Spring Training Has Finally Arrived

Finally, just when you think you cannot deal with winter any longer, pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, and at last, you begin to think warm thoughts once again. Just watching ballplayers perform the simple tasks of jogging and playing catch on sun-drenched fields in Florida and Arizona gets fans in northern cities (myself included) all excited about the prospects of warmer weather on the horizon, and with that, the prospect that this year will finally be their team's year. Everybody starts over again, every team is in first place, and every team believes that this will be the year that things come together. If Opening Day is the baseball fan's equivalent to New Year's Day, then the day that pitchers and catchers report might as well be New Year's Eve, for the anticipation of what is to come is easily on par with the last day of the calendar year.

While every team has reason for optimism, there are some teams that are really licking their chops about the potential the 2010 season may hold for them. In the American League, the Yankees return as the obvious favorites to not only win the pennant, but to win it all again. However, the road to a repeat will not be easy for them, as they have to contend with the always-challenging Boston Red Sox, and the young upstarts in Tampa Bay, whose balanced lineup is ready to make up for last year's mediocre finish. In the American League Central, it will come down to Minnesota and Chicago once again, and fans of both teams will be wondering what will end up prevailing: Minnesota's explosive offense, or Chicago's dynamic pitching staff? Meanwhile, in Detroit, fans are anxiously awaiting to see if the departures of Curtis Granderson, Edwin Jackson and Placido Polanco will have any significant effect on the team, especially in a division where Chicago and Minnesota have already made themselves even stronger entering the new year.

In the American League West, Angel fans are likely very optimistic about this season; however, the fact that their team has fallen closer to the pack in the West has to be cause for concern among the Los Angeles faithful. Meanwhile, a clearly improved Seattle team has to be very excited about their chances for their first playoff bid in nine years with the additions of third baseman Chone Figgins and starting pitcher Cliff Lee. Down in Texas, the Rangers are eager to prove that last year was not a fluke, and they will look to do that by riding the coattails of star outfielder Josh Hamilton, and by hoping that starting pitcher Scott Feldman can repeat his outstanding performance from 2009. A's fans have reason for optimism as well, as they are crossing their fingers and hoping that their young rotation can live up to the expectations bestowed upon them by many people in 2010.

At the same time, fans of teams in the Senior Circuit have reasons for optimism, too. Philly fans have to be the most excited of them all, as they are pumped about the chance of being the first National League team since World War II to win three consecutive pennants, and with the addition of Roy Halladay to their rotation, their chances should be great. Despite this, the Marlins and the Braves will not let the Phillies go quietly, as both teams will pose a formidable challenge to the two-time defending National League Champions heading into this season. Braves fans have to also be excited about the chance of watching top prospect Jason Heyward making the opening day roster and making an impact on not just the team, but the NL East race as well. In New York, the Mets and their fans can only hope that things will be looking up in 2010, as the last three seasons have brought them nothing but sorrow and disappointment. The addition of left fielder Jason Bay during the offseason had to certainly brighten their spirits. Even Washington fans have something to be hopeful for this year, as they will be anticipating the arrival of number one draft pick Stephen Strasburg to the major leagues. What will be even more intriguing with Washington during the 2010 season will be who they decide on choosing as their number one draft pick when that time comes around in June.

In the always-interesting National League Central, the Cardinals look to be the favorites, especially with the Redbirds retaining Matt Holliday for the next seven years. The duo of Holliday and Pujols should be a lethal one, as well as the one-two punch of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter in the starting rotation. The talent level of just those four players alone has Cardinals fans believing that they have a great shot at dethroning the mighty Phillies atop the National League. Meanwhile in Chicago, Cub fans are becoming more impatient with each passing year, as they have been told "wait til' next year" every year since winning their last championship in 1908 (that's no typo, people). Fans in Milwaukee and Cincinnati are hoping that their decent, yet flawed teams can catch lightning in a bottle and make noise in the division, and fans in Pittsburgh are simply hoping that an 18th consecutive losing season can be averted with the great young talent of Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen and Lastings Milledge leading the way. Bucs fans are also in great anticipation of the arrival of one of their own highly touted prospects, as third baseman Pedro Alvarez should make his major-league debut sometime in 2010.

