New York Yankees Team of the Decade
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 10:34 AM EST
in Analysis
63 comments
'Tis the season for teams of the decade. Fans around baseball, except maybe in Boston where you know they would put up a fight, have to concede that the New York Yankees are the team of the decade.
But, looking specifically at the Yankees themselves, what is THEIR Team of the Decade? Some positions, like shortstop, catcher and closer, are obvious. Others, less so.
Here is my stab at naming the New York Yankee Team of the Decade.
C -- Jorge Posada. Duh! Sorry, Francisco Cervelli fans. This one, of course, is easy.
1B -- Jason Giambi. This position presents a real conundrum. The first name that leaps to mind is Giambi, but in his seven seasons with the Yankees he played more than half the team's games at first base just twice. And, he played more than 100 games there only one. He averaged 76.8 games per season at first base as a Yankee. Tino Martinez played just three seasons, but was the full-time first baseman each of those years playing 147 games per season. Tino averaged 22 homers and 83 RBI in his three seasons. Giambi averaged 32 home runs and 94 RBI, splitting his time between first base and designated hitter. Honestly, I hate doing it, but In the end I have to go with Giambi, especially since his pair of 41-home run seasons as a Yankee came when he was the primary first baseman in 2002 and 2003.
2B -- Robinson Cano. A close call here over Alfonso Soriano, based largely on Cano having five seasons (yes, five, can you believe it?) as the starting second baseman. Soriano was terrific, averaging 32 homers, 89 RBI and 39.6 stolen bases, but was a Yankee for just three seasons before being dealt away. Cano has averaged 17 home runs, 79 RBI and has a career average of .306 in five seasons. He is also a better defender. Again, I think length of service gives this one to Cano.
SS -- Derek Jeter. Umm, who else? If I was naming one, Jeter would also be Yankee Player of the Decade. Gee, maybe I just did name one.
3B -- Alex Rodriguez. Again, a no-brainer. Gotta at least give Aaron Boone an honorable mention, though, for his 2003 home run that propelled the Yankees to the World Series.
LF -- Johnny Damon. This is, obviously, between Damon and Hideki Matsui. And, in my opinion, not a choice between which one belongs on the Team of the Decade. Rather, a choice between which one is the left fielder and which one is the designated hitter. In four New York seasons, Damon has been the primary left fielder for just two years. He has DH'ed just 29 times in those two years, however. Matsui has DH'ed 250 times in six productive New York seasons. So, he gets the left field nod.
CF -- Bernie Williams. Bern, baby, Bern! Was a fixture with the Yankees for seven of the decade's 10 seasons, and was an integral part of the lineup. Hit 136 of 287 career home runs this decade. I know many of you are still irritated by how the Yankees treated Bernie at the end, but that's done with. Let's just give him his due.
RF -- Bobby Abreu. This is another excruciatingly tough call. First, it was difficult to rule out fan favorite Paul O'Neill, whom I think with our hearts we would all probably like to give this spot to. O'Neill, though, played just two seasons this decade and in the second was a shell of himself. So, this choice is really between Abreu and Gary Sheffield. Sheffield had two dominant seasons (.290, 36, 121 and .291, 34, 123), but only played 39 games in his third season due to injury. Abreu had two excellent full seasons (.283, 16, 101, 25 steals and .296, 20, 100, 22 steals). I think Abreu gets the nod because of his impact in 2006, when he was traded to the Yankees to replace the injured Sheffield and hit .330 with 7 home runs and 42 RBI in 58 games, helping the Yankees reach the playoffs.
DH -- Hideki Matsui. The World Series MVP absolutely has to have a place on this team. In six Yankee seasons Matsui has been nothing but productive, hitting .292 and averaging 22 home runs and 99.5 RBI per season.
SP -- Andy Pettitte. Whew! Another really difficult call between Pettitte and Mike Mussina. I know 'wins' is not the only way to measure a pitcher, but for the purpose of this argument it shows how close these two are. Mussina won 123 regular-season games, including 20 at the age of 39, in seven Yankee seasons this decade. Pettitte won 111 regular-season games despite spending three wayward seasons in Houston. The real difference between Pettitte and Mussina is post-season success. 'Moose' was 5-7 in Yankee post-season career. Pettitte, this decade, is 11-5 with a World-Series clinching victory fresh in my mind. I could easily name them both, but if I had to take one it would still be Pettitte.
CL -- Mariano Rivera. The best of all time. Period.
