NEW YORK YANKEES
| Carlos Almanzar (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 3 6 30 0 0 0 10 51 44 13 53 231 |
| Almanzar's season wasn't great, but it was much better than what he had done before. He has good control, and has pitched very well in the minors. The Padres have been hoping that he can build on those credentials... and last year was a step in the right direction. |
| Clay Bellinger (IF/OF, 32, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 115 397 89 20 2 9 35 40 35 79 224 293 353 6 3 |
| When baseball historians study this Yankee dynasty, they'll probably scratch their heads about Joe Torre's fascination with guys like Clay Bellinger. I can't shed any light on the subject; Bellinger has never been much of a player, but Torre likes him, and the team wins... so why complain? He can't play for another team, I know that much. |
| Brian Boehringer (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 SD 5 2 55 1 0 0 0 76 75 45 67 436 1999 SD 6 5 33 11 0 0 0 94 97 35 64 324 2000 SD 0 3 7 3 0 0 0 16 18 10 9 574 |
| Boehringer had a disappointing season. He went on the DL in April with a right shoulder strain, went on the DL again in June with right shoulder tendinitis, and was finally shut down for the year. I'm not optimistic about his future; however, he was signed after the season by the Yankees, and it's always a good sign when the best team in baseball takes an interest in you. |
| Scott Brosius (3B, 35, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 NYY 135 470 108 20 0 16 57 64 45 73 230 299 374 0 3 |
| Brosius had another bad year at the plate. Yankee fans will always remember him fondly for his fine season in 1998, his playoff heroics, and his stellar defense at third. But he's 35 years old, and has had two straight stinko years at the plate. If the Yankees plan to win another championship, he will be one of the weaknesses they will have to address. |
| Randy Choate (26, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 2 13 21 21 1 0 0 109 129 29 87 446 1999 A 2 2 47 0 0 0 1 50 51 24 62 450 2000 AAA 2 0 33 0 0 0 1 35 34 14 37 204 |
| A young-lefthander who throws strikes, Choate has pitched well since moving to the bullpen a couple of years ago. It's never easy for a young player to get a job with the Yankees... but fortunately for Choate, there's room for him the champs' bullpen. He might make the team, and he will probably do a decent job. |
| Roger Clemens (39, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 NYY 13 8 32 32 1 0 0 204 184 84 188 370 |
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There are some people who say that Roger Clemens is a psycho when he's on the mound. There are some who say that he's a psycho off the mound as well. Others say that his ego has exceeded the size of his britches, and still others say that he's simply a two-faced liar. I don't know if any of these claims are true. I don't know why he chucked a bat in the direction of Mike Piazza; apparently, he claimed that he thought the bat was a ball, but I don't know if this is true either cuz I ain't no lip reader. I do know one thing: the Yankees didn't have a hope in Hades of winning the World Series until Rocket returned from his annual groin injury in June. He has had some impressive streaks in his career: he won his first 14 decisions in 1986, and his first 11 in 1997, and his last 15 in 1998. But surely the last four months of 2000, right through the playoffs, were the greatest of his career. |
| Craig Dingman (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 5 4 50 0 0 0 7 71 48 39 95 318 1999 AA 8 6 55 0 0 0 9 74 56 12 90 157 2000 AAA 6 1 47 2 0 0 1 74 60 20 65 305 |
| Dingman got stuck in the lower minors for a few years; as a result, he's not so young anymore, and he needs to get his career rolling quickly. He's very impressive, and there's room in the Yankee's bullpen for him. Hopefully, he'll get a good chance to show his stuff. |
| Darrell Einertson (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AA 3 1 17 0 0 0 0 35 23 10 33 102 1999 AA 2 2 21 0 0 0 0 29 39 10 16 497 2000 AAA 5 3 26 0 0 0 1 33 31 18 20 324 |
| Einertson made his major league debut with the Yankees last season. He looked like a good prospect a few years ago, before the injury bug bit him. At the moment, he doesn't look like much of a pitcher. |
| Orlando Hernandez (31, 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 2000 NYY 12 13 29 29 3 0 0 196 186 51 141 451 |
