Kuzul

Friday night, the New York Yankees are at Tropicana Field to face the Tampa Bay Rays, and it will be a true battle of the young guns on the mound.

Since pitching and defense will dictate the outcomes of all three games, the match-ups on the mound will set the tone. Let’s look at the Friday night’s pitchers.

Ironically, both the Rays and the Yankees have their “young guns” squaring off. Both players are 24 years old, both stand at 6’5 feet, and both are right-handed pitchers.

Tampa Bay Rays: Wade Davis (8-9)

Davis didn’t look very good this season, after losing all five of his starts in the month of June. Davis’ June numbers included an ERA of 6.0, and batters were hitting just shy of .270 against him.

Since the start of July, Davis has looked like a different pitcher. He has gone unbeaten. Over his last three starts, he has posted an ERA of 2.11. For the month of July, Davis has pitched 25 innings, faced 110 batters and allowed nine earned runs, six walks and 12 strikeouts. Eleven of those 12 strikeouts were in his last three starts and a monthly ERA of 3.12. That is pretty impressive stuff.

Davis is suddenly throwing with a lot more confidence. Davis is not afraid to throw hard because he is locating the ball much better.

Davis faces a potent Yankees lineup who have seen him before. This works in the Yankees favor because Davis is not new, and they have hit him successfully.

Davis needs to be careful with Cano, Gardner, Granderson, Thames, A-Rod, and Jeter because all have multiple hits in the few at-bats they have had against him.

New York Yankees: Phil Hughes (12-3)

Unlike Davis, Phil Hughes started out the season on fire. Hughes was an 2010 All-Star and his name was frequent in Cy Young discussions.

He was the Yankees most reliable pitcher through the month of May. As they say, all good things must come to an end, or in Hughes’ case, back down to baseball-reality.

Hughes got a lot of help via the Yankees hitters, who seemed to always score a lot of runs when he is on the mound. This masked a few mediocre starts and redefined them as great. It was not that Hughes didn’t look solid, he completely did, but his struggles started earlier than the numbers or newspaper headlines might read.

Hughes has been slowly declining, as his ERA is rising.

His OBA has consistently dropped in each start since the end of May. July has been ugly for the youngster. In 23 innings, Hughes has faced 90 batters, and allowed 15 earned runs, issued five walks, all with an ERA of 5.79. He has struck out 15, but in his last two starts, he only has five in total.

Hughes cannot seem to locate his fastball, and his curveball has turned flat. There has been no marked improvement, but he wins games because luckily, the team scores runs.

Hughes does have the advantage of not having to face the Rays’ BJ Upton who crushes his pitches, as Upton is on the DL. Look for Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena to stir up some hits as they have has success against Hughes whether he is hot or not.

Prediction:

Davis has found what Hughes has lost, so I expect both teams bats to dictate in this matchup. Looking ahead, Hughes has the brighter future. But, for this game, I have to go with the Rays. 

Score: Rays beat the Yankees 9-5.

Hughes and Davis: No decision.

Read More At Lady Loves Pinstripes……

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The New York Yankees have a rising superstar in their mitts, with Brett Gardner .

At first, I was hesitant to believe this 5’9 player had just hit some beginners luck at the start of the season. Still, I never questioned his work ethic because all you have to do is watch Gardner and that becomes evident.

Now this prosperity is consistent, as Gardner has stood out all season making dynamic catches out in left-field to hitting in clutch situations. He makes contact with 93 percent of his swings.

Let’s not forget how fast the 23 year-old is on the bases. Gardner has stolen 24 bases this season and has an 83 percent success rate.

Gardner is an all-around nuisance to have to play against because he can do it all. Whether it is in the field , on the bases or at bat, he cannot be ignored or else he will make an enemy pay for forgetting.

Try watching Gardner at the plate, the way he reads the ball with such wise eyes that are well beyond his years. Gardner has kept up with baseball’s best as a Yankee and has stolen the spotlight playing the game the right way.

In essence, Brett Gardner continues to be the glue holding the New York Yankees together. A true team player who comes out every game to win an d plays hard.

He is having an All-Star season with 29 RBIs , 33 walks, five home-runs, six doubles, four triples, a .319 batting average and .401 on-base-percentage .

Have a feeling that there is plenty of time for Brett Gardner, who I look forward to seeing represent baseball as an All-Star for years to come.

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Which young players are stepping up into stardom? Who’s having a down year or playing too long after their prime?

