CONFESSIONS OF A WEST COAST YANKEE FAN
Volume XIII – 2012
Yankees Struggle A Bit… I Know, I Know, No One Feels Sorry For The Yankees… But It Still Sucks
by DarkJade
First of all, troubles aside, Welcome Ichiro…
Talk about a Cool Pick Up… Sure he’s like 38, but he’s still quick, and is a Master at getting on base.
With Brett Gardner never returning from his injury, the Yanks wanted to grab someone with some Speed… And with Ichiro, they have done just that.
The Pitching;
Lets face it, getting Andy Pettitte back after a year of retirement, was a True Blessing for the Yankees…
Not only did he Pitch well after taking a year off, but his presence, and involvement with our other Pitchers, caused the whole group to improve.
And when he got injured, it hurt us. And now his return date has been pushed even further back, that hurts us even more.
Sure we’ve still got C. C. Sabathia, and he does pretty good most of the time… But we certainly will need more than him come Playoff Time…
Fortunately, Veteran Hiroki Kuroda has really been stepping it up.
None the less, we’re in trouble without Pettitte, unless Phil Hughes can stay on the “Light Side” of the Force, Lol
He’s done pretty good, but we need at least 3 Solid Starters to get anywhere in the Playoffs… At least in my Opinion.
The Hitting;
I don’t care what anyone says, losing Alex Rodriguez to an Injury doesn’t just hurt us in the “Consistant” Hitter Department… Which he very much is. It really hurts the Vibe of Our Team…
Every time he comes up, he has such a Presence at Bat… In my opinion, he pretty much doesn’t fear any Pitcher… And that kind of attitude can be contagious… And not many have it.
Sure his bat speed has slowed a bit, but he still often makes hits on some of the Greatest Pitchers in Baseball…
Hopefully he’ll be back soon.
Eric Chavez
On a Positive Note, one of our “Backup” Veterans, who is playing a lot with ARod Injured… Has really been Tearing It Up…
The Guy is a Great Offensive, and Defensive Player… And I was really hoping they’d Pick Him Up again this year, and they did.
Well Played Cashman, and Yankee’s Management.
Sadly, no one’s really saying it, mainly because he’s hit so many Homers this year, but at this moment in time, I really think Curtis Granderson is Struggling right now
He’s a Brilliant Hitter, and a Great Fielder… But to me, he seems to be a bit “Mojo” Free at the moment…
I really hope he can work his way through it soon, as he is Definitely one of the Yankee’s Key Players, and Gives us a Serious Edge…
What can I say about Derek Jeter that hasn’t been said a Thousand Times…
The Guy is having a Stellar Season… Sure he’s had some brief moments of slumpage, but after his Gigantic Start, and his Solid Play as of late, he is Definitely one of the reasons we’re Still In First Place in our Division…
But let me tell you right now, The Yankee’s Greatest Edge over the last 2 or 3 Months, has without a doubt been Mark Teixeira…
After a Rough First Month or so, the guy has Figured Things out, and has been on an Utter Tear…
Without the way he’s been playing, we wouldn’t get very far into the Playoffs… Unless, of course, one of our other guys took the Baton, like Granderson or Cano, which may happen…
All and All I Feel pretty Good about the Yankees Season… But I have to tell you, there are some Serious Threats all around…
The White Sox
, The Angels, The Tigers, The Rangers, Washington, and the List goes on and on…
So for the Yanks to have a Chance at Winning it all, they’re Reallllly going to need to Up The Level of Their Pitching… And Raise Their Hitting a Bit as well
Nuff Said
Thanks for Reading/Listening
Yank’s Record So Far This Year – 63 Wins 46 Losses .578 First Place In Their Division
Team’s Batting Average So Far;
Gardner .321 – But I Believe he’s out for the Season
Jeter .314 – Brilliant
Cano .313 – Back Where he belongs
Nunez .294 – I believe they moved him to the Minors, he was making too many Errors Defensively
Chavez .280 – The Highest it’s been all year
Rodriguez .276 – Good enough, plus he can Hit For Power
Wise .262 – Really like this guy, but they may have moved him to Minors, don’t know… Haven’t seen him on the bench as of late
Swisher .261 – Swisher seems to be having some Mental Battles as of late… But still gets some hits
Stewart .260 – Decent Backup Catcher
Suzuki .259 – A Career Low, but he’s like 38 or 39… But he’s fast, and generally gets a Hit every Game
Teixeira .255 – It’s only low because he started the year Reallly Low… He’s on a Tear
Nix .253 – Doing Surprisingly Well
Ibanez .240 – His Veteran Presence, and Overall Ability to Play, both Offense, and Defense, goes a long way
Granderson .240 – May be the lowest it’s been all year, I’d have to check… Like I say, I think he’s got some Mental Game Issues going on… He’s in kind of a Stealthy Slump
Jones – .224 This Guy has helped us a lot, but isn’t playing as much lately now that Ichiro is Here
Martin – .194 Still Struggling a bit, but he has some Key Hits… And his Defense is the Best
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