The National League West is also brimming with optimism, as the Dodgers and their fans are hoping for a NL West three-peat in 2010. Doing so will not be easy, as they will have to contend with a scrappy Colorado team that nearly won the division last year, the pitching-rich San Francisco Giants, and the darkhorse Arizona Diamondbacks, who will see the return of a healthy Brandon Webb to a rotation that will be featuring Dan Haren and the recently-acquired Edwin Jackson. Fans of the Diamondbacks are also hoping for encore performances of their two best hitters, Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds, who made up the bulk of Arizona's offense last year. As far as Padres fans' hopes for 2010...well...um...at least San Diego has nice weather and great beaches, don't they? And quite possibly one of the best parks in the majors.

It goes without saying that many teams and their fans are anticipating the arrival of Spring Training, when everybody has a shot at winning it all. It is when things start anew, when bad seasons are put into the past with the hope that things will turn out for the better in the new year, and when teams that did finish well in the previous year can maintain their groove into the next. While it is always interesting to ponder who will come out on top in the new season, it is even more fun going along for the ride and watching the year unfold. It is time for baseball. Play ball!

Goodbye, Big Hurt

The greatest player in White Sox history has finally decided to call it a career.

And what a magnificent one it was, for the man known as "The Big Hurt," for during the majority of the 1990s, he was one of the most feared hitters in the game. He was known during his prime as an exceptional hitter, one who could hit for average just as easily as he could hit for power. Later in his career, when he made the switch to DH for good and when his batting average capabilities started to slip, he was still feared for his power, and because of his sheer size.

Ah yes, his size. That massive, immense, monolithic, six-foot-five, 260-plus pound frame that easily placed fear into the hearts of some of the most unflappable pitchers in MLB. That frame, combined with the impeccable bat control that he displayed in his prime was what made him legendary. It is no wonder why Sox announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson christened him with the nickname that he'll carry with him for the rest of his life, "The Big Hurt."

Thomas would finish his illustrious 19-year career with 521 home runs (tied for 18th all-time), 1,704 career RBIs (22nd all-time), two MVP awards (along with being robbed of a third by Jason Giambi in 2000), and one World Championship in 2005 which unfortunately, his contributions toward that were marginal due to injury. It is also fitting that he is tied with Ted Williams for 18th on the all-time home run list because it was Williams who many people were comparing Thomas to during his prime (a right-handed version of him, of course).

As a result of this announcement, the White Sox have announced that they will be retiring Thomas' number 35 in what will be called "Frank Thomas Day" at U.S. Cellular Field on August 29. Once that day arrives, Thomas will share a place on the wall at U.S. Cellular Field along with other Sox greats such as Luke Appling, Billy Pierce, Ted Lyons, and his former teammate, Carlton Fisk. Hopefully, six years from now, he'll be able to have a place reserved in the walls of baseball's most hallowed grounds, the Hall of Fame.

Thanks for the memories, big fella. See you in Cooperstown.

The Venezuelan Connection: Luis Aparicio and Omar Vizquel

In this surprising piece of news that came out yesterday, the White Sox announced that they were going to un-retire Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio's number 11- with his blessing- so that fellow countryman Omar Vizquel can have the honor of wearing his idol's number for one season. This has, of course, stirred up a lot of debate within not only the White Sox community, but the baseball community as well. The biggest debate that has come out of this is the question of whether or not the honor of having a number retired is diminished when someone else is allowed to don the number- even with the player's blessing. Another question that is being raised with this announcement is whether or not this will create a domino effect; if Vizquel is allowed to don his idol's number for one year, will other players with their number retired give the same kind of blessing to younger players wishing to emulate their idols?

