Yankees lose to Rangers 2-4, Jeter moves to seventh

The Yankees came into Monday's game needing a win after having dropped two out of three games to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Texas Rangers put their ace on the mound, Yu Darvish, to face the Yankees' David Phelps. Brett Gardner hit solo homeruns in the third and fifth innings, his first game with more than one. The Rangers managed to get four runs and won the game 4-2. Derek Jeter passed Carl Yastrzemski for seventh place on the all-time hits list. He is now close to the top five, the next player being Honus Wagner, ten hits away.

Yankees win in 14 innings

Recently, the Yankees acquired Chase Headley, a third baseman from the San Diego Padres. The Padres received Yangervis Solarte and prospect Rafael De Paula. Headley got to Yankee Stadium later than the start of the game, but early enough to enter in the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers. In his first at-bat he struck out, and he failed to get a hit in the eleventh or twelfth innings, grounding out twice. In the fourteenth inning he stepped to the plate with runners on first and third with one out in a tied 1-1 game. He hit a single to the outfield, scoring Brian Roberts from third. The Yankees won 2-1 in fourteen innings.

The One Year Anniversary of Musings of a Yankees Fan

Even though I haven't written a post for about two months (I will start posting with regularity again), the first anniversary of Musings of a Yankees Fan was on June 2. I would like to thank all of my readers, and anyone who has ever taken the time to comment or click on a link to one of my posts.

Masahiro Tanaka is the Yankees' Best Player

Over the course of the past few months, Masahiro Tanaka has established himself as the best player on the Yankees, if not the entire MLB. Up to this point he has certainly justified the Yankees' investment. He has a record of 8-1, with an AL best 2.06 ERA. He also has more strikeouts than hits and walks combined, averaging more than one per inning. He has become the Yankees' ace, their most dependable player this season so far.

Yankees 2014 Season Preview: Right Field

Today, I am completing the outfield. The previous six parts in this series were center field, left field, shortstop, third base, second base, and first base.

Starter: Carlos Beltran
Carlos Beltran was acquired last offseason from the St. Louis Cardinals. He is a veteran player and has a .333 average in the postseason. He brings about twenty homeruns with a batting average of around .300. He should be an everyday starter unless he gets injured.

Backup: Ichiro
Ichiro will be a backup this year and will probably play in less than 100 games. He is in one of his last years as a player, but he still can provide speed at times. Last year, he stole twenty bases with an average of .262.  Ichiro will mostly backup around the outfield.

I will cover the pitchers in my next post.

Yankees 2014 Season Preview: Center Field

The five previous parts in this series were first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and left field. Today I will continue to move across the outfield.

Starter: Jacoby Ellsbury
Recently acquired from the Boston Red Sox, Jacoby Ellsbury was one of the biggest transactions of last offseason. He has had some injuries throughout his career, limiting him to 74 games in 2012. His best year came in 2011, with a .321 batting average, 32 homeruns, and 39 steals. None of his other seasons have been close to that, but at least he has shown promise.

Backup: Brett Gardner
As mentioned in a previous post, Brett Gardner brings good speed and fielding to the Yankees' outfield. He has also had good OBP numbers in the past.

I will finish the outfield next time with right field.

Yankees 2014 Season Preview: Left Field

Previously in this series, I have covered first base, second base, third base, and shortstop. Today, I will start with the outfield.

Starter: Brett Gardner
Brett Gardner is a valuable player because of his ability to both steal bases and get on base. He led the AL in steals in 2011 with 49 and in triples with 10 in 2013. His defensive skills are also quite good, providing the Yankees with a solid presence in left field.

Backup: Alfonso Soriano
Even though Alfonso Soriano will mostly play DH, he will also backup in left field. He experienced a string of good hitting after coming from the Chicago Cubs last season. He hit 34 homeruns last year, and is a good bet to get at least 20 this year. He also provided 18 stolen bases with a .255 average.  

Next I will move to center field.

How do you think the Yankees will do this season? Tell me in the comments below.