Yankees 2014 Season Preview: Third Base

Today I will cover the Yankees' third base situation without Alex Rodriguez.

Starter: Kelly Johnson
As previously covered in my preview on first base and shown in the picture above, Kelly Johnson was signed from the Tampa Bay Rays for one year and $3 million. While not as good offensively as Rodriguez, he should be free of any steroids related distractions. He is an average hitter and should bat around .235 with 12 home runs. Interestingly, he has only played third base in 16 games prior to this year.

Backup: Yangervis Solarte
With Brendan Ryan out to start the season, Yangervis Solarte steps in for his first major league action. Having played in the past for the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers, he earned his spot on the team with a spring training in which he batted .429. The Yankees hope that he can be the third baseman of the future.

Next time I will cover the shortstop position in Derek Jeter's final season.

Yankees 2014 Season Preview: Second Base

Today, I will cover second base.

Starter: Brian Roberts
Brian Roberts was signed during the offseason to replace Robinson Cano. As with other Yankees, his deal is short term, lasting one year and worth $2 million. Roberts is a stopgap player, brought in to fill a hole while the Yankees try to find a second baseman elsewhere. His career high average of .314 is good, but this was achieved almost ten years ago. He has not played over 100 games in the last four seasons.

Backup: Eduardo Nunez
Nunez is an average offensive player, but his defensive statistics leave much to be desired. He has not shown the skills needed to be a starter.

I will cover third base next. How do you think the Yankees' season will go? Tell me in the comments below.

Michael Pineda named fifth starter

Today, Yankees manager Joe Girardi named Michael Pineda to the fifth spot in the rotation. This comes after a spring in which Pineda has been amazing, with an ERA of only 1.20 and more strikeouts than hits allowed. Pineda helps solidify a Yankees rotation that was eighteenth last year in MLB in ERA.

What are your thoughts about the Yankees' upcoming season? Tell me in the comments below.

Yankees 2014 Season Preview: First Base

This is the first of a series of posts to preview the Yankees' upcoming season. I will cover each position separately. Today I begin with first base.

Starter: Mark Teixeira
Mark Teixeira is returning from a wrist injury that kept him out in all but fifteen games of last season. He has had a dismal spring so far, batting .115 with no home runs. At best, he can hit thirty home runs, but this will be hard to reach while trying to get back into playing condition. He also is a good defensive player, winning three gold gloves in his time with the Yankees.

Backup: Kelly Johnson
Kelly Johnson was signed for one year and three million dollars. He is expected to start at third base and will back up Teixeira at first. Previously, he hit .235 with sixteen homeruns for the Tampa Bay Rays. He should provide a veteran presence in the infield.

The next part in the series will cover second base.

MVPs of the Yankees' spring training so far

As we approach the end of spring training, it is time to see which players have been the MVPs so far. On the position player side, there were two choices. Francisco Cerveli has had a great spring with three home runs in 22 at-bats and a batting average of .409. But the honor goes to Yangervis Solarte, who leads the team with six RBI and a .500 batting average. He has had a amazing spring in his attempt to make the Yankees' roster.

On the pitching side, I felt that there should be two awards, one each for starter and reliever. Dellin Betances hasn't given up a run in eight innings this spring while holding opponents to a .072 average. He probably has earned a spot in the bullpen this season. Starting for the Yankees, Michael Piñeda has pitched 4 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts. He has also not given up a run in the two games in which he has appeared.

Who are your spring training MVPs? Tell me in the comments below and check back throught the spring and season for more coverage.

Yankees vs Tigers: Pineda's Return

After not pitching in the major leagues for the past two years, Michael Pineda is trying to make his return. His first spring training outing was against the Detroit Tigers in Tampa. Hiroki Kuroda also pitched and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out five. Carlos Beltran hit a two-run home run. Derek Jeter had one of his first good games of the spring with two singles and a walk. Pineda pitched two scoreless innings and struck out four. He only gave up one hit. This should be regarded as a solid first game and will be a baseline to build on for the next few weeks. In my opinion, if Pineda keeps pitching well, he will have the fifth starter spot locked up because of his ability (when healthy) to win games.

Yankees vs Blue Jays: Yankees look to get over .500

Coming into today's game, the Yankees were 2-2 and wanted to continue their spring training by moving over .500. Their starter was Vidal Nuño, a competitor for the fifth spot in the rotation. He gave up one run in two innings on a home run by Jose Bautista. Carlos Beltran hit his first home run for the Yankees in the third inning. J.R. Murphy also hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning. Bryan Mitchell got the win for the Yankees, pitching two scoreless innings with three hits. Overall, it was a good day for the Yankees as they won 8-2. Michael Pineda is scheduled to pitch on Friday against the Detroit Tigers, and Mark Teixeira will play this week as well.