Manager -- Joe Torre. What choice do you have here? Joe Girardi has a World Series title in his two seasons, and he will likely be around for a long time. Hopefully, one day his resume will match what Torre did in New York, but not yet. This decade may not have matched the 1990s for Torre in terms of World Series titles, but one championship, two AL pennants, and playoff appearances all eight seasons he managed the team is pretty darn impressive.
So, what do you guys think? Tell me where I'm right. And wrong. And tell me why.
0 recs |
63 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
This is dumb
Giambi ruined the Yankees and Teixeira this year was better than any year Giambi ever had. And all the others were obvious answers
Really?
So a guy who hit basically 30-40 HR every year he wasn’t injured (2004, 2007) ‘ruined the Yankees’. His BA was never high and his defense sucked but he sure as hell could hit the long ball.
Look at stats before you troll, not after.
"Son, Nobody is half as good as Mickey Mantle"
Championships
I’m sorry how many championships did the yankees win with jason giambi. He was a distraction to the team with his steriod scandals and his defense was awful. His contract was the first of many huge terrible contracts the Yankees gave out from 2002-2008. When he was one the Yankees he morphed into a .250 hitter. Yes he hit a decent amount of home runs but Teixeira is living up to his contract and Jason never did.
by Brooklynsoul on Dec 13, 2009 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
Teixeira
Sadly, you can’t put Teixeira even in the discussion after just one year with the team. I’d love to, but it’s the big picture of the whole decade. I think we all equate Giambi with the ‘bad’ part of the decade, but his numbers and the length of time he was in New York mean he has to be on this team somewhere.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 12:52 PM EST up reply actions
I understand
but Teixeira’s impact on the Yankees was much better than Giambi’s ever was. And if were talking about the best players at each position in this decade Teixeira takes the cake.
by Brooklynsoul on Dec 13, 2009 1:05 PM EST up reply actions
Again
As great as he is, I just don’t think you can put him there after one year. I really wish I could have.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 4:51 PM EST up reply actions
Look at Giambi's numbers one year into his contract
offensively, he had a better year than Tex had this year. Do NOT say that Tex is a success after just one year into his contract. He has 7 years to go and you have no idea how those will turn out.
To me, Ed is right. Giambi, as much as a distraction as he sometimes was, is the First baseman of the decade. Simple. Giambi spent 7 years. Tex spent one. And Giambi, while he was healthy, put up great offensive numbers every year, and had success in the postseason (Yankees don’t win that Game 7 in 2003 without Jason Giambi). Teixeira, if he lives up to the rest of the contract, will be the first baseman of the next decade for the Yanks. Not this one though. Not even close.
I think
you can look at it either way. In 2002, your right Giambi had an extroidinary year, but so did Teixeira and he helped the Yankees to a World Series this year. And his defense has helped everyone around him, and he deserving got a gold glove. Giambi was never a sufficient defender. And he symbolized a new wave of terrible signing the Yankees have made over the years. I always felt he was a distraction to the team and he never panned out the way we wanted him too.
by Brooklynsoul on Dec 13, 2009 2:17 PM EST up reply actions
Giambi
My heart doesn’t want him on this team. Reality says he has to be. Unofrtunately.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 12:30 PM EST up reply actions
He belongs
Giambi was productive when healthy.
by Scooby Snacks on Dec 13, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions
Blaming Giambi is unfair
They made the playoffs every year but one and Giambi hit right in the middle of some potent lineups. The team didn’t win any titles because of pitching. Fans often have no idea what’s going on and are mislead by the media. If you asked the players, managers and coaches about Giambi, every one of them will tell you he was a great teammate, they could not have won without him and he was not any kind of distraction.
by Peter Lacock on Dec 13, 2009 6:29 PM EST up reply actions
Giambi
If Giambi was a guy who came up through the system or who was picked up in a trade I don’t think anyone would have a problem with his Yankee career. Unfortunately when the Yankees signed him, they paid for a superstar and only got a superstar for one season – 2002. After that Giambi was a guy who had epic hot streaks, but just as many epic slumps – who was possibly the worst defensive player I’ve ever seen – and who was one of the first faces of the steroid scandal. His biggest offense was that he couldn’t perform up to his salary.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Dec 13, 2009 7:25 PM EST up reply actions
LF
Damon 251
Matsui 562
I know you’re rather have Matsui DH, but that’s not the reality. Plus, Matsui played a decent LF before the injuries started to pile up.
