Opening day is finally upon us! I think I speak for all baseball fans when I say THANK GOD. I can already envision the green diamond and hear the chanting from loud New York fans. The upcoming 2012 season for the New York Yankees looks promising, but as we all know as sports fans...anything can happen.
Here's a brief preview of what we have in store for the 2012 season along with some raised quesions that will be answered after Opening Day...
Let's start off with Jeter (mostly because he is my favorite Yank). Jeter is the heart and soul of the team and the face of NY. He truly holds the team together and really portrays what every MLB player should be on and off the field. He bounced back from his calf injury with his 3,000th hit and let's just hope for 2012 he can keep it up. We all know he's getting older, but we'd all like to see him stick out another few seasons...at least he's not going anywhere for 2012.
Another face of NY, but in a more controversial way is Alex Rodriguez. Last season the Yankee vet suffered hip and knee injuries causing him to decline in his performance and stats. He dissappointed many fans and rightfully so, considering everyone expects a player to stay at the top of his game once he reaches it. We can only hope that A-Rod remains healthy this season, but with his previous history of injuries...this is uncertain.
Pitchers is not something that Yankees need to worry about. Even with the loss of Michael Pineda who Cashman quickly aquired to the team, causing mixed feelings about the trade. Pineda was supposed to be one of the best rookies in the game and solidify the pitching rotation. Many fans had high expectations for him and were eager to watch him step out onto the mound. He will be sitting out the beginning of the season for a few weeks due to soreness in his shoulder.
Now, Ivan Nova will be starting the season in the rotation and will have the opportunity to secure his spot. It's a strong incentive for Nova to perform well and give it his all this season. The options for completing the starting rotation are CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, Freddy Garcia, Phil Hughes, and soon enough Andy Pettitte. At this point, Phil Hughes (who in training was pitching more on target and with high velocity) and Nova are looking like the best options.
As stated in The Star Ledger, "For Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild, the decision was agonizing because Nova had pitched well enough to stay. The challenge for Nova, Phil Hughes and even veteran Freddy Garcia will be to make the Yankees looming rotation decision difficult."
Pineda should be back quickly, because right-shoulder tendinitis won't keep him out of the game too long. Either way, with or without Pineda the Yankees don't have anything to worry about. Their pitching rotation is rounded out with strong players and their pitching talent will be an X-Factor this upcoming season.
Catching is just as important and top-prospect Austin Romine is showing a lot of promise for this season. He is young and strong and he is expected to step in for Russell Martin when he moves on, which could be very soon at this point. Still not very many options though. Did the Yankees concentrate too much on pitching that they forgot about catching?
Andy Pettitte couldn't give up the game. He is coming back in May after retiring to try and earn a spot in the majors starting rotation. Some argue that he should have left it at retirement why he was at the top of his game. What if he fails? Will he go out looking dumb? Or will he make a remarkable comeback? Some fans say he should have stayed with the Yankees as a coach or mentor and others are just glad to have Pettitte in the mix.
Manny Banuelos was invited to the spring training camp for the second year in a row and didn't fail to impress. Will this be his year to prove himself? I predict yes.
Joba Chamberlain is still suffering from his hard-hitting ankle injury. It's frustrating to see him like this, because I was hoping for this season to be his comeback, but I have no hard feelings for the way it happened. (trampoline when playing with his son)
Overall, the Yankees are ready for yet another exciting season.
Let's Go Yanks!
-Sarah Kirk
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