One, Two, and Three: Check. Four and Five will have to wait
To what do we owe the New York Yankees disappearance from the World Series to: Pitching? I think so! Well with a few newcomers on the rise, the Yanks have the potential for a stronger rotation. The only problem being that manager, Joe Girardi, now has a hard decision on his hands: Who will be his fourth and fifth starters? If you think it will be 20-year-old Manny Banuelos, who just recently threw 2 2/3 shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox, you are wrong! The the only rotation he will be starring in is in the Yankees minor league system for now. With that said, it looks like the remaining candidates are…drum roll please…
Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia, and Bartolo Colon.
Nova and Garcia have been favored for the final two roles from the beginning; however, they can’t sit Colon in the bullpen just yet. In a game against minor leaguers last week, he went what would be six innings, allowing no runs and scattering just four hits. His true test will come next Monday, when Girardi will see what he can do in a game against major leaguers. Until then, nothing is confirmed. |
| espn.com Jorge Posada |
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| espn.com Russell Martin |
I believe many people would agree that Jorge Posada has been the only other Yankee, besides Yogi Berra, to create a dynasty behind the plate. I mean, if a five time all-star and four-time World Series champ is not considered to be one of the greats, then I don’t know who is. Nevertheless, much like Berra’s 1963 World Series appearance, Posada’s last as catcher seems to have been in 2009. For the past few games, former Los Angeles Dodger, Russell Martin has been behind the plate leaving Posada to serve as the team's designated hitter (DH). Could this mean that his catching time has expired? On Thursday, Yankees manager, Joe Girardi made that answer clear.
"I expect him to be our everyday catcher. So what is that? Is it 120, 110, is it 125 games? It’s somewhere within that range. He has not really shown me anything physically right now that won’t allow me to play him every day.''
Since December, Martin has been recovering from surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee, but is expected to be a healthy replacement for Posada. Another fan of this switch is former Yankees and Dodgers manager, Joe Torre. Torre who started Martin for three seasons with the Dodgers, feels that he “could be a good surprise for the Yankees.” As for Posada, it looks like he will remain at DH until his contract expires at the end of this season.
A Battle for Leadoff
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| espn.com Derek Jeter, Jeff Gardner, and Nick Swisher |
As opening day is fast approaching, there looks to be another case of Girardi’s uncertainness with a Yankees’ order. Earlier this week it was the pitching rotation, now the question mark is with the first two spots in the batting lineup. Should or should not all-star shortstop Derek Jeter bat leadoff is the dilemma! Last season, Jeter sat at the top of the order 138 times and hit second in only 18 games. So, why continue to mess with routines you ask. Well based on the 2010 season statistics, manager Joe Girardi, is teetering between him and leftfielder Brett Gardner. Gardner who led the Yankees in on-base percentage last year, had twenty-five of his 477 at bats from leadoff as he spent the majority of the season in the ninth spot. Girardi has placed Gardner at leadoff and Jeter more often than not during spring training, but a third name has been mentioned for the two spot. With his performance and familiarity with batting second, rightfielder Nick Swisher could be a possibility. For now, Girardi will continue to weigh his options while we fans are forced to wait for opening day.
FOLLOW UP: Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova
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