Friday, August 14, 2015

The Cry For Homegrown Talent May Be Ill Advised: 2000


Another season and another World Series for the New York Yankees in the year 2000. This would be the last World Series the Yankees would win for nine more seasons after a couple heartbreaking losses in 2001 and 2003. Will this Yankees team be any different in the homegrown players department or will it be more of the same? Spoiler alert, it's going to be more of the same. Let's look:

Infield looks awfully familiar with Tino Martinez at first, Knoblauch at second, Brosius at third, Yankee farm hands Derek Jeter at shortstop and Jorge Posada behind the plate, and Jose Canseco(Athletics, Devil Rays) and Glenallen Hill (Cubs) getting the bulk of the DH time. Jim Leyritz did get some time as the designated hitter before Canseco was acquired dumped on the team.

The outfield was a mess in 2000 before the Yankees acquired David Justice from the Cleveland Indians to finish the year as their every day left fielder. The Yankees had their locks at center field with Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill in right field but left field was a mess. Clay Bellinger (Yankees), Lance Johnson (White Sox and Cubs), Felix Jose (Royals and Cardinals), Roberto Kelly (Yankees from 87-92), Ricky Ledee (Yankees), Luis Polonia (Angels), Shane Spencer, and Ryan Thompson (Mets) all spent time in left field.

The pitching staff didn't get much of an upgrade in 2000 over the 1999 team. Roger Clemens, Orlando Hernandez, David Cone, and Andy Pettitte were all there and they were joined by former Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves right hander David Cone.

The bullpen looked similar as well with mainstays Mike Stanton, Jeff Nelson, Jason Grimsley and Mariano Rivera getting the bulk of the calls from Joe Torre. The new guy this season was Randy Choate as he burst from the Yankees system to help out of the bullpen along with Ramiro Mendoza.

The Yankees used more and more homegrown talent in the bullpen but still relied on trades and free agency to collect their fourth World Series title in five seasons. Joe Torre, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill, Bernie Williams, Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblauch, and Jim Leyritz among others would never see another World Series in Yankees pinstripes.

1 comment:

  1. Back in 2000 we had a core of home boys playing and then went outside to get some help. Now we are bogged down with old or non-producing players that should be stuck in a corner or CUT!
    The money isn't there to be spent on a couple of Top Guns anymore. We have a couple of players that may make a difference IF, they would bring them up and DFA the guys that are not really producing...eating the cost of a couple of them wouldn't bankrupt this team in any shape or form.

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