2005 New York Yankees Official Thread

MrWorkrate · 04-16-2005, 11:02 AM

Since one doesn't seem to have been made yet.

First, the good so far:

Matsui is hitting well - .342 BA, 1.039 OPS, leads the team in RBI. Jeter is batting well as well, which is good considering Jeter is good for slow starts. Giambi is actually showing some power as well, which is promising. He's a traditional slow starter as well, but he seems to be relatively healthy, both physically and mentally. Pavano hasn't pitched badly (except for last night).

And that's it.

The bad - Randy Johnson looks his age, Jaret Wright has been hammered, Alex Rodriguez doesn't seem to "get it", Mariano Rivera has looked shaky (although I don't expect that to last), Bernie seems like he'll be lucky to hit .260 this year, and Torre still has his strong man-love for Ruben Sierra.

Who is going to bounce back? Is it really as bad as it looks?

streetballer67 · 04-16-2005, 11:33 AM

RJ will definetly start to pick back up from where he left off last year. Bernie and Rivera really scare me though. Rivera hasn't been in top form for a quite a while and I don't think that anyone truly beleives he will be back there ever. I have been suspecting Bernie to drop off one of these years and this is it.

mlyons · 04-16-2005, 11:49 AM

Well, I've been on record as saying I didn't like the Yankees' offseason moves, and nothing I've seen thus far has changed my mind. Carl Pavano looks like a guy who's had one good season in his career, Randy Johnson looks like a 41-year-old, and Jaret Wright looks like . . . Jaret Wright. The defense also looks atrocious, especially in the outfield. That being said, I still like the bullpen a lot (Rivera's Red Sox troubles notwithstanding), and I still think the offense is explosive enough that they should still end up winning a pile of games. I'd call them the wildcard, but I'm not terribly impressed with the Red Sox so far this season, either.

Anyway, it's going to be tough to tell much about this team until they've played a couple of teams besides the Red Sox and Orioles (who look surprisingly good).

Teddyballgame · 04-16-2005, 12:09 PM

Yeah, If I was a Yankees fan my biggest concern right now would be the pitching. You have three pitchers switching leagues, one who has had one good season in his career, one who is 41 and one who has traditionally been hammered in the AL. Their bullpen is strong, Rivera will obviously bounce back and that lineup will definitely start producing. The Yankees are still a strong team and if the starting pitching holds up, which it definitely can, they are the team to be reckoned with.

MrWorkrate · 04-16-2005, 12:20 PM

See, I'm not down on Pavano right now. He had a good start against Boston (where we got a no decision), took one off the head against Baltimore (where he was pitching ok despite having given up a stolen base to Rafael Palmeiro of all people), and he was pitching fine in the game last night until the sixth inning, an inning he gets out of after the back-to-back home runs if Sanchez doesn't make the error.

Pavano's not my concern - not yet, at least. I'm actually good with Rivera too. I think he can shake off the whole Boston thing and settle down. Reliever numbers look horrible after one bad appearence - he'll look fine in a month.

RJ's the concern I have. As much as I was concerned for him coming here (41 year old pitcher coming to New York - where pitchers just don't seem to have overpowering seasons like RJ does), I was willing to give it a shot and see what happens.

I'm still willing to see it, but I'd be naive to say that it still doesn't concern me.

And I actually like the Womack signing so far - he hasn't been a outstanding hitter and he's surely overpriced, but he's played decent from what I've seen. I've seen him make a few nice defensive plays. Is Cano any good defensively? I know it's a little early to turn to him, but I'm assuming he's the second baseman of the future if the free agent route isn't gone to in '07 (or even '06, depending on Womack's 2005 performance).

potatoman · 04-16-2005, 01:05 PM

Who cares about the Yankees?

disposableheros · 04-16-2005, 02:01 PM

thanks to living on the west coast and having the MLB Extra Innings package, ive got to see a bunch of their games so far (thanks for the bday gift, wifey

). Jaret concerns me (didnt like it when they got him), the bench concerns me, and bernie concerns me. i agree with workrate about pavano, a little unlucky so far. giambi has looked good so far and i hope he keeps it up. that would help the bench situation.

MrWorkrate · 04-16-2005, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by potatoman

Who cares about the Yankees?

