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Playing Pepper Postseason: New York Yankees

Posted on October 4, 2009 at 11:17 PM
Filed Under: Baseball Bloggers Alliance | New York Yankees | Playing Pepper
If you were reading this blog before this season started, you may remember a series I did called "Playing Pepper", where I asked five questions of a blogger covering each major league team.  With the season coming to a close, I thought I'd tap into the talents of the newly formed Baseball Bloggers Alliance and ask five new questions of the bloggers covering the postseason teams.

The second in the series is the New York Yankees.  I checked in with Lenny of Lenny's Yankees and Lisa of Subway Squawkers to see how the Bronx Bombers look heading into the second season.  Lenny posted his results up over at his blog, but I've taken the liberty of reposting them here to correspond with Lisa's answers.

C70: What is the Yankees' strength going into October?

LY: It has to be their offense. A close second would be their bullpen, but it's the offense that has carried them all year. They have the most runs and homers, and are one point below the Angels for the major league lead. Their bullpen in the second half anchored by Mariano Rivera and Phil Hughes could be a dominant force in the playoffs.

SS: Their lineup is strong from top to bottom. They have a bonafide ace in CC Sabathia. But their most unsung attribute is the bullpen. Joe Girardi has done a masterful job here, and the Yankees wouldn't have been able to have those 15 walkoff wins without the bullpen keeping the team in check.

C70: What worries you about the team?

SS: That some strange twist of fate will befall the team. Like a swarm of bugs. Or outfielders colliding. Something unforeseen happening.

LY: A.J. Burnett. He's a total wild card. He's never pitched in the postseason, and he's almost as inconsistent as Joba Chamberlain. Burnett could be the x-factor if he continues his hot pitching and the Yanks win the World Series. 



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C70: What player left off or added to the postseason roster would surprise casual observers, if it happens?

LY: There is a chance Chamberlain doesn't make the ALDS roster. The Yanks wouldn't need him to start a game if they choose the longer series, and they probably don't want to tinker with his arm by putting him in the bullpen and then move him back to the rotation in the ALCS and beyond. 

SS: Joba Chamberlain - he's taken A-Rod's place as the topic of controversy. If he's left off the roster, it will be a super-duper big deal: "No Joba for Chamberlain," etc.

C70: Who is the one key player for the Yankees, the player that, if they don't go well, the Yankees go home early?

SS: A bad start by CC would be deflating. So would Mark Teixeira flopping in the playoffs. A-Rod, sadly, is expected to fail in October, so it wouldn't have the same impact.

LY: It's hard to single out one person in the offense for this because they have such a deep lineup, but I would have to say that man would be Alex Rodriguez. Remember when Mark Teixeira couldn't hit anything in April? A-Rod wasn't around. I don't know if A-Rod made all the difference for Teixeira's turnaround, but I know he had an effect. 

A-Rod also has some proving to do. He's the richest player in baseball, and it's time for him to show that he can hit when it really counts. If the Yanks fall in the ALDS, and A-Rod only winds up with two hits, everyone knows where the blame is going. He still has a lot of his career left, so he has a chance to change his reputation for always failing in the postseason.

C70: Even with last year's lack of October, are the expectations still that the Yankees will win the Series and, if they don't, it's a disappointing year?

LY: I hate to sound like a broken record, but yes. The World Series is the only thing the Yankees covet. Making the playoffs is assumed. This 2009 ballclub is by far the closest they've come to duplicating the dream team of 1998. With the best record in baseball, almost every analyst is favoring the Yanks in the postseason. And why wouldn't they? What other team is built better as a whole? They have the numbers, and they have what's beyond the numbers. The ability to win. With 15 walk-off hits, they lead the majors. It's not like one guy is getting all of them either. Everyone from Juan Miranda to A-Rod has taken a pie to the face.

SS: Absolutely. When you have a $200 million payroll, 103 wins, and the best team in baseball, you can't fail in the playoffs and consider the season successful. You just can't.

Thanks to Lenny and Lisa for their insights on the Yanks!


1 Comments

1 Comment | Leave a comment

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Subway Squawkers | October 9, 2009 1:03 PM | Reply

Thanks so much for this opportunity to yak about the Yankees! It was a lot of fun to do this. Take care.

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Heroes
Matt Carpenter (4)
Matt Holliday (4)
Carlos Beltran (3)
Rafael Furcal (3)
Jon Jay (3)
Kyle Lohse (3)
Lance Lynn (3)
David Freese (2)
Jaime Garcia (2)
Yadier Molina (2)
Adam Wainwright (2)
Allen Craig (1)
Shane Robinson (1)
Fernando Salas (1)
Jake Westbrook (1)

2011 Top Hero: Lance Berkman (24)
2010 Top Heroes: Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols (24)
2009 Top Hero: Albert Pujols (28)
2008 Top Hero: Albert Pujols (25)

Goats
Matt Holliday (4)
Carlos Beltran (3)
Jaime Garcia (3)
Adam Wainwright (3)
David Freese (2)
Rafael Furcal (2)
Tyler Greene (2)
Jason Motte (2)
J.C. Romero (2)
Marc Rzepczynski (2)
Mitchell Boggs (1)
Matt Carpenter (1)
Tony Cruz (1)
Daniel Descalso (1)
Jon Jay (1)
Erik Komatsu (1)
Kyle Lohse (1)
Victor Marte (1)
Fernando Salas (1)
Jake Westbrook (1)

2011 Top Goat: Ryan Theriot (12)
2010 Top Goat: Brendan Ryan (14)
2009 Top Goats: Rick Ankiel and Todd Wellemeyer (13)
2008 Top Goat: Troy Glaus (13)

2012 Happy Flights
Happy Flights: 7
Happy Flight Opportunities: 10
Happy Flight %: 70%

Through 5/15

    Cardinal Nation Approval Ratings (March 2012)
    Adam Wainwright 91.9% (down 2.8%)
    Chris Carpenter 90.1% (up 3.2%)
    Lance Berkman 88.6%
    Tony La Russa 88.2% (up 17.4%)
    Yadier Molina 87.4% (up 3.7%)
    Matt Holliday 87.3% (down 3.8%)
    David Freese 85.5%
    John Mozeliak 85.4% (up 13.3%)
    Mike Shannon 85.3% (up 0.4%)
    Jose Oquendo 84.7%
    Derrick Goold 82.8% (down 5.0%)
    Mark McGwire 82.6% (up 20.1%)
    John Rooney 81.5% (down 2.8%)
    Mike Matheny 81.1%
    Bill DeWitt 79.8% (up 8.8%)
    United Cardinal Bloggers 78.9%
    Skip Schumaker 73.3% (up 9.2%)
    Jim Hayes 71.9% (down 4.2%)
    Jon Jay 71.1%
    B.J. Rains 69.5% (down 0.9%)
    Kyle Lohse 68.9% (up 13.8%)
    Dan McLaughlin 68.0%
    Joe Strauss 67.7% (up 10.2%)
    Ricky Horton 67.5% (down 1.6%)
    Al Hrabosky 66.4% (up 3.2%)
    Albert Pujols 54.9% (down 45.5%)
    Colby Rasmus 46.5% (down 35.3%)

    2011
    Dave Duncan 87.9% (up 0.9%)
    Matthew Leach 85.5%
    Pop Warner 76.7%
    Ryan Franklin 72.8% (up 3.1%)
    John Vuch 68.9%
    Jeff Luhnow 66.4%
    Dan Lozano 58.7%

    2009
    Rick Ankiel 83.9%
    Chris Duncan 69.1%


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