If I can just throw a player into the position I’d rather have him, then I’ll make Soriano the DH.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Oh, and one more thing
Moose is the starting pitcher. It’s not even close.
Mussina WHIP 1.212, ERA+ 114, K/BB 4.02
Pettitte WHIP 1.317, ERA+ 109, K/BB 2.51
I don’t want the pitcher who happens to have gotten the most run support in a random sample of 22 starts for Pettitte or 17 games for Moose.
Mussina also pitched in some of the most memorable postseason games of the decade- the flip game in Oakland, pitched well against Arizona while Andy was tipping pitches, relieving Clemens and holding the Red Sox down in Game 7 of 2003 so that Mo and Boone would have a chance to be extra innings heroes, and pitching well enough to deserve to two wins against Boston in 2004 (won Game One, Gordon allowed one and put the tying run on third in the 8th with less than two outs and Mo got the blown save on a sac fly).
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Moose vs. Pettitte
It’s a tough call, I think. You can certainly make a valid argument for Moose, but I believe you have to factor in Pettitte’s being part of two World Series champions to none for Mussina. Good arguments either way. You might be right, I’m just glad the post is stirring up some discussion.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 12:45 PM EST up reply actions
But
Mussina wasn’t even that good in the postseason besides those two games you referenced. Yes he was probably the best pitching free-agent signing this decade (besides Sabathia), but Andy Pettitte has had a great decade. Minus the two starts in the 2001 World Series, he has been strong in the postseason in the 00s, and he showed that this year starting and winning every clinching game. And I can’t even remember how many times the Yankees have been down 1-0 and he came in and with his efforts have helped the Yankees tie the series.
by Brooklynsoul on Dec 13, 2009 1:10 PM EST up reply actions
Well, yes
If you’re a twit and willing to ignore roughly half of a player’s postseason career..
Taking out: ALDS 2001 Game 3 vs Oakland, WS 2001 Game 1 and 5 vs Arizona, ALCS 2003 Game 7 vs Boston, and ALCS 2004 Game 1 and 5 vs Boston… any one of which might have been a career defining moment for a lesser pitcher…
Without those 6 games, Mussina:
47.1IP, 1.42 WHIP, 3:1 K/BB.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
First of all Mussina pitched terribly in Game 1 against Arizona, he was ok in Game 1 against Boston. And remember he was so bad in 2007 that they didn’t even start him in Game 4 of the ALDS. And how do you completely ignore all the things Pettitte has done in the postseason. All the big games he has won in the playoffs. And of course he has two championships this decade Mussina has nada.
by Brooklynsoul on Dec 13, 2009 1:57 PM EST up reply actions
Just OK in Game one against Boston?
if my memory serves me correctly, he was throwing a perfect game for most of that start. He was brilliant in that game, and great in game 5 as well.
I’m with jscape here. I think Mussina should be the pitcher. First of all, Mussina was on the team for one more year than Pettitte was this decade. Secondly, Mussina is the better pitcher between the two. Thats a fact. jscape already named the facts. Lower whip. Lower ERA. More wins. And, as far as the postseason, you can’t ignore what Mussina has done. He was the reason the Yankees made it to two World Series. In 2001, and 2003, they don’t make it to the World Series without Mussina, and his two amazing games (which were two of the best pitched playoff games I have ever seen). It’s not Moose’s fault he never won a championship, which is I think, the biggest argument people use against him. If Mo nails down the final two outs against Arizona, he has one. If Joe Torre isn’t stupid and doesn’t use Jeff Weaver against the Marlins, and then follow it by starting an injured David Wells in Game 5, Mussina has one. In 2004, again, if Rivera nails down those outs against Boston, he’s in the World Series with a chance to win another one. World Series is a team accomplishment, and I don’t think that they should mean much when making these type of teams.
To me, Moose is the Yanks pitcher of the decade. jscape is right. You can’t ignore half of Mussina’s playoff career.
I’m not trying to ignore Pettitte. Pettitte was the Yankee pitcher of the ’90s, hands down.
But looking at 2000-2009, it’s Moose.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
No,
Yes he was throwing a perfect game for a hwile but the stat line for that game was 6 2/3 In, 4 hits, and 4 earned runs, not that impressive. And he was shit in game 1 of the 2001 World Series so you got that one wrong too. Ed got this right by putting Pettitte there. I stated earlier how Pettitte won all three clinching games. Well in 2003 he help the Yankees bounce back every series by winning game 2 after they lost game 1. Don’t get me wrong this is kinda a close race. Mussina was probably a little better in the regular season, but Pettitte was much more dominant in the postseason and in New York the postseason matters the most. So that’s why I have to give Pettitte the edge.
by Brooklynsoul on Dec 13, 2009 5:29 PM EST up reply actions
It's a toss up
Pettitte is one of the all time great post season pitchers. He was always known as a stopper of losing streaks. But Moose had better overall numbers and was dominant more times.
