How Could I Miss This
Brett Gardner won the Centerfield Job! Yes! I am a big fan of Brett Gardner and think he can do big things in a pinstripe uniform. Nothing against Melky Cabrera, but in the short term and even the long term, I think Gardner will be a better fit. I think he will fit in well at the bottom of the Yanks’ lineup. Although he is not a great offensive performer, he can get on base and when he does, he will run. The Yanks are expecting him to run. The speed he has will be a huge part in manufacturing runs. He can get on, get into scoring position and score with the top and the middle of the order driving him in. It will be a great fit. This is just the offensive side.
On defense, Gardner will also be a huge presence. His speed will let him track down balls in the outfield that some other centerfielders would not be able to get. Although he is young and doesn’t have much experience, I think he will come to command the outfield and become a terrific outfielder and player in general. His future looks bright and the Yankees are investing in him early to see if he is what they think he is.
Gardner is a youngster who is ready to prove himself on the biggest stage there is in baseball. Starting in front of New York Yankees fans. If he plays well, he will be liked. If he doesn’t, he will be unliked. I am a fan of Gardner and am excited that he won the job. I am excited to see him play in person this season and really think he will be a great player in New York in the future to come.
Pettitte Brilliant Against Jays- Rotation Looks Great
In his final start of the spring, Andy Pettitte pitched brilliantly in 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts, and only five hits. He did give up one run in his time on the mound. Between the second and seventh innings, Pettitte retired 15 of 17 batters before he finished his day. Pettitte looked great. He hasn’t pitched very much during the spring but when he has, he has looked great. Pettitte is scheduled to be the number four starter in the Yankees starting rotation. In front of him will be C.C. Sabathia, Chien Ming Wang, and A.J. Burnett. Behind him in the rotation will be Joba Chamberlain.
Andy Pettitte, although a long time veteran, is still looking good and looks to be ready for the opening of the season. He will be a good end of the rotation for the Yankees. To me the Yankees starting rotation is probably the best in the American League and one of the best in the MLB. Most teams go into a series thinking, “Okay. Once we get past these two pitchers the third game should be an easy one because the pitching isn’t as good.” This is the same about the fourth game of a four game series. With the Yankees, they have Sabathia and Wang as their top two starters. But once you get past them, you run into A.J. Burnett who will be a knockout pitcher if he is healthy, and Andy Pettitte, the reliable veteran. And even after that you have an aspiring youngster in Chamberlain. I think the Yankees rotation is the best of the best. It will be a huge help for the Yanks as they play in a division with two more powerhouses in the Red Sox and Rays. The Yanks offense will be good but the pitching will need to step it up to compliment that great offense.
I am planning to go to a Yankees game sometime in the summer. I usually go once a year during this time because I live in Massachusetts. Usually I am wondering before the game, “Who’s gonna pitch. I hope it’s a good pitcher so it’s a good game.” Now I don’t really need to worry about that. Whatever game I go to and whoever will be pitching can promise me a good game. As straight forward as I can say it, it looks like it is going to be a great season for what I think to be the best rotation in the bigs.
Yanks Roll Over Phils
Thursday afternoon, I came home from school and went onto the computer. I checked my e-mail, some of my fantasy sports updates, and then went on to Yankees.com. There on the home page I saw a link to watch the Yankees spring training game against the Phillies. I clicked on it and watched the Yankees roll over the Phils as they went on to win 10-2.
As I was watching, the Yankees were playing well on defense and had some hits here and there. Nothing really special and exciting happened until the eighth inning. With five total runs in the eighth, the Yankees went ahead and stayed ahea. The Yanks bats just powered up against the Phillies pitching. Nick Swisher hit one out and later in that inning Melky Cabrera hit one out. Both shots were big ones that you knew were going out the second they hit the bat. The offensive show in the eighth inning was a good one and it was good to see that the Yankees playing well with not only their starters, but also their younger players that are either in the farm system or coming off the bench.
Sabathia to Start Season and Home Opener
A great way to get fans to know and appreciate a new pitcher is to have him start opening day as well as their home opener. That will be the case with C.C. Sabathia, who was chosen by Joe Girardi on Thursday to be the starter for both the season opener and the home opener at Yankee Stadium.
C.C. Sabathia, already a big name pitcher who the Yanks aquired over the offseason, will quickly be liked by many Yankees fans. As long as he doesn’t have a terrible season, I should add. Sabathia, what I think to be the best pitcher in the National League last year behind Tim Lincecum, is a great fit for New York. He faced much pressure last season in Milwaukee when he was aquired in a trade with the Cleveland Indians after having a terrible start to the season. He went on to be a Cy Young award worthy pitcher that season. Simply, unless Sabathia starts off this season similarly to the way he started off the 2008 season, he should be loved by all Yankees fans quickly.
I am excited to see Sabathia play this season, especially the way he will handle the pressure of pitching in front of some of the toughest fans in the MLB. Yankees fans are notoriously obnoxious and loud and will definitely get on someones back if they do not perform well. I can’t believe I just said that about myself and all the other Yanks fans out there but we all know it is true. It will be a great season and having Sabathia start it off just makes it more exciting.
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