While I understand the critics' point of view in this situation, I do not think that there will be a domino effect created by this. Contrary to what some people may think, a player is not going to let their number be un-retired just for the sake of letting a younger player wear it. Take for example, Barry Bonds. He donned number 24 during his years in Pittsburgh, but when he arrived in San Francisco in 1993, he had to give it up because the "Say Hey Kid"- Willie Mays- already had number 24 retired. Bonds would take number 25 instead. The kicker of it all is that Mays is Bonds' godfather, and despite the connection to each other, he still would not give up his number to Bonds, who grew up idolizing Willie. This was not the only time this has occurred, either. Despite growing up largely within the confines of the Reds' clubhouse during the Big Red Machine era, Ken Griffey, Jr. still had to part ways with number 24 upon arriving in Cincinnati in 2000, because the great Tony Perez already had that number retired by the club, and neither the Reds, nor Perez, had any thoughts about un-retiring it.

However, the Vizquel/Aparicio situation is considerably different. Both men are from Venezuela, and they are both part of the country's brilliant legacy at the shortstop position. Vizquel is part of a shortstop lineage from that country that includes Chico Carrasquel, Aparicio, Dave Concepcion, and Ozzie Guillen, and he is also adding his name to the White Sox's lineage of Venezuelan shortstops, that includes all of the aforementioned players except Concepcion. Plus, Vizquel will likely be a sure-fire Hall of Famer once his career is all wrapped up (which will probably be after this season anyway), which also gave Aparicio more incentive to allow this to happen.

Simply put, Aparicio was not going to just let his number be un-retired for anybody to wear. However, considering that Vizquel is a titan in his home country along with Aparicio, this situation could not be any more perfect. Not only is national pride being put on display, but an homage to baseball history is now on display as well. Now, with this occurring, younger generations can now have the opportunity to learn about one of the game's all-time greatest shortstops, while watching another legend work his craft on the field at the same position.

**A little side note: Aparicio's number will be re-retired once Vizquel leaves, in case you were curious.

Hell Has Frozen Over

The title says it all. For the first time in 14 years, the Kansas City Royals will be appearing on "Sunday Night Baseball", as they will be taking on the Angels in Los Angeles for an Independence Day showdown. I guess the folks in Kansas City feel like they are in a major league city once again, now that their beloved Royals are finally back on the premier game of the week. Now that the Royals are finally good enough for national television once again, let's see if they can do something about that nasty little playoff drought of theirs, which is at 25 years and counting....

While I am happy for the Royals and their fans that they will finally get some national exposure, I am anxiously hoping that Zack Greinke will start that game against the Halos. For you see, the Royals playing just about anybody will be an absolute stinker of a game, no matter if it is a Tuesday night game, or if it is a game on ESPN's "Sunday Night" telecast. However, if Zack Greinke is pitching, it will definitely be worth tuning in. My guess is that ESPN is hoping for the same thing too, because I do not think that watching Brian Bannister or Gil Meche start against the Angels will inspire the same kind of excitement.

Even though I am all for equal coverage of teams on national television, I still believe that "Sunday Night Baseball" games should be reserved for teams that are worth watching. No matter what Fox might claim with their Saturday afternoon regional telecasts, "Sunday Night Baseball" is the premier game of the week, and it should be treated as such. If it means living with another Red Sox/Yankees showdown at the expense of a Padres/Astros game, so be it. Besides, if you are going to show a stinker of a game like San Diego versus Houston for the sake of equity, that's what you have "Monday Night Baseball" on ESPN for. Oh well. Here's to hoping that Zack Greinke gets the nod on the Fourth of July.

I think I am going to be sick...

A word of warning: What you are about to read here is a rant. It may not completely make sense to you all, but, of course, that is the purpose of a rant. I'll probably have a coherent response to this news once Spring Training begins, and I have cooled off.

