New Stadium, Same Name

I am proud to say that I saw 3 games at Yankee Stadium. I missed out on catching an A-Rod homerun in 2006 because of two large Italian men adorned in gold chains to my right who stood in my way of lunging for the ball. I've heard Derek Jeter get booed after striking out with men on base. I even once saw an extra-inning thriller between the Red Sox and Yankees which ended in a victory for the home team on a Robin Ventura single.



The Bronx Bombers move into new digs this season. They hope to christen their new home with a championship run compliments of their pricey off-season acquisitions and core of mostly veteran talent.

Today's author, Georgetown Baseball Society founder Matthew Homyk, would be a candidate for beatification someday if only he rooted for a different team.

Enjoy.



I refuse to discuss anything related to performance-enhancing drugs in this article. Thankfully, with the spending the Yankees did this winter, and the return of several veterans who missed much of 2008, the 2009 season provides plenty topics of discussion and a dose of optimism in the new Yankee Stadium.

Pitching

Two of the three biggest names added to the Yankees roster this winter are pitchers - CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. While Sabathia should live up to his contract, Burnett gets injured a lot, and he was fortunate to stay healthy in a contract year in 2008. With the Yankees’ luck (think Carl Pavano) I doubt Burnett will remain effective throughout 2009. On the other hand, CC's second-half performance for the Brewers leads me to pick him to have a Cy Young-caliber season. Sabathia has managed to stay healthy through his career thusfar and has averaged 15 wins per year with a 3.66 ERA. While Burnett averages 13 wins per season, he has started 30 games only three times in his career, while Sabathia has started 30 games seven times. His durability played a major role in getting him the $161 million contract.

Chien-Ming Wang missed most of 2008 with a foot injury, so his return to the rotation will be welcome. Wang had 19 wins in both 2006 and 2007, with an ERA of 3.65. Those wins would have been nice in 2008, but hopefully, barring injury, Yankees fans can count on Wang for at least 15 to 18 wins.

The jury is still out on whether Joba Chamberlain has the durability and pitching style to be a starting pitcher for the Yankees. Last season, Joba made only 12 starts, and the team constantly has changed its mind about whether he should start. Joba’s stuff is brilliant as a relief pitcher, but he showed weakness when he couldn’t rely solely on his heat.

Mike Mussina retired this offseason, but Andy Pettitte is back for what could be his last season. Mariano Rivera will still be the closer, but he is coming off surgery on his shoulder. Rivera is throwing off a mound, but won’t be throwing full speed for a week or two.

Even though casual baseball fans don’t recognize the names of any pitchers in the Yankees bullpen, their young arms comprised one of the best bullpens in the league last season. Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras combined for a 3.74 ERA. Meanwhile, Phil Coke, David Robertson, Brian Bruney, and Alfredo Aceves round out the pen. The Yankees have done the right thing by avoiding overpriced veterans for the bullpen. According to Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus, the Yankees “have more than enough effective relievers to go around, whether you've heard of them or not.”

Position Players

Alex Rodriguez has a hip condition that warrants some concern, but I still expect him to be typical A-Rod and put up big numbers. For the past few years, New Yorkers have whispered about the slow demise of Derek Jeter’s performance. While Jeter did have his worst season since 1997 in 2008, he still managed to hit .300 and continued to stay injury-free, which is impressive since he turns 35 in June (can you believe he’s already 35?!)

Melky Cabrera and Robinson Canó each had disappointing performances in 2008. Cabrera might not get his starting spot in center field back because Brett Gardner has shown more fire and better numbers down in the Grapefruit League. When asked about Gardner, Manager Joe Girardi said, “He can be a pest, and we like that." Gardner is the fastest player in the entire Yankees organization. In contrast, Cabrera has not demonstrated passion or performance over the past year.

However, Canó should have an excellent 2009. In 2006 and 2007 he hit .342 and .306. Canó has the ability to be an all-star, as he was in 2006. Expect him to return to 2006 form after working with hitting coach Kevin Long.

In right field, there is another battle for the starting spot between incumbent Xavier Nady and new acquisition Nick Swisher. Nady and Swisher put up very similar numbers (Swisher has a slight batting advantage), so neither is a clear front-runner for the position. Expect one of the two to be traded midseason when another team needs an outfielder with an above-average OBP.

Furthermore, Jorge Posada returns from an injury-plagued 2008. His temporary replacement last year, Pudge Rodriguez, was not re-signed and is still looking for a job. Jose Molina, a reliable defensive catcher with a weak bat, will back him up and may regain the starting job if Posada suffers another injury in his relatively advanced age.

Finally, after shedding a few tears this fall when the curtains closed on the "House That Ruth Built," it will be exciting to see what the new Yankee Stadium has in store for the next generation of Yankees fans. Although the old stadium will always be missed, the new digs, with their astronomical price tag, should be impressive. With the excitement of the new stadium and the most loaded roster in major league baseball, anything less than a World Series Championship will be a disappointment.