Over the next few weeks, as we approach the middle of the season, follow along as I give an in-depth analysis of the top 12 players at each position in the game.

When I broke down each position, I took several things into consideration: how many seasons each player has been hitting at a high level, how well each player is hitting this season, how much potential each player has left, and how solid each player is defensively.

So without further ado, here are the top 12 catchers in baseball…

Begin Slideshow

The Yankees (45-27) square off against former manager Joe Torre for the first time since he left the team after the 2007 season, as New York travels to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles for a three-game series this weekend.

Torre led the Bombers to four World Series titles between 1996-2000, but lost his touch and overworked the bullpen over his final three years in New York, during which the Yanks failed to advance past the American League Division Series.

Now, Torre manages the Dodgers (39-33), a team that stands in third place in the National League West, three games back of first-place San Diego. Los Angeles is a solid offensive team, ranking eighth in baseball with a .267 average, but it has a mediocre pitching staff. The Dodgers strike out the second most batters, but rank 17th with a 4.14 ERA.

Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups. 

Friday, June 25 – CC Sabathia (8-3, 3.68) vs. Vicente Padilla (1-1, 6.67)

Sabathia starts the opener after the Yankees chose to skip Phil Hughes’ turn in the rotation. Despite the right-hander’s excellent first three months, I don’t have a big problem with this because he is already within four innings of his career high for a season and the organization wants him to be healthy enough to pitch down the stretch.

We all knew this would happen and I’d rather the team do it this way because of an off-day on Thursday, rather than limit him to a certain number of innings or pitches in August or September starts like they did when they destroyed Joba Chamberlain’s career last year. I guess they’re learning.

As for Sabathia, he’s returned to form after a rough May. The big lefty is 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA in June and allowed just four hits over eight shutout innings against the Mets his last time out.

The former Brewer has made one start in his career against Los Angeles, earning a no-decision while surrendering just one run on five hits with 10 strikeouts in seven innings at Dodger Stadium.

Padilla has yielded at least four runs in four of his five starts this season, including his first outing since returning from the disabled list – a four-run, 5 1/3-inning performance at Fenway Park last Saturday.

The ex-Ranger is 1-2 with a 7.65 ERA in four starts against the Yankees. Robinson Cano (4-for-11, .364, HR) and Derek Jeter (4-for-10, .400) have had success versus the right-hander. Nick Swisher (1-for-15, .067, 5 K’s) and Alex Rodriguez (2-for-12, .167) have not.

Saturday, June 26 – A.J. Burnett (6-6, 4.83) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (6-5, 3.06)

Burnett is scheduled to make his next start after leaving the team on Wednesday to be with his ailing grandfather. Who knows if that has been weighing on his mind this month because he is 0-4 with a 10.35 ERA in June.

The former Marlin is 3-2 with a 2.45 in seven starts against the Dodgers, including a 1-2 record and 2.55 ERA in three appearances in Los Angeles.

Rafael Furcal is 9-for-29 (.310) off him, and Garret Anderson is 5-for-14 (.357), but Jamey Carroll is 3-for-13 (.231) with five strikeouts.

Kuroda has been stellar over his past three starts, sporting a 0.95 ERA but just a 1-1 record thanks to very little run support in two of those appearances.

The right-hander has never faced the Yankees, but he has seen Mark Teixeira five times, allowing him two hits and a walk in five at-bats.

Sunday, June 27 – Andy Pettitte (9-2, 2.48) vs. Clayton Kershaw (7-4, 3.24)

It makes sense that the best pitching matchup of the series will be featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Pettitte continued his incredible season last outing by giving up two runs or fewer in at least seven innings for the sixth straight time.

He is 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA on the road this year and 2-0 with a 4.05 in three career starts at Dodger Stadium. Overall, he is 2-0 with a 3.33 against L.A.

But the Dodgers’ roster hits .338 off the southpaw, led by Anderson (33-for-82, .402) and old friend Manny Ramirez (32-for-77, .416, 8 2B, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 7 BB).

However, Carroll is just 2-for-15 (.133), Furcal is 1-for-12 (.083), Reed Johnson is 1-for-11 (.091) and Casey Blake is 1-for-7 (.143).

Kershaw had his second-worst outing of the season last time out, surrendering five runs in 6 2/3 innings at the Angels. That was only the second time in 15 starts that he had allowed more than four earned runs. Kershaw doesn’t pitch to contact; his 103 strikeouts are fifth in the National League and his 48 walks lead the NL.

