NEW YORK YANKEES
| The World Champions still look like the best team in the league. They have some old fogies hanging around... but man, are they good old fogies! Jeter could be the MVP, and so could Bernie Williams; The pitching staff is still the best in the league, and Clemens might be much better. They have some kids who can play as well, and Torre will have to start finding ways to get them playing time... but Chili Davis and Darryl Strawberry are both gone, so that opens up some opportunities. |
| CLAY BELLINGER (3B, 31, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 111 416 114 31 3 12 55 59 34 74 274 338 450 10 4 1998 AAA 115 397 89 20 2 9 35 40 35 79 224 293 353 6 3 1999 NYY 32 45 9 2 0 1 9 2 1 10 200 217 311 1 0 |
| A feel-good story for the Bronx faithful, Bellinger got a chance to play with the World Champions after seven years in Triple-A. He can't really play, and has no future in the majors. |
| SCOTT BROSIUS (3B, 34, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 OAK 129 479 97 20 1 11 59 41 34 102 203 259 317 9 4 1998 NYY 152 530 159 34 0 19 86 98 52 97 300 371 472 11 8 1999 NYY 133 473 117 26 1 17 64 71 39 74 247 307 414 9 3 |
| Is there anyone more inconsistent than this guy? Brosius is a fine defensive player, and has had good years at the plate; on the other hand, his value tends to bounce up and down like a yo-yo. He will be 34 next year, and might have trouble getting those numbers back up again; rumour is, the Yankees will be looking for other options at third, possibly Derek Jeter. Brosius could soon find himself a very well-paid bench player. |
| MIKE BUDDIE (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AAA 6 6 53 0 0 0 2 75 85 25 67 264 1999 AAA 9 2 49 2 0 0 0 79 80 22 68 286 |
| Buddie has proven that he can get batters out at Columbus, but he hasn't gotten much work with the World Champions. I think Buddie's potential is limited, but he could help a club in middle relief; he needs to get away from New York, and find a club that needs him. |
| ROGER CLEMENS (38, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 TOR 21 7 34 34 9 3 0 264 204 68 292 205 1998 TOR 20 6 33 33 5 3 0 234 169 88 271 265 1999 NYY 14 10 30 30 1 1 0 188 185 90 163 460 |
| He struggled at times, and got booed on occasion, but he was still better than the average pitcher, and he won the final game of the World Series. It is unrealistic to expect a pitcher his age to perform at an elite level every year, but if he is healthy I think Clemens is definantly capable of contending for the Cy Young Award. |
| DAVID CONE (37, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 NYY 12 6 29 29 1 0 0 195 155 86 222 282 1998 NYY 20 7 31 31 3 0 0 207 186 59 209 355 1999 NYY 12 9 31 31 1 1 0 193 164 90 177 344 |
| Pitched as well as he did in 1998, but his luck turned south, and he didn't pick up many wins. Cone was still a magnificent pitcher, and was second in the league in ERA. He is becoming increasingly frail, and by the end of the season was doing the Ted Lyons thing, starting only one game a week. He should continue to pitch well, though in a limited role; now has 180 career wins. |
| TODD ERDOS (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 1 4 55 0 0 0 27 59 45 22 49 336 1998 AAA 3 2 39 0 0 0 16 49 52 20 50 462 1999 AAA 3 2 27 8 0 0 0 59 70 25 53 656 |
| Erdos is a Yankee prospect who got clobbered at Columbus last year, but pitched in four games with the World Champions. He will be back in the minors in 2000, and I can't see him having a career until he starts to do something different. |
| JASON GRIMSLEY (33, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1999 NYY 7 2 55 0 0 0 1 75 66 40 49 360 |
| Grimsley returned to the majors after a two-year hiatus, and had a good year for the Yankees. His future is probably limited; his control isn't good, and the Yankees won't waste much time finding someone who is both younger and better. Grimsley won't be as effective with another team. |
| ORLANDO HERNANDEZ (30, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 NYY 12 4 21 21 3 1 0 141 113 52 131 313 1999 NYY 17 9 33 33 2 1 0 214 187 87 157 412 |