My pitcher of the decade? Mindy Pettssina.
The combos
were difficult.
So, if you choose to make Matsui the LF, and you agree that Giambi is the 1B, who is the DH?
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
It was a mix of the guys when they weren’t playing (or couldn’t play) the field.
Make it a toss up, or select a player (Shef? Soriano?).
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
DH
I felt this way. If Giambi wasn’t the first baseman, he’d be the DH. As it shook out I just felt strongly that Matsui and Damon belonged on the team ahead of Sheffield.
Soriano I never considered as a DH because he never did it.
Like I said earlier, I might be right, I might be wrong.
But, it’s gotten a good discussion going and I am happy about that.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 12:47 PM EST up reply actions
dont worry
you got it right, jscape2000 is a twit.
by Brooklynsoul on Dec 13, 2009 11:47 PM EST up reply actions
Considering that during his tenure as a Yankee,
Miguel Cairo garnered more posts than any other Yankee on this blog, he deserves some kind of mention on this list. How about “Waste of Roster Space of the Decade?”
Need another list
I’d be interested to see the “Most Non-Productive” List of Yankees of the Decade…We’ve had some doozies! Any of you guys up to it?
Oh, geez
That would be fun. And I think not too hard. Carl Pavano. Tony Womack. LOL!!
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 12:48 PM EST up reply actions
O'Neill
Again, wish I could. But, only two years and the second one was a middling 70-RBI season. I just couldn’t do it.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 4:53 PM EST up reply actions
For me, assembling the Team of the Decade means...
if I had to play out a season, and could take any Yankee from any year they played on the Yankees this decade, which players would I take? Given that, here is my “Team of the Decade,” adjusted for steroids. Note that every player would be the franchise player on someone else’s team.
Lineup:
1st: Derek Jeter, SS, 2009. The Captain was a bit better offensively in 2006, but his 2009 defense was much improved.
2nd: Johnny Damon, LF, 2006. Slightly better offensive numbers in ‘09, but his legs were younger and his defense was solid enough to play CF. Doesn’t have Soriano’s power, but much better plate discipline (.360 OPS) and plenty of speed (25 SB).
3rd: Mark Texieria, 1B, 2009. The perfect balance of offense and defense for this lineup. Giambi is a professional DH and Tino, while solid and clutch in the post-season, never had a season in NY like Tex’s .948 OPS campaign.
4th: A-Rod, 3B, 2007. Video game numbers (54 HR, 140 R, 150 RBI, 1.067 OPS) in the best of his Yankee years.
5th: Hideki Matsui, DH, 2004. Had a fantastic ’04 (remember, he was poised to be the ALCS…) with 30 HR, a .390 OBP and .912 OPS, but his suspect defense (7 E in LF) make me think he would have been a better DH even back then.
6th: Gary Sheffield, RF, 2004. It’s hard to know how much of Sheffield’s 2004 numbers were the result of “augmentation,” but his first season in pinstripes he put up 36 HR, a .393 OBP and a .927 OPS. An average defensive RF, but MUCH better than Bobby Abreu.
7th: Bernie Williams, CF, 2000. Average range in CF, but no errors. 30 HR, a .391 OBP and .950 OPS.
8th: Jorge Posada, C, 2007. You never count on Jorge for his defense, but his 2007 season was offensively his best. 40 2B, 20 HR, .970 OPS.
9th: Alfonso Soriano, 2B, 2002. Props to Cano, but young Soriano had an unmatched mix of power and speed (not to mention an appetite for Ks). A near 40/40 season where he led the league in H, R, SB and finished 3rd in MVP voting
SP: Mike Mussina, 2001. A poor W-L record (17-11) obscures the best statistical season by a Yankee starter. 3.15 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 4 CG, 3 SHO, 228 IP, 214 K. Pitched pretty well in the playoffs (our complete lack of offense didn’t help).
CP: Mariano Rivera, 2005. 1.38 ERA. 0.86 WHIP. Gave up 2 HR & 12 ER in 78 IP. The Best. Ever.