Spoken like a true Mets fan

MrWorkrate · 04-16-2005, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by disposableheros

thanks to living on the west coast and having the MLB Extra Innings package, ive got to see a bunch of their games so far (thanks for the bday gift, wifey

). Jaret concerns me (didnt like it when they got him), the bench concerns me, and bernie concerns me. i agree with workrate about pavano, a little unlucky so far. giambi has looked good so far and i hope he keeps it up. that would help the bench situation.

Funny with Giambi - I just assumed, after watching the first two games of the season, that he was going to get hit like 200 times this season and jack up his OBP that way. I don't know if he's been hit since then, but taking HBP seems like a nice way to hide the fact that your power is gone.

The cut he took against Schilling was a great home run stroke though. I'd be happy with .260/25/80 out of him.

disposableheros · 04-16-2005, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrWorkrate

Funny with Giambi - I just assumed, after watching the first two games of the season, that he was going to get hit like 200 times this season and jack up his OBP that way. I don't know if he's been hit since then, but taking HBP seems like a nice way to hide the fact that your power is gone.

The cut he took against Schilling was a great home run stroke though. I'd be happy with .260/25/80 out of him.

im not sold that his power is gone. he actually looks a lot bigger/healthier than last year, which is understandable after the health problems he had and the short distance in Yankee RF is going to help. steriods didnt help his eye, so i expect him to get a ton of walks again.

.260(.375 obp)/25/80 would make me happy too

mlyons · 04-17-2005, 02:16 PM

Well, Kevin Brown certainly hasn't restored my confidence in the Yankees' starting rotation.

rudel.dietrich · 04-17-2005, 02:38 PM

most.pointless.handwringing.ever

The Yankees will win their 95 games and be right there in the ALCS once again.
Probably against the Red Sox once again. I can hardly wait for the 24 hours ESPN coverage of the greatest rivalry in sports.
*groan*

To actualy post something on topic, I am going to go out on a limb and predict that Matsui will win the AL MVP

benchwarmer · 04-17-2005, 04:20 PM

Yanks getting spanked by the O's today. Looks like its another day in last place...

sorry.had.to.make.stab

Falcon52 · 04-17-2005, 08:20 PM

After losing 8-4 today, they drop to 4-8 to start the season. I wonder how long "Big Stein's" patience will last.

GForce · 04-17-2005, 08:27 PM

Judging from his rant after the game, not long.

ESPN has it up.

GH

benchwarmer · 04-17-2005, 08:30 PM

"Enough is enough. I am bitterly dissapointed as i'm sure all Yankee fans are by the lack of performance by our team," Steinbrenner said in a statement issued immediatly after the game.

"It is unbelievable to me that the highest paid team in baseball would start the season in such a deep funk. They are not playing like true Yankees. They have the talent to win and they are not winning. I expect Joe Torre, his complete coaching staff and the team to turn this around."

SoxWin · 04-17-2005, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fallschirmjager

most.pointless.handwringing.ever

The Yankees will win their 95 games and be right there in the ALCS once again.
Probably against the Red Sox once again. I can hardly wait for the 24 hours ESPN coverage of the greatest rivalry in sports.
*groan*

To actualy post something on topic, I am going to go out on a limb and predict that Matsui will win the AL MVP

Totally agreed. Though the Yanks do have legitimate concerns over age and one hit wonders like Pavano/Wright (they could both continue their success from last year of course, but I have my doubts, more so with Wright) The corpse of Bernie in center isn't helping much either with or without the bat. The look on Riveras face as Papis hit dropped in game 5 is priceless, btw, as he yells "catch the ball" at Bernie trying to get under it.

I still see them winning the wild card or, less likely imo, the division and I'm not exactly happy with the Sawx rotation either. I don't see Toronto or Baltimore as much competition this year, just don't think they have enough bats or arms respectively right now.

The Yanks collapsing in the next year or two wouldn't surprise me in the least due to age and long contracts still on the books but I just don't see it happening. There isn't much competition for the wild card in my mind unless too many Yanks/Sawx fall apart, decline severely, or have serious injuries. I do like the Sawx chances better for the division as they have more depth in case things go wrong, but they're not setting the world on fire right now either.

Georges tirade today was pretty good though, earlier then expected

UngratefulDead · 04-17-2005, 08:37 PM

So, Steinbrenner is this affected by the first 12 games? Does he expect the Blue Jays to win the division?

mlyons · 04-17-2005, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UngratefulDead

So, Steinbrenner is this affected by the first 12 games? Does he expect the Blue Jays to win the division?