Anyway, in this developing piece of absolutely revolting news, Big Jim Thome has officially signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins- the hated, reviled, disgusting, rotten, putrid, wretched, absolutely loathsome, Minnesota Twins- worth $1.5 million, plus another $750,000 in incentives. As much as I utterly despise that franchise, I would like to wish the big man the best of luck. He has always, and will forever be, one of my all-time favorite players to watch, regardless of the uniform he's in, and him donning a wretched Twins jersey will not change that one bit. However, the thing that absolutely made my blood boil was not the fact that he's on the Twins, but it is the fact that the Sox did not even try to bring him back!

The first thing that really got under my skin was seeing that the Sox did not plan on bringing Thome back, despite him expressing an interest in returning. Thome appeared to be very willing to come back at a hometown discount, and knowing that the Sox have a glaring hole at DH, his return would have been a very good move for the club. Well, I guess signing Thome would have made wayyyyy too much sense to Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams. He would have been more than adequate at filling their hole in that part of their lineup. Meanwhile, Ozzie continues to spew this garbage about being a more flexible team, while their biggest rival (and defending AL Central Champion) just added more depth to an already explosive lineup. If you knew the Twins were interested in Thome, and if you knew that you still had a large hole to fill in the lineup, why on earth did you not try to bring him back?

So what now? What is it that Sox fans can look forward to at the start of the season? Well, they can look forward to having a rotating DH featuring Andruw Jones (who has not had a productive season since 2006), Mark Kotsay (who is nothing more than a back-up outfielder), and Jayson Nix (who is okay, but someone I'd rather not see in the lineup more than once per week). This problem is just one among several in a lineup that is already full of question marks. Some of the other problems in their lineup include whether or not Carlos Quentin can stay healthy and whether or not Alex Rios will ever become productive again. Those two guys need to be healthy and producing if the Sox want a shot at the division title. Konerko cannot carry this offense by himself anymore like he did in 2004-2005; he needs help. If he is not going to get help from the DH hole, and if Quentin and Rios are not healthy and producing, where is he going to get help from?

I'd never thought I would say this about this team, but for the first time in a long time, I am not confident about their starting lineup heading into this season. Also, I never thought that a decent offseason would be negated by such a stupid move (or lack thereof) until now. I was confident that the Sox would bring back Thome at a discount, but now I have to look forward to the triumvirate of garbage at the DH hole. Ozzie and Kenny better know what they are doing with this year's team.

Rundown of the White Sox's Offseason

Hello again, everybody! It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to really talk about the Sox in-depth on here, so let's get down to business and make up for lost time, huh? I have missed quite a bit of their transactions this winter since the Vizquel signing back in November, so let's recap the Sox's offseason so far, starting with their most recent moves.

Arbitration Sensations

Just yesterday, it was announced that left-handed starter John Danks avoided arbitration, signing a one-year contract worth $3.45 million. Danks was the final player in what ended up being a metaphorical game-winning grand-slam for the Sox in the game of arbitration, as they locked up all four of their arbitration-eligible players (Danks, reliever Tony Pena, Carlos Quentin and Bobby Jenks). While Danks and Quentin were virtual no-brainers for the Sox to lock up (Quentin signed a one-year, $3.2 million deal himself), Jenks was possibly the most surprising signing of them all.

When the Sox signed reliever J.J. Putz to a one-year deal worth three million dollars back in December, it seemed as if Jenks' days on the South Side were numbered. After all, Jenks appeared to be heading into arbitration at full-steam, which prompted rumors that the Sox might have looked into trading him during some point this offseason. However, the Sox have not gone to arbitration with a player since Keith Foulke in 2001, and in recent years, owner Jerry Reinsdorf has been willing to spend a considerable amount of money on players he feels are worth it. This time would be no different, as the Sox inked Jenks to a one-year, $7.5 million deal for the 2010 season. Now that the cloud of uncertainty around Jenks has cleared, the Sox can look forward to the prospect of another solid bullpen for 2010, as Jenks, Putz and Thornton will hopefully prove to be an effective trio. Their presence during the last three innings of a game will effectively shorten it, and when you combine them with a starting rotation that will feature Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks, their pitching staff will as formidable as ever this year.

