2015 MLB Playoff & World Series Predictions!

Image Source

Hey guys, Drew back here! We continue our coverage of the 2015 baseball season, and now things are beginning to get interesting. I recently posted standings predictions for each of the 6 divisions, and although some of my opinions have already changed in part of injury, this will document a loose representation of how I think the year will play out. The best part about baseball at its current state, as I have mentioned several times, is the amazing parity between teams. There hasn't been a time as bright and positive as this in the game, with so many great young stars and a flood of even more coming soon! I may be completely wrong with these choices, but I'm going to give it a shot.

AL East          NL East

AL Central          NL Central

AL West          NL West

American League

Image Source

Wild Card Series: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Seattle Mariners

The wild card system makes it difficult for teams to beat opponents with fantastic starting pitchers. The entire MLB season contains series' of games, with the lone exception of this one game play in. However, in recent years, teams that have gone on to win this game have had favorable luck further into the playoffs (see: Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants in 2014). The Royals were able to beat the pitcher Oakland traded for that was brought there to win that specific game in Jon Lester. This year in my fantasy world, the Blue Jays, even through losing their young ace Marcus Stroman, will still power their way into a Wild Card spot. Truth be told, I'm very skeptical of this happening, but I'm going to continue to go with my gut even with the injuries they've suffered this Spring. They will take on the best team to not win a division in the league, the Seattle Mariners. But more importantly, they would be going up against Felix Hernandez in his first career playoff start. If this indeed becomes the matchup, there's no way I can bet against King Felix to move the M's into the next round!

Advantage - Mariners

Division Series: Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox

The battle of the Sox will ensue as both revamped teams will challenge for a spot in the Championship Series. In this Best of 5 series, I can see this going both ways. At the end of the day though, I like Chicago more than Boston because of their pitching. Both teams are loaded with talented lineups, and the John Farrell managed Red Sox may have a recent advantage in playoff games, but the trio of Chris Sale/Jeff Samardzija/Jose Quintana along with an improved bullpen should prove to be the difference in this matchup. If the Red Sox were to swing a trade for an ace caliber pitcher, maybe they could stand a better chance, but for now I'd say that will be the cause for their demise.

Advantage - White Sox, 3-2

Division Series: Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels

With all the talent the Angels have had over the years, they've always seemed to fall a bit short. Watching Trout, Pujols, and Hamilton all struggle in their 2014 postseason embarrassment by the Royals was telling of their future. I feel like they will play extremely well in the regular season, as Mike Scioscia appears to have managed that portion relatively well. A key for the Mariners in this series is having a strong performance from either Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, or both. Kershaw has had his challenges in the playoffs, but I feel like Hernandez could be much different and dominate the Angels lineup. The Mariners offense isn't overly dynamic, but a healthy, good year from Nelson Cruz could be the deciding factor for all of these predictions coming true. Between he, Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, and some other sneaky candidates may also be clutch through this stretch.

Advantage - Mariners, 3-1

Championship Series - Chicago White Sox vs. Seattle Mariners

I've been using pitching as a key determinant for most of this post thus far, but at this point these teams are about even in that respect. Felix/Iwakuma/Paxton/Walker plays out well against Sale/Samardzija/Quintana, so there will be more to this decision than simply good pitching. I don't think the Mariners will run the table against the Angels, but I think at this point in October they will be feeling extremely confident. This late in the playoffs, momentum is a huge factor, and those days of a regular season record are long gone. Both teams will feel confident, but I'm anticipating the Wild Card game winner to once again prevail and win the pennant. Is this a flaw in the MLB system that the winners of that game get to stay in the same rhythm as they were in all season? These games have the potential to be even more exciting than any other playoff games outside of tiebreaker elimination games, and I can't even imagine how good the Royals felt after knocking out the A's in extra innings. I don't know if this is something that needs to be fixed, but I think it will be determined by the results of the next few years. Don't get me wrong, these 1 game series' are extremely fun to watch and I look forward to them every year now since the idea started in 2012, but I don't know if it hurts the other teams not to be feeling the same momentum after the intensity those games bring.

