Yes, it’s time again for the WasWatching.com Yankees Mid-Season Report Card!

But, first, here are the Yankees Mid-Season Overall Team Grades, since we started doing this, in the seasons prior to this one:

2005: C+
2006: B-
2007: D
2008: C

O.K., so, what will New York’s Mid-Season Overall Team Grade be for 2009?

Read on…

Overall Team Batting: B+
Comments: The Rays, Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox are the best overall batting teams in the league – so far, over the first half. And, for those who think the Yankees only put up offensive numbers in the Bronx, well, that’s just not true. This said, the Yankees can do better, offensively, if they didn’t leave as many runners on base (as they do). If they did better in those spots, they would be steamrolling over the rest of the league with their lumber.

Batting at Home: B
Comments: It’s pretty obvious that the Yankees hit a lot of homeruns, and, related, score a lot of runs at the new Yankee Stadium. But, how much of that is because of the team and how much of that is because of the ballpark? Well, if you like to believe that the new Yankee Stadium inflates offensive statistics by 15%, then a case could be made that the Yankees are just a league average type offense when playing at home – after you boil it down. Me? I’m going to split the difference. I won’t give them an “A” for batting at home – but I won’t give them a “C” either. And, for me, the mark here is a straight “B.”

Batting on the Road: A
Comments: The Yankees, Rays, Indians, White Sox, Blue Jays, Angels and Red Sox are the better end of the league in terms of batting well on this road during the first half of 2009. And, of these seven teams, many statistics show the Yankees as being the pick of the litter. Therefore, I’m giving them an “A” for batting on the road.

Batting with Runners in Scoring Position with 2 Outs: C
Comments: This is an interesting view of the Yankees. During the first half, they did slightly better than league average in terms of OBA with RISP and 2 outs. However, their batting average with RISP and 2 outs is terrible. In a nutshell, with two outs and runners in scoring position, the first batter up in this spot walks and then the next guy up makes an out – or so it seems. Me? I’d like to see the Yankees get more hits in these spots. So, I’m going with a “C” here.

Overall Team Pitching: C
Comments: Because of the situation with Chien-Ming Wang, the sluggish start by the Yankees bullpen, and the issues that Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte have pitching at home, the overall mark here is just “C.” If not for those reasons, the overall grade could have been a “B+” or “A-.”

Starting Pitching: C
Comments: As a unit, the stats for the Yankees starting pitchers do not place them near the league leaders. In fact, they’re closer to the bottom of the pack than the middle of it. However, most of that is because of Chien-Ming Wang and the way that Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte have allowed batters to reach against them when pitching in the Bronx. On the flip side, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett have pitched just about as expected. Since it’s somewhat a mixed bag of bad and good here, I’m going with a “C” overall – and not the “D” that the overall starters ERA might suggest.

Bullpen: C+
Comments: Mo Rivera, Alfredo Aceves, Phil Hughes and Phil Coke have been much better than good for the Yankees in the first half of the season – working out of the pen. And, David Robertson has been both good and bad – but never flat out terrible (like Jose Veras, Damaso Marte and Edwar Ramirez). Brian Bruney, well, he just can’t be trusted. Since Aceves didn’t show up until May and Hughes has only been working out of the pen for a month, I’m giving the team an overall “bullpen” grade, for the first half of 2009, of “C+” (and it would have been an “A-” if they had been they way they are “now” for the full first three months of 2009 and not just a portion of the first half).

Outfield Defense: C
Comments: This is the average of a “D+” in LF, a “C+” in CF and an “C” in RF. (It would be a “B” in CF if they only played Brett Gardner there.) Who would have ever expected Johnny Damon to have so many issues in LF this season?

Infield Defense: C
Comments: Strange, to the eye, Mark Teixeira looks pretty good out there. But, his UZR/150 stats say otherwise. Same thing on the other corner. The friends of A-Rod like to say he’s made some great plays. But, his UZR/150 is terrible. Now, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano have been, statistically speaking, neither terrible or great this season with the leather. And, they’ve both been close to being league average. For most Yankees fans, this is actually pretty good news too. In any event, because Alex Rodriguez and Tex have experienced some issues defensively during the first half, and because Jeter and Cano have been “average,” I’m going with an overall “C” on infield defense.

Catching/Game Calling: C
Comments: Yankees pitchers seem to like throwing to Francisco Cervelli and Jose Molina. Yet, there have been reports that suggest Jorge Posada and some Yankees pitchers have not been on the same page. During the first half of the season, when batters facing the Yankees have an 0-2 count against them, they reached base 19% of the time (which is high compared to the rest of the league) and their BABIP is around .315 (which is above what the league allows on that count). When I see stuff like that, I feel as if the Yankees catchers, as a whole, could be doing a little better job on pitch selection. As far as throwing and blocking pitches, etc., I don’t have any issues with the Yankees catchers, en masse, so far this season.

Overall Fielding: C
Comments: With three “C” across the board for outfield, infield and catching defense, were you expecting something else here?

Overall Team Grade: B-
Comments: “Huh?” you’re probably asking yourself. “How?” Well, here’s the deal: Yes, I know, the Yankees, based on all these grades, should get a “C+” here – but, I’m willing to go with “B-” because of the way the bullpen is trending upwards. And, a “B-” is the best mid-season mark that we’ve given a Yankees team, here, since 2006.

Makes sense, no? After 81 games in 2006 the Yankees were 46-35. After, after 81 games this season, the Yankees are 48-33. Pretty close, if you ask me.