Top 10 New York Fantasy Baseball Targets for 2010

As the snow melts and spring inches closer, it’s hard not to imagine the beautiful green grass at the new Yankee Stadium, the brand new championship banner being hung, and hopes of a repeat in the minds’ of all the fans. Across town, the old saying, “hope springs eternal” comes into play at Citifield, home of the New York Mets, a team looking to rebound from an injury plagued 2009 season and unseat the defending National League Champion Phillies from atop the NL East. There are some great team storylines. However, though they say there is no “I” in team, fantasy baseball is all about the “I”. Will Jose Reyes bounce back? Will knee surgery affect Carlos Beltran’s bottom line? How will Curtis Granderson fare in The Bronx? I’ll answer these questions and more in my Top 5 Mets and Yankees to target in fantasy baseball for 2010.

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Jeter and Teixeira Win Silver Slugger Awards

Two days after being named Gold Glove Award winners, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira have been named Silver Slugger Award winners. Derek Jeter batted .334 with 18 home runs, 66 RBIs, 107 runs scored and 30 stolen bases. Teixeira batted .292 with 39 home runs, 122 RBIs, 103 runs scored and 43 doubles.

Jeter and Teixeira Win Gold Gloves for 2009

Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira were recognized for their defense in 2009 and were named Gold Glove Award winners. For Jeter, this marks the fourth time he has won the award and it’s Teixeira’s third time.

Jeter said, “I’ve always taken a great deal of pride in my defense, and being honored with a Gold Glove is an accomplishment I will never overlook.”

The two also figure to be in the running for AL MVP but the award should and will go to the Twins’ Joe Mauer who had an unbelievable season.

Yankees 2010 Offseason Plans

The Yankees are the World Series champions for the 27th time in their storied history and there’s no better time to take a look at the upcoming offseason than the day after the season ended. As the team vies for title number 28, all signs point toward Joe Girardi changing his uniform number from 27 to 28 (Yankees don’t want to stay at #27 for long) for 2010 as that’s the next goal of this franchise.

The last time the Yankees came off a World Series championship they made minor adjustments. The biggest move they made between 2000 and 2001 was the free agent signing of Mike Mussina. The Yankees won’t make a big splash in this year’s free agency because there are no major superstars in this year’s free agent class (led by Matt Holliday) and there’s not many placed the Yankees can upgrade (they are the champs for a reason).

The Yankees will start in-house with three guys that could hit the free agent market. They need to make a decision on what to do with 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui, catalyst Johnny Damon, and gritty veteran pitcher Andy Pettitte. It doesn’t seem likely the Yankees will bring back both Damon and Matsui. Damon can still run and play the field but Matsui is a pure hitter and will always hit no matter how bad his knees are. Both players have said they would like to return to the Yankees. If they aren’t retained, retirement is not on the minds of Damon or Matsui. The fact that the Yankees have some aging stars under contract would lead you to believe the Yankees are less inclined to retain Matsui as their DH. As for Pettitte, it would make sense for the Yankees to bring him back in 2010 after the season he had in 2009. The question is whether Pettitte wants to come back. He could ride off into retirement as a winner with five rings if he decides his career is over.

Th next order of business, which we may already know the answer to, is what to do with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. It is almost certain they will both start the season as starters but if the Yankees land a veteran starting pitcher, one of them, more likely Hughes, could land back in the bullpen. This is an unlikely circumstance and expect to see both players preparing to be starters in 2010.

The Yankees went hard after free agents CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira last offseason because they knew this year’s free agent class didn’t have many marquee, superstar names. The Bombers can never be counted out during free agency but they won’t be signing three top tier free agents like last year. A middle ground starting pitcher could be somewhere to look at, as well as a corner outfielder.

The 2010 Yankees team will look similar to the 2009 World Series champion team.

Yankees Free Agent Acquisitions Payoff in 2009

Three free agents cost the Yankees over $440 million this offseason. Money well spent if you ask me. Unlike free agent singings in years past, the signings of CC Sabatha, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira proved worthwhile. The three first year Yankees each contributed in their own way throughout the season and postseason, and helped the franchise win its 27th World Series.

Since 2001, the Yankees have spent lavishly on free agents but never reached their ultimate goal. Names like Giambi, Mussina, Contreras, Brown, Pavano, among plenty of others, dawned pinstripes with bulky salaries but didn’t help the Yankees clasp the Wold Series championship they coveted.

