(The following is being syndicated from An A-Blog for A-Rod)
I’m a Buster Olney fan. I think he’s one of the best baseball reporters in the business, if not the best, and take his information and thoughts on the Yankees more seriously than probably any other beat writer or MSM reporter. That’s why I was a little surprised to find that Olney’s “What Yankees need to go right in ’13″ Friday morning blog post (Insider Only) was so ordinary. It’s not that anything he said was wrong or untrue, it’s just that a lot of it seemed so obvious and so basic that it didn’t feel like a true Yankee-centric post to me. Have the Yankees really become this boring this offseason?
1. CC Sabathia needs to be healthy enough to provide a lot of innings — and be good in those innings.
Well yeah. He’s the unquestioned ace of the staff. What team doesn’t need their ace to be good?
2. Derek Jeter needs to be a good player, at age 38.
Of course he does. He’s the leadoff hitter, he’s making a decent chunk of change, he’s the only veteran in the lineup who didn’t decline last season, and there isn’t much in the way of a viable backup behind him.
3. Mariano Rivera needs to be an effective closer.
Again, not exactly breaking new ground here. Any team that wants to contend needs a strong closer.
4. Robinson Cano needs to have an MVP-caliber season.
He’s the best player on the team, he’s in the prime of his career entering a contract year, and he’s had them before. Is there any reason to think he’s not going to have another one this season?
5. Mark Teixeira needs to be an above-average run producer.
They aren’t paying him $20 million a season to appear in “Rock Of Ages.”
6. Brett Gardner needs to get back to what he was in 2010.
This one is actually pretty important and not as obvious as the others. With the expected hit to the overall offensive production of the team, the Yankees need Gardner to be more than just a Gold Glove defender. If he can hit for a good average and get on base at a .360-.380 clip, he could give Joe a chance to lengthen the lineup a bit by hitting him first and Jeter second.
7. Kevin Youkilis needs to contribute.
Duh.
8. Michael Pineda needs to give them something — not a lot, but something.
This is the only one I really take umbrage with. I don’t think the Yankees necessarily NEED Pineda to give them something this year, as long as the rest of the healthy pitchers, Warren and Marshall included, stay healthy and stay productive. But with the age of the top of the rotation, and the injury risks that come with it, it would be nice to know that Pineda was going to be available if needed. If for no other reason than to see if he still has potential long-term value to the club.
But you see what I mean, right? Doesn’t that just seem like a really basic, cookie-cutter list of “needs” that could apply to every other team in baseball? Every team needs its best pitchers to pitch well and its best players to play well, and maybe it’s just me, but I could have sworn that in recent years past the Yankees’ list of needs was a little more off the beaten path. Like figuring out where C-Grand best fit into the batting order, or which young pitcher was going to take the next step. Maybe it’s a sign that the Yankees really are in for a down year, at least by their traditional standards. It wouldn’t be unexpected or the worst thing in the world if that did happen, but if it does I hope things aren’t always this boring.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
8 Responses to Buster Olney’s Keys To The Yankees’ Season Are Accurate, Surprisingly Predictable
Leave a Reply
TIQ IQ
9. The team must score more runs than it gives up in 90-100 games.
10. They need to win more games than the Jays, Rays, and O’s.
Hey, I could be a baseball columnist!
Kind of like being the best ice hockey player in Ecuador.
Get over it. 2010 was an outlier season for Gardner. He’s a lifetime .266 avg/.355 OBP guy. In 2010 he had a BABIP of .340 compared to a career avg of .319 and a BB% he’s unlikely to repeat since both pitchers and defenses have adjusted to him. Given his defense and base running skills he’s still a valuable asset (although nowhere near a 5-6 win player as some will claim) and he doesn’t have to repeat his 2010 season (his career average season will do just fine) to make the Yankees better.
One thing he forgot, they need to get ride of A-rod, he is toxic to the team!
And he’s not a True Yankee. Don’t forget about that.
let us not forget that of the five yanks who are coming off surgery, two of them, mariano and pettite, are over forty years of age
Here is something that needs to go right for the Yankees in 2013…The Yankees must be shrewd and trade Cano, Hughes, Granderson. Those three players will be free agents after the 2013 season. The Yankees could net some top level prospects that are major league ready or major league talent for the many holes their team will have in 2014. It makes no sense to let these players walk at year’s end and only get 1 sandwich draft pick for each of them. Those three on the trading block could net anywhere from 4-8 players.
The Yankees top prospects are in the lower minor league levels and yrs away. They could pry some major league ready talent/major league talent to fill these holes in 2014: Shortstop (Jeter may be done after he exercises his player option), third base, and at least 2 starting pitchers. The beauty of my idea is the Yankees can pick some other teams farm system for talent and still have a shot at getting Cano back when he hits free agent market (you know he will…Scott Boras is his agent). Hughes should be a before trading deadline deal. Mostly because you never know which Hughes you are going to get. My question for posters here is this: When do you think is the best time to deal these Cano and Granderson? Before season starts or at trading deadline?
1.) Will Pettitte be able to pitch solidly through MOST of the regular season and stay healthy in September ?
2.) Will Mo Rivera develop another pitch to continue being one of the most dominant closers in the history of the game ? If he continues with just the cutter, we could see more than a few blown saves.
3.) Will the REAL Phil Hughes finally show some consistency ?
4.) Will Joba Chamberlain stay healthy the entire 2013 season ?
5.) Will Ichiro, Brett Gardner & Curtis Granderson play gold glove caliber defense and produce timely RBI’s when called on consistently ?
6.) Does Rob Cano have an MVP season in him and if so, when ?
7.) Will the Yanks give Kuroda enough run support for him to win more than 15 games ?
8.) Will Cervelli be the starting catcher and hit above .250 BA ?
9.) Can Jeter play up to his own standards and stay healthy ?
10. Can the Yanks hold up against the combined Jays, Rays & Orioles onslaught in the AL East ?
So let me get this straight. This is a proposed thoughtful Yankee blog & all I read was comments on what a MSM writer thought.