The major league baseball divison series games have ended leaving the Dodgers to play the Cardinals in the NL and the Red Sox to play the Tigers in the AL. Although I'll watch these games and the World Series, my thoughts are already turning to the 2014 Yankees. Joe Girardi will be back in the dugout having just signed a 4 year deal, but there will be many problems on the field.
It's been two weeks since the Yankees were eliminated from the AL Wild Card race when they fell meekly to the Tampa Bay Rays 8 - 3. Everday players like Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeria, and Alex Rodriguez missed many games as did reserves Eduardo Nunez, Jayson Nix, Kevin Youkilis and Travis Hafner. Brett Gardner spent the last 2 weeks of the season on the DL. Among the pitchers, CC Sabathia had his worst year as a Yankee and Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain were flat out awful. I'm tempted to say that the last two won't be back but what other team would want them.
The prospects for 2014 are dim. The team is old, their best player is a free agent and the farm system is not ready or able to fill their needs. The current boss doesn't want to pay the luxury tax and even if he did, this year's free agent pool doesn't have any franchise players. The main task is to re-sign Cano.
Jeter may be healthy by the opening of spring training but will be 40 next June. No pennant winner ever started a 40 year old shortstop. Will free agent Granderson be back? Will free agent Cano be back? Will Mark Teixeria's wrist be ready and will his production continue to decline? How long will A-Rod's suspension be? If he plays next year, will his legs hold up at almost 39? I don't expect Youkilis or Hafner to be back. Gardner should be recovered from his oblique injury which cost him the last few weeks of the season but I think he's over-rated. He K's too much and only hit .273. Ichiro has a contract for next year but he's coming off his least productive season and he will be 40 in less than 2 weeks. Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay are strictly bench players. The catching corps is decidedly mediocre.
The pitching could be in real trouble. Can CC comeback? Was his loss of weight a factor in his diminished performance? If Kuroda is re-signed, will he tire out by August again? Pettitte retired. Nova showed promise but nobody in the minors looks ready to join the rotation. Who are the 4th and 5th starters? Will Boone Logan leave as a free agent? Can David Robertson handle the closer roll vacated by the great Mariano Rivera's retirement?
some 2013 stats from ESPN:
Funny how 1 digit can make a difference although admittedly that difference is more appearance than substance. No player recorded 200 hits this year. Matt Carpenter went 0/4 the final game of the regular season to finish with 199 hits - obviously just missing a 200 hit season, a good thing. Adrian Beltre got 1 hit in the Tampa Texas wildcard entry game 163 to also finish at 199. The only 200 hit man last year was Derek Jeter with 216.
Chris Davis finished with 199 strike outs, missing the dubious distinction of 200. Chris Carter of Houston was the only 200K man this year with 212, the 3rd highest total in major league history behind the 223 K's by Mark Reynolds in 2009 and Adam Dunn's 222 in 2012. Reynolds also K'd 211 times in 2010 and 204 in '08. Drew Stubbs of the Reds completes the 200K club with his 205 in 2011. Ryan Howard finished with 199 twice and Adam Dunn once.
While Max Scherzer of the Tigers won 21 games, two pitchers, Adam Wainright and Jordan Zimmerman, won 19. Madison Bumgarner and Homer Bailey had 199 strikeouts. Twelve pitchers had 200 or more, led by Yu Darvish with 277.
Twenty-five batters hit .300 or better led by Miguel Cabrera at .348. The nearest miss was Tampa Bay's James Loney at .299. He was hitting .300 after 162 games but went 0/3 in the 1 game playoff with Texas to get the last wild card slot.
Fifteen batters had 100 or more rbi's, led by Chris Davis with 138, 1 more than Miguel Cabrera. Hunter Pence was the only finisher at 99 but he did have the consolation of being recompensed with a huge new contract.
Nine players scored 100 or more runs led by Matt Carpenter's 126. Austin Jackson had 99.
other hitting leaders:
AB's - Manny Machado - 667
Doubles - Matt Carpenter - 55
Triples - Denard Span - 11
HR's - Chris Davis - 53
Walks - Joey Votto - 135
OBP - Miguel Cabrera - .442
Slugging - Miguel Cabrera - .636
extra base hits - Chris Davis - 96
other pitching leaders:
E.R.A. - Clayton Kershaw - 1.89
WHIP - Clayton Kershaw - 0.92
IP - Adam Wainwright - 242
Saves - Craig Kimbrel & Jim Johnson - 50
CG's - Adam Wainwright - 5
Shutouts - Bartolo Colon & Justin Masterson - 3
Comments