The New York Yankees offense is capable of doing one thing better than most clubs this season, and that's hit home runs.To date, the Bombers have hit exactly 76 home runs, tied with the Texas Rangers for the most in baseball. Only one player—centerfielder Curtis Granderson—has more than 10, but the Yankees have six players who have hit at least seven balls out of the park.So it goes for the Yankees. They led baseball in home runs last season with 222. At this point, they're basically an Earl Weaver ballclub: ...
Joel Sherman in today's New York Post speculates about Melky Cabrera, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Cabrera leads the National League in batting average (.373), hits (78), triples (6), total bases (115) and runs (38). He has a .417 on-base percentage and is slugging .550. Since the beginning of 2011, Cabrera has the most hits (278) of any player in either league. Sherman questions whether Cabrera has arrived as a star or if he is simply playing over his head. Arizona Diamondbacks general ...
People would have you believe, New York Yankees fans included, that the team is on a road to certain failure and that everything is going wrong.While they might be right about everything going wrong so far in 2012, to say they are in trouble is downright insane.For a team that hasn't hit its stride yet, I'd say the Bombers aren't in that bad of a position despite how poorly they've played.Here's why the Yankees simply aren't in as much trouble as some experts would have you believe.Begin Slideshow
Ever see the movie Catch Me If You Can?If you haven't, there's a running gag in that movie in which the characters ask why the Yankees always win, and the first response is because they have Mickey Mantle.If they were to re-make that movie in a modern setting (i.e. with iPhones, robots, flying cars, etc.), the line would be that the Yankees always win because they have Derek Jeter. He's the heart of the team, and he's been the heart of the team for close to two decades at this ...
Andy Pettitte will turn 40 on June 15. He spent 2011 in retirement, watching games on TV.Pettitte had an extended spring training and then found his groove making several starts for the Yankees Triple-A team in Scranton-Wilkes Barre.Now, after only four starts since returning to the Bronx, it has become clear that Pettitte might well hold the key to the Yankees' postseason hopes.He might even be the reason they make the playoffs in the first place.Even though Pettitte gave up five runs in his most recent start against the Los ...
Two months of baseball and the New York Yankees have not exactly exceeded expectations. Sitting at 26 wins and 23 losses, the Yankees find themselves in third place in the American League East behind the Tampa Rays and, one of the biggest surprises of the year, the Baltimore Orioles. A few injuries and some under-performers have highlighted the year so far. Here is a breakdown of every player on the Yankee roster right now with a report card grade.Begin Slideshow
One of the things New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman likes to get involved in is a good reclamation project.He did it with Jon Lieber in 2004, Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon in 2005 and Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon in 2011.Cashman is at it again with another project as he signed former Mets pitcher John Maine to a minor league deal, and he will report to the minors for an extended spring training.Maine last pitched in the majors in 2010 with the New York Mets before he ran into ...
In 2011, New York Yankees pitchers led the league with a 118 ERA+. Their 3.73 team ERA was surpassed by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (3.57), the Tampa Bay Rays (3.58) and the Oakland A's (3.71), but the Yankees had a better ERA+ because unlike ERA, ERA+ factors in a team's home park. This season, the Yankees have a 105 ERA+ and a 4.11 ERA. There has been more pressure on the pitchers because the offense is down. Allowing the opposition four runs no longer means an excellent chance ...
"Money doesn't buy happiness" is a common saying.The same thing could be said about high profile contracts in sports. No matter how high the number or how great the player, results aren't guaranteed for the teams that give out those contracts. Over the years, we've seen athletes' fortunes go up from really rich to obscenely and unbelievably rich. While all these athletes no doubt earned the sum they were given relative to market price, not all of them lived up to it.Some did, some flamed out, some couldn't handle the expectations and ...
With 15 home runs, Curtis Granderson is the only New York Yankees player in double figures after 49 games. Nick Swisher, of all people, leads the team with 31 RBIs.The Yankees' offense is not what it used to be. If it doesn't revert to form, there will not be much October baseball in the Bronx. What is upsetting is that this might be the new offense. Before he joined the Yankees in 2009, Mark Teixeira batted .290/.378/.541, averaging 37 home runs over a 162-game season. Projecting his 2012 season and acknowledging ...