The left-hander has never pitched against the Yankes and the only Bomber he’s faced is Nick Swisher, who he retired in one at-bat.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

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If I told you before the season that Derek Jeter would have a worse batting average than Nick Swisher in the middle of June, you probably would have said “Are you crazy?”, or something of that nature.

Now that we are in the middle of June, and Swisher does have a higher batting average than Jeter, you have to wonder how the Yankees are in first place.

Well, to say the least, it has been quite an unusual year for the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees have been thrust into first place by unexpected performances from players that you least expected a big year from.

Phil Hughes has been a major boost for the Yanks this year, now 10-1 on the season, which is the best record on the team. Hughes is arguably the best pitcher on the team, and has certainly been a big surprise for the Yankees.

Brett “the Jet” Gardner has become a big part of the Yankee offense this year. He is hitting .320, with 49 runs scored, and has swiped 23 bases in 28 attempts. His speed has been a refreshing new look for the Yankees.

Many Yankee fans, including myself, were very worried about not resigning Johnny Damon, but after the start that Gardner has had, I think we can all happily say “Johnny who?”.

Another player who has really come into his own and has official staked his claim as the best second baseman in baseball is Robinson Cano.

Not only is he leading the Majors in hitting, but he leads the Yankees in nearly every offensive category, hits, RBI, home runs—you name it he’s leading the way. Not to mention his 1.009 OPS for the season.

Nick Swisher is yet another player having a career year and giving the Yankees all that he can. Heading into tonight, Swisher is hitting a career high .298 (nearly 50 points higher than his career average), and has driven in 44 RBI to the tune of 11 home runs.

But the one that I think nobody saw coming, is ageless Andy Pettitte. After another strong outing last night, Andy is now 9-2 on the year, with a 2.48 ERA. He is having a career year at age 38 and just might get another shot at the Cy Young award.

Not too shabby for a guy who is on the brink of retirement every year.

So in a year when Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, A.J. Burnett, Javier Vazquez and 90% of the bullpen have all struggled, I find it pretty amazing that the Yankees sit atop the AL East with the best record in baseball.

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As a fan of the New York Yankees, an American League East team, it is easy to forget about the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The last time the two faced each other was back in 2007, at the old Yankee Stadium.

Looking at the bigger picture, the D-backs pose no real threat to the Yankees, whose hopes are to repeat as World Series Champions.

Even last night’s win against the Yankees does not change this fact for Arizona.

The D-backs are currently in last place in the NL West with a 27-43 record. It is not entirely finished, but the chances of the D-backs making the postseason are pretty grim. Still, Arizona has a budding, talented ballclub with an average age of 27.

The D-backs possess one player in particular that could potentially become the best player in baseball. If this player’s progress continues, he could be one of greatest ever.

He is only 23 years old but is already in his fourth season in the majors. He has a brother who is 25 and plays for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Do you know who I am talking about?

If you guessed D-backs right fielder Justin Upton, you would be correct.

Any true baseball fan has heard of the Upton brothers.

Justin and his brother B.J. are both ridiculously talented. They are the first pair of brothers who have been drafted first and second in the first round of their respective drafts.

The obvious difference between the Upton boys is that Justin has filled out more, making him more powerful than his older brother. His biggest downfall is at the plate. Justin lacks consistency, as it is either feast or famine—he already has 92 strikeouts in 2010.

Regardless, this kid is as natural a baseball player as Robinson Cano. Remember, Cano used to swing at everything and could not hit with runners in scoring position to save his life.

Now look at Cano, the leading hitter in the majors, with talks of a batting title and MVP Award swirling everywhere. Fans have to be patient with Upton because the hints of greatness make his future surreal. It was the same with Cano.

Watching Upton hit against the Yankees last night made me drool. Then the dreams of how beneficial this kid would be in pinstripes were dancing in my head.

In 2010, Upton has 10 doubles, two triples, 13 home-runs, 38 RBIs and 30 walks. Upton is fast on the bases, as he already stolen 11 this season.

His .256 batting average is a refection of the 92 strikeouts. Looking back at 2009, Upton racked up 137 strikeouts, making this clearly the main problem.

Last night, Upton feasted on the World Champion Yankees, hitting two home runs with four RBIs. It was an absolute delight to watch, as Arizona games are rarely nationally televised and non-Diamondbacks fans do not care that much.

My guess is that baseball fans are witnessing rarefied air, as Upton continues to expand into a mega-star right before our eyes.

On the Yankee side, A.J. Burnett was a problem once again, Teixeira was broken, and once again Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher saved the team from total embarrassment.

