Looking At The Yankees Opening Day Roster
Picking up from what I wrote back on New Year’s Day, I thought I would take another stab at projecting the Yankees Opening Day roster – based on what we know to date:
Starting Line-Up:
1. Derek Jeter SS
2. Nick Johnson DH
3. Mark Teixeira 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. Robinson Cano 2B
6. Jorge Posada C
7. Curtis Granderson CF
8. Nick Swisher RF
9. Brett Gardner LF
Starting Rotation:
CC Sabathia
A.J. Burnett
Andy Pettitte
Javier Vazquez
Phil Hughes
Bullpen:
Mariano Rivera
Damaso Marte
Joba Chamberlain
David Robertson
Alfredo Aceves
Chan Ho Park
Sergio Mitre
Bench:
Francisco Cervelli
Ramiro Pena
Randy Winn
Marcus Thames
I have to wonder if the seven-man bullpen is the way to go. What happens if Cano and Jeter go down in the same game? Cervelli to third, A-Rod to short and Pena to second? That might work for a game…but, not for a week. Maybe it makes sense to replace a guy like Mitre or Thames with a guy like Jerry Hairston or Willie Harris who can play all over the place? I thought Kevin Russo could be that guy in New York this year…but, the Yankees have already sent him down to Triple-A. Maybe he’ll be back soon…?
And, of course, there’s only one lefty in this pen…which means the righties out there better be able to deal with lefty-hitters in a big spot…when you can’t call on Marte.
That is one sorry-ass bench right there. How (or why) Winn/Thames were chosen over Hairston/Hinske, I’m not sure.
But the biggest, most glaring mistake with this team is in the third line of the bullpen. Joba Chamberlain belongs in AAA, not in the bullpen. Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi are really blowing this one.
@ MJ Recanati:
Cashman fans will tell you that he always rebuilds the bench and the bullpen, in season, when needed.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
He has, and with the durability of the starters, I can understand why the bench isn’t or hasn’t been a priority for about 10 years now.
I don’t think the bench is that bad, honestly.
Pena is returning to his role from last year, Cervelli will be a very capable backup backstop. Winn does about everything Hairston does other than fill in on the infield and Thames is the exact same player that Hinske was, but only from the right side (terrible defense, terrible baserunning, very similar OPS and BB to K rate, but with the ability to get a hold of one from time to time).
Let’s not stress too much here, it is the bench were speaking of.
As for what Steve said, even if it was a wisecrack on “Cashman fans,” he’s actually right. Our bench that helped win a WS was very different from the one that started ’09. If the bench needs an upgrade, it won’t be that hard for Cash to do it.
the only thing i would change is ganderson in LF and gardner in CF. other then that its the same.
YankCrank wrote:
Based on what you saw of Winn in 2009, you feel comfortable saying that Winn and Hairston are the same player? Even though Winn was arguably one of the 10-15 worst players in baseball, based on total PA’s last year?
To say nothing of Hairston’s versatility in the infield…
We’ve got two back-ups for first base and I like Pena as a super sub. With Winnand Thames, it’s unlikely he’ll play any outfield. If someone gets hurt at 2nd, SS, or third, they need to bring someone up, admittedly in a hurry. Not that big a deal. I didn’t think Hairston or Hinske were worth the price for a full season. Situational players can be had later if needed.
MJ Recanati wrote:
It’s not like Hairston did any real hitting last year either.
The infield versatility is about all Hairston has on Winn at this point, I figure.
To hold the line at $200 million, the Yanks need minimum salary bench players. This year it’s Winn at $2 million instead of Molina.
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