As Yankee fans know, the Bombers' best-case scenario has Jason Giambi back in the lineup as a full-time first baseman, so Matsui and Damon can share time in left and at DH. All these guys are lefties, so there's no lefty/righty platoon involved. In fact, Damon is only a factor because he's presumably the team's best leadoff hitter.

On the televised games, Giambi looks like he's in great shape. And he's hitting: .333 with a double and a homer in 12 at bats. But Giambi is bound to break down at some point and that's where the competition comes in. You've got to think that Shelley Duncan will be back on the big squad. He hit 7 HRs in 74 ABs last year and became a fan favorite. Everyone loves Shelley, right? He's tearing it up this spring, with three doubles, two homers, a team-leading 9 RBI and a .500 average in 16 ABs. He bats right and he can also play rightfield. That mean he can occasionally spell either Giambi or Abreu. (And those are both tough to spell!) Unfortunately, Shelley has iron hands. I watched five minutes of the Yankee game on Saturday and saw him botch a routine play. The announcers blame it on inexperience, but I don't get that. Hasn't this guy been playing first base since he was 8 years old?

Continue reading "Yankees Spring Game Whos On First"

Next chapter: With CC Sabathia waving off the Indians' four-year/$72 million offer (or so the reports say) he is sure to be wearing pinstripes at this time next season. The Yankees brass must be slobbering over the fact that they will clear out more than $40 million in pitchers' salaries at the end of 2008, by bidding bye-bye to Pettitte, Mussina, Pavano and Farnsworth. With those contracts out the door, their best-paid starter will be Kei Igawa at $4 million -- if he hasn't been shipped elsewhere. That means a huge opportunity to open the purse strings for Carsten Charles Sabathia -- while setting aside enough dough for Chien-Ming Wang.

Continue reading "Santana Signing Will Put Sabathia in Pinstripes"