Opening Day roster
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Mar 30, 2011 
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Predicting an Opening Day roster on February 13 is nearly impossible. There’s no way of knowing who might be hurt (Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Cervelli), who might surprise in spring training (Bartolo Colon and Luis Ayala) and who might find themselves playing elsewhere (Sergio Mitre and Romulo Sanchez).
I tried to predict the roster right before camp opened. I’ll give myself a C+.
Here’s the actual Yankees roster that will open the season tomorrow.
Lineup
Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C
Going into camp, I didn’t think Joe Girardi would pull the trigger on Gardner in the leadoff spot. By the middle of the Grapefruit League schedule, that opinion changed. Behind Gardner, everything falls into place pretty easily. You can argue that Cano should be hitting third, but I like the decision to keep the heart of the order unchanged. All three are still very productive hitters. No sense moving things around based on one year.
Bench
Gustavo Molina C
Andruw Jones OF
Eric Chavez 1B/3B
Eduardo Nunez SS/2B
Pretty much impossible to guess Molina a month and a half ago — or even two weeks ago — and Jones was an obvious pick. Ultimately, I went 1-for-2 on the real decisions. It didn’t take long for Chavez to become a clear favorite. After just a few days it was obvious the Yankees were hoping he’d make the team. I had that one right. For the utility spot, I thought the Yankees would stick with Pena, but Nunez outplayed him and rightfully won the job.
Rotation
CC Sabathia
A.J. Burnett
Phil Hughes
Ivan Nova
Freddy Garcia
The early favorites won the last two spots, and Burnett got the nod in the No. 2 spot ahead of Hughes. The only part I had wrong was the order of Nos. 4 and 5. My guess heading into spring was that the Yankees would give the veteran the fourth spot and ease the rookie in as the No. 5. Then Nova had a terrific spring and easily won the right to be the fourth starter. I’m giving myself partial credit.
Bullpen
Mariano Rivera
Rafael Soriano
Joba Chamberlain
Dave Robertson
Boone Logan
Bartolo Colon
Luis Ayala
Most of the bullpen was easy to predict. Ayala was a complete wild card, added to the roster only because Feliciano was hurt (and because Brian Cashman couldn’t find a better option on the trade or free agent market). Ayala had a very nice spring, which was enough to keep himself on the radar for unexpected opening. As for Colon, that’s the roster spot that could have been predicted that I never would have predicted. He absolutely deserved a spot, but I didn’t have high expectations coming into camp.
Curse of the LOOGY.
Feliciano with a rotator cuff strain according to Carig
Good roster….that lineup is stacked.
how bad is a rotator strain?
Looks like former Mets manager Manuel pulled a Torre on Feliciano…..
I don’t think anything with a rotator cuff is good……….Cash really needs to stay away from LOOGYs with big contracts.
Carig’s twitter is not updated – where is this news?
doc i was gonna say feliciano has proctor’s disease…
Ledger_Yankees Gustavo Molina added to 25 man roster; Feliciano has a strained rotator cuff
Thanks, LGY!
You were probably looking at his personal Twitter Betsy
LGY, I was………oops, lol.
Ys Guy….I wrote that Torre owes Proctor a job with MLB since he ruined the guy’s arm..
Chad
I would just like to say I was the one that posed the question about Molina as the BUC until Cervelli got back and Montero to AAA on the livechat and you totally shot me down.
you’re pretty good about everything else so Ill let that one slide.
When does the season officially begin?
I am also really confused with the games MLB has listed, being played in home parks, but against teams in opposite leagues. What is that all about?
Anyone?
Will check in a while. Have to drop my car off for servicing.
Cashman said today Feliciano injury is annoying but not serious and he is shut down completely for 10 days to get the inflammation out but should be back with the team in a couple of weeks.
tyanks, he also shot down my theory that Soriano is being groomed to be the Ys closer, so I will take my own counsel on that one. But otherwise, I think Chad had some very informed responses!
Arod has company in regard to breaking unwritten rules.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/bl.....mlb-wp1603
Pat, thanks! I heard him on with Kay, but must have missed that part of the interview
Teams play exhibition games in their home park at the end of spring training.
