Ok, I had some time to sit back and look at the players from both teams. Couple of thoughts on each position.
Catcher
It's no secret that I hate that fat midget Varitek and the stupid “C” he wears on his jersey. Yeah, we get it, YOU’RE the captain. Good for you. MUST you broadcast it to every drunk Red Sox fan unemployed enough to follow your every move? With that said, Jason does a great job with his pitchers, can’t hit well, is OK defensively, and will get a huge contract next year because there aren’t too many options out there.
Jorge Posada had a great year last year. He’s had more HR/RBIs in other years, but his average was 50 points higher than his career average. Like Varitek, minus the Mary like approach to picking fights with opposing teams, Posada is the quarterback of that team. He might not be the best defensive catcher, but he is good enough and his offense is terrific.
Posada has the edge.
First Base
Youkilis looks like someone who lurks around school yards, but he is a fantastic fielder (I don’t think he had one error last year). His offense isn’t what I think everyone was hoping for, he hit less than 300 last year but had decent RBIs.
I haven’t been following it real closely but it looks like Giambi will get the nod. If he stays healthy, he’ll put up over 40 home runs and over 100 RBIs, and can play a decent first base. Two words I LOVE to hear…Contract Year. Yep, he is playing for his next contract.
Youkilis probably has the edge because of his consistency and fielding ability, but its close.
Second Base
10th grader Dustin Pedroia, who gets carded when buying Red Bull at Tedesci’s, is cute and his little dance down in Florida was funny and all that, but he looks like he’s holding his dad’s softball bat while proud grandparents take pictures.
Robinson Cano had a terrible start to 2007 and he still batted over 300 with almost a hundred RBIs. He is a potential MVP and has more experience than Pedroia.
So with no disrespect for Doogy Howser, I have to give the edge to Cano.
Third Base
Look, I will be the first to admit I didn’t want the Yankees to sign Alex Rodriquez again, but since I am stuck with him I will focus on his good points. HE…IS…THE…BEST…PLAYER…IN…BASEBALL. Pure and simple. Yeah, I know, his post season numbers are weak, but he plays a decent third base and is so consistent I wish my bowel movements were like him.
No way Lowell has the same year he did in 2007. Not going to happen. He runs down opposing players and blames the Yankees, but I like his work ethic.
Edge goes to Rodriquez by a wide margin.
Short Stop
Jeter…heart and soul of the Yankees…one of the classiest players every in the game…career 317 hitter…steals bases.
Julio Lugo…uhm…he’s…looks like a muppet…does he play for the Red Sox still?
Edge goes to Jeter.
Left Field
Yankees are in a little bit of a pickle. Damon is good but gets hurt. Matsui can be a really tough out but gets hurt. Neither is super in left field, especially Damon after this spring, ugh.
Manny Ramirez and his yoga crap and suddenly talking to the media and working at the training facility in Arizona over the winter and he is all warm and fuzzy like swallowing a cat all of a sudden. Two words…CONTRACT YEAR. I think Manny suddenly realizes he needs to keep his income at this level to support whatever the eff it is he does in the off season. Sell cars or BBQ grills I guess. Who knows, but he scares me like a fat guy walking down the center of the airplane with the only open seat right next to me.
Edge has to go to Manny, hands down.
Center Field
I love Melky Cabrera. He’s young, is a good fielder, and has put up decent numbers in his short career. The book is still out on whether he will be a killer player, but is good roaming that huge center field at Yankee Stadium.
I know I am going against the stream on this one, but I am not sure Jacoby Ellsbury is going to be the next coming of Christ. I know the Red Sox Herd wants Crisp out of the center field, but give opposing teams a little while to build Jacoby’s book and he might not be all that.
Edge is close on this one. If Jacoby is indeed the second coming of Christ, then he gets the edge. If not, and Crisp is your guy, then Melky. I am not a big fan of Crisp.
Right Field
Bobby Abreu…CONTRACT YEAR. I think he is going to have a monster year. Huge.
JD Drew, you are my hero. And to describe just how fickle this town is, Drew had a terrible year and did well in the post season and all is forgiven. I am not a Drew fan, but I don’t think people expect much out of him.
Edge is Abreu by far.
Starting Pitching
Yankees
Wang, who knows what you are going to get. He had a terrible post season and I am not high on him now. But I like Asian pitchers because they usually are very consistent, and he won 19 games last year in a strong American League.
Mussina. He can only go up from last year. He’s 39 but is not a power pitcher, so hopefully can adjust to whatever caused his problems last year. I like Mussina on a team because he seems to work well with the young guys, but he’s kind of a cry baby.
Andy Pettitte. Poor guy took so much abuse with the HGH thing. He was wrong, but he’s one of the more stand up guys in the game and you could tell he was embarrassed. I think he will have his standard 15 games, ERA in high 3s, and go on the DL once for a couple of weeks.
Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy. If these guys can handle the pressure of an entire season and hold up, the Yankees could cause some trouble.
Red Sox
Josh Beckett. Is anyone worried about the back? If Beckett goes down or is ineffective for the Red Sox, not sure if you can recover. If Beckett is 100%, he’s the best pitcher in baseball. As a Yankee fan, he scares me.
Dice-Kay Matsuzaka. I know everyone is saying how good he will be this year and blah blah blah, but I don’t buy it. Is he really THAT good? I watched him last year, and he throws a lot of pitches and gets rattled. Maybe it was adjusting to his first year and he might win 20 this year, but I am not sold.
Wakefield. I love this guy, I really do. I like his attitude, I like his charity work, I like his flexibility. And watching him I always think the other team is going to score 25 runs like a lopsided softball game, like my old team in Melrose playing the local plumbers and cops.
Jon Lester and Clay Buckholz. I guess I could say the same thing about these guys as I did with Kennedy and Hughes. But I, and I admit I am biased, think the upside is not as great with both of these guys.
Edge, with a healthy Beckett and Dice Kay doing well, could be the Red Sox. And if Lester and Buckholz do well, its definitely the Red Sox. I just don’t trust Mussina, Wang and Pettitte. I just don’t, I’m sorry.
Relief Pitching
First, I hate Kyle Farnsworth. But I have a feeling Girardi won’t over use him as much as Torre did, which is good. And I hate the nickname Farnsy. But getting Hawkins was a good move. Chamberlain is something special, Albaladejo seems big and fat, and Kei Igawa might have gotten over his freshmen beat down.
With the Red Sox, it’s hard to read. Delcarmen is good, I like Snyder, of course Papelbon is lights out and the best closer in baseball, but it’s a pretty big drop from there. I’m not sure Okajima will have the same great year he did in 2007, but if he does, you are looking at the game being over in the 7th inning again.
Edge, Red Sox.
Bench Players.
I love Sean Casey, but where do you go from there? Alex Cora? Brandon Moss?
With the Yankees, they have Shelly Duncan, Betemit, maybe Molina I guess.
Neither team has great options, but that is why they are bench players I guess.
I would go with the Yankees simply because they can afford to have better players cleaning up sunflower seeds.
Summary
Everyone is saying this is step back year for the Yankees. I’m not so sure. The Red Sox are clearly the team to beat this year, and Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland, all look real good. But the Yankees, while not doing much in the off season, have a strong team and with their payroll and ability to add during the year, will be in contention.