| Hernandez had some elbow problems, didn't pitch as effectively as before, and had (gulp) a losing season. But he pitched well in the playoffs, and the Yankees won. He also throws lots of strikes, and his command of his pitches is extraordinary. With a little more luck and some better health, he'll probably win 18 games this year. |
| Derek Jeter (SS, 27, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 NYY 148 593 201 31 4 15 119 73 68 99 339 416 481 22 4 |
| After only five seasons, Jeter already ranks as one of the best players the Yankees have ever had. And trust me, the Yankees have had a lot of good players over the years. He also has four World Series rings; I believe Yogi Berra holds the record, with ten. Jeter's one of the best in baseball, and can easily win an MVP Award. |
| Nick Johnson (1B, 23, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 A 92 303 96 14 1 17 69 58 68 76 317 466 538 1 4 1999 AA 132 420 145 33 5 14 114 87 123 88 345 525 548 8 6 2000 INJURED - DID NOT PLAY |
| Johnson entered last season as the best hitting prospect in baseball. But he hurt his hand, and missed the entire season. That's a bummer, but he won't turn 23 till September, so he still has plenty of time. He will probably begin the year at Columbus, but may get called up if the Yankees are having trouble scoring runs. There is every reason to expect him to become a star, as if the Yankees don't have enough good players. |
| Felix Jose (OF, 36, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AAA 59 210 65 17 2 11 31 38 23 60 310 379 567 4 3 |
| Jose hadn't played a game in big leagues since 1995, but last year tried to make a comeback... with the Yankees, of all teams. It wasn't meant to be: he was called up in April, and one day later, was placed on the DL with a strained groin. Man, those groins sure cause a lot of problems when we get older. |
| David Justice (LF, 35, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 CLE 146 540 151 39 2 21 94 88 76 98 280 363 476 9 3 1999 CLE 133 429 123 18 0 21 75 88 94 90 287 413 476 1 3 2000 CLE-NYY 146 524 150 31 1 41 89 118 77 91 286 377 584 2 1 |
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Was that a great trade, or what? The Yankees, tempted to acquire such MVP outfielders as Juan Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa, opted for Justice instead. And he was a perfect match, a left-handed power hitter in a park built for left-handed power hitters. He also has a flair for those dramatic, big-game hits. He's getting older, and has a tendency to hurt himself in the field, but I expect Justice to continue thrive with the Yankees. Incidentally, Justice's big home run off Arthur Rhodes was no fluke. He demolished left-handed pitchers, hitting .306 off them with a .716 slugging percentage. |
| Randy Keisler (25, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1999 A 11 4 19 19 1 1 0 113 79 50 119 312 1999 AA 3 4 8 8 0 0 0 43 45 17 33 457 2000 AAA 8 3 17 17 1 1 0 113 104 42 86 302 |
| A young left-hander with the Yankees who managed to get his first big-league win. Let's see, Yankees' rotation at the moment is Mussina, Clemens, Hernandez, Pettitte... and someone else. Keisler might win a job, and he might be okay, but New York is a tough place to learn how to pitch. |
| Chuck Knoblauch (2B, 33, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 NYY 102 400 113 22 2 5 75 26 46 45 283 366 385 15 7 |
| In the 1999 World Series, everyone kept talking about Knoblauch's mental block that prevented him from making throws to first base. Last year, the "mental problem" transmogrified into a physical problem, namely some tendinitis in his elbow. His defence has taken a decided turn for the worse the past couple of years, and his offense has been tailing off as well. If he can't play second base anymore, then I'm not sure what role he could play that would keep everyone happy. But Joe Torre has a way of making these things work out. |
| Ted Lilly (25, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1999 MON 0 1 9 3 0 0 0 24 30 9 28 761 |
| The Yankees acquired Lilly from the Expos in the deal that sent Hidecki Irabu to Montreal. At the time, this seemed like the most boneheaded deal that the Expos had ever made, and it still may turn out that way. Lilly was set back by a sore arm, but he didn't perform too badly. He's a young left-hander who throws lots of strikes; if he is healthy, I expect him to be good. |
| Tino Martinez (1B, 33, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 NYY 155 569 147 37 4 16 69 91 52 74 258 328 422 4 1 |