The Yankees and their fans owe it all to the boss. George Steinbrenner has never been afraid to open his wallet if it means success since he took over the Yankees organization in 1973. He’s looking to put the best product out on the field every year and to extend the Yankee brand.

After the 2007 season the Yankees could have traded away their young players for Johan Santana or other stars. Instead, the Yankees went into 2008 with a young team, were left on the outside of the playoffs for the first time since 1993 (1994 was a strike-shortened year), and spent money on the top three free agents in the 2008 class. If the Yankees had known that missing the playoffs in 2008 would mean a title their first season at their new stadium in 2009, they would have happily taken that tradeoff. This team has such a great mix of players that it’s not out of the question to think they could win again in the next couple of seasons. With the Steinbrenner family in charge, the window for a championship always remains open for the New York Yankees.

Yankees Win 27th World Series

The Yankees 2009 season started with a trip to the pool hall on an afternoon during spring training. It ended with a World Series championship. The new Yankee Stadium’s inaugural season started with a Boston fan named Gino Castignoli burying a Red Sox jersey under the structure. It ended with champagne and the Commissoner’s Trophy. The 2009 season started with an A-Rod press conference and ended with A-Rod coming up clutch in big postseason at-bats. February was a long, long time ago.

The Yankees needed everyone to win the championship. Not everyone had Hideki Matsui numbers in the World Series but it took a complete team effort to get to October and get through the ALDS and ALCS. Phil Hughes had a tough postseason but was a big reason why the Yankees had such a strong regular season. Robinson Cano didn’t have many hits in the postseason but batted .320 in the regular season.Then there’s Damaso Marte who had an injury plagued regular season and became Girardi’s go-to-guy with outstanding pitching in the postseason.

There’s also the guys that are consistent; The “Core Four”. Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettitte were good all season and their postseason experience shined in 2009. Rivera was the only closer in the postseason not to blow a save. Pettitte was the starter in each of the Yankees three series clinching games. Posada came back from an injury riddled 2008 season and led the pitching staff and clubhouse. Jeter was Jeter. What else can be said about the Yankees captain.

On to the newcomers. Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira, Swisher. The Yankees don’t make it to the World Series without acquiring these guys. Sabathia was incredible in the postseason. He went 3-1 in five starts with a 1.98 ERA in the postseason. Teixeira led the AL in home runs during the regular season with 39. He also had two big postseason home runs. Remember back to the first month of the season and Nick Swisher kept the Yankees going when A-Rod was out with injury and the bats were as cold as the April and May weather.

Finally, A-Rod. He was clutch. Nobody can say he chokes in October anymore. He put his critics to rest. He batted over .360 in the postseason with six home runs and 18 RBI. A-Rod was a big reason why the Yankees won number 27.

The Yankees broke in the original Yankee Stadium with a World Series championship in 1923. In 2009, the Yankees broke in the new Yankee Stadium with a World Series championship.

Phillies Win Game Five, Send Series Back to the Bronx

Cliff Lee and Chase Utley combined to beat the Yankees in game one of the World Series. They were back at it again in game five. Utley hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the series, tying him with Reggie Jackson for most all-time in a World Series. Lee had another impressive performance against the Yankees although they got to him in the 8th inning. Lee’s line doesn’t exactly show how well he pitched. He gave up five runs on seven hits.

Yankees’ starter AJ Burnett pitched two plus innings and was blasted. He gave up six runs and four walks. The 6-1 Phillies lead after three innings was too much for the Yankees to overcome and the bullpen couldn’t hold the Phillies down either.

New York hitters didn’t put on their best display against Lee until the 8th inning when A-Rod knocked him out with a two-run double off the glove of a diving Raul Ibanez. The Yankees weren’t able to put their best offensive team out there with the pitcher batting and Jose Molina catching for Burnett. The Yankees lineup will be at full strength, minus the injured Melky Carbera, in game six at home but they’ll most likely rely on Andy Pettitte to pitch on three days rest.

The Yankees tried to put together a comeback in the 9th but the Phillies weren’t having it. With runners on the corners and no outs, Jeter grounded into a double play that killed the rally. Damon singled with two outs, giving Teixeira a shot to tie it or at least get A-Rod to the plate but he struck out to end the game.

We go back to the Bronx for game six with the Yankees leading 3-2 in the series.