The Yankees should not have lost this game, as first place will be gone so fast because not only the Rays, but the Red Sox, too, are ready to pounce.

Andy Pettitte will do his job, as he has all season, but the Yankee hitters have to drive in runs to win. Pettitte deserves it after his last start, which he should have won easily but lost due to cold bats.

Yankee fans deserve first place for longer than 48 hours, thank you.

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Even though the New York Yankees are in 1st place in the AL East and currently hold the best record in all of Major League Baseball, there are still a plethora of trade rumors and debates taking place in the Bronx.

With the main areas of concern being the bullpen, the bench, and the outfield; everyone seems to have their own opinion about what the Bronx Bombers should do on their quest for their 28th World Series Championship.

Over the weekend, after the Yankees took the series from the Mets, the Bronx was abuzz with potential mid-season trades that the Bombers could execute. There are three main players that most of the radio personalities, sports writers, and fans seemed to be talking about.

The first player is right-handed, utility infielder Ty Wigginton on the Baltimore Orioles. At 32 years old, Wigginton has batted .274 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI for the O’s this season. He is currently in the middle of his 2nd year of a two-year contract worth $6 million dollars.

Wigginton is a good player and can play most of the infield positions and even play some left field if needed. However, Ramiro Pena and Kevin Russo are already in place as the back-up infielders with the Yankees.

If the Yankees decide that they need a veteran, right-handed batter, then Wigginton may be their man. He would probably jump at the chance to move onto a championship contender, especially when he’s currently on the worst team in baseball.

It’s hard to say what it would take for the Yankees to get a player like Wigginton, but you can’t think it would cost too many top prospects or cash. The Orioles are in need of young talent and Wigginton will probably not re-sign with the O’s after his contract expires at the end of the 2010 season.

The main questions would be whether or not Baltimore would be willing to deal with their divisional rivals and whether the Yankees are looking for another infielder to add to their bench.

The second player is right handed, outfielder Marlon Byrd from the Chicago Cubs. So far this season, Byrd has been batting .320 with 83 hits including 9 home runs and has driven in 34 men.

Also at 32 years old, Byrd is in the first year of a 3-year deal with the Cubs. The contract is worth $15 million over the three years.

Byrd would provide a talented outfielder for the Yankees, who could easily start in place of Granderson at center field when facing left-handed pitchers. The problem with trading for Byrd, is that he would presumably come with a hefty price tag.

The Cubs will probably fall completely out of the NL Central race in the coming weeks, but that won’t help the Yankees ability to bargain with the North-Siders. Byrd will still be owed $12 million dollars on his contract and new Cubs owner Tom Ricketts won’t be giving him up for cheap.

A trade for Byrd would likely take many more prospects and an exorbitant amount of money. It may not make sense to make the move for an expensive fourth outfielder, especially if it comes at such a steep price.

The last player is left-handed, starting pitcher Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners. This season, Lee is 5-3 with an ERA of 2.55. In 10 games, Lee has struck out 67 hitters while only allowing 4 walks.

Lee is the most coveted player in the MLB right now, especially after his performance for the Phillies in the 2009 season and playoffs. With the Mariners continuing to flounder in the AL West, many teams are looking to deal with M’s for their stud ace.

The 31-year old pitcher is set to make $9 million dollars this season and would only be a rental for the Yankees, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2010 season. The Yankees have the money to make the move, but they would need to find room for Lee in the rotation.

This move probably makes the least amount of sense, especially with the way that the Yankees’ starting rotation has been pitching this season. Unless they want to move someone to the bullpen, there are no spots open for Lee to fill. The Yankees already have CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte as left-handed starters, combined with Javier Vazquez, AJ Burnett, and Phil Hughes as right-handers.

The debate will continue and will probably include a list of other players before the trade deadline comes up. It’s hard to say if any of these players make sense based on their contracts, salaries, and positions.

Before Brian Cashman goes and makes any of these moves, he has to remember that the New York Yankees still are the best team in baseball. Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada have been battling injuries, while Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira have been having slow seasons. Yet, the Yankees continue to win games.

Who knows what will happen in the coming weeks and months?

It’s the Yankees. Anything is possible.

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In my last article I took a look back at the old guard of the New York Yankees: Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte.

Then I realized that New York might have a new core four of players: Brett Gardner, Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, and Joba Chamberlain.

All of them won their first World Series together last year and are shaping into quite a nice quartet of players.

