Yankees 2008 Preview

I didn't forget about the Yankees preview as I wanted to do it before the Yankees first game. Luckily it was rained out today and it gives me the chance to write it while they are still 0-0. I'll just right into it.

There are many changes going on in the Bronx--new starters, new owners making decisions (and comments on Red Sox Nation among other things), a new manager, new contracts, and a new stadium in the works. And with changes come many questions--the biggest being (as it is every year) can the Yankees make the World Series?

Well, the word "can" is probably the wrong thing to say. "Can" they? Yes, they have a shot, but so do 29 other teams albeit the Yankees chances are better than the majority of them. But going further, will they is clearly another question. And I'll put it up front that no I do not think the Yankees will be in the World Series this year. Playoffs? There have been a few times after 2001 I said they would not and been wrong every time. They seem to make it every year either with a key trade or certain player stepping up--you name it. I think the offense will enable them to make it this year, so yes, the Yankees will be in the playoffs in 2008.

But there are more important questions at hand than a World Series. This is a new team of sorts, with a semi-rebuilding plan in place, and I'm pretty excited to see how it will turn out. What I've come up with is a list of my Top 5 questions for the Yankees this year with my speculative answers.

TOP 5 QUESTIONS for the Yankees

1. How will Joe Girardi manage in his first year?

I think Giradi was the right choice, but it will take fans a while to get used to the other Joe who was part of the last Yankee dynasty, has a year of managing under his belt, and overall is a smart baseball man. One thing I expect to change is Girardi's use of the bullpen. During Torre's reign there was always that one or two relievers, excluding Rivera, that Torre relied on--sometimes not to his benefit. Remember Tom Gordon, Proctor, Quantrill, among others? I don't think that will happen. I also would not expect Girardi to manage the way he did with the 2005 Marlins--that was a young team without much veteran presence. With the 2008 Yankees, it's a mix of vets and rookies. I think Girardi will be great for the pitching staff having been a great catcher and teaching Posada the ropes in the late 90s. But overall, I expect Girardi to be more of a manager that relies on stats and is more strategic than Torre to get the W.

2. Is the young pitching that good?

There are a few young pitchers coming in--two into the starting rotation with a third on its way. To me Phil Hughes is the more exciting of the group, but he has less of the hype this year. We saw flashes of how great Hughes could be last year giving up no hits in his second start and pitching very well in the playoffs. Then there's Ian Kennedy who is compared to a young Mike Mussina (with the benefit of having Mussina on the team). He only made three starts, was great, but Kennedy comes down to how long he can go. There's also Russ Ohlendorf in the pen. Aquired from the Tigers in the Sheffield deal my guess is that he should be limited, I don't know what situations he is right for, but he's probably a middle inning reliever. Finally, there's Joba who's starting off the year in the pen and will eventually be worked into the starting rotation. There's lots of hype around Joba and we all saw why last year. Don't put him out with the bugs, but the one thing he does not need is to listen to the hype, develop an ego, and then we find ourselves disappointed just like those Matrix 2 and 3 movies. The transition will be important with Joba however, if Pettitte or Mussina go down with an injury I'd expect them to go with Joba immediately.

This doesn't really answer the question because honestly we don't know if they will be good. It could be a mixed bag, these guys are young and have many mistakes to learn from. But the talent is there and it's a great thing for a staff who the last few years has been old and decrepid.

3. Can the team stay healthy?

I'm no Will Carroll from BP and never liked biology all that much, so this is really a shot in the dark. There are certain guys I'm worried about namely Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui, and Johnny Damon mostly because of their age and past injuries (or their position like Posada). Last year it was the pitching that was injured early and often. As long as pitch counts are monitored for the youngins that situation should be okay. I'm going to guess the Yankees deal with some injuries more of the offensive side of the ball this year. I think Damon will be on the DL for sure and Giambi is highly likely as well.

4. Will the Steinbrenner Bros. take on Dad's philophy?

There was a great article about how different the Steinbrenner brothers are. Hal (or is it Hank--I can't keep them straight yet) is 11 years younger, cool, calm and mild mannered and handles the numbers. Hank is more like his father (and looks like him too) and so far has "spoke his mind" as he puts it on A-Rod and the Red Sox. While this is something we'll know more of over time I don't think there will ever be another George Steinbrenner. Both brothers will want to win, but I don't think the antics are there.

5. Will the Yankees make the playoffs?

Yes. My guess is that the Yankees get the Wild Card again. There offense is too good and barring any injuries will compete with the Tigers to be the best offense in the AL. Getting to the playoffs won't be easy--the Tigers are better, the Indians are great, Seattle made improvements, the Angels are in the mix and oh yeah, there's those Red Sox who won this World Series thing to worry about.