The State Of The Team

Things are going pretty well for the Yankees, especially when you consider the fact that the team is without 44% of its starting lineup due to injury.

"Dude, that's like half the team."

However, the season didn't start off well. The Bombers were 1-4 after 5 games, with a run differential of -8. In their season debuts, CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda gave the team only 6.1 innings, giving up 6 runs on 12 hits, while striking out 6 batters and walking 5. If it wasn't for Andy Pettitte's superb start in the 3rd game (8IP, 1R, 8H, 1BB, 3K), then it could have felt even worse thanks to Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes following Andy with a couple of stinkers of their own (combined 8.2IP, 8R, 13H, 2BB, 9K).

The offense wasn't anything to brag about either, as they were averaging only 3.4 runs per game in those first 5 games. Robinson Cano, picked by many to be the 2013 American League MVP, could only manage 2 hits in the first 5 games. In fact, Robbie didn't record his first extra-base hit until the 7th game of the season. The team was hitting .219/.309/.375 at that point, and I read many comments looking ahead to 2014, as if 2013 was already a lost cause.

Since that time the team has gone 9-3, with a run differential of +31. From the end of the 5th game of the season, til today, the teams' ERA has gone from 6.49 to 4.01, while they are hitting .273/.339/.467. So things are certainly looking better.

Then again, Kirstie Alley looks a lot better than she did before, yet I'd still keep my distance.

But that doesn't mean the team is in the clear. I believe the pitching will be just fine, especially when they get healthy and can replace one, if not both, of their struggling starters (take a wild guess at the two I'm referring to). That team ERA of 4.01 that I mentioned earlier may only be good for 9th in the American League (3rd in the AL East), but keep in mind that Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, and David Phelps have a combined ERA of 6.33 in 41.2 innings pitched (those 41.2 innings represent 27% of the total innings pitched by the team). Whether they keep their current roles on the roster or not, their respective spots will most likely see better days.

And while I'm pretty sure Vernon Wells will not hit .317/.394/.619 all season long, nor will Travis Hafner keep hitting .319/.418/.702, I think the offense will be good to go. Mark Teixeira could be back within a month, and although I'm not holding my breath for a repeat of his 2009 season (.292/.383/.565), I'm willing to bet he can hit better than the .273/.298/.436 that Lyle Overbay is currently putting up. Curtis Granderson is expected to return in a few weeks, and who wouldn't want a guy in the lineup capable of hitting 40+ homes runs a season? And although Jeter's return has been pushed back to after the All Star break, things are likely to improve from the shortstop position, where Eduardo Nunez has only managed a triple-slash of .175/.271/.200.

On that note I'm not expecting Alex Rodriguez to return anytime soon, if at all in 2013, and that's okay by me.

"One more insult and I'm going to start crying."

Joe Pawlikowski over at River Avenue Blues posted a good article that goes over the Yankees only real issue, and that's regarding their ability to hit against left-handed pitchers. Joe pointed out that while the team is hitting .303/.369/.540 against right-handed pitchers so far this season (449 plate appearances), they have only managed a line of .210/.279/.318 against lefties (221 plate appearances). While the Yankees won't face a ton of left-handed pitchers, the AL East does have its share of good to great southpaws... Jon Lester, Felix Doubront, David Price, Matt Moore, Mark Buehrle, and Wei-Yin Chen (they will face Price and Moore in their next series vs. the Rays).

That doesn't mean the team should look to make any big trades, or any trades for that matter. On top of the return of Mark Teixeira (.301/.389/.541 vs. LHP in his career) and Curtis Granderson (only hitting .225/.292/.407 vs. LHP in his career, but anything is better than what Ichiro has done so far), and the eventual return of Derek Jeter, the team has guys like Zoilo Almonte, Ronnier Mustelier, and David Adams who could contribute a lot to the team in the not-so-distant future.

So while the edge of my seat is going to suffer from plenty of wear and tear while watching the Yankees in 2013, there's no way I'm giving up on them this season and looking ahead to 2014.