Catcher- After being Fed up with Jorge posadas antics the team went and
traded for better hitting Mike Lieberthal of the philies. Lieberthal brings a
lot to the table as he could hit 25-30 homers and bat for a nice average. He is
clearly one of the top 5 catchers in the league, and should be a main stay
behind the plate for years to come. Backing him up is John Flaherty who hopes to
see some action now and then.
First Base- The yankees star attraction, Stud Hitter Jason Giambi rounds out
this position. He should be one of the leagues most potent hitters hopefully
hitting over 40 Hrs a year and bringing in a huge chunk of the teams Rbis. His
speed isnt that great, but the rest of the team will help make up for that.
Backing him up is Jeff Conine who should be a nice day to day replacement for
injuries or a tired player.
Second Base- Alfonso Soriano is probally one of the best young, if not
best second baseman in the games. He combines a rare feat for this position
being able to not only hit for power, but also being able to run as fast as they
come! He could very well be a threat to lead off and hit a home run at the same
time. He should very easily become a 40/40 threat from the on set of the league.
He is expected to be the heart and soul of the team for years to come.
Short Stop- Derek Jeter might not have the power of Soriano, but he brings a
good bit of contact to the position. He is expected to get close to 200 hits in
addition to stealing 25 bases. He wont be thought of as someone that has to get
HRs or Rbis, but he will be required to get on base and score a lot of runs.
Hopefully, he will lead the team in run scoring. His Arm is top notch and he
should be a defensive leader on the field. Hopefully with Soriano, the SS/2B
combo should stay solid and competitive for years to come.
Third Base-Starting at this position is Robin Ventura. He is one of the weaker
hitting yankees, but that doesnt mean he will not contribute. His power numbers
are solid which should make him a threat to hit 25 HRs. He has a powerful arm
and should be a nice addition to the infield. Backing him up is Todd Zeile who
could be put in for a slump or any other situation that calls on him to join the
infield.
Left Field- The starter at this position will easily be Hideki Matsui, His power
numbers are top notch for this league. He will very well be expected to hit 30+
dingers a year, while maintaing a .280 or higher BA. He should be one of the
most potent threats the yankees have in the middle of their lineup. Backing him
up is Bubba Trammell who could easily be starting on some other teams, and Bubba
could see some time platooning in LF on occasion and also as a DH at times.
Center Field- Quite possibly the best rounded Hitter Bernie Williams brings a
lot of heart to Centerfield. The team can expect no less than a .300 BA with 100
+ RBIs to go with it. He is a great fielder who should be able to cover
his ground quite nicely in CF. Also Playing CF is Steve Finley who will very
likely get the nod at DH for the beginning of the year due to his age and the
wear it will take on him. He is a solid fielder as well, and is expected to have
top notch contact while he bats at DH. The team hopes to successfuly use these
CFs in a variety of different situations in the OF.
Right Field- Starting in RF is young phenom Jay Gibbons who at 26 is certainly
ready to make an impact on the league. He has exceptional Contact which should
make him a prime candidate to get on base and score frequently. His power is
also above average which could put him as a threat to hit 20 or more Homers. His
fielding is also above average. Also maning RF is Trot Nixon who could very well
see some time at DH, as well as playing some games in the OF due to an injury or
tiring player.Finally, Ruben Sierra is another option at RF. He has some good
power and can be a nice pinch hitter if the situation calls for that.
Pitching
Starters- The starting five will be competitive to say the least. Starting off
the order is none other than Curt Schilling. He is a monster pitcher who will be
expected to lead the team in Wins,ERA, and Ks. He has a wicked FB,CO, and SI
which will make him a challenge to face in any situation. Next up is Roger
Clemens who even at age 40 knows he has something to prove to the league. He
could very well be a cy young award candidate in his own right. The third SP
is Mike Mussina who boats both a solid FB and CB. The fourth SP is Andy Pettite
who could just as easily be a number 1 or 2 starter on another team. He boasts a
wide variety of pitches to fool opposing pitchers. Finally at 5th SP is David
Wells who even with back problems at 39 is ready to come into the league with a
bang. He has a wicked CB and can still go the distance in a game when he needs
to. A possible replacement starter is Pedro Astacio who has a wicked FB to go
along with his arsenal and should be a mainstay in the pen if he cant find a
spot starting.
Relief- The relievers are very solid for these yankees. The long relievers will
likely be Sterling Hitchcock and Astacio, and both could be starters if any
injury or slump plauges a player. Both are sharp and can get the job done even
if only in the mop up roll. The middle relief spot will be competitive and will
likely go to at first Karsay who has a wicked FB and CB and Mendoza, who is a
happy addition from the orioles. The Setup men will be very likely Osuna, who
has a nice variety of pitches and Stanton who was picked up from the mets and is
quite happy to be back in pin stripes. Finally, the closer is none other than
Rivera, and he is expected to get 30 + saves in addition to posting a
microscopic ERA.
This rounds out the yankees, as they hope to compete to not only win the AL
East, but also the WS championship. With only Boston posing a problem in the AL
east the team hopes to succeed and win 100 + games.
Yankees.