All-Star break. That sounded optimistic at first, but now it ...
Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain are just a few free agents that the New York Yankees will have to internally discuss this offseason, but another FA that anybody fails to give recognition to is manager Joe Girardi.Girardi has been the Yankees manager since 2008. After signing a new three-year contract after the 2010 season (one that has paid him $3 million per year plus World Series incentives), it is set to expire following this current season. The Yankees need to decide if Girardi is the right choice to ...
The Yankees are off to a hot start in 2013, posting an 18-12 record over the season's first 30 games. That they stand in second place in the AL East is made even more impressive when you consider the fact that Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Youkilis have missed most or all of the month with injuries.The offense has been patched together by a series of smart moves by Brian Cashman to acquire veteran players to fill specific roles on the team. Travis Hafner has ...
After dropping a tough game against Oakland, the New York Yankees again find themselves fighting to stay towards the top of the American League East. The injury-ridden Bombers are still within a game and a half of first place Boston, and Joba Chamberlain has been the latest to join the disabled list. Nonetheless, the Yankees keep battling, and with every injury comes an opportunity for one of the Yankees’ top prospects to move forward in their system. It hasn’t happened yet for any of the young players on this list, ...
Curtis Granderson's spring training ended just five pitches into his first at-bat because of a broken right forearm, but the New York Yankees outfielder is finally close to making his return to the team.Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com reports that Granderson played in his first extended spring training game last Wednesday (May 1). Marchand goes on to say that general manager Brian Cashman had previously suggested that Granderson would need around 50 at-bats in extended spring games before he would be ready to rejoin the Yankees.With that goal in a mind ...
General manager Brian Cashman spent the offseason (and parts of spring training) picking up aging veterans presumably on the tail ends of their respective careers to fill the holes left by the injured stars of the team.This type of decision-making has proved risky at times, but Cashman has made smart choices more often than not. Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells are just a few examples of older players that have produced when they put on the pinstripes.A few days ago, though, the Yankees acquired second baseman ...
The idea of Alex Rodriguez not being expected to have a big impact on a team for a season is hard to fathom. But after his performance in the 2012 postseason and necessary surgery on his left hip, the expectations for Rodriguez in the 2013 season were slim to none.Taking PED's out of the conversation, A-Rod has had one of the greatest careers in MLB history. But over the last few seasons, we have seen an aging player look like he is aging.With the success that guys like Chipper Jones, ...
On a day where doctors clearing Alex Rodriguez for baseball activities dominated the Yankee headlines, the revelation of Michael Pineda's throwing session (via Hardball Talk) could turn out to be the news item baseball fans in New York remember most moving forward.While A-Rod's bat can clearly still help the Yankees, Pineda's right arm remains a key to their future, as well as an X-factor for their potential success right now. The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher was acquired prior to the 2012 season to be a cost-controlled mainstay atop the Yankees starting ...