The first and most important question is not just about Andy Pettitte but about the starting rotation as a whole. Will Pettitte be able to put the off-season out of his mind and be effective this year? Even if he can, is there a pitcher after Wang and Pettitte any Yankee fan feels comfortable with? Are Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes ready to pitch a whole MLB season? Can Mike Mussina find any of his past glory? This is obviously the most important question for the Yankees because, as they have learned in the past, you don't win in the playoffs without a solid rotation.
The next major worry for the Yankees is first base. Who is going to play there? Shelley Duncan is in camp and the leader for the spot. Morgan Ensberg has been signed to a minor league contract and has been brought into camp to fight Duncan for the job. Jason Giambi also looms out there. With four good outfielders and Giambi things are bunched up at DH so I'm sure the Yankees would love to see Giambi stay healthy and play some first base.
Speaking of Giambi, can he find his stroke again? Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada both had career seasons last year that will be tough to repeat. That means the Yanks are going to have to find extra offense somewhere. Cano, Damon, Abreu and Melky cannot get off to slow starts, as they did last year. Derek Jeter needs to stay healthy and produce as he has done in the past but in the end, there is a ton of pressure on Jason Giambi. If Giambi can give the Yankees some power in the middle of their order then their offense will again, be a force to be reckoned with. If Giambi struggles and A-Rod doesn't duplicate what he did last year, this offense could have trouble scoring enough runs to win games. This goes back to the problems with the starting rotation and the fact that this offense is leaned upon to win games.
Another question is about the bullpen, besides Mariano of course. Yes, his numbers were down slightly last year but he was still one of best closers in baseball. The key is getting the ball to Mo. Kyle Farnsworth will look to keep his momentum going from the end of last year when he pitched much better. LaTroy Hawkins was brought in this off-season to help with the 7th and 8th inning. But the key to answering this question is Joba Chamberlain. I don't agree with using Joba as a reliever, I feel he is more valuable to this team as a starter but the Yankees have decided to go with him in the 8th inning, setting up for Rivera. We don't know exactly what the "Joba Rules" will be this year but if Joba rules, the Yankees bullpen could turn into a strength of the team.
The last and final question is about the biggest off-season change, the manager. Joe Girardi did a wonderful job with a young Marlins team a couple years back but he did get fired after the season because he couldn't get along with owndership. Joe Girardi has big shoes to fill after the departure of Joe Torre. I feel if this transition is a smoothe one, it will go a long way to seeing the Yankees once again reach the postseason. If things start badly for this team, as they have in the past few years, you will begin to hear rumblings about hiring the wrong guy or that it was a bad desicion to let Torre go. The Yankees and Girardi must get off to a good start this year so the critics don't get on their backs.
So there it is, six weeks until baseball, a whole spring training ahead of us but those are the questions for the Yankees. Some are less important than others but if things don't come together for this team early, I don't think they can rebound to make the playoffs again this year. The AL is too deep to put yourself in a hole in April and May. If the Yanks can get either Hughes or Kennedy to step-up and the bullpen can get the ball to Mo they should see October again. If not, New York fans always have the Giants to fall back on come September.
Until next time, I'm gone, like Roger Clemens Hall of Fame hopes.
Keywords: New York Yankees