Outfield Additions

In the field, the Sox would acquire two new outfielders this offseason, one via trade and the other through free agency. Andruw Jones- who was once the star center fielder for the Atlanta Braves- signed a one year minor-league deal worth $500,000 on November 25, with the potential to earn $1 million if he performs well enough. A couple of weeks later on December 15, the Sox would acquire center fielder Juan Pierre in a trade with the Dodgers, sending two players to be named later to Los Angeles in exchange for him. The Sox have also agreed to pay part of his contract as well, as Pierre will receive $3 million from the Sox in 2010 and $5 million in 2011. While I believe that both of these deals were pretty good for the Sox, I especially liked the Jones acquisition in particular, because it came at a dirt-cheap cost, and it gives the Sox some flexibility in the outfield, and the DH hole, provided that he becomes remotely decent at the plate this year. While he is certainly not my number one option as a DH/outfielder, he is a good insurance policy for them if they cannot land a DH in free agency, or if someone in the outfield gets hurt this season.

As for the Pierre acquisition, I am all for it; however, getting him still raised some questions for me, though. Scott Podsednik, in his return to Chicago last year, put together a fine season in the lead-off spot, as he hit a team-best .304, with a modest .353 OBP and 30 steals in 132 games with the club. These numbers are pretty solid for your lead-off hitter. Well, when the Sox let "Pods" walk after the season and acquired Pierre to take his place, I told myself: "They're getting the same player!" How so? Well, for starters, Pierre will usually hit for around the same average as Podsednik will, as evidenced in the four point difference in their averages last year (Pierre- .308, Podsednik- .304). Also, they will steal roughly the same amount of bases (they both had 30 steals), score just as many runs (Pierre- 57, Podsednik- 75; Pods was the beneficiary of a slightly better offense), and feature the same kind of fielding in the outfield (below-average glove, weak arm). Comparatively speaking, the Royals would end up signing Pods to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million, which the Sox could have easily given him, considering that they're paying Pierre $3 million this year to do the same thing!

I would understand the Sox's motives behind this if Pierre was much younger than Podsednik. But he's not! Podsednik will be 34 in March, while Pierre will be 33 in August. Oh well, perhaps I am just being too sentimental with Pods, seeing that he was one of the key members of the 2005 championship team. My hope is that Pierre will provide the same kind of spark and excitement from the lead-off spot, and that he will be just as productive as Pods was in '05, if not, better.

A Growing Concern

In spite of all of these transactions, the Sox are still in need of a legitimate DH as Spring Training draws closer. Their preference for a DH who can play the field has been a puzzling one, at least for me. General Manager Kenny Williams had to know what he had in mind for this offseason as the 2009 season was coming to a close, and he had to have at least an idea of who would likely be available in the free agent market. If it was in his shopping list to have a DH who could also play the field, then why on earth did he not at least try to bring back Jermaine Dye? While I know that Dye had a sub-par second-half last year, he still finished with some solid numbers, hitting 27 home runs while driving in 81. Since it was pretty much a given that the Sox were not going to go after Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, that relegated them to the second-tier of available DHs in free agency. They were really pursuing Hideki Matsui aggressively at one point, before ultimately losing out to the Angels in that chase.

Why on earth would you rather have Matsui instead of Dye? "J.D." will hit for roughly the same average, will drive in more runs and hit more homers than Matsui. Also, Dye is more more capable of playing an adequate right field whenever necessary, and he would not be the defensive liability that Matsui would be. So why would the Sox let Dye go, when he still has probably two more good seasons in him as a DH/outfielder?

