New York Yankees Season Report

The 2011 New York Yankees season has been a bit unexpected. Going into the season, many question surrounded the starting pitching and the age of veteran hitters. Many fans and critics believed CC Sabathia to be the only true ace in the Yankee rotation. Last season, starters AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes posted inconsistent numbers. Burnett ended last season with a 5.62 ERA, the worst in his MLB career. Constant questions surrounded Burnett heading into this season about whether or not he could command his pitches. Throughout his career, Burnett demonstrated that he has the talent to be an excellent pitcher in the League, but has been criticized for his lack control and location. Hughes also struggled with consistency during the 2010 season. Hughes managed to win 18 games, but struggled with command as well, posting a 4.19 ERA.

So far this season, the starting rotation has done good enough to get the job done. Veteran pitchers Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia have filled in nicely and been reliable starters for the Yankees. Colon and Garcia combine for 18 wins and both currently own sub-four ERA’s, which is remarkable for the two players age and output in previous seasons. On the opposite end, second year pitcher Ivan Nova has also made an impact, winning 12 games this season. All three pitchers have made their presence felt and provided consistent starts that have been more than enough for the powerful Yankee batters.

The Yankee bullpen has also been very impressive this season. With the recent addition of Rafael Soriano, the Yankees bullpen looks nearly unhittable, even without Joba Chamberlain. The emergence of David Robertson has made the Yankees very difficult to beat when they have a lead heading into the late innings. Robertson leads the team with a 1.27 ERA and has not let up a run since July 24. And of course, Mariano Rivera is at the end of the bullpen. Rivera currently owns a 2.30 ERA and has recorded 32 saves. The cutter is still extremely effective, but has looked a bit suspect during some outings this season.

Besides the pitching questions heading into the season, many concerns focused around the age of the core veteran sluggers on the Yankee squad. Stars like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were consistently criticized because of their decreasing stats in the recent seasons. However with all of these concerns and issues, the 2011 season has been a nice surprise. Players stepped up in key moments and helped the Yankees to currently the best record in the American League.

One player who has stepped up in a major way this season is Curtis Granderson. Granderson is posting a MVP-caliber season, leading the League in runs with 111 and RBI’s with 95. His issue with left-handed pitching seems to have disappeared and transformed into one of the toughest outs in baseball. Robinson Cano is also putting together another strong season. Cano’s ability to hit any pitch and drive the ball to any part of the field makes him very difficult to get out. Cano is currently batting .306 with 21 homeruns. Along with Cano’s and Granderson’s incredible hitting statistics, the two men have also been playmakers with the glove. Both men are on pace to take home the Gold Glove at their respective positions.

Two players that have been nice additions to the Yankee lineup are catcher Russell Martin and shortstop Eduardo Nunez. Martin has been an All-Star for the Dodgers in the past, so his success was a bit expected. Nunez, on the other hand, has proven that he can be a major weapon and will hopefully be for years to come. With injuries from veteran players like Derek Jeter and ARod, Nunez has been a big contributor to the Yankees success and half game lead in the AL East.

Other Yankee players like Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher and Mark Texiera have all provided consistent statistics and are also big reasons for the Yankees second ranked scoring offense. All three guys are extremely difficult outs because of their abilities to make pitchers work and throw strikes.

If the Yankees want to make a deep playoff run this season, they will need consistent starting pitching. With the consistent Yankee bats and shutdown bullpen, the weight definitely shifts to the rotation. With CC being the only proven ace in the rotation, the Yankees will look for their starting pitchers to be efficient. They are not expecting them to go out there and pitch eight scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. They need their rotation to get through around six innings with three earned runs for the Yankees to have a good chance of winning due to their high powered offense. It will definitely be tough once the Yankees reach the playoffs, where their facing teams like Boston and Philadelphia. Both teams have extremely effective offenses that make pitchers work. The Yankees can also use big performances from some veteran players, like Jorge Posada or Alex Rodriguez, who have been struggling or plagued with injury. If the Yankees can find consistency in these areas, the Yankees have a good shot of reaching the World Series.