Great job this year
Yankee fans have a reputation for being spoiled, and no doubt we are. There’s a “World Series or bust” mentality surrounding the franchise that stems all the way down from ownership to the fan in the last row of the bleachers. To be sure, when you spend the kind of coin the Yanks do on payroll annually, expectations are different than they are for a team like the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays get credit for competing, the Yanks only get credit for winning it all. Not here, not with me, not this season. I thought that top to bottom the team did an outstanding job this year, and 5 games in June or 5 games in October isn’t going to change that.
Think about the expectations heading into the season. The Yanks had a very quiet offseason. They had major holes in their rotation, and lost out on the one big fish that was available in Cliff Lee. The one big move of Rafael Soriano seemed superfluous at best, and caused division among the Yankee brass. Filling out the rotation were late February signings of Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon. These are the kind of signings losing teams looking to save a buck make, taking a flyer on a washed-up veteran to maybe give you a good month or two while you see what you have in the farm system. Heading out of spring training the general consensus among bloggers and sportswriters was that this was a Wild Card team at best, not nearly in the same class as the Red Sox or Phillies.
Think of what this team had to deal with on their way to 97 wins. A lost season from Phil Hughes, who was being touted as their #2 starter after an 18 win season in 2010. Another bad year from AJ Burnett, who’s every bit as inconsistent as he ever was and now is starting to lose his ‘electric stuff’ on top of that. A weak, frustrating first half from Derek Jeter, who due to his reputation and pedigree was going to bat at the top of the order no matter what. Losing a key bullpen lefty in Feliciano before the season even started. If I told you in April that all of these things were going to happen, plus A-Rod was going to miss two months and Tex was going to bat .248, you would have thought this team wouldn’t have even been a wild card contender.
Instead they ran away with their division and watched the Red Sox crumble down the stretch. The Sox can blame injuries all they want, but credit Brian Cashman for setting a roster and having a farm system built to withstand the rigors of a long season. If there’s one thing that separated the Yanks and Sox this year, that’s it. The Sox beat the Yanks when they played head to head, but the Yanks had the depth to withstand their injuries, while Boston did not. Bench moves and unproven rookies aren’t sexy headline grabbing moves, but the 2011 Yankees show how important they can be. Brian also made a great call passing on Ubaldo Jiminez, which I was dead wrong about. Again, if I told you in April the Yanks were going start to finish with the roster they broke camp with and wouldn’t make a major midseason move, you would have never thought they’d run away with the AL East. It’s a credit to the front office and coaching staff that they got as much as they did out of some very under the radar signings.
We shouldn’t let 5 games in October define our season, win or lose. The American League playoffs were wide open this year, with no clear favorite and all of the 4 teams closely matched. The Tigers and Rangers played great down the stretch, and people seem to forget that Texas won 96 games and Detroit 95. The 2011 ALDS was a 5 game series with the two Yankee losses being 1 run games that could have turned on a bounce of the ball. The Yanks outscored Detroit in the other three games 22-9. They lost their Game 5 starter in the 2nd inning due to a flexor strain and managed to get 7 innings of 1-run ball from their bullpen. Give the Tigers credit, they’re a very good baseball team with a terrific manager of their own. The Yanks did a lot right this series, but lost to a tough opponent. There’s no shame in that. I refuse to dismiss all the wonderful things that happened based on one bad week. We saw many magical moments in 2011. Derek Jeter’s amazing 3K hit game. Mariano setting the Save record. Jorge Posada’s swan song in the playoffs. The MLB debut of Jesus Montero. An amazing season by Curtis Granderson, who was an MVP candidate this year and is always even better as a person off the field. Is there anyone more fun to watch play baseball than Brett Gardner? How about Bartolo Colon’s dancing 2-seamer? David Robertson pulling another Houdini act. Watch this video and tell me the 2011 Yanks had a wasted season. We may not have had the ending we wished for, but I can’t wait for 2012 to begin.
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I would like to add I was really pleased to see so many of my fellow TYA writers had a similar take to mine. It wasn’t coordinated in any way, we just have a good group of writers that I think really understand the game and are able to put things in context.
Of course, dissenting opinions are always welcome but if you appreciate how hard it is to win and put the season in perspective, I have trouble viewing this as anything but a fun season. I certainly have no interest in feeding the “who’s to blame” crap I’m reading in the MSM. As I said in the piece, I thought Cashman, Girardi and his coaches did a great job this year, and lost to a worthy rival. No shame in that.
Your insights are sound, and your points well taken, Steve. That said, looking at the successful aspects of the season from a macro perspective does little to dull the sting of watching what transpired Thursday night. It was painful to sit there and watch batter after batter (three in particular) step to the plate seemingly without a clue and simply flail away. The coups-de-grace, of course was Rodriguez in the ninth; he looked terrified.
It’s going to be a long winter, surely made longer and colder by promises from the three amigos to report to camp ‘leaner, stronger and more focused than ever.’
Simply put, the Yankees will find it easier to fix their rotation problems (with money for free agents and/or prospects in trades)than their 4-5-6 lineup problem in post-season. I fully expect a Yu Darvish or CJ Wilson addition to the rotation along with a Noesi, Warren, or Phelps in the 5 hole. As for ARod and Tex, I’m optimistic that health and a new approach can produce better post-season results. Anyways, we’re stuck with ‘em. Swisher? I’m thinking you bring him back but hunt a 4th OF type who could fill in for him if he continues to sputter…preferably a lefty swinger.
1. Yanks can not trade Montero, how many 21 y/o hitting prodigies are out there? If Montero took Arod’s place in the postseason, the Yanks might be the ones moving on. The hitting lost it for the yanks…
2. Resign CC if he opts out but only for a few more dollars or years, do not sign him if his contract is like Afraud’s contract.
3. Sign Yu Darvish, he will bring in money and revenue, attention from overseas. Darvish only comes around once in a generation and he is no Igawa.
4. The rotation: CC, Yu, Nova, AJ, then have Hughes, Beneulos, Betances fight for the last spot, with the losers going to the bullpen, Brackman can be brought up and put in the pen. Aj’s contract is up in 2 years, so one of these guys that goes into the pen will replace him.
5. Giradi needs to be more flexible with his lineup. Arod is no longer a cleanup hitter, Cano should take his place. Arod should bat 3rd, Granderson 5th, and maybe Tex 6th, and Montero 7th.
6. Do not pick up Swisher for next year, he does nothing in the playoffs, you need to go with a younger, more athletic, offensive threat than Nick, he can not get it done in the postseason.
7. Long needs to teach Tex a new batting stance, it’s not getting the job done for him. Stop his wiggling of his bat, it slows him down. Long needs to spend alot of time this winter with Tex to think up a new formula just as he did with Granderson, also he needs to spend alot of time with Afraud, he seems like a lost case esp in the postseason. If Giradi only been wise to pinch hit Arod a few times with Montero, Yanks would’ve moved on,
Excellent post Steve. I agree wholeheartedly.