Now that Matsui is off of the market, and Dye won't be eligible to re-join the Sox until May 1 (since they failed to re-sign him during the allotted negotiating period immediately after the season), the Sox are now stuck with two options: they can either take a gamble with what they already have heading into Spring Training, or they can possibly entertain the idea of bringing back Jim Thome to fill the DH void. It is not out of the realm of possibility that they could do this; Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Heyman hinted at this possibility just the other day on MLB Network's "Hot Stove" program, and, in my opinion, bringing the big man back is not such a bad idea (considering the situation they are in at this point). Trading him to the Dodgers back in August gives the Sox a loophole they never would have had if he would have finished the season in Chicago; they no longer have to wait until May 1 to sign him, and they can also bring him back at less than half of the cost of his previous contract (basically meaning that they can get him at a discount).

Plus, we all know that Thome can still mash, and that is all the Sox need for him to do for at least one more year. What is even better is the fact that if Jones ends up panning out, the Sox could potentially platoon Jones and Thome at DH, having Thome hit against righties and Jones against lefties. I know that this idea sounds goofy, but if they do sign Thome and if Jones becomes a major-league player again, it is what they will likely have to do.



Well, to sum things up, it was just another "wheeling-and-dealing" kind of offseason for Kenny Williams and the White Sox, one that is likely not over yet if they decide to go after a DH. Even though I do not exactly agree with every move Williams makes, I do appreciate the fact that he is an aggressive GM that will do all he can to try to assemble and maintain a championship-caliber team. It is also nice to have an owner who is more than willing to spend the bucks to make Williams' vision become a reality as well. When you have a pair like those two, whose primary goal is to win another championship, the offseason will always be an interesting one for Sox fans.

The 30 Day/30 Team Report Cards: Day 30- New York Yankees

Alas, we have reached our final report card of 2009 (even though it is 2010). Today's final team will be the World Champions, the New York Yankees. Let's take a look at the Bronx Bombers of 2009:

New York Yankees:
Record: 103-59 (AL East Champions, World Series Champions).

Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Derek Jeter (.334)
Home Runs: Mark Teixeira (39)
RBIs: Mark Teixeira (122)
On-base Percentage: Derek Jeter (.406)

Pitching Leaders:
Wins: CC Sabathia (19)
ERA: CC Saabathia (3.37). Bullpen- Mariano Rivera (1.76).
Strikeouts: CC Sabathia (197)
Innings Pitched: CC Sabathia (230)
WHIP: Mariano Rivera (0.90). Starters- CC Sabathia (1.15)
Saves: Mariano Rivera (44)

Highlight of the Season: Winning their 27th World Championship on November 4, over the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Duh!

Lowlight of the Season: Tie between getting clobbered by the Indians at home, 22-4 on April 18, and losing two out of three at home to the lowly Nationals on June 16-18.

The Lowdown:
At long last, after years of spending and even more spending, the Yankees were finally World Champions again, giving their long-suffering fans happiness and a reason for excitement once again. Of course, I was only being facetious with that previous statement, but the Yankees seemed to finally find that right mix of talent to carry them to the promised land in October for the 27th time. After years of bulking up their offense, and spending millions of ill-advised dollars on flukish or mediocre-to-terrible pitchers (does Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown or Kei Igawa ring a bell for anyone?), the Yanks finally found their front-of-the-rotation pitching aces that would carry them to October, and they would be in the form of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. However, it doesn't hurt to beef up your offense when you have the opportunity, and the Yankees did just that, as they were able to land Mark Teixeira as a free agent during the '08-'09 offseason. He would end up joining an already potent lineup that featured Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, and Hideki Matsui, among others.

The dawn of the 2009 season also marked the first time since 1922 that the Yankees would not be playing in "The House that Ruth built," as they moved across the street to the shiny, expensive, brand-spanking-new Yankee Stadium, that ended being even more of a haven for power-hitters than its predecessor. Home runs flew out of the new ballpark at an alarming rate last year, which no doubt made the Yankees' lineup all the more intimidating. However, they still had to have effective pitching to quell the offensive explosion at the new ballpark, and their staff, as a whole, was up to the task. When you combine one of the best offenses in baseball with some of the best pitching in baseball, it comes as no surprise that the Yankees finished atop the baseball world in 2009.