Advantage - Mariners, 4-2

National League

Image Source

Wild Card Series: Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals

The Marlins don't have the caliber pitching staff as the Washington Nationals, which will most likely cause them to finish behind them in the NL East. But that's just the regular season, and a little bird told me that a guy named Jose Fernandez will be returning to their staff around midseason. With a healthy, MVP caliber season out of Giancarlo Stanton, along with production from their various improvements up and down the lineup, they can pose a huge threat into the postseason. St. Louis seems to be on the cusp of trending in the opposite direction, although they still do have young players that will develop into stars. I think this year is part will be the beginning of a trend for St. Louis, where they may still win games and make the playoffs, but could continue to fall short of advancing. Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina, and Matt Holliday aren't getting any younger, and until some of their touted prospects and young players improve they will be on the outside looking in during the World Series this year. In a game that could possibly be Fernandez vs. Wainwright, I'll take the fish's upside here.

Advantage - Marlins

Division Series: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

This matchup may be interesting. For all of the money, time, and effort put into the Dodgers organization over the past few years, you would expect more results by now. It seems to be proven by now, however, that most teams dishing out the mega millions fail to reach the chemistry required to win it all. The Pirates have built their organization in the complete opposite way, developing homegrown players such as McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Gerrit Cole into excellent big league players. It's sad to think that a team with $157,183,552 less to spend every year stands a chance against this Dodgers team that has struggled immensely in recent history. But this year, things are going to go differently for the boys in blue, because they're not going to be facing their nemesis St. Louis Cardinals and Clayton Kershaw will solidify his position as the best pitcher in the game that Bumgarner attempted to steal last October. It's great to see Pittsburgh succeed, but I have a bad feeling about their playoff luck this year, because Kershaw will be out for blood.

Advantage - Dodgers, 3-1

Division Series: Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals

These division rivals are going to be a lot of fun to watch if they do get to square off this year. The Marlins will have the momentum in their favor, and the Nationals have not been able to win with their star studded team yet. But even with a staff of Jose Fernandez, Mat Latos, and Henderson Alvarez, nobody in the game can say they have what Washington does with their super staff. Max Scherzer may be able to squeak out victories against Fernandez, and the other starters will be overmatched by either Jordan Zimmermann or Stephen Strasburg (or Fister, Gonzalez, Roark, etc, etc). As exciting as it will be to see Giancarlo Stanton crush a late inning home run against a weak Nats bullpen, I think they will fall just a bit short. Although both the Mariners and Marlins will be in similar positions at this point in time, the Mariners veterans and a weaker AL competition gives them a better opportunity to reach the World Series, whereas the Marlins may fall just short of moving on. If Bryce Harper can continue to hit the way he has in his limited postseason experience, he could be a lethal weapon as well. This will be a great series without a doubt, perhaps the best of my entire mock playoffs, but this will be the year the Nationals and Dodgers will duke it out for a chance at the pennant.

Advantage - Nationals, 3-2

Championship Series: Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

The series many of you have been waiting to see is indeed my NL Championship Series. Both of these teams will be on a level playing field; both with high momentum and a mix of veteran stars to help guide the young players to the top. No longer are concerns of "How many innings can Stephen Strasburg throw?" on the top of all fan's minds. Who knows which players will be out with injuries by this point, but assuming fully healthy clubs, I'm picking the Nationals to defeat Kershaw, Greinke, and the Dodgers. And no, this is not only because of their pitching staff. Despite losing Adam LaRoche at first base, the Nats still have Jayson Werth, Denard Span, Ian Desmond, Anthony Rendon, and Bryce Harper to worry about on offense. The Dodgers have their assets too, but who knows what will be running through their star player, Yasiel Puig's mind when it matters most. Last year, he was benched during pivotal moments of their series against the Cardinals. I like the Nationals overall team from top to bottom just a bit more than that of the Dodgers, and with that, they're my pick for the National League side of the World Series.

