Ten Years of Baseball - My Pitching Staff!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I really appreciate all the feedback I've been getting on yesterday's post about my "All Time" Yankees team constructed with players I've gotten the opportunity to watch growing up. It may not be applicable to many of you out there, but I know there are some people who can relate as Yankees fans especially that we've gotten to see some special baseball over the course of the last decade. If you haven't read yesterday's post yet, I highly recommend you do before coming back to this article.

Today, we'll take a look at the other 12 men who cracked my roster. I've created a 5 man pitching rotation and a bullpen, making sure to give each role to a season and player that fulfills it. For example, there is one pitcher on this list who built up his career as a set up man, but because the set up man position was already filled, I used one of his earlier middle relief positions instead. 

Starting Rotation

1 - C.C. Sabathia

Season: 2011

Statistics: 237.1 IP, 19-8 W-L, 3.00 ERA, 230 SO

Today, it may feel like we threw a lot of money away with the Sabathia contract. How could it not? He's starting to break down considerably, and he still has 3 full seasons left on his contract making at least $23 million per year. But before we give him the A-Rod treatment, let's just remember that this is the same man who helped the Yankees win the World Series in 2009 and finished in the top 5 of Cy Young Award voting in his first three years in New York. We could almost build an entire rotation based off of his Yankees tenure alone, but I ultimately chose his 2011 season as his best in the Bronx. Between his Yankee best 3.00 ERA and 230 strikeouts, C.C. was in dominant form during his age 30 season.

2 - Mike Mussina

Season: 2008

Statistics: 200.1 IP, 20-9 W-L, 3.37 ERA, 150 SO

Jeter and Mariano may have had a going away tour filled with gifts and recognition, but Mike Mussina ended his career with his best season since the start of his Yankee tenure in the early 2000's. "Moose" won 20 games for the first time of his 18 year career at the age of 39, and was the most dependable pitcher on the team that season. He is the only player from the 2008 season that made my list, and it was well deserved.

3 - Chien-Ming Wang

Season: 2006

Statistics: 218 IP, 19-6 W-L, 3.63 ERA, 76 SO

I remember when Wang was first called up, and by watching him pitch it was hard to believe he would amount to what he did in that short time span. But he was dominant as a ground ball pitcher early on in his career, until a freak baserunning injury in Houston took him out of the zone he had been growing accustomed to. He was arguably the best pitcher in the league during that two year stretch alongside Johan Santana, but the longevity wasn't there. It's pretty sad, actually. On this list, however, we acknowledge the best seasons around, and there isn't a doubt in my mind that Wang belonged right in the thick of this staff.

4 - Hiroki Kuroda

Season: 2012

Statistics: 219.2 IP, 16-11 W-L, 3.32 ERA, 167 SO

I was skeptical of Kuroda when the Yankees first signed him the offseason going into the 2012 season. He was always falling a bit short of being regarded as an All Star caliber pitcher thanks to little to no run support with the Dodgers. Eventually, I warmed up to him, and he earned every bit of my appreciation. In case his first season under the bright lights of New York wasn't good enough, he topped it off with a few great postseason starts. Kuroda pitched pretty well in each of his three seasons here, and is now headed back home to Japan to pitch for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, his former team. Good luck, Hiroki.

5 - Andy Pettitte

Season: 2007

Statistics: 215.1 IP, 15-9 W-L, 4.05 ERA, 141 SO

Believe it or not, I originally did not have a spot on this list for my all time favorite starting pitcher. I had to move him ahead of Randy Johnson's 2005 season to put him on the list, and I don't think it was too far fetched to do so. Johnson had a better ERA, 2 more wins, and a considerable amount of strikeouts more than Andy in his first year with the Yankees. But Pettitte, unlike Johnson's Yankees playoff performances, was known as one of the most clutch Yankee playoff pitchers in history. I would take him over any of the previous men on the list in a Game 7, must-win situation, because he came to compete every chance he had. Also, Johnson gave up 32 home runs in 2005, and at 41 years old, he couldn't be counted on nearly as much as his contract suggested. So, in the end I went with Pettitte, because I could not fathom a Yankee team in my lifetime without him in it.