Yankees World Series Game Four 9th Inning

Johnny Damon’s two-out single in the 9th inning off of Brad Lidge was just the first big play in the inning by Damon. His next big play was stealing two bases on one pitch. With the Phillies’ defense shifted toward right field for Teixeira, Damon stole second, which was being covered by third basemen Pedro Feliz. Feliz caught the ball to the first base side of second base and Damon hopped up from his slide and dashed toward the uncovered third base bag. The Phillies and Lidge were shocked. Lidge especially. Lidge didn’t retire another Yankee out by himself. The third out of the inning was made throwing Posada out at second base trying to turn a two-run single into a double. Lidge recorded the first two outs of the inning with ease.

“It all happened so fast,” Lidge said.

Damon’s heads up baserunning will be a talked about for a while if the Yankees go on to win the World Series. So will A-Rod’s double that drove in Damon to give the Yankees the 9th inning lead. After the game Damon praised A-Rod and A-Rod returned praise for Damon for their contributions during the 9th inning.

“He’s the reason why we’re sitting here right now in Philadelphia. He’s been driving in the big runs,” Damon said referring to A-Rod.

A-Rod referred to Damon’s 9th inning at-bat as “an unbelievable, tenacious at-bat by Johnny Damon.”

Damon and Lidge battled hard in that 9th inning at-bat and Damon came out on top. With guys like Teixiera and A-Rod hitting behind Damon, all Damon needed to do was get on base to give them a chance to bat.

Lidge said, “The whole thing came down to a really good at-bat by Damon. He fouled off some real good sliders. We kind of kept going back and forth. And finally, he got a fastball away and did a really good job of serving it out to left field.”

Lidge could have never expected Damon would be standing on third base one pitch later with Teixeira not even having to take the bat off his shoulder.

“I’m just glad that when I started running, I still had some of my young legs behind me,” Damon said.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, “That’s instinct. You’ve got to be sure, when you’ve got Teixeira and A-Rod coming up behind him, but that was a great instinctual play by Johnny.”

Than Yankees now lead the World Series 3-1.

Yankees Beat Phillies in Game Four of World Series 7-4

A-Rod may have been hit by more pitches (3) than he has hits (2) in the World Series but his two hits were huge.

Tied at 4-4 in the top of the 9th, Johnny Damon singled with two outs. Damon grinded out the at bat and ended up with a hit into left-center field. With Teixeira up next, the Phillies had a defensive shift on and the Phillies third basemen was just to the left of shortstop. Damon stole second and bolted for third knowing nobody was covering the bag. Damon was credited with two steals on the play. Teixiera was hit by a pitch, giving A-Rod the opportunity to bat. A-Rod took full advantage. He ripped a double down the left field line to drive in Damon and out the Yankees head 5-4. Posada drove in Tex and A-Rod with a hit to left-center in his at bat that gave the Yankees some more insurance. Mariano Rivera didn’t need the insurance runs as he set the Phillies down in order in the 9th.

This Yankees team fights until the final out. The Yankees have terrorized yet another closer this postseason. They now are up three games to one over the Phillies. AJ Burnett goes for the Yankees in game five against Cliff Lee, who stifled the Yankees in game one. Both pitchers were dominant in their first starts this series. The Yankees are in the drivers seat and need one more win in three chances to be crowned champions.

A-Rod Not Only Yankee Hitter to Blame

By now you can recite the statistics. A-Rod is 0-8 with six strikeouts in the first two games of the World Series. A-Rod may be the person that everyone focuses on but other players need to start hitting too. Teixeira is 1-7 with a solo home run and three strikeouts. Johnny Damon is 1-8 and Robinson Cano is 1-7. What the Yankees really need to do are string together some hits. They haven’t been able to do that so far in the World Series.

The Yankees’ 2-3-4 hitters have combined for two hits in the first two games. With A-Rod’s supporting cast not hitting, it allows the Phillies to not give him anything good to hit. A-Rod is swinging at a lot of bad pitches. Someone hitting behind A-Rod needs to start hitting and intimidate the Phillies. This way they won’t be so inclined to throwing A-Rod garbage. It falls on A-Rod too because he needs to lay off the bad pitches and work the count into his favor an draw walks.

The Yankees as a team need to walk more. They walked only twice so far in the series and were struck out 22 times. That’s an incredible statistic for a team that lead the Majors in walks during the regular season and also had the 4th fewest strikeouts of any team in baseball.