Advantage - Nationals, 4-3

World Series

Seattle Mariners vs. Washington Nationals

I know what you're saying: The Mariners in the World Series? I get the confusion; really, I do. They have actually been a dark horse favorite for the series going into 2015 with a lot of people, although I didn't take other people's opinions into account when I compiled this list myself. A lot will have to go right in Seattle for a chance to make up for their Seahawks' awkward Super Bowl disaster, but I have a strangely positive feeling about them. I'm no Swami, I don't know the answers, but I can say this decision was calculated; crazy as it may seem. The addition of Nelson Cruz to a primarily lefty dominant lineup was critical to the team's success. He may not swat 40 home runs in Safeco Field, but he'll certainly hold his own in the clean up spot of the lineup. Seth Smith, Dustin Ackley, and Austin Jackson will purvey the outfield, while young power hitting catcher Mike Zunino is behind the plate. Future stars James Paxton and Taijuan Walker will take the next step towards reaching their full potential, and that factor could also play huge in their late season run. This team reminds me of a better Kansas City Royals team that we saw in the World Series last year. They won't be making this series easy, especially with the best pitcher in the American League and momentum that will make the entire bleachers a sea of yellow K's.

But if they could beat Kershaw, they can and will beat Felix too. Like many others, the Washington Nationals are my World Series pick for the year. I didn't wish to be cliché with this choice, but I really do feel like if there is any year they will win, it's this one. Dominance isn't as frequent in these relatively even leagues, and the team with the greatest potential to dominate should be the favorite to win it all. Past postseason struggles, injury questions, free agency looming for top players, I don't care what the excuse may be. This is the best team on paper, and outside of Max Scherzer it hasn't changed too much recently. He will help, not hurt, the chemistry of the clubhouse. Recent history has proven that the best teams on paper don't exactly play the way most expect, but this is going to be one of the exceptions. I'm feeling it already.

Advantage - Nationals, 4-2

World Series MVP - Bryce Harper

The point of this post, over anything else, is that I can't wait for baseball to return. These picks could be the worst ever made, or maybe I'll look like a genius. I hope for the latter, although I would take a Yankees World Series win over any of my silly picks in a heartbeat.

Have any World Series predictions? Feel free to share them in the comments below.

See Ya!

A Sigh of Relief from Spring Training!

Hey guys, Drew back here! After a bit of a delay, Spring Training got a little bit better for me. I received two TTM successes on Monday, both from two above average relief pitchers; the first of which used to play for my favorite team!

Boone Logan: 2/2 in 37 Days (Received March 16th)

I just recently chose Logan as my left handed specialist in my All Yankees team bullpen, and it was ironic that these came back the day after I published my choices for the pitching staff. Boone was a huge part of our bullpen success for 4 years before he fled for the Rockies last year. He was originally part of a trade that sent Javier Vazquez to the Yankees for his second stint and Melky Cabrera to the Braves. Little did we know, Logan would be the more important piece of the deal than Vazquez. 

Boone signed 2 2014 Topps cards for my collection, one from Series 1 and the other from the Update Series. The Update Series card is one of the red parallels, which I pulled from a blaster box last Christmas. Both cards came out great signed in blue sharpie!

Koji Uehara: 2/2 in 328 Days (Received March 16th) 

If you've been really paying attention (it's okay, I don't expect you to), you may remember I mentioned getting an RTS already this Spring from Koji. I sent to the wrong Red Sox address, which appeared to be an issue for several forum members I know of. This success was from a request I sent last year to the right address, one that I had already written off. The moral of the story is to never write off any of your TTM requests. He was becoming my TTM White Whale, because I believe I sent to him three times without a success. Anyone who knows about through the mail successes in baseball know that Uehara has been one of the most consistent signers in the game for years.

Finally, I have my 2009 Topps and 2011 Topps signed nicely in blue with his number inscribed! From what I've seen, he signs his full name on certified autographs, rather than just the first name he exhibits on his TTM signatures, but that's perfectly okay with me. Uehara has been one of the better closers in baseball for the Red Sox, which is impressive considering he started his MLB career at the age of 34. Last season he was named to the All Star Team, finishing the season 6-5 with a 2.52 ERA and 26 saves. I may end up targeting him in my fantasy baseball draft tonight; who knows.