Bullpen

Long Relief - Alfredo Aceves

Season: 2009

Statistics: 84 IP, 10-1 W-L, 3.54 ERA, 69 SO

Aceves was the guy to call in 2009 when the starter didn't perform up to par. He came in any situation at any given time and could even work multiple innings when necessary. The 84 innings he threw in 2009 were over the course of 43 games, meaning that a majority of his appearances were not small roles in the outcome of the games. No wonder why he won 10 games that year.

Middle Relief - 

Luis Ayala

Season: 2011

Statistics: 56 IP, 2-2 W-L, 2.09 ERA, 39 SO

He had been a consistently good reliever since 2003, and the Yankees gave him a call in 2011, signing him to a Minor League deal. Ayala made the Opening Day roster and was one of Joe Girardi's go to options in the bullpen that year.

David Robertson

Season: 2009

Statistics: 43.2 IP, 2-1 W-L, 3.30 ERA, 63 SO

It was so difficult to go against some of Robertson's better years in New York and place him in this position. He had simply been outplayed over the ten year span by other even better seasons, thus we see his rookie year appear on this list rather than when he was a set up man or closer. He had electric stuff from the very beginning, punching out batters left and right. I'm sure he will only continue his successful career with the White Sox in 2015.

Adam Warren

Season: 2014

Statistics: 78.2 IP, 3-6 W-L, 2.97 ERA, 76 SO

I had no idea how good this guy was until I saw his statistics from last year. 2014 was the busiest year of my life, and I didn't get the chance to watch nearly as much baseball as usual. Besides, I wasn't particularly impressed with the Yankees team thanks in part to constant injuries and chemistry issues. But Warren was one of the lone bright spots, and will only continue to develop as years go by. He has the potential to replace himself on this list as a middle reliever, because it appears that the set up and closer position will be filled for the foreseeable future. I look forward to seeing more of him this year, and hopefully seeing why I made sure to put him on this roster.

Lefty Specialist - Boone Logan

Season: 2013

Statistics: 39 IP, 5-2 W-L, 3.23 ERA, 50 SO

Logan may not have been the force he had been for New York in his first year with the Colorado Rockies in 2014, but we as Yankee fans don't forget his contributions to several seasons. He was Girardi's left handed wizard, coming in to over power left handed batters and leave shortly after. Due to all of the appearances he made over his four years in the Bronx, he may have cut his career a bit short. He has had two elbow procedures removing bone spurs since the end of the 2013 season, and may never be the same pitcher again. 

Set Up Man - Dellin Betances

Season: 2014

Statistics: 90 IP, 5-0 W-L, 1.40 ERA, 135 SO

One of the two "no-doubters" in this bullpen; Betances brought every bit of his stuff and more to the table last year. Although I didn't get to watch too much of the season, I made sure to tune in to see him blow smoke past even the best hitters in baseball. He averaged 13.5 strikeouts per 9 innings, one of the best ratios in the league, and no statistic could speak for Betances like watching him does. If you wish to see why he was included, go to YouTube. I can't wait to see this 6'8 beast of a man close off games next season!

Closer - Mariano Rivera

Season: 2005

Statistics: 78.1 IP, 7-4 W-L, 1.38 ERA, 80 SO, 43 SV

What more is there to say about this man that hasn't already been said? Mo was one of the first names to come to mind when this idea came about, and sure enough I couldn't let David Robertson or Rafael Soriano take his place. Similarly to Pettitte, there is no other reliever I'd want in a pivotal moment other than him. I know Luis Gonzalez got the best of him, but if he faced him another 9 times, you could bet that he would've shut him down every other time. His cutter was transcendent to baseball, and nobody has thrown it with as much confidence as he did. There is no better way to close off this list.

Total Salary (Starting Pitchers): $77,853,093

Average Salary (Starting Pitchers): $6,487,757.75

Notable Omissions: Rafael Soriano, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Randy Johnson, Ivan Nova, Masahiro Tanaka, Clay Rapada

Total Team Salary: $215,579,189

Average Salary: $8,623,167.56

This team chock full of superstar seasons was about $20 million less than the Dodgers' 2014 payroll. Obviously, this is a "perfect world" sort of team, and it's near impossible to predict for an entire team to be this successful, but this really goes to show that sometimes, things really can pay off. I had a tough time choosing my team manager, because I liked Joe Torre more than Joe Girardi. But in the end, I went with 2009's Joe Girardi to lead the club, since he did take them to a World Series and all. It may be a little while before that happens again in New York.

