2005 Record: 95-67 –
Tied for first in the AL East with Boston -eliminated in the ALDS
by the Anaheim Angels in five games. (Boston and New York finished
the season tied, and New York was awarded the division title due
their winning of the season series with The Red Sox)
Home Field: Yankee Stadium
New Faces:
Kelly
Stinnett C Free Agent
Matt Smith SP Minor League Free Agent
Kevin Thompson OF Minor League Free Agent
Matt DeSalvo SP Minor League Free Agent
Jeffrey Karstens SP Minor League Free Agent
T.J. Beam SP Minor League Free Agent
Octavio Dotel RP Free Agent
Johnny Damon OF Free Agent
Ron Villone RP Trade with Florida
Chris Prieto OF Minor League Free Agent
Kevin Howard INF Trade with Cincinnati
Benjamin Hines OF Trade with Cincinnati
Kyle Farnsworth RP Free Agent
Scott Erickson SP Minor League Free Agent
Jason Anderson SP Claimed off Waivers from San Diego
Darrell Rasner SP Claimed off Waivers from Washington
Frank Brooks SP Minor League Free Agent
Matt Childer SP Minor League Free Agent
Mark Corey SP Minor League Free Agent
Jose Veras SP Minor League Free Agent
Ben Davis C Minor League Free Agent
Russ Johnson INF Minor League Free Agent
James Cox SP Minor League Free Agent
Philip Hughes SP Minor League Free Agent
Steven White SP Minor League Free Agent
Kris Wilson SP Minor League Free Agent
Jose Gil C Minor League Free Agent
David Parrish C Minor League Free Agent
Omir Santos C Minor League Free Agent
Eric Duncan 3B Minor League Free Agent
Danny Garcia INF Minor League Free Agent
Looking
for Greener Pastures Elsewhere:
Mark Bellhorn 2B Released
Tino Martinez 1B Released
Ben Julianel SP Trade with Florida
Tony Womack INF Trade with Cincinnati
Wayne Franklin RP Released
The Skinny: For the Yankees, this was one of the quietest off-seasons on recent record, but one that could greatly affect the team for better or for worse.
The big signing was of course the stealing away of Boston Red Sox’s Johnny Damon. The all-star center fielder who batted .319 last season filled two crucial needs for the New York Yankees. The first being the big defensive gap in center field, and the second need was improving the top of the lineup by bringing in an excellent leadoff hitter. The Yankees now have the luxury of moving Derek Jeter back to the number two hole where statistically he’s much more productive. It also filled Steinbrenner’s insatiable need to stick it to The Red Sox Nation at least once a year; mission accomplished.
The second most notable addition to the Yankees' roster was in the bullpen. After losing Tom Gordon to free agency, New York had to replenish their relief corps. Replacing Gordon is RHP Kyle Farnsworth who went 1-1 with 16 saves for the Tigers and Braves last season. The flamethrower with a triple digit fastball, posted a 2.19 ERA, struck out 87 batters in 70 innings, and held opponents to a .180 average in 72 games.
Strengths: Offense; man for man the Yankees have the deadliest line up in the game. The first seven players in the lineup are clutch hitters who are capable of hitting 20 or more home runs. Robinson Cano proved that he can bang with the best of heavy hitters on the New York Yankees line up. The 23-year old batted .297 with 52 extra-base hits and 62 RBIs in 132 games last season after being called up on May 3. He finished second in the American League rookie of the year voting to Oakland closer Huston Street. The addition of Johnny Damon should make the team better, and generate more runs thereby allowing the team to steal a few more games through some small ball strategy.
Weaknesses: The whole pitching staff is a big question mark; it’s either age or injury. Last season the New York Yankees used a total of 14 starting pitchers. Their 67 million dollar starting rotation started falling apart before they got out of the month April. Jaret Wright, who won a total of five games, spent most of last season on the disabled list due to shoulder injuries and freak accidents (a line drive to the neck and a broken bat crashed into his elbow). Carl Pavano, who won a total of four games last season due to a back injury and is expected to start the 2006 season on the disabled list. Long man Aaron Small who has right hamstring injury will most likely start the season off on the D.L
As far as the age, Randy Johnson remains dominant, finishing second in the AL with 211 strikeouts in 2005. But he's 42 and last year was the first time since 1990 he had fewer strikeouts than innings. Mike Mussina, 37, was 13-8 but allowed 1.37 base runners per inning, the highest rate of his career.
Surprising success stories such as Chen Mien-Wang and Shawn Chacon will be trying to follow up on last season’s strong outings, which could be a challenge. Wang, who is described by his teammates as “having the best stuff in the clubhouse” posted an 8-5 record with a 4.02 ERA in 18 games last season. The 26-year old righty with the sensational sinker is a favorite despite spending 15 days on the D.L. in July after being diagnosed with inflammation in his right shoulder. Shawn Chacon, who was pilfered by GM Brian Cashman from the Colorado Rockies for two minor-league pitchers, went 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA in 14 games (12 starts); which is quite impressive for a starter who posted a 1-7 record the first half of last season.
Possible lineup
CF
Johnny Damon
SS Derek Jeter
3B Alex Rodriguez
RF Gary Sheffield
LF Hideki Matsui
1B Jason Giambi
C Jorge Posada
DH Bernie Williams
2B Robinson Cano
Keys to Success: As long as the pitching holds together the Yankees will be a force to be reckoned with in the division as usual. However, the team will only go as far as the pitching can carry them. It’s unlikely this team could survive the loss of either Randy Johnson or Mike Mussina for any length of time and even if they stay healthy, their age and a decline in skills have to be a real concern.
Prediction: The Yankees' pitching staff is a house of cards and stability is the key for the entire unit. They dodged a bullet last season and barely managed to hold off the Red Sox. This year they’ll find increased pressure within the division as every team should be better, especially the Blue Jays. Even the Devil Rays improved by leaps and bounds and besides, the Yanks had a losing record versus Tampa last season at 8-11. The AL East will be a dog fight for the entire year to be sure.
That
means that the Yankees are in grave danger of failing to make
it to the postseason. Yes, believe it or not, it could very well
happen. Remember, they have been beat out in the ALDS the past
two years and haven’t won the series since 2000. Not bad
if you’re any other team, but this is the New York Yankees
and every season the expectations are to win the World Series.
This probably won’t be the year, but if the pitching fails,
this team goes south fast. The American League East got a lot
more competitive this past off-season and the Yankees may very
well find out this fact the hard way.