Wow, I’m listening to the replay of Francesca’s interview with Bill White – how I love Bill’s voice; it’s been a long time since I’ve heard it……….I miss his banter with Scooter
Trisha,
Tomorrow is opening day.
the indians game vs. the clippers was cancelled when it startes snowing like crazy. (i was watching it during the chat) i think that was in columbus
Fran
I posted a new blog post today. I made it up to the minor league complex for about 40 minutes. Got to see a lot of the lower level prospects.
I see Beckett is in midseason form. Already hit a batter in the bottom of the 1st.
tyanks,
I am going to read it now
Any news on the new computer?
guys I need your help I am writing a paper and I am trying to remember that game where you say a word like base and the other person has to shout out the first word that comes to mind that goes with it. Thanks.
As recently ’09 SI picked the Mets (wrong team, right city?) to win the WS. Now they’re almost an afterthought
Free association?
Word Association?
The Mets or SI ?
I think it’s called Association
Fran
It is in Orlando! which means I will have it by tomorrow. I am hoping that it comes before I go to my class tomorrow night so I can play on it all day and through class. I have to work in the morning so I know I will be extra antsy to get out of work and home to see if its arrived yet.
I had been given a tracking number for it but it was apparently the wrong one because it kept saying that it could not find my shipment, sent me into freak out mode, I emailed them and they sent me the right one.
ah. Word association it is! I was having a severe brain fart. I have senioritis really bad, even picking up my books to put them in my bag is hard to do. I have been putting this paper off for 2 weeks.
tyanks,
Good job on the blog, even down to the last detail on the tattoos
Tomorrow will be good for you-your new computer and opening day!
tyanks,
Let me tell you about senioritis…………………………….lol
SAS
haha, I think I would rather have school senioritis over actual age senioritis. I am in Florida however, so I dont have far to go once I get there(in many many years)
Isn’t there someone besides me that watched Prior and expected he was a cinch to make it?
you guys talk about managers ‘ruining’ reliever’s arms like all of these pitchers are one step removed from a Cy Young Award.
The fact is that almost all relievers (except for elite closers, and they are few and far between) are inconsistent from year to year and are in the bullpen because, basically, they aren’t very good. Many of them bounce around from team to team and wind up having a good couple of years in the middle or end of their careers when they manage to combine knowledge with whatever is left in their arms.
I’m not going to debate Joe Torre’s use of Proctor but they guy had alcohol issues while he was with the Yankees, that had as much to do with his career as anything else.
Pitchers like Tanyon Sturtze, another one who allegedly ruined by Torre, were already in their 30′s by the time they got to the Yankees, the fact that the Yankees somehow managed to get these guys to perform when no other team could says more to me about how the team was run during the Torre years than anything else.
Fran
thanks, his tattoo was one of the first things I noticed about him, after I noticed that he was so short. He really resembles Gardner. I am sure their approach to batting are different but they definitely look alike, I would say Gardner has more of an athletic look about him though.
Face, back in the ’50s, the Yankees and Dodgers played home and home exhibition games at Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field the weekend before the season started-they were a lot of fun…
Red Sox killing the astros on MLB Network, sucks they are going to end the spring on a positive note
MG
The Rays and Blue Jays played an exhibition game at home. The field still looks like moldy cheese on TV but when I went back for fanfest it looked like real dark grass. I know that had nothing to do with what you were talking about but I am procrastinating and felt like expressing that observation.
getting Feliciano back will make this pen even better…for sure
jerk face, you me and 7 other
Lohudders just might be able to beat the Astros……
tyanksfan36 March 30th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
MG
The Rays and Blue Jays played an exhibition game at home. The field still looks like moldy cheese on TV but when I went back for fanfest it looked like real dark grass. I know that had nothing to do with what you were talking about but I am procrastinating and felt like expressing that observation.
——————————-
I’ll contribute to your cause
Teams used to go north on the train and would stop along the way to play exhibition games-they would break camp about 10 days (I think) before the season started and wind up at home for a couple of games before the season started.
Pre-Interleague The Yankees and Mets use to play Mayor’s Trophy Game at either YS or Shea before the season started..