I was recently able to create a page on my blog that links directly to a Flickr account I've set up. Flickr seems to be a great service for uploading pictures, offering 1 TB of free space that I've barely even used so far. If you would like to check out some galleries of signed baseball cards, football cards, baseball pictures, signed baseballs, you name it; give it a look! 

Thanks Boone and Koji! See Ya!

2015 National League West Preview + Predictions!

Hey guys, Drew back here! After a bit of a delay, we are back on track with my 2015 Baseball Preview! We have covered each of the first five divisions thus far in our series, and following this post I will conclude it with Playoff Predictions and Award Predictions! I may be completely wrong with this picks, but I like to have a little fun with my choices while making sure to look into each team's strengths and weaknesses.

If you've missed any of my prior rankings and wish to take a look, click on the links below:

AL East          NL East

AL Central          NL Central

AL West

Image Source

1 - Los Angeles Dodgers

X-Factors: Joc Pederson, Brett Anderson, Yasmani Grandal

The Dodgers have been the talk of baseball ever since Magic Johnson and Co. took over the reins in 2012. But with all the talk of the Washington Nationals super pitching staff, they have flown a bit under the radar going into 2015. This past offseason, they rebuilt their front office, hiring former Rays GM Andrew Friedman, and his impact was immediately felt. They rebuilt their middle infield, bringing in Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick; two established veterans to improve their clubhouse environment. They also traded longtime Dodger Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres, opening up the center field position to mega prospect Joc Pederson. Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig will remain the threats of the offense, but the real danger of the Dodgers is their lethal pitching staff. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball, and Zack Greinke is the best #2 starter in any pitching staff around. I don't see how this team misses the playoffs; how deep into the playoffs they'll get another story. (PS: Happy Birthday Kershaw!)

2 - San Francisco Giants

X-Factors: Casey McGehee, Matt Cain, Angel Pagan

Uh oh, it's an odd year season, which is about the worst thing the Giants could ask for. San Francisco has won each of the past three even year World Series, despite being overshadowed by the massive payroll and superstars with the Dodgers. They've got three reasons to feel better than the Dodgers, but in 2015 they're already off to a scary start. Hunter Pence fractured his forearm and will miss the start of the season. Casey McGehee will be replacing fan favorite Pablo Sandoval, who left the team not because of money considerations but of some sort of "disrespect". Madison Bumgarner hasn't looked great in Spring Training, and yes, I understand the "it's only Spring Training" thing. I expect last year's hero to have a good 2015, as long as he doesn't feel too much wear from the excessive amount of innings he pitched. The Giants have become my second favorite team after visiting San Francisco last season, and I'll be rooting for Joe Panik to build off his successful rookie season at second base. However, I see them just missing the playoffs, because so many teams have improved around them. But if anyone embraces negativity, it's this team, and if they can make the playoffs, perhaps they could conquer the odd year!

3 - San Diego Padres

X-Factors: Wil Myers, Jedd Gyorko

I will credit San Diego for their great overhaul this past winter. It was a lot of fun watching their new young GM AJ Preller completely start over with one of the more embarrassing franchises in recent history. He was able to add Matt Kemp, James Shields, Wil Myers, Justin Upton, and Derek Norris to a team in desperate need of leadership and star power. Shields will bolster the rotation into one of the National League's finest, as he will join Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross; two extremely promising right handers. My biggest concern is chemistry. There hasn't been a team rebuild of this caliber that has worked since the 2009 Yankees, showing that it takes so much more than name value to create a winning team. Wil Myers has been traded twice now and is 24 years old. For a player with as much potential as he is said to have, it makes you wonder if there's something about his game that other teams don't want to bother with. He will be taking his talents to center field, where he has played 9 games in his career. And what's a baseball without worrying about Matt Kemp, who this time goes into the year with two arthritic hips. If they don't win this year, will they try to sign Justin Upton long term, or will this be a one year colossal failure? We have yet to see, and until we do, I can't say they'll be making the postseason.