I think he's mainly upset because the big guns he told Cashman to go get haven't exactly lived up to expectations. If only he'd get banned again and let baseball people run the team.

MrWorkrate · 04-17-2005, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UngratefulDead

So, Steinbrenner is this affected by the first 12 games? Does he expect the Blue Jays to win the division?

Are you new with the Yankee experience? I remember the bad start the Yankees had in '98 (the year they won all those games) - I think they got swept in the opening series and maybe dropped two of three the second series. Steinbrenner ripped into them then, too.

The whole Steinbrenner thing doesn't surprise me or bother me. Would you blame him if you were in his position? He hasn't acted rash yet - there was a time when Torre's days would be numbered.

I defended the Pavano and Wright signings, mainly because they were moves that "had" to be made. The problem with free agency is that it mainly involves older players - if the Yankees wanted to make their rotation younger, they had to go for players without too many good seasons under their belts. There weren't that many younger pitchers available - Matt Clement and Odaliz Perez were the only other "young" pitchers I saw on the radar that I felt the Yankees should have gone after. And, as one of the things that people hate about the Yanks, they can afford to take the investment risk on these two - if they fail, they fail, and they'll explore the market next year (which they'll do anyway, I'm sure).

I thought the Yankees had a good offseason for the mostpart. I was surprised they didn't go after Pedro or Beltran (especially Beltran), but they addressed a few of their needs, shaking up the bullpen and the rotation.

04-16-2005, 11:02 AM	#1
MrWorkrate All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 1,262	2005 New York Yankees Official Thread Since one doesn't seem to have been made yet. First, the good so far: Matsui is hitting well - .342 BA, 1.039 OPS, leads the team in RBI. Jeter is batting well as well, which is good considering Jeter is good for slow starts. Giambi is actually showing some power as well, which is promising. He's a traditional slow starter as well, but he seems to be relatively healthy, both physically and mentally. Pavano hasn't pitched badly (except for last night). And that's it. The bad - Randy Johnson looks his age, Jaret Wright has been hammered, Alex Rodriguez doesn't seem to "get it", Mariano Rivera has looked shaky (although I don't expect that to last), Bernie seems like he'll be lucky to hit .260 this year, and Torre still has his strong man-love for Ruben Sierra. Who is going to bounce back? Is it really as bad as it looks? __________________ I used to come here a lot. Now, not so much.

04-16-2005, 11:49 AM	#3
mlyons Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 3,725	Well, I've been on record as saying I didn't like the Yankees' offseason moves, and nothing I've seen thus far has changed my mind. Carl Pavano looks like a guy who's had one good season in his career, Randy Johnson looks like a 41-year-old, and Jaret Wright looks like . . . Jaret Wright. The defense also looks atrocious, especially in the outfield. That being said, I still like the bullpen a lot (Rivera's Red Sox troubles notwithstanding), and I still think the offense is explosive enough that they should still end up winning a pile of games. I'd call them the wildcard, but I'm not terribly impressed with the Red Sox so far this season, either. Anyway, it's going to be tough to tell much about this team until they've played a couple of teams besides the Red Sox and Orioles (who look surprisingly good). __________________ Things can always be worse.

04-16-2005, 12:09 PM	#4
Teddyballgame Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Boston Posts: 332	Yeah, If I was a Yankees fan my biggest concern right now would be the pitching. You have three pitchers switching leagues, one who has had one good season in his career, one who is 41 and one who has traditionally been hammered in the AL. Their bullpen is strong, Rivera will obviously bounce back and that lineup will definitely start producing. The Yankees are still a strong team and if the starting pitching holds up, which it definitely can, they are the team to be reckoned with. __________________ The roads in America are paved with cheese