| My expert sources have pinpointed his age to somewhere between 25 and 40. He is obviously an outstanding pitcher, and one of the best playoff pitchers in baseball history. He even imported a great nickname as well. I have no idea how much longer he will last... but he doesn't look 40, so he should pitch well for a few more years. |
| DEREK JETER (SS, 26, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 NYY 159 654 190 31 7 10 116 70 74 125 291 370 405 23 12 1998 NYY 149 626 203 25 8 19 127 84 57 119 324 384 481 30 6 1999 NYY 158 627 219 37 9 24 134 102 91 116 349 438 552 19 8 |
|
He set a career high in almost everything, and made dramatic
improvements in the important categories i.e. hitting for power,
getting on base. For the first time, he was better than Alex
Rodriguez, about equal to Garciaparra. After four years, I think it
is pretty safe to say he is the best shortstop the Yankees have
ever had. The Word is that the Yankees might move Jeter to third, making room for Soriano to play short. Honus Wagner must be smiling; a year ago he was facing a three-pronged assault on his title as Best Shortstop Ever, but it is now appearing more likely that at least two of them will move to third. Well, whatever; Joe Torre has won more World Series that I have. Wherever he plays, Jeter will be a top MVP candidate in 2000. |
| D'ANGELO JIMENEZ (IF, 22, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 A 94 352 99 14 6 6 52 48 50 50 281 368 406 8 14 1998 AAA 91 344 88 19 4 8 55 51 46 67 256 341 404 6 6 1999 AAA 126 526 172 32 5 15 97 88 59 75 327 392 492 26 14 |
| Jimenez had a terrific year at Colombus, and he looks like a terrific prospect. But he broke his neck in a car accident in January, and he will miss the whole season. His future is in doubt. |
| TERRY JONES (OF, 29, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 AAA 88 332 87 17 2 0 49 23 24 66 262 311 325 30 10 |
| Jones is a veteran who can run but can't hit. He's a spare part for a team that has no one better. |
| JEFF JUDEN (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 MON-CLE 11 6 30 27 3 0 0 161 157 72 136 447 1998 MIL-ANA 8 14 32 30 2 0 0 178 182 84 148 581 |
| Juden was back in the minors last season, and wasn't getting too many people out. He is huge, and is capable of being dominating, but the only time he has ever been consistent was when he was with Felipe Alou in Montreal. I don't see him making much of a comeback. |
| CHUCK KNOBLAUCH (2B, 32, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 MIN 156 611 178 26 10 9 117 58 84 84 291 390 411 62 10 1998 NYY 150 603 160 25 4 17 117 64 76 70 265 361 405 31 12 1999 NYY 150 603 176 36 4 18 120 68 83 57 292 393 454 28 9 |
| His second year in New York was an improvement on the first, and he was again among the better second basemen in the league. He is no longer an MVP candidate, but Knoblauch is very durable and does everything well at the plate. He's also gaining power as he ages, though he may be losing speed. The knock against him last year was 26 errors, many of them on short throws to first. While the errors are cause for concern, Knoblauch should remain one of the best at the position for several more years. |
| RICKY LEDEE (OF, 26, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 43 170 52 12 1 10 38 39 21 49 306 385 565 4 0 1998 AAA 96 360 102 21 1 19 70 41 54 108 283 378 506 7 2 |
| He emerged as a prospect about the same time as Hank Bauer, but has had to do some waiting. Though they repeatedly claim that Ledee is their best young outfielder, the Yankees have been reluctant to play him everyday. The Yankees don't really have a left fielder, plus Davis and Strawberry are gone and O'Neill and Martinez are in decline, so you would think that Ledee would get 500 at bats next year. If he does, he will probably play well. |
| JIM LEYRITZ (1B/CA/IF, 36, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 ANA-TEX 121 379 105 11 0 11 58 64 60 78 277 379 393 2 1 1998 BOS-SD 114 272 75 16 0 12 34 42 42 74 276 373 467 0 0 1999 SD-NYY 81 200 47 9 1 8 25 26 28 54 235 339 410 0 0 |