I had so much fun making this list for you all, and I hope you all enjoyed that brief intermission from my 2014 season preview! I will have the NL West, playoff, and award predictions coming soon; so stay tuned for more here on drewscards!

See Ya!

Celebrating My First 10 Seasons Watching Baseball!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I didn't realize until the other day, during midterm week no less, that last baseball season was the 10th year I've been following the game. It's amazing how quickly the past decade has gone, and how many memories baseball has made me. So, I decided to construct a team in recognition of this. I wanted to make a Yankees team using the best overall seasons for each position between 2005 and 2014, filling each slot with players specific to that role. Rather than stacking the bench with the superstars who just missed the cut, I wanted to keep things realistic. It may go a bit over budget, but it is the Bronx Bombers we're talking about. Without further ado, let's take a look at the results!

Catcher - Jorge Posada
Season: 2007
Statistics: .338 BA, 20 HR, 90 RBI, 171 H, 91 R

Jorge was the best Yankee catcher since Thurman Munson, and it's only fitting that we start this team with the player with the heart and soul he possessed. His On Base Percentage of .426 was not matched by anyone else on this team, and although his defensive performance wasn't always Gold Glove caliber, who could go against a team leader who can switch hit for power and average?

1st Base - Mark Teixeira
Season: 2009
Statistics: .292 BA, 39 HR, 122 RBI, 178 H, 103 R

Tex's first year in New York was much better than what would follow. Due to injuries, we wouldn't see this type of production past 2011, but he was a key player all throughout the year, and helped lead the Yanks to their 27th World Championship. He was the runner up for MVP behind Joe Mauer, and won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger to accompany a fine season.

2nd Base - Robinson Cano
Season: 2010
Statistics: .319 BA, 29 HR, 109 RBI, 200 H, 103 R

It was difficult to choose Cano's best season in New York, but I ultimately decided on 2010. He finished only behind Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera for AL MVP and also came up with Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards! Robby was the first Yankee I got to see fully develop into a star player, and it was fun watching him dominate the second base position for so long here in the Bronx. He could do it all, and we'll certainly miss that with Stephen Drew slabbed as our Opening Day second baseman in 2015.

Shortstop - Derek Jeter
Season: 2006
Statistics: .343 BA, 14 HR, 97 RBI, 214 H, 118 R, 34 SB

Jeter was 31 years old when I started watching him play, so for the average player he would've only had a few "prime" seasons left. Luckily for us, we got to see the Captain perform above average (at least offensively) until he was 39! New Yorkers feel that Jeter should've won MVP ahead of Justin Morneau in 2006, as it was one of his best seasons of his career. He also won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger this year (catch a theme?), so not only is this offense loaded with hitting, but they could also hold their own in the field.

3rd Base - Alex Rodriguez
Season: 2007
Statistics: .314 BA, 54 HR, 156 RBI, 183 H, 143 R, 24 SB

A-Rod put up video game numbers in his second of two MVP awards he took home with the Yankees, only possible with the help of performance enhancing drugs. I would've tried to find ways around having him on this team, given how much of a head case he is, but there really wasn't anyone else qualified enough to take the hot corner. I was a huge fan of Alex's at this point in time, and I can definitely credit his enormous statistics to keeping me interested in the game when I was young enough to simply walk away (I was 8 in 2005). While most of us aren't fans of his at this point, there's no denying that he would make a perfect cleanup hitter for this roster.

Left Field - Hideki Matsui
Season: 2005
Statistics: .305 BA, 23 HR, 116 RBI, 192 H, 108 R

He was one of those guys that was taken for granted. He wasn't a Gold Glove caliber player in the field, but give Godzilla a bat and he was almost certain to make you pay. Matsui broke his wrist in 2006, breaking a total streak of 1,768 consecutive games played (1,250 with Yomiuri, 518 in NY). He was never really the same player after the injury. In 2005, however; the guy was unstoppable. He was recently named as an advisor to General Manager Brian Cashman, and Cash could not have picked a classier player to help represent playing in pinstripes.