Offense:
Thanks to their homer-happy new ballpark, and to Mark Teixeira, the Yankees' offense was as explosive as ever in 2009. Their lineup featured a remarkable seven people who hit at least 20 home runs in 2009, and Teixeira led the way for them, as he drilled 39 in his first season in the Big Apple. It goes without saying that he put up a very MVP-worthy season, as he had a robust 122 RBIs, .292 batting average and .383 on-base percentage to go along with his 39 homers. However, he lost out in the MVP race to Minnesota's Joe Mauer, who put up an equally fantastic season behind the plate.

The other major power threat in New York's lineup was obviously, Alex Rodriguez. Despite missing some time due to injury, A-Rod still put up solid numbers, as he hit .286, with 30 homers and 100 RBIs, to go along with a robust .402 on-base percentage. Nonetheless, the aforementioned stats will not be what Yankees fans will remember about A-Rod in '09, as he was able to finally shake the postseason monkey off his back in October. He would end up leading the Yankees in all four major offensive categories during the play-offs, as he hit .365, with six home runs, 18 RBIs and a .500 on-base percentage. In fact, the only debate that you will find about A-Rod among Yankees fans is which of his home runs during the play-offs was bigger: his game-tying two-run homer off of Twins' closer Joe Nathan in Game Two of the Division Series, or his game-tying home run in the 11th inning of Game Two of the LCS against the Angels? Both home runs came in games in which the Yankees would eventually win. I'll let you be the judge.

Two other major contributors in the Yankees' lineup were the double-play tandem of Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. Jeter was simply Jeter once again in 2009, as he hit for an outstanding .334 average, to go along with 18 home runs and a fantastic .406 on-base percentage. He also reached a major milestone during the season, as he passed Lou Gehrig for the Yankees' all-time hits record with his 2,722nd hit against the Orioles on September 11. His partner up the middle, Robinson Cano, also put together a fantastic season of his own, as he hit .320, with 25 home runs and 85 RBIs. It goes without saying that these are some excellent numbers for a second baseman, but despite this, his season was largely overshadowed by his other higher-profile teammates.

Overall, the Yankees would finish first in MLB in runs scored (915) home runs (244), on-base percentage (.362), and would tie with the Angels for first in hits (1,604). They would also finish second in batting average (.283), third in doubles (325) and first in total bases (2,703). While other lineups around baseball appeared to be just as potent on paper, the Yankees, by far and away, featured the best lineup in baseball in 2009.
Final Grade: A+

Pitching:
The biggest reason for the Yankees' success in 2009 lies not within their lineup, but within the pitching rotation. For the first time in several years, the Yankees had a solid rotation, and not one that could be considered "shaky, at best." Pitching was the key formula to their three consecutive championships from 1998-2000, and the Yanks found it again this year with a great rotation that featured CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain making up the bulk of the starts. Sabathia picked right up where he left off in his stellar '08 campaign, as he finished 19-8 this year, with a 3.37 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Innings also were not a problem for the big lefty either, as he gobbled up 230 of them on the rubber last year. He certainly silenced the prognosticators at the beginning of the season who said that he was due to regress in '09, and he would have definitely received more consideration for the Cy Young last season if it weren't for Zack Greinke's monster year in Kansas City.

Backing him up in the number two slot was A.J. Burnett, who finally put together back-to-back 200 inning seasons for the first time in his career. While he did not receive as many wins last year as he did in Toronto in '08 (when he went 18-10), he was still solid in the Yankees rotation, going 13-9 last year, with a 4.04 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 207 innings pitched. While many around baseball knew that a dominant Sabathia would be a big key to the Yankees success, many also knew that if they were going to go deeper into the play-offs than in recent years, Burnett had to be healthy and producing, too. The once injury-prone Burnett proved that he was healthy once again in '09, and that he was definitely up to the task.