| Martinez' numbers have declined sharply for three straight seasons. The Yankees have three straight championships in that period, but do they really think they can win another without any production from first base? I suspect not. Martinez has a good reputation, and if the Yankees decide to replace him with Nick Johnson he won't have any trouble finding work. But at the moment he's one of the weakest first basemen in the league. |
| Ramiro Mendoza (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 NYY 7 4 14 9 1 1 0 66 66 20 30 425 |
| Mendoza has been hoping to get a shot at the Yankees' starting rotation for a few years, and last year he might have gotten a chance to establish himself. But he went on the DL in June with a "weakness" in his right shoulder, then went on the DL again in August with tendinitis in his right shoulder. As you might have guessed, there is a problem with his right shoulder, and his future is up in the air. |
| Mike Mussina (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 BAL 13 10 29 29 4 2 0 206 189 41 175 349 1999 BAL 18 7 31 31 4 0 0 203 207 52 172 350 2000 BAL 11 15 34 34 6 1 0 238 236 46 210 379 |
| A brilliant pitcher, Mussina had another wonderful season, but his team stuck him with a lousy record. Mike fixed that problem by signing a huge contract with the Yankees. There will be enormous expectations placed on Mussina this season, but I can't think of any reason why he would not deliver the goods. |
| Paul O'Neill (RF, 38, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 NYY 142 566 160 26 0 18 79 100 51 90 283 336 424 14 9 |
| Despite the 100 RBI and the World Series ring, O'Neill is probably a (barely) average player at this point. His power has dropped, he doesn't hit .300 anymore and he doesn't get on base much. He's a winner, of course, and proved that again during the 2000 playoffs. O'Neill can still help a team in the right role, but I'm not sure what that role is. You could platoon him, I guess... but he hit .346 vs left-handers. |
| Joe Oliver (CA, 36, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 DET-SEA 79 240 54 11 0 6 20 32 17 48 225 272 346 1 1 1999 PIT 45 134 27 8 0 1 10 13 10 33 201 253 284 2 0 2000 SEA 69 200 53 13 1 10 33 35 14 38 265 313 490 2 1 |
| I guess you can't ever assume anything. Oliver entered the season with his career in jeopardy; he played well, and now has joined the Yankees. Oliver has never been my favourite player, and I don't expect he will see much playing time this season. |
| Andy Pettitte (29, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 NYY 19 9 32 32 3 1 0 205 219 80 125 435 |
| Pettitte doesn't have the good stuff he had a few years ago, but he still has lots of guts and guile, and he's one of the hardest workers in the league. He also received more run support than any other pitcher in the league, which is why he was 19-9, but even with another team he would probably go 15-11. He's a good pitcher, probably has a couple more good seasons left. |
| Luis Polonia (OF, 36, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 DET 87 333 108 21 8 10 46 32 16 32 324 357 526 17 9 2000 DET-NYY 117 344 95 14 5 7 48 30 29 32 276 329 407 12 7 |
| Polonia was released by the Tigers in late July, and was signed by his old team three days later. Some guys have all the luck. |
| Jorge Posada (CA, 30, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 NYY 151 505 145 35 1 28 92 86 107 151 287 417 527 2 2 |
| Posada had a Hall-Of-Famer's season, but at age 30, it's not likely that he'll have too many more of them. The Yankees have a long tradition of great catchers, though Posada's season was the best they've had since Thurman Munson was in his prime. In between, Yankee fans have suffered through the Rick Cerone/Butch Wynegar/Don Slaught/Bob Geren era. I think Posada has another good, not great, season in him, then will be inconsistent after that. |
| Mariano Rivera (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 NYY 7 4 66 0 0 0 36 76 58 25 58 285 |
| Rivera has been one of the best closers in baseball the past few years. He has also established himself as one of the scariest pitchers in post-season history. The last five years for Rivera have probably been the most significant that any closer has ever had. |
| Luis Sojo (IF, 35, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 NYY 54 147 34 3 1 0 16 14 4 15 231 250 265 1 0 1999 NYY 49 127 32 6 0 2 20 16 4 17 252 275 346 1 0 2000 PIT-NYY 95 301 86 18 1 7 33 37 17 22 286 325 422 2 0 |
