The first half of Baseball is done and the defending World Series Champion New York Yankees are sitting on top of the very competitive American League East with an uncomfortable two-game lead.
The Yankees (56-32) are just edging the Tampa Bay Rays (54-34), General Hospital a.k.a. the Boston Red Sox (there is no need to mention the other two).
Despite the slim lead the Yankees first half has been a good one. With a dynamic pitching rotation,the Bronx Bombers have been able to edge out the comepetition– without their starters, it is tough to say the Yankees would be where they are now.
The Yankee lineup is without a doubt one of the best in baseball, but it has let them down several times so far this season. The weak link on this team has been a less than stellar bullpen that is in need of some serious help come the trade deadline.
1. The Starting Rotation:
With three-fifths of their starters set to appear in the 2010 All-Star game (CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, & Phil Hughes), The Yankees rotation could not have been better.
Ace CC Sabathia finished 12-3 with a 3.09 ERA, A.J. Burnett is 7-7 with a 4.75 ERA (6-2, 3.28 ERA before his terrible month of June), Andy Pettitte is 11-2 with a 2.70 ERA, Phil Hughes is 11-2 with a 3.65 ERA, and finally Javier "Javy" Vazquez is 7-7 with a 4.45 ERA (due to a bad start of the season, 2.77 ERA last 5 starts) the starters have finished with stellar numbers.
With a failed attempt last week to acquire 2007 Cy Young winner Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners, the Yankees are looking to improve on and already impressive unit. If New York can close of the rumored trade of Roy Oswalt, this rotation will go from containing talent to loaded with it, and could make it difficult for teams to get hits.
2. The Lineup:
The Yankee lineup on paper is the best in baseball, however the first half doesn't show them justice. Ranked second in the American League with 469 runs,Derek Jeter, Mark Teixiera, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, & Curtis Granderson have not produced the numbers originally anticipated by fans. My guess, expect an explosive second half.
Derek Jeter finished with a .274 AVG, 8 HR, 43 RBI's, and 60 R in the first half, despite the low average his power numbers are impressive for a lead-off man and earned him an All-Star spot.
Nick Swisher has been playing the best baseball of his career. A traditional .250 hitter, Swisher is batting .298 (hovering around .300 all year) with 15 HR, and 49 RBI's earning him a ticket to his first All- Star Game and the Home Run Derby.
Mark Teixeira started the season as usual, slow—however his slump lasted a month too long causing his average to be down, but despite the lackluster start Teixeira powerful numbers are impressive, he finished with a .254 AVG, 17 HR, and 60 RBI's.
Alex Rodriguez's despite and interesting first half including a plummeting average
numbers for the first half are weird, his average is down, but his run production is illegal which earned him his thirteenth All-Star Game (most among active players), he finished batting .269 with 14 HR, and 70 RBI's.
Robinson Cano who led the American League in average for 3 months is the first half MVP for the Yankees. With a batting .336 with 16 HR, and 58 RBI's. Jorge Posada is one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, but his first half numbers wouldn't prove it, injuries have hurt Jorge's first half stats, but they are better then most catchers (.265 AVG, 9 HR, 29 RBI's), look for a great and healthy second half.
Curtis Granderson after missing a month with a groin strain, Granderson finished with a .240 AVG, just 9 HR, and 24 RBI's.
Brett "The Jet" Gardner has been the surprise of the first half for the Yankees. he finished the half with great defense and good hitting, he finished with a .309 AVG, 5 HR, 29 RBI's, and 25 SB. Overall I give the Yankee lineup a 3.5/5 for the first half, look for everyone's stats to get into shape and take a look at the back of their baseball cards if you don't believe me.
The Bullpen:
The weak link of the Yankees is the bridge to "The Sandman". There is not one pitcher in the bullpen (besides Mariano Rivera) that has done their job in this first half.
Mariano finished 2-1 with a 1.05 ERA, 20/22 saves, and 33 K's in 34.1 IP. After him, it is not pretty.
Joba Chamberlain is the epitome of inconsistency. With a record of 1-4, a 5.79 ERA and 42 hits in 37.1 IP, things are not looking good for the former standout.
David Robertson is just better than Chamberlain with is his 5.46 ERA. If Robertson can get back to the 3.30 he was last year the Yankees could see drastic improvement from their relief pitching.
Chan "homerun" Park and his 6.18 ERA should be seeing a release in the near future, if not, the Yanks are in trouble.
The Bench:
The Yankee bench finished batting .241, with 5 HR, and 70 RBI's— this tremendous production from a bench that consists of mostly young rookies is keeping New York alive in the AL East.
Despite the plethora of injuries sustained in the beginning of the season, the Yankee stand on top the AL East at the All-Star break. And with only one real weakness in the bullpen I would expect to see the offensive hitting power and run scoring ability of the all-around team to be nearly unbeatable.
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