ESPN.com - Major League Baseball - New York Yankees preview


			<script language="JavaScript1.1" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N4359.espn.go.comOX2378/B3067127.13;abr=!ie;sz=728x90;click=http://log.go.com/log?srvc=sz&guid=DC2BE54E-BCA9-4AF7-BAEE-9F7390104128&drop=0&addata=0:53574:432916:53574&a=1&goto=;ord=2008.09.07.21.35.45?"></script><noscript><a href="http://log.go.com/log?srvc=sz&guid=DC2BE54E-BCA9-4AF7-BAEE-9F7390104128&drop=0&addata=0:53574:432916:53574&a=1&goto=http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N4359.espn.go.comOX2378/B3067127.13;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=728x90;ord=2008.09.07.21.35.45?"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N4359.espn.go.comOX2378/B3067127.13;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=728x90;ord=2008.09.07.21.35.45?" border="0" width="728" height="90" alt="Click Here" /></a></noscript>

MLB

  Scores
  Schedules
  Standings
  Statistics
  Transactions
  Injuries
  Players
  Message Board
  Minor Leagues
  MLB en español

Sport Sections

  MLB
    Scores | GameCast
  NFL
    Scores
  Col. Football
    Scores
  NBA
    Scores
  Golf
    Scores
  Golf
    Scores
  Motorsports
  Soccer
  Boxing
  NHL
  M Col. BB
  W Col. BB
  WNBA
  Horse Racing
  Recruiting
  Sports Business
  College Sports
  Olympic Sports
  Action Sports
  ESPNdeportes
  ProRodeo

Monday, April 2
New York Yankees preview

ESPN.com

POWER RANKINGS


	With Mike Mussina, the Yankees have the best starting pitching in the league.

Strength of schedule
.498, 12th in AL
Lineup ranking
8th in AL
Pitching ranking
1st in AL
Prediction
2nd in AL East

The lowdown
2000 record: 87-74 (1st in AL East), won World Series
Runs scored: 871, 6th in AL
Runs allowed: 814, 4th in AL

Three key issues for 2001
1. Will the aging threesome of Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius drag down the offense to unacceptable levels?

2. Who is in the bullpen besides closer Mariano Rivera and lefty Mike Stanton and who replaces Jeff Nelson as the top right-handed setup reliever?

3. How is the health of Derek Jeter and Orlando Hernandez? Both are questionable to be ready by Opening Day.

Three key facts
1. With 201 hits in 2000, Derek Jeter reached the 1,000-hit milestone in just his fifth season.

2. Jorge Posada emerged as a force both at the plate and behind it. He had a career-high 28 homers and 86 RBI, and threw out 32.7 percent of basestealers.

RETURNING 2000 STATISTICAL LEADERS

AVG	D. Jeter	.339
HR	B. Williams	30
RBI	B. Williams	121
RUN	D. Jeter	119
SB	D. Jeter	22
WIN	A. Pettitte	19
SV	M. Rivera	36
ERA	R. Clemens	3.70
Complete 2000 Statistics: Batting \| Pitching

3. Yankees starters posted a 5.06 ERA after the All-Star break, second-worst in the league.

Tim Kurkjian's scenarios
Best case: Mike Mussina wins 20, Chuck Knoblauch adjusts to the outfield and the Bombers win their fourth straight World Series.

Worst case: Knoblauch doesn't adjust to the outfield, one of the starting pitchers gets hurt and the Yankees get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.

ESPN.com's lineup analysis
Player	Comment	Pos. rank*
C. Knoblauch, LF	Forget his defense, his offense went downhill too	12
D. Jeter, SS	Remember, Yankee fans: he's only No. 3	3
P. O'Neill, RF	One of the least-feared No. 3 hitters in AL	11
B. Williams, CF	Had 80 RBI at break, just 41 after	1
D. Justice, DH	Slugged amazing .716 vs. left-handers	4
J. Posada, C	With 107 BB, should hit higher in order	2
T. Martinez, 1B	Tino, meet Nick Johnson: Could be up by All-Star break	11
A. Soriano, 2B	Overhyped: Had mediocre .791 OPS in Triple-A	10
S. Brosius, 3B	Can still pick it, but can't hit it	13
ESPN.com's pitching staff analysis
R. Clemens, RHP	2nd in AL in ERA, 5th in K's	5
M. Mussina, RHP	Had worst run support among AL starters	2
A. Pettitte, LHP	Durable, consistent; had best year since '97	7
O. Hernandez, RHP	The Mr. October? Elbow is a big concern	14
Middle relief	Who replaces Nelson in setup role?	10
M. Rivera, CL	Torre may have to extend him this year	1

	Position average (AL rank):	7.44 (8th)
	Pitching index (AL rank):	3.25 (1st)

* Position rank, compiled by ESPN.com's baseball staff, compares each AL team's strength at that position, including platoons, based on players' total projected value (offense, defense, durability) for the 2001 season.

AL position players and bullpens ranked on a 1-14 basis, with 1 being best.
AL starting pitchers ranked on 1-56 basis, with 1 being best. Cumulative rankings of starting pitchers are combined with bullpen and closer for overall pitching index, with more weight given to starters.
In both rankings, 1.00 is the best possible score, 14.00 the worst.

Click here for AL position-by-position rankings.

Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

ALSO SEE

Complete team previews