You approached it
differently than I did. I looked at it from the ‘overall’ perspective. You looked at it from the ‘I think this guy is the better player, period’ perspective.
Again, no right or wrong. A fun debate.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 4:55 PM EST up reply actions
I know
I just thought about giving an “alternate look” at what that team might look like, focusing on peak performance rather than overall performance over the last 10 years.
Overall I think I agree with your list, except for Pettitte (should be Mussina, rings or no).
by PortlandYankee on Dec 13, 2009 5:03 PM EST up reply actions
I agree with most of those
except, if you’re going to plug in a DH, I think that Giambi in 2002 would be better, because Giambi simply dominated offensively in 2002. It was the only season in my mind that he actually earned his contract (he put up good numbers still, but 2002 was the only season that he was worth the 20 million a year we were paying him).
I discounted heavily for the steroids.
If I did put Giambi in DH, I’d bump Damon and make Matsui LF.
by PortlandYankee on Dec 13, 2009 5:11 PM EST up reply actions
I have a hard time
discounting just because one guy or the other got caught.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Personally
I don’t think that steroids should count much. We just don’t have answers. We don’t know everything. We don’t know if there are players still cheating today with HGH. We don’t know who was using and who wasn’t. and we don’t know how it affected certain people. It seems like the steroids affected certain people differently. I mean, Barry Bonds hit 73 HR when he was 37 years old, because of steroids. They obviously had a huge impact on him. On the other hand, A-Rod, I think, didn’t get affected much by it at all. His numbers look very similar in Texas to the rest of his career. And he managed to have one of the best hitting seasons of all time in 2007 without them. Why? I have no idea. It could be that he is just so naturally good that the steroids didn’t make him that much better, or something else, but we have no idea. And thats the point with everyone who uses steroids. We don’t have answers, and until we have full, accurate answers, we can’t hold it against people. On the all-decade team, people who used steroids were included. It should be the same for this.
And I agree with putting Giambi as the DH and bumping Damon to put Matsui in LF. Matsui has been wearing pinstripes longer, so that makes sense.
Not just wearing them longer
Matsui’s peak was above Damon’s peak.
So here is my revised lineup:
1st Jeter, SS.
2nd Williams, CF
3rd Tex, 1B
4th A-Rod, 3B
5th Matsui, LF
6th Sheffield, RF
7th Giambi, DH
8th Posada, C
9th Soriano, 2B
300 HR between them, and probably a .375 team OBP.
Nice thing about this lineup: Except for Soriano/Jeter, you keep turning the pitchers around.
by PortlandYankee on Dec 13, 2009 5:44 PM EST up reply actions
I have to agree with your approach.....
You can’t pick a Yankee for the Decade based on stats alone…… Because whoever played the longest at the position has a very considerable impact.
You have to do it like this……. Which player made the most significant impact to a position in this decade.
TEX has one season under his belt… But you have take in the confidence boosting effect he gives the infield. They know they just have to get it close… Probably why Posada is so broken down always running down the line to back up Giambi…..
I think PortlandYankee’s lineup is where i would agree
by Gangsta Yanksta on Dec 13, 2009 7:11 PM EST up reply actions
Depends on your theory of lineup management...
Torre always believed in putting the worst hitter 9th. Others would try and put a “2nd leadoff guy” in the 9 hole.
-Soriano 2002 (41 HR, 39 SB) is definitely “leadoff” material, but not disciplined enough to go 1st.
-Even taking Torre’s thinking, I think Soriano is the bigger offensive threat than Posada (in terms of power and speed, but not contact/OBP).
A bigger question: Matsui 2004 or Giambi 2002 in 5th?
by PortlandYankee on Dec 13, 2009 8:10 PM EST up reply actions
Simple Question
SS 2006 Jeter .343/.417/.483
CF 2000 Williams .307/.391/.566
3B 2007 Rodriguez .314/.422/.645
DH 2002 Giambi .314/.435/.598
C 2007 Posada .338/.426/.543
LF 2004 Matsui .298/.390/.522
RF 2004 Shef .290/.393/.534
1B 2009 Tex .292/.383/.565
2B 2006 Cano .342/.365/.525 more OBP than Sori, similar SLG, more D
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
ARods 2007 just looks silly.
.645? Really?
This sticker is dangerous and inconvenient, but I do love Fig Newtons.
by Lord Duggan on Dec 13, 2009 11:42 PM EST up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Community Guidelines
Related FanPosts on Pinstripe Alley
Related FanShots on Pinstripe Alley
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
