Post by Commish on Apr 19, 2019 15:37:19 GMT
Destination New York City – the home of the most storied franchise in baseball history. I
was looking forward to a meeting with the new owner but was instead met with an odd
fellow named George Costanza. I thought that I would start the review with a look at the
Yankees pitching staff but instead Costanza went off on a long tangent about what
happens to donut holes. He adamantly argued that donuts are made whole and then the
middle is removed. Working himself into a frenzy he peppered me with information
about possible locations of the donut holes. I tried to explain that they were made with
the hole in place but Costanza would hear nothing of it.
Finally, I was able to steer the discussion to the pitching staff. The Yankees staff is
anchored by ace Erik Hanson. At 27 years old, Hanson should give the Yankees a high
quality start for seasons to come. After Hanson the rotation does take a noticeable drop.
Tewksbury will eat up innings and keep the team in the game. The next 3 in the starting
rotation are questionable and on the lower scale of league starters.
Fortunately, the Yankees bullpen is stellar. From Closer Mark Eichhorn to Long Reliever
Agosto, the bullpen is deep and solid and should prevent lopsided losses. Overall, the
weakness in part of the starting rotation is easily compensated by a quality pen.
After an exhausting time coaxing information out of Costanza, I was hungry and we
decided to go for lunch before tackling the lineup. Costanza insisted on soup and
promised to take me to the best soup place in the city. I am not a souper, but agreed to
go just to keep things moving. I must admit, the soup smelled delicious and the
customers seemed in rapture as they sipped their serving. We joined a long line to be
served at the counter and I observed a very stern gentleman in a chef’s outfit behind the
counter. His moustache was pronounced and he seemed to be studying his customers.
Every few minutes he would shout out “no soup for you” which is why instead of soup
we ended up buying a hot dog from a street vendor.
The Yankees lineup is fearsome in the middle. Sosa, Fielder, Thome and Boone will
each likely push 30 to 40+ home runs this season. Sosa, Boone and Thome are
younger than 25 and Fielder not yet 30. Look for these four to create runs for the
Yankees for seasons to come. Wisely, two high contact speedsters occupy the top two
spots in the lineup. They will frequently get on base and advance into scoring position to
avoid double plays. The lineup does drop off noticeably in the bottom 3 spots and little
production can be expected there.
If the Yankees do have one weak spot, it is in the field. Belliard (SS) and Sosa (RF) are
defensive gems but everywhere else the fielders have limited range and will commit
errors in bunches.
In summary, the Yankees are built to win now and for seasons to come. Look for them
to be at the top or near the top of the AL standings.
Jay Kaplan