4 - Colorado Rockies

X-Factors: Carlos Gonzalez, Young Pitching Staff

Will the Rockies ever solve their pitching conundrum? It is so rare to see a pitcher succeed at Coors Field, which is especially scary for big name prospects Eddie Butler and Jon Gray, who will be at an unfair advantage from the get-go. But luckily for them, they won't have to worry about run support, as this team is chock full of productive hitters. Last year brought Nolan Arenado, Corey Dickerson, and Charlie Blackmon to the forefront, and they should be expected to bring much of the same to the table in 2015. The key to the Rockies is the health of their two superstars, Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. With big seasons from each of them, they could be a surprise team surviving the stretch run. Unfortunately, too much would have to go right for that prediction to make any sense.

5 - Arizona Diamondbacks

X-Factors: Yasmany Tomas, Archie Bradley, Jeremy Hellickson

A few years ago, this would not have been a last place team. The Diamondbacks have acquired some pieces over the years to help advance the rebuilding phase, yet they still are a little bit behind the rest of the West. A healthy season from one of baseball's best, Paul Goldschmidt, could catapult this time in a few years with other players stepping up alongside, but he appears as if he'll have to carry much of the load in 2015. Yasmany Tomas, the recent Cuban player to become part of Major League Baseball, does not seem to have an established position. It will be difficult for him to make strides at the plate until he is comfortable in the field, because frustration does carry over to different parts of the game. Overall though, the D-Backs are not yet relevant, but give it a few more seasons and I feel like they could contend once again.

Division MVP: Troy Tulowitzki

Division Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw

Playoff Teams: Los Angeles

The NL West has potential to be one of the more interesting divisions in 2015, but I feel like it will be a bit underwhelming. Can the Giants, and even the Padres make the playoffs? Probably, if things go their way more often that not. But instead, I chose the Marlins and Cardinals to beat out these teams as Wild Cards. My predicted division MVP was Tulowitzki, but it could easily be Paul Goldschmidt, Buster Posey, or even Kershaw as well. Tulo is one of the more fun players to watch when healthy, and I would love to see him make a run for NL MVP, although it will be hard to win on a poor Rockies team.

That will conclude the division by division previews for you all. I hope you enjoyed reading each blurb about your favorite team(s) and be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts on how I did with these and if you would like me to try to do them next year as well! Playoff and Award predictions are coming soon to drewscards, and I hope to see you all there!

See Ya!

"I Am Your Father."

Hey guys, Drew back here, and today I have to interrupt my Season Preview further to bring you a TTM success I didn't expect to see return anytime soon. I sent this request out on August 22nd of last year, and as time went on I was feeling like it would be more and more unlikely that I would ever get my pictures back. Sure enough though, I was astounded last Friday when these beautiful autographs arrived in my mailbox!

James Earl Jones: 3/3 in 203 Days (Received March 13th)

"No, I am your father". The voice of Darth Vader, Mufasa, and so many other famous characters over the span of a 60 year acting career, James Earl Jones returned 3 signed photos to me for my collection! Jones actually only lives less than a half hour away from me, and is one of the better known celebrities in my county. I've grown up watching so many movies he was featured in, and who couldn't love his booming voice?

I won't pretend to be the expert on his career, but I must say I have enjoyed all the movies he's been a part of. My favorite role of his was as author Terence Mann in Field of Dreams, but you can't go wrong with Darth Vader. I sort of regret not sending a Vader picture for him to sign, but I'm not upset with what I took home. Jones signed my 8x10 of him as Mann standing alongside Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan, along with a Field of Dreams 5x7 promo poster. He also had a small role in The Sandlot, as the scary neighbor nobody wanted to come face to face with. I also had him sign a promo poster for that movie as well! These are perfect for baseball pop culture, and I can tell that the autographs look legitimate.

I haven't been doing very well with TTM's lately, as I'm just 3 for 28 with 2 RTS' with Spring Training so far. But, with Wayne Chrebet and now Jones, I still have had some nice successes in spite of the lackluster Spring Training start. Patience is indeed a virtue, though, and I hope to have more to share with you in the future!

Thank you so much Mr. Jones for your incredible contributions to some of my all time favorite movies, and for signing these for me! 

See Ya!

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!