Center Field - Curtis Granderson
Season: 2011
Statistics: .262 BA, 41 HR, 119 RBI, 153 H, 136 R, 25 SB

Grandy and I had a love-hate relationship through his four years in New York. I loved him as a person, but sometimes I couldn't take his inconsistency at the plate. Sure, he clubbed over 40 home runs in back to back seasons, but he also struck out well over 100 times both years. But his 2011 season was the best of any center fielder's in this span (sorry, Bernie), as evidenced by his inflated stat line and 4th place MVP finish. He led the league in runs scored and RBI, stole 25 bases, and played above average defense to boot. I still root for Curtis with the Mets, but his power/strikeout style isn't exactly my favorite approach to watch.

Right Field - Gary Sheffield
Season: 2005
Statistics: .291 BA, 34 HR, 123 RBI, 170 H, 104 R, 10 SB

While Jeter was always my all time favorite Yankee, Gary Sheffield was my first favorite "role" player of sorts. Sheff would've been the star of most other teams, but in New York he wasn't exactly the one selling tickets. It excites me seeing him on the Hall of Fame ballot, but I truly feel that he's just a Hall of Very Good player, despite his 500+ career home run achievement. But in 2005, he put together a Hall of Fame quality season, doing a little bit of everything. He and Vladimir Guerrero in particular were lethal weapons during their prime, and it was fun to see balls rocket off his bat (unless you were sitting in the left field field level seats, then watch out).

DH - Jason Giambi
Season: 2006
Statistics: .253 BA, 37 HR, 113 RBI, 113 H, 92 R

Giambi was a mixed bag of tricks late in his Yankees career. Often injured, with or without that weird moustache, and constantly mentioned in steroid allegations. But 2006 was his final "great" season, and he will provide an extra boost of power to a lineup that doesn't really need it, but wouldn't mind it either. He could also serve in a small platoon situation with one of the bench players, hitting mostly against right handed pitching.

Bench -

Francisco Cervelli
Position: C
Season: 2014
Statistics: .301 BA (162 PA), 2 HR, 13 RBI, 44 H, 18 R

Cervelli played with passion in his 7 partial seasons in New York, and will back up Posada when he needs rest. He can provide a spark with his bat, and while he wasn't the best defensively either, you know he will play to the best of his ability every time he's called upon.

Andruw Jones
Position: OF
Season: 2011
Statistics: .247 BA (222 PA), 13 HR, 33 RBI, 47 H, 27 R

Jones will platoon with Giambi and hit mostly against left handed pitching for this team, as he did extremely well in 2011. He batted .286 vs. left handers, hitting 8 of his 13 total home runs. Jones can also contribute as a backup outfielder, and though he was a former superstar defensive player, he won't quite bring that tool to the park as a 34 year old.

Brett Gardner
Position: OF
Season: 2009
Statistics: .270 BA (248 PA), 3 HR, 23 RBI, 67 H, 48 R, 26 SB

I would have loved to use one of Gardy's better seasons for this slot, but unfortunately according to my rules I had to take a year in which he wasn't a starter. He provided an excellent spark off the bench for the World Series team, and would eventually develop into one of my favorite current players. He'll be the preferred backup outfielder over Jones for this team, and the perfect late game pinch runner as well.

Jayson Nix
Position: UTIL
Season: 2012
Statistics: .273 BA (202 PA), 4 HR, 18 RBI, 43 H, 24 R

I always enjoyed the versatility of Nix, and I feel like most teams should have a guy capable of playing multiple positions. I could have went with Eduardo Nunez, but his versatility felt forced as he made far too many errors too often. Nix was sure-handed, and he wasn't an automatic out at the plate either.

Opening Day Lineup

1 - Derek Jeter (R)
2 - Curtis Granderson (L)
3 - Robinson Cano (L)
4 - Alex Rodriguez (R)
5 - Mark Teixeira (S)
6 - Jason Giambi (L)
7 - Gary Sheffield (R)
8 - Hideki Matsui (L)
9 - Jorge Posada (S)

Total Salary - $137,726,096
Average Salary - $10,594,315

Notable Omissions - Eduardo Nunez, Nick Swisher, Alfonso Soriano, Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, Jose Molina, Bernie Williams

The Yankees may have won the World Series just in 2009 since I started following the team, but as you can see, there have been so many fantastic individual seasons compiled throughout that time. I also constructed a pitching staff, and will have that posted tomorrow to complete the 25 man roster! Please feel free to comment with your thoughts on this team, as well as any changes you would consider, and if you would like to use this idea for your team on your blog, be my guest!

See Ya!