MLB Preview: New York Yankees

The 2007 season was a roller coaster ride for the Yankees as they struggled to stay above the 500 mark for much of the first half of the baseball season. Thanks to an easy schedule and more consistent work from their starting rotation, the Yankees were able to roar back into contention and clinched a playoff berth during the final week of the season.

The Yankees were overmatched by the Indians in the post-season, but overall 2007 gave the organization a glimpse into the future as they saw ace-like potential from Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain came out of the bullpen in a set up role last season, but it's expected that he will spend part of 2008 in the rotation.

Now it's time for three pressing questions regarding the 2008 Yankees.

(1) Will the Yankees go with the kids or the veterans in the starting rotation?

The Yankees had the firepower available during the off-season to acquire Johan Santana, but GM Brian Cashman believes so much in his young pitchers that he was unwilling to part with them. It is yet to be determined if Cashman made the right call, but it does signal a shift in philosophy for the Yankees. In previous years the Yankees wouldn't have hesitated to acquire someone of Santana's stature, but the club has seen how the Red Sox have been aided by the emergence of young pitchers Jon Lester, Papelbon, and now Clay Buchholz.

The Yankees rotation will be led by Chien Mang Wang who continues to improve steadily each season and has become a solid #1 starter for the pinstripes. Andy Pettite should enter the season as the #2 starter, but he is faced with the off-field distractions of the Mitchell report.

After the top two starters the rest of the rotation becomes a bit murky. Phillip Hughes should take the #3 slot in the rotation. Hughes was the talk of Spring Training last season as Yankees fans had been hearing his name as a top prospect for years. After spending the better part of April in the minors, Hughes was called up and showed signs of becoming the ace the Yankees had envisioned for him. Unfortunately Hughes season was cut short as he suffered a hamstring injury while he was pitching his best game of the season against Texas. Hughes is fully recovered and is expected to be a major contributor on the staff this season.

Mike Mussina, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy will fight for the remaining two slots in the rotation. Mussina would not even be in consideration if he were not signed to a multi-million dollar contract for this year. After having a relatively successfull first half of the season, the wheels came off for Mussina in August, and he was supplanted in September by Ian Kennedy. It's still hard to imagine the Yankees spending that kind of money on a middle reliever, so expect Mussina to get a chance to open the season in the rotation.

Ian Kennedy posted a sub 2 ERA during his brief stint with the Yankees last season, and if the Yankees decide to keep Chamberlain in the set up role he may end up starting the 08 season in the rotation. Kennedy has a unique windup, but has been tremendously successfull using that to deceive hitters throughout the minors.

Joba Chamberlain was the story of the season in MLB during the final month of the season as he only allowed one run in his 24 innings of work. The Yankees have a decision to make this Spring as their bullpen still looks to be an area of weakness for the club, but they also would like to maximize Chamberlain's talent by getting more innings out of him in the rotation. It appears as if he will at least start the season in the bullpen, but he should find himself a slot in the rotation before the All Star Break.

(2) What will the Yankees do with Johnny Damon?

The huge four year contract the Yankees gave Johnny Damon prior to the 06 season was lauded by baseball pundits everywhere as they felt the Yankees finally found their leadoff batter. Two years later that contract looks to be another case of the Yankees irrational exuberance in the free agent market. Damon posted a solid 06 season for the Yankees as he belted 24 homers, however that number was cut in half during the 07 season.

Damon has been known as an above average center fielder throughout much of his career, but his throwing arm has been compared to a little league softball player in recent years. The fact that he's 34 entering this season means father time has caught up to him, and he doesn't have the wheels to man CF anymore.

The Yankees also misread the talent on Melky Cabrera as had they known he would develop into the player he is now, they would have unlikely signed Damon prior to the 06 season. Cabrera has average range in Center, but his throwing arm is amongst those of the best CF's in the game. Cabrera also is a 280's hitter with potential to develop into a .300 hitter, and although he may not ever develop into a 30 homerun hitter, he should be more than an adequate replacement for Damon in center.

The Yankees experimented with Damon in LF, when Matsui missed time due to an injury, and although Damon covers more range than Matsui he just isn't able to produce the same offensive numbers as Matsui. Damon's skillset doesn't seem to fit that of a DH as well, as his main strength is still his range for a corner OF position, but his lack of power would be a big weakness at the DH spot for the Yankees.

(3) Who will the Yankees play at first? and does it even matter with the rest of their lineup?

It's hard to imagine a team with the payroll the Yankees have would enter the season with a choice of cast-offs or C level prospects at one of the more important positions in the game. That's exactly the situation the Yankees find themselves in as Jason Giambi's defensive prowess is now suited to a role as a DH. The Yankees signed Morgan Ensberg hoping to find lightning in the bottle, but fans of Houston and San Diego can attest that Ensberg is no longer a viable option to start 162 games a season.

It's more likely the Yankees will solve this problem by making some kind of a deal prior to opening day, or at some point during the season if the team struggles. With the rest of the lineup the Yankees should be able to get by with just mediocre performance from a 1B, but it's clear right now they don't even have that.

The Yankees may take a slight step back this year as their lineup is showing signs of their age, and the team will no doubt have to deal with some injury issues to their aging lineup. The success of this team will be heavily reliant upon the depth of their lineup, and the three young arms that will play an integral role for the Yankees this season. Those three young arms aren't only integral to the Yankees success this season, but they will determine the path of the Yankees for years to come