In the number three spot was a familiar face, and that was Andy Pettitte. In his third season back with the Yankees after a brief sojourn to Houston, Pettitte continued to be the wise and experienced presence on the staff, as he was one of the remaining left-overs from the Yankees' glory years of 1996-2000. He would continue to prove to everybody that he still had something left in the tank, as he went 14-8 last year, with a 4.16 ERA in 194.2 innings. While he is no longer a front-of-the-rotation starter, he is still quite adequate as a number three starter, and he is still a guy the Yankees have no problem handing the ball to in big games.

Rounding out the major four starters for the Yankees is Joba Chamberlain. While he was certainly serviceable as a number four starter (finishing 9-6, with a 4.75 ERA in 31 starts), his season could have certainly been better, considering how much talent he has. However, 2009 marked his first full season as a starter in the bigs, so I'll cut him some slack. Plus, it seems that the Yankees have finally found out what they wanted to do with him, so I wouldn't be too surprised if he improved substantially in 2010. As long as they don't keep threatening to shuffle him off to the bullpen, he will be fine.

Speaking of the bullpen, the Yankees had a very youthful crew coming into ballgames in '09, as Phil Coke, Phil Hughes, David Robertson, Brian Bruney and Alfredo Aceves were all 27 or younger during the season. This young bunch would be backed up by the sage-like presence of the great Mariano Rivera closing out games, who no doubt had to be a big influence on the rest of the 'pen this year. While the youngsters were effective during the season (four out of the five aforementioned pitchers would finish with ERAs under four except for Coke), it was Rivera who was the best of them all in the 'pen once again, finishing with 44 saves in 46 chances, a 1.76 ERA and a ridiculous WHIP of 0.90. Rivera- who was 39 during the season- seems to be like a fine wine; he just continues to get better and better with age.

Overall, the Yankees rotation definitely held their own amongst all of the teams in MLB, as they tied for 11th in ERA (4.26), finished 17th in runs allowed (753), 13th in walks (574), fourth in strikeouts (1,260) and fifth in "batting average against" (.251). While they weren't in the same category of pitching excellence as the Giants and Dodgers, they were still better than most teams in MLB.
Final Grade: A-

Wild Card: Homegrown Talent
Yeah, that's right, I said it. The Yankees have much more homegrown talent than most people realize. These weren't just marginal players either who contributed very little to the team's success. These were major players, guys who made a difference to the team this year, who, without them, the Yankees would not have achieved the level of success they earned this year. Here is a list of the major contributors on the Yankees in 2009 who came out of their farm system at some point:
Derek Jeter
Andy Pettitte
Jorge Posada
Mariano Rivera
Robinson Cano
Phil Coke
Phil Hughes
Joba Chamberlain
Brett Gardner
Melky Cabrera
David Robertson
Alfredo Aceves

By my count, that is twelve people, which is damn near half of their team. I might have still left out some people, but those were the guys who came to mind for me. While the Yankees do spend a lot of money (the last team to have a higher opening day payroll than them was the 1998 Baltimore Orioles), they also have a great eye for finding talent as well. The only difference is that they have the money to lock them up once contract time comes. You can rip the Yankees all you want for spending big bucks for free agents, but don't accuse them of not being able to develop their own talent, because clearly, they have.
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
Don't let the Phillies' acquisition of Roy Halladay fool you, the Yankees are still the team to beat coming into 2010. They are the best team in baseball right now.
Final Grade: A+

Well everybody, that will do it for our "Report Cards" series. I would like to thank each and every one of you that decided to take time out of your day to come on to my little website to read about baseball! We had the opportunity to learn about the some of the best and worst baseball had to offer in 2009, and some of the surprising stars and unsung heroes of many teams as well. With that, I bring the "009 Report Cards"series to a close. Make sure to stay posted for updates on the White Sox and MLB right here on "Miracle on 35th Street!"