Special Season might be brewing in the Bronx!
Covering Major League Baseball: 2014 Spring Training Previews
Florida: N.Y Yankees
By: Joe Jacquez
Tampa FL- No team has created more buzz during spring training in either Florida or Arizona than the New York Yankees at George M. Stienberner Field in Tampa. This season will of be the great Derek Jeter’s last ending an era of successful Yankees baseball starting in the late 90’s with all those championships lead by the Captain. This season will mark the beginning of a new era of Yankees baseball after New York signed one of the most coveted free agent pitchers ever, Masahiro Tanaka to a seven year 155 million dollar contract creating a great 1-2-3 punch in the rotation of Sabathia, Tanaka, and Kuroda.
This season will no doubt be about the career of Derek Jeter. Jeter said it was just the right time and it would have been a distraction for him to retire at any other point this season. He knew it was going to be his last and he wanted to go out on his own terms. I dont think there will ever be a player quite like Jeter again. One of the best SS to ever play the game and a sure first ballot hall of famer. He was a leader on and off the field and he did everything the right way. On top of all that he handled the media in New York for 20 years with grace and confidence. He was made to play in New York and be a Yankee and he probably is one of the most respected players of all time. Jeter was all about winning never about his individual stats winning 5 championships with the Yankees helping to restore the Yankees back to their winning ways. He will finish his career with well over 3,000 hits, he has made 13 all star appearances and will make his 14th this July, he won championships, and he was rookie of the year in 1996. The core 3 of Pettite, Rivera, and Jeter all came up at the same time starting a new era and after this year all three will be gone.
For Jeter when baseball wasn’t fun anymore and it just became a job he knew it was time to walk away. “The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it would be time to move forward,” Jeter said. “So really, it was months ago when I realized that this season would likely be my last.” When Derek announced a few weeks ago that 2014 would be his last Commissioner Bud Selig issued the following statement:
“In the 21-plus years in which I have served as Commissioner, Major League Baseball has had no finer ambassador than Derek Jeter. Since his championship rookie season of 1996, Derek has represented all the best of the National Pastime on and off the field. He is one of the most accomplished and memorable players of his — or any — era. “Derek is the kind of person that generations have emulated proudly, and he remains an exemplary face of our sport. Major League Baseball looks forward to celebrating his remarkable career throughout the 2014 season.” No one could have said it better and just like last year was all about honoring Rivera, this year will be all about Jeter.
Besides the Jeter and Tanaka story lines there is plenty more to talk about with this team. The Yankees had a busy and historic offseason trying to win world title number 28 for Derek. Obviously everybody knows that G.M Brian Cashman and the rest of the Yankees are all about winning world series titles and will spend money to bring in players to do that. This season the Yankees signed former Redsox outfielder Jacoby Ellusbury to help fortify the outfield defensively and at the plate and they resigned Gardner and signed Carlos Beltran creating one of the best OF’s in all of baseball of Beltran, Ellusbury, and Gardner. They signed Brian McCann and after not having a catcher last year the Yankees have one of the best veteran catchers in the business.
The Yankees are of course significantly better than last year and considering they won 85 games with the team they had last year dont be surprised that the team will win 90 games and compete for the A.L East crown. However, there are still a ton of question marks. Mark Texeria is declining so will he be able to perform at a high level at first base? Will C.C continue to produce, and what will the Yankees do at 3B with Alex Rodriguez out for the season with a suspension. Finally there is a huge hole at 2B after the Yankees lost Robinson Cano to the Mariners. Brain Roberts is no Cano and really the Yankees are taking a risk. Once again even though this team has made significant upgrades, they are still old and they still have no farm system.
So while the Yankees will compete this year, Roberts is likely on the way out and so is Jeter so the real question is what will the Yankees do in the future. I have one suggestion start devolving young talent. Signing veteran free agents year after year with a massive payroll isn’t always the best option. Lets get back to 2014. I think the Yankees will compete for the A.L East crown but will come up short because of the question marks but I think they can capture a wild card spot. It will once again be all about health this season and they will have to compete with the Mariners, Redsox, Rays, Rangers, Angels among other teams for the wild card spot. This should be an interesting story line filled season in the Bronx, there is no doubt about that.
Snake Bites 