Everyone in the world of baseball now knows who Cano is and what he is capable of doing with the bat. As of June 17 he has the highest batting average in MLB at .370 and also leads the Yankees with 14 home runs and 48 RBI.

Cano is off to a great start to his still very young career, being only 27, and will definitely continue to be a force for the Yanks down the road. 

By far the biggest surprise on the Yankees this year has been the 26-year-old out fielder Gardner, who continues to impress even here in mid June so you can’t say he just started hot.

Gardner has hit three home runs and driven in 22 runs, but you can’t simply look at those stats when it comes to him. He has hit .317 for the Bombers, with a .401 on base percentage, and stolen 22 bases so far.

Gardner looks to be coming into his own this season, and is proving to be a tough out at the plate for any pitcher, lefty or righty. If he keeps this up all year, he might just be calling left field in the Bronx home for a long time.

Now to the pitching side, where the Yankees seem to be happy with Chamberlain in the bullpen and in the set up role right now.

Being just 24 years old, Chamberlain has seen time in the rotation and now back again in the bullpen, where I believe he is best suited for. He has struggled at times this season, as evident in his 4.76 ERA, but most of that came from a few bumps in the road and he has settled down some recently.

Chamberlain has also picked up some saves this year when Rivera couldn’t go, and it looks like he might be the heir apparent to the great closer. Who knows what the future holds for Chamberlain, but if he can be half as good as Rivera, then it will be a bright one.

That brings me to Hughes who has firmly planted himself into the starting rotation for years to come this season.

The future ace of the Yankees, has gone 9-1 with a 3.11 ERA this year, after beating out Chamberlain for the fifth starter spot in the rotation.

Many thought that Chamberlain was built more like a starter than Hughes and that he should be in the rotation. Well I think the Yankees made the correct choice, and are extremely pleased with what they are getting out of him right now.

Only time will tell if this new core four will be better than the last, but so far they are off to a great start, and will be the faces of a new Yankee era.

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In my last story, I admitted to being wrong about Javier Vazquez being an utter failure for the Yankees when he has turned himself around in just a short month.

I am here to admit being wrong about another Yankee, who has stepped up greatly for the Bombers.

In the off season, I had called Brett Gardner nothing more than a fourth outfielder and couldn’t be a consistent starter.

I did stories trying to get the Yankees to resign Johnny Damon because of the lack of depth they had for the left field spot.

I also did stories saying that Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth could in fact be Yankees for the 2011 season. My story on Crawford all but guaranteed Crawford being fitted for pinstripes by New Year’s Eve.

That was all before the 2010 season.

Now, we are two and a half months into the 2010 season and I am here to say that the Yankees DO NOT need either Crawford or Werth when free agency comes along, because Gardner is playing up to—and even beyond—expectations.

In 2010, Gardner, who had not batted higher than .270, is currently batting .322 for the Yankees (65-for-202). In 2009, he only had 67 hits in 108 games played, so Gardner is hitting much better in the 2010 season as a full-time starter.

Not only is Gardner hitting, but he is also getting extra base hits as well. So far, he’s got six doubles, which ties his mark from 2009, and four triples. He also has three home runs, which is tied for his 2009 mark; but Gardner isn’t a home run hitter, and that’s just fine.

Not only has Gardner’s hitting improved, but so has his on-base percentage and ability to get on base.

In 2009, his OBP was just at .345; now in 2010, it’s at .406. Getting Gardner on base is vital to the offense because he can score a ton of runs and steals a lot of bases.

Right now, Gardner already has 44 runs scored and 22 stolen bases, so he is doing his part for the Yankee offense.

When Gardner was named the starting left fielder, I had said that he needed to develop into a Jacoby Ellsbury-like hitter and he is doing that, plus more considering Ellsbury has been out for a lot of 2010 with injuries.

Gardner is now hitting and getting on base to go along with his range on defense and fast legs on the basepaths. This is the player the Yankees hoped that would come about when he first came up in 2008.

If Gardner continues to play like he does, he could eventually take over as the everyday lead-off hitter for the Yankees in the future, and his run total could increase even more. For now, keeping him in the bottom of the order seems to be working very well.

Also, with Gardner not only playing well and being able to keep his left fielder spot, the Yankees won’t have to spend money on getting Crawford or Werth in the winter, especially with the good play of Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher as well. The Yankees can spend money to resign their core players and focus on improving the starting rotation if needed.

As good of players that Werth and Crawford are, the Yankees simply won’t need, nor have the room for either of them because you can’t bump