| The Yankees in 2K3 |
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The Yankees, one of baseball's premier franchises, will have at least a dozen new faces in their clubhouse during spring training. The Boss, George Steinbrenner, took huge steps to sign international stars Jose Contreras and Hideki Matsui. Although they are unproven, both have performed very well against the USA in Olympic and International Tournaments. Even if they don't have spectacular seasons, the revenue generated by their media and TV exposure will compensate.
I must admit, the Yankees' Offense has been on of the most consistant in the majors, this years' version has some big question marks. With stars such as Bernie Williams, who is suffering from shoulder injuries, questionable, other player will have to step up. Players such as Jorge Posada and Jeter (who batted a mere .297) will have to step up and replace Bernie. Giambi seems to be the only definite offensive force who is an almost definite .300/40/120 lock. Soriano's spectaculaer 2002 campaign being referred to as a fluke by many sportswriters, naming his high strikouts and low OBP a sign of future failure. Even with these question marks, any lieup that features the likes of Posada, Jeter, Bernie, Giambi, and Soriano is a formidible force. The Yankees have a boatload of Top Fantasy League Performers . Soriano, Jeter, and Williams all have the speed and power to dominate any division. Giambi and Posada have great power and look for them to pick up their offense as they mature. Good luck to all you Fantasy nuts... |
The Yankees' Pitching is even worse. Their staff has the oldest average age and their best pitchers last year are now over the hill. Wells (19 game winner) is coming from a very controversial offseason and it is unknown if it will affect his perfromance. Mussina and Clemens both struggled at times and may not return to Cy Young form. Weaver also struggled, but shows signs of brilliance in September and October. Newly aquired Jose Contreras is unproven, but his 95+ mph fastball has silenced all critics. The bullpen is solid and the Juan Acevedo signing was great (he had a 2.65 ERA for the Tigers!!!). Mariano Rivera and Steve Karsay are both proven winners and if the Yankees reach the postseason, they will play a huge role in their success.
The Yankees will face huge competition from the RedSox who have revamped their offense and improved their already solid pitching. The Yankees are still my AL East champs and Boston will have to settle for the Wildcard. The WildCard race will definetly be a good one, with the Mariners, Texas Rangers, RedSox, and WhiteSox all battling for one playoff spot.
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