Wow, because you actually are expecting a better year. No Captain, new closer committee, Beltran and Tex are a year older, ARod circus, Tanaka/Pineda/CC/Nova health question marks, and a suite of new kids that are untested in pinstripes. McCann has a year under his belt, and Gardner/Ellsbury are solid, but a whole lot of things need to go right to win 90 games. Unless you are counting on a weakened TB and Baltimore to help. Heading into ST, there are many questions, too many to support a number like 90 IMHO.
Okay, I realize Tanaka is a ?....but I DO EXPECT CC to be healthy, its not as if he had TJ and RECONSTRUCTIVE surgeries for crissakes........and CC has ALWAYS had command of three pitches. He may have lost 4-5 mph on his fastball and he may no longer be a dominant SP but there should be no reason to expect him to lose his command of his three pitches. DId you say Beltran? I also expect him to give us much more (offensively) and unless you think he's washed up because of relatively minor elbow surgery...he should provide much better production. Yanks should also get better defense from 3b and SS from day ONE and the Yanks got very little from 2b last year for most of the season - it should improve this year. I can on further about the SP.....I'll just say I expect it to be at least as good as last year.
Hey if you're feeling positive, don't want to knock your ride. But CC losing that kind of velocity takes away a lot of the delta between his pitch selection and next thing you know....he's a 4.5-6 ERA gas can. I'm much less concerned about Tanaka and Pineda, but if those 2 guys try to do too much, thinking they need to carry the rotation....that's when bad things happen. I like Beltran, but were not going to get the version that mashed for the Cardinals. And our infield defense is comp!etely untested on the size of the stage these kids are stepping onto. I'm tempering my expectations.
Honestly I don't see why C.C. cannot bounce back.....yet I still have some doubts, but will give CC the benefit of the doubt. I can't help but recall how painful it was watching CC try to pitch out of many 1st or 2nd inning Jams, like he had never thrown a ball in the Major Leagues. He was as hittable most Batting Practice Pitchers were.
I want to believe Beltran can or will return to the form he gave several teams in previous years. Yet, I don't actually see Beltran playing in more than 120 games maximum; if that....!!! I see a older player plagued by injury, time and time again. I have lost all faith in Carlos, but want to be proven wrong. I'd love nothing more than to be proven wrong, while: seeing Beltran hit 30 HR's, 100 RBI's, 170 Hits, 90 Runs Scored, a B'avg above .300, but I just don't see it happening. Beltran reminds me of a used car, with 300,000 miles of wear on it. In other words, its only a matter of time, before his engine seizes, and needs a replacement. Hopefully Carlos will be a comeback player of the year. Hopefully, yet realistically....??????? I just don't see it.....~~!!
To the OP, Cashman's next signing, will be for a Batting Practice Pitcher, or a new Bat Boy....! I've quickly been losing all faith in Cashman over the last few years. I will admit, he seemed to get the best out of the least last year, ie Headley, Prado, Greene, McCarthy, Whitley, Kuroda ( a unexpected surprise), even Suzuki...! On the other side Cashman's failures for last year, are as equal to his surprising acquisitions, what about the failures of Brian Roberts, S. Drew, Almonte with his .139 B'Avg. What about Solarte? 2 sides to Solarte's coin...! I guess you gotta' lose some to win some. or vice versa. I wan't my cake now, and to eat it too...!!! BTW-what the Hell is wrong with MLB, especially the Mariner's, who have yet to tender Ichiro a Farewell Tour 1 year contract???????
The issue with CC is, well here http://www.fangraphs.com/pitchfxo.aspx?playerid=404&position=P&pitch=FA And have a look at the heat maps....2009 vs 2014, etc. There is a fine line between brilliant and mediocre.
...realistically, I just don't see it happening. I wish I could be more optimistic but he's been in decline for awhile now.
I'd be very surprised if Beltran put up those kind of numbers. He's avgd 26 HRs .288ba/.860 ops 2011-13 including a 32 HR season and last year(15HR) was a wash out due to the elbow issue. He's an older player for sure and I think he'll be seeing a lot of DH duty with 110-125 g in rf? Consider the soft offensive output we got last yr from rf....even with Beltran playing approx 115g in RF the Yanks will have improved at that spot AND at DH. As long as Beltran can swing the bat without pain and his legs don't give in, the Yanks should be okay both at DH and RF. I know....the age. lol we'll see.
The more I look at his fangraphs the more realistic it gets. The only way he's "bouncing back" to a #3 is if he agrees to a trade to an NL team.
and I thought A-Roid would nail down the DH spot....LMAO, I really doubt A-Roid will return to a very small sample of a "has been".... this will be a rough year to say the least for A-Roid. Yet Carlos can DH anyday..hopefully...!