| He had a low average last year, which may have been bad luck, or the result of a slowing bat. Leyritz is getting older; however, it's a good bet that he will be in the playoffs next year, either with the Yankees, or whoever happens to be playing against the Yankees. |
| TINO MARTINEZ (1B, 32, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 NYY 158 594 176 31 2 44 96 141 75 75 286 371 577 3 1 1998 NYY 142 531 149 33 1 28 92 123 61 83 281 355 505 2 1 1999 NYY 159 589 155 27 2 28 95 105 69 86 263 341 458 3 4 |
| He's just an average first baseman, and has been for most of his career. His numbers have taken two big drops since his big 1997 season, and it's unlikely that they will go back up much. As long as Martinez bats in the middle of the Yankee lineup, he will drive in 100 runs. But there are lots of good first basemen around; if the Yankees decide to shake things up a little, he could be on his way out. |
| RAMIRO MENDOZA (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 NYY 8 6 39 15 0 0 2 134 157 28 82 424 1998 NYY 10 2 41 14 1 1 1 130 131 30 56 325 1999 NYY 9 9 53 6 0 0 3 124 141 27 80 429 |
| With another team, he would be in the starting rotation by now. As it is, he is a terrific long reliever, the workhorse in the Yankees bullpen. I think Mendoza can succeed as a starter; his time has come, and the Yankees have some aging pitchers. |
| JEFF NELSON (33, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 NYY 3 7 77 0 0 0 2 79 53 37 81 286 1998 NYY 5 3 45 0 0 0 3 40 44 22 35 379 1999 NYY 2 1 39 0 0 0 1 30 27 22 35 415 |
| Nelson has been with the Yankees for four seasons now, and has pitched very well, though the last two seasons he has been slowed by elbow problems. When he is on his game, he throws a devastating slider that right-handers can't hit; he should continue to pitch well, though he may not ever pitch in 70 games again like he used to. |
| PAUL O'NEILL (RF, 37, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 NYY 149 553 179 42 0 21 89 117 75 92 324 399 514 10 7 1998 NYY 152 602 191 40 2 24 95 116 57 103 317 372 510 15 1 1999 NYY 153 597 170 39 4 19 70 110 66 89 285 353 459 11 9 |
| He had an off-year by his own standards, though he finished the season with decent numbers. He is starting to get on in years; the Yankees have several players who are permanently past their prime, and will have to replace some of them. I suspect that O'Neill will continue to play well, though he might have to start finding limitations for himself, maybe take a few more days off. He hit .190 against left-handers. |
| ANDY PETTITTE (28, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 NYY 18 7 35 35 4 1 0 240 233 65 166 288 1998 NYY 16 11 33 32 5 0 0 216 226 87 146 424 1999 NYY 14 11 31 31 0 0 0 192 216 89 121 470 |
| He had a bad finish to 1998, and a bad start to 1999. There were rumours that Pettitte would be dealt at the trading deadline, but the Yankees hung on to him, and he was outstanding the last two months of the season. He also looked great in the playoffs. Pettitte has been a terrific pitcher in the past, and if his arm is sound I suspect that he will be outstanding next year as well. I would like to have him on my team. |
| JORGE POSADA (CA, 29, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 NYY 38 127 34 8 0 2 17 11 16 18 268 356 378 0 1 1998 NYY 111 358 96 23 0 17 56 63 47 92 268 350 475 0 1 1999 NYY 112 379 93 19 2 12 50 57 53 91 245 341 401 1 0 |
| He took a step backwards as a hitter, placing his future in some doubt. Though I think Posada can play better than he has, it is unlikely now that he will ever be a top-flight catcher. While the Yankees appear to be happy with their catching, you know they'll have interest in the next big free agent that becomes available. There's always a shortage of catchers who can hit, so Posada should find employment for several years to come. |
| MARIANO RIVERA (30, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 NYY 6 4 66 0 0 0 43 72 65 20 68 188 1998 NYY 3 0 54 0 0 0 36 61 48 17 36 191 1999 NYY 4 3 66 0 0 0 45 69 43 18 52 183 |