Tom, the Mayor’s Trophy game was during the season…
You’re right, MG, the teams would play an exhibition during the season.
what I didn’t remember was that the Mayor’s Trophy game went all the back to the 40′s between the Giants and Yankees and later all 3 teams participated. Here is a good summary, it’s interesting reading:
http://www.baseball-reference......rophy_Game
Maybe Torre didn’t kill those arms, but he did ride certain pitchers. I like how the Yankees try their best not to throw guys three days in a row. Or 3 days out 5.
Tom,
I was going to say that, but I think the Mayor’s Trophy was on a mutual off day early in the season. I went a couple of times
SAS, I remember going to a Yankee-Mets exhibition game at YS after the Mayors cup ended in ’83, sometime in the early 90s. So, I just assumed all the games were before the season started.
The most unique exhibition game ever played was a 3 ywam game played in 1944 between the yankees, Dodgers and Gianrs. It was to raise money to buy War Bonds.
http://keymancollectibles.com/.....aygame.htm
# Benny Blanco March 30th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
how bad is a rotator strain?
I’ve had one for… a year and a half now? :/
the yankees played the first game ever in the astrodome. it was a day or two before the start of the season and i think mickey hit a homer.
GreenBeret7 …I saw a clip on MLB network about that 3 team exhibition game,it was very cool…they rotated all 3 teams in 1 game if I recall correctly..
My dad just called me and told me he is going to Opening Day tomorrow.
I am not jealous at all.
(Although, he figures that his presence guarantees rain)
RAB has a good list of the inevitable things that will happen this season that will drive us crazy. I laughed through most of it.(still not focusing on my paper)
I just read that G-Mole’s father is making a special trip to New York to see his sone in pinstripes. When you see how excited this guy looks, I don’t know how you could not root for his son to help the Yankees:
http://www.simpsonstrivia.com......lpaper.gif
c
over/under for innings pitched by feliciano this season? i’ll say 20 and take the under.
“Red Sox killing the astros on MLB Network, sucks they are going to end the spring on a positive note
”
Yeah I’m with you.
Karma’s a beach. Look likes some bad vibrations out there are affecting the Yanks already. Nice job. It’s called winning a battle and losing the war. Hope the perp is proud.
And that’s all I intend to say on that.
“Maybe Torre didn’t kill those arms…”
Nah, he killed them.
My name is Hans. Drinking has ruined my life. I’m 31 years old!
Melo taking the Knicks on his back again.
Amare 1 rebound tonight. One. And people were trying to blame Melo for the Knicks recent struggles.
happy birthday eric clapton! 64!
Erica in NY March 30th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
“My dad just called me and told me he is going to Opening Day tomorrow.
I am not jealous at all.
(Although, he figures that his presence guarantees rain)”
Erica,
If your dad’s presence doesn’t guarantee rain, then mine surely will. I have tickets, too. But the last time I had tickets on Opening Day, it rained like a mutha while we sat in our seats for two hours before they finally called it.
That being said, I have my handy dandy Yankees rain poncho packed, and I’m crossing my fingers!
Nick, this afternoon called, they want their witticism back.
# LGY March 30th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Melo taking the Knicks on his back again.
Amare 1 rebound tonight. One. And people were trying to blame Melo for the Knicks recent struggles.
————————-
Very true Melo is catching every arrow aimed in his direction while Amare….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Wow Amare clueless on defense.
if someone just told d’antoni that he’s allowed to use those tall guys sitting next to him on the bench maybe amare wouldn’t be so out of gas…
He had his back turned to the play!
Yay got one section of my paper done and turned in(too bad it was supposed to be turned in last week)
thousands of opening day tickets available on stub hub, lots for under $50.
might actually be the best thing if the knicks missed the playoffs. at least they would get a new coach. dont think they will ever win with this guy.
http://members.cox.net/lsdorga.....0CHART.pdf
There’s the latest update of our prediction chart. You have until first pitch of Opening Day to get in on the action. Many Ritter Sport Bars for the winner!
If you want in, please put my name in the post so I can find your prediction!
Wow
Wowee
Trisha, put me down for 104 wins.
I still can’t believe anyone would think the Red Six have a better rotation. After #2 the rest of the rotation is suspect at best. Yankees by 6 games to play Braves in the WS. BTW Phils have no pen and only 3legit starters if you believe Lee is ok to??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
hmmm