| Sojo began the year with Pittsburgh, then rejoined the Yankees so he could win another World Series ring. He played well, better than I would have expected; Sojo would not be my first choice as a backup infielder in 2001, but there appears to be some positive chemistry with him in New York. |
| Alfonso Soriano (SS, 23, R/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 2000 AAA 111 459 133 32 6 12 90 66 25 85 290 327 464 14 7 |
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Soriano was a super-prospect a couple of years ago; there was talk that the Yankees would move Jeter to third so that Soriano could play short, but cooler heads prevailed, and instead Soriano has worked his up up through the Yankees' system. Now, he's only 23, and he's coming off a good year at Columbus. He's probably ready to step in to the lineup; he's a natural shortstop, but the Yankees already have one of those. They do need a new third baseman, and will probably need a new second baseman before too long. If he plays in 2001, Soriano will probably be just an ordinary hitter, but with considerable growth potential. He has some very good years ahead of him. |
| Shane Spencer (LF, 29, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 87 342 110 29 1 18 66 67 41 59 322 397 570 1 3 |
| Spencer was playing well for the Yankees until he tore the ACL in his right knee in July. The Yankees ended up replacing him with both Glenallen Hill and Jose Canseco. Over the last two seasons, he has batted 453 times and hit 17 home runs; I think he needs to show more power than that to have any real value. |
| Mike Stanton (34, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 NYY 2 3 69 0 0 0 0 68 68 24 75 410 |
| Stanton has a role in the bullpen, but I'm not sure what it is. A left-hander, Stanton last season got rocked by lefties for a .339 average... but held right-handers to a .199 average. He sometimes gets hit hard, but he has decent control, and gets strikeouts. He's been durable the last few seasons, and will return to the same role in 2001. |
| Jay Tessmer (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AA-AAA 4 5 57 0 0 0 33 68 58 14 71 093 1999 AAA 3 3 51 0 0 0 28 57 52 12 42 394 2000 AAA 4 8 60 0 0 0 34 53 73 19 40 380 |
| Tessmer has been groomed as a closer ever since he entered professional ball, and since 1995 has saved 168 games in the minors. To this point, he has mixed some spectacular seasons with some mediocre ones; unfortunately, 2000 was one of his weakest to date, and he does not appear to be close to being a major league pitcher. |
| Chris Turner (CA, 32, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 NYY 37 89 21 3 0 1 9 7 10 21 236 320 303 0 1 |
| Turner is an all-field, no-hit catcher who played a few games with the Yankees last year, and probably got a World Series ring. |
| Allen Watson (30, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 NYY 0 0 17 0 0 0 0 22 30 18 20 1023 |
| Watson tried to reinvent himself as a reliever in 1999, and had some success. But last year he made three trips to the disabled list, and had an ugly season. Something is wrong with his shoulder, and I don't anticipate too much success in 2001. |
| Luke Wilcox (OF, 27, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA-AAA 131 482 129 34 3 19 74 86 55 81 268 350 469 2 3 1999 AA-AAA 129 467 134 36 6 29 92 98 57 72 287 369 576 4 5 2000 AA-AAA 124 413 94 20 2 15 58 67 48 68 228 311 395 8 4 |
| Wilcox spent most of last season at Columbus, and he played poorly. He spent 1998 and 1999 in the Devil Rays' organization, and he played well, but never got an opportunity. I can't imagine that he will ever get a better chance to have a career. |
| Bernie Williams (CF, 33, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 NYY 141 537 165 37 6 30 108 121 71 84 307 391 566 13 5 |
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Bernie didn't play quite as well as in previous seasons, but he was still the best centre fielder in the American League, maybe in all of baseball. He does everything well, though I think he is still overrated on defense. I don't have to look at his defensive statistics (which are usually poor); watch the game with your own eyes, and you'll see that he doesn't reach the same balls that the real Gold Glovers (Andruw Jones, Devon White) do. That's not to say he stinks, either. He's a great player, probably two years away from becoming a serious candidate for the Hall Of Fame. |