04-16-2005, 12:20 PM	#5
MrWorkrate All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 1,262	See, I'm not down on Pavano right now. He had a good start against Boston (where we got a no decision), took one off the head against Baltimore (where he was pitching ok despite having given up a stolen base to Rafael Palmeiro of all people), and he was pitching fine in the game last night until the sixth inning, an inning he gets out of after the back-to-back home runs if Sanchez doesn't make the error. Pavano's not my concern - not yet, at least. I'm actually good with Rivera too. I think he can shake off the whole Boston thing and settle down. Reliever numbers look horrible after one bad appearence - he'll look fine in a month. RJ's the concern I have. As much as I was concerned for him coming here (41 year old pitcher coming to New York - where pitchers just don't seem to have overpowering seasons like RJ does), I was willing to give it a shot and see what happens. I'm still willing to see it, but I'd be naive to say that it still doesn't concern me. And I actually like the Womack signing so far - he hasn't been a outstanding hitter and he's surely overpriced, but he's played decent from what I've seen. I've seen him make a few nice defensive plays. Is Cano any good defensively? I know it's a little early to turn to him, but I'm assuming he's the second baseman of the future if the free agent route isn't gone to in '07 (or even '06, depending on Womack's 2005 performance). __________________ I used to come here a lot. Now, not so much.

04-16-2005, 01:05 PM	#6
potatoman Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,410 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Who cares about the Yankees? __________________ GFBL - Storm - 5 seasons - 500 - 310 New Jersey Nighthawks (1227-717) Last 5 seasons 2011: 118-44 2012: 100-62 2013: 111-51 2014: 106-56 2015: 108-54 OTBA Champions: 2008, 2010,2011

04-16-2005, 11:33 AM	#2
streetballer67 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 2,004	RJ will definetly start to pick back up from where he left off last year. Bernie and Rivera really scare me though. Rivera hasn't been in top form for a quite a while and I don't think that anyone truly beleives he will be back there ever. I have been suspecting Bernie to drop off one of these years and this is it.

04-16-2005, 02:01 PM	#7
disposableheros Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 4,332	thanks to living on the west coast and having the MLB Extra Innings package, ive got to see a bunch of their games so far (thanks for the bday gift, wifey ). Jaret concerns me (didnt like it when they got him), the bench concerns me, and bernie concerns me. i agree with workrate about pavano, a little unlucky so far. giambi has looked good so far and i hope he keeps it up. that would help the bench situation. __________________ 2 Wild Cards, 11 Division Champs, 4 League Champs, 3 World Champs, and 3 Best GM awards Baseball Maelstrom - New York Mets - 180-149 .547 Corporate League Baseball - Coke Buzz - 889-649 .578 Western Hemisphere Baseball League - Santiago Saints - 672-793 .459 Record - 2428-2271 .517

04-17-2005, 02:16 PM	#11
mlyons Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 3,725	Well, Kevin Brown certainly hasn't restored my confidence in the Yankees' starting rotation. __________________ Things can always be worse.

04-17-2005, 02:38 PM	#12
rudel.dietrich Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Zürich, Switzerland Posts: 8,608	most.pointless.handwringing.ever The Yankees will win their 95 games and be right there in the ALCS once again. Probably against the Red Sox once again. I can hardly wait for the 24 hours ESPN coverage of the greatest rivalry in sports. groan To actualy post something on topic, I am going to go out on a limb and predict that Matsui will win the AL MVP

04-17-2005, 04:20 PM	#13
benchwarmer Banned Join Date: May 2004 Location: Red Sox Nation Posts: 1,461	Yanks getting spanked by the O's today. Looks like its another day in last place... sorry.had.to.make.stab

04-17-2005, 08:20 PM	#14
Falcon52 All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 615	After losing 8-4 today, they drop to 4-8 to start the season. I wonder how long "Big Stein's" patience will last. __________________ "D-FENCE! D-FENCE!"

04-17-2005, 08:27 PM	#15
GForce Banned Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,458 Infractions: 0/2 (2)	Judging from his rant after the game, not long. ESPN has it up. GH

04-17-2005, 08:30 PM	#16
benchwarmer Banned Join Date: May 2004 Location: Red Sox Nation Posts: 1,461	"Enough is enough. I am bitterly dissapointed as i'm sure all Yankee fans are by the lack of performance by our team," Steinbrenner said in a statement issued immediatly after the game. "It is unbelievable to me that the highest paid team in baseball would start the season in such a deep funk. They are not playing like true Yankees. They have the talent to win and they are not winning. I expect Joe Torre, his complete coaching staff and the team to turn this around."

04-17-2005, 08:37 PM	#18
UngratefulDead Banned Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 3,415	So, Steinbrenner is this affected by the first 12 games? Does he expect the Blue Jays to win the division?