| I guess he has to rank as the top closer in baseball right now. You may have heard that he did not allow a run past July 21, so he will open the 2000 season about halfway to Hershiser's consecutive scoreless inning streak. Failing that, he should still save about 45 games again next year. |
| ALFONSO SORIANO (SS, 22, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 AA 89 361 110 20 3 15 57 68 32 67 305 363 501 24 16 |
| A super-prospect with the Yankees, Soriano had a great at Norwich in his first year of professional ball. He has power and speed, and could improve considerably in both departments. The Yankees are already talking about moving Jeter to third to make place for Alfonso, but the kid probably should start the year at Colombus. |
| SHANE SPENCER (OF, 28, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 125 452 109 34 4 30 78 86 71 105 241 346 533 0 2 1998 AAA 87 342 110 29 1 18 66 67 41 59 322 397 570 1 3 |
| Spencer had a monster season in 1998 at Colombus; he then imitated Babe Ruth for a month with the Yankees, and carried his success into the playoffs. Last year was closer to reality; Spencer can hit better than .234, but he shouldn't be a regular. He hit .289 against lefties, only .197 against right-handers. He should stick to a platoon role. |
| MIKE STANTON (33, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 NYY 6 1 64 0 0 0 3 67 50 34 70 257 1998 NYY 4 1 67 0 0 0 6 79 71 26 69 547 1999 NYY 2 2 73 1 0 0 0 62 71 18 59 433 |
| One of the Yankees' few weaknesses is the lefty in the bullpen; Stanton has the job right now, but he doesn't do it particularly well. He has good control and gets some strikeouts, but also gets hit hard. I expect him to coast along in the role and at the same level for a few more years. |
| JAY TESSMER (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 3 6 55 0 0 0 17 63 78 24 51 531 1998 AA-AAA 4 5 57 0 0 0 34 68 58 14 71 093 1999 AAA 3 3 51 0 0 0 28 57 52 12 42 334 |
| Tessmer is 28 and has only a few major league innings under his belt (with the Yankees), despite having a minor league record that is mostly brilliant. 1997 was an off-year, but Tessmer has twice posted an ERA under 1.00. He pitched well again last season at Columbus; I have to think that he can help someone in their bullpen. |
| ALLEN WATSON (29, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 ANA 12 12 35 34 0 0 0 199 220 73 141 493 1998 ANA 6 7 28 14 1 0 0 92 122 34 64 604 1999 3TEAMS 6 3 38 4 0 0 1 77 72 35 64 351 |
| Watson began the year with the Mets, moved to Seattle, then finished the year pitching brilliantly with the Yankees. The Bombers have a long history of turning mediocre pitchers into champions; Watson should continue to pitch well as long as he remains in New York. |
| BERNIE WILLIAMS (CF, 32, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 NYY 129 509 167 35 6 21 107 100 73 80 328 408 544 15 8 1998 NYY 128 499 169 30 5 26 101 97 74 81 339 422 575 15 9 1999 NYY 158 591 202 28 6 25 116 115 100 95 342 435 536 9 10 |
| Last year, for the first time, he was a better player than Ken Griffey Jr, and was the best centre fielder in baseball. Bernie is also the third-best centre fielder in Yankee history, not as good as DiMaggio or Mantle, but better than Earle Combs, who is in the Hall Of Fame. His evolution as a hitter has been remarkable; when he first arrived to the majors, speed was his biggest asset. Now, it is the least important part of his game. A great all-around player. |
| ED YARNALL (24, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 5 8 18 18 2 0 0 105 93 30 114 248 1998 AA-AAA 13 5 24 22 2 0 0 132 108 60 114 376 1999 AAA 13 4 23 23 1 0 0 145 136 57 146 347 |
| The rich get richer. Yarnall was originally a top prospect with the Mets, went to Florida in the Piazza deal. Now he is with the Yankees, and he looks like he will be a terrific pitcher. He may start the year in the rotation; with luck, the team will get off to a hot start, and there will be no pressure on him to perform. The Yankees have lots of old guys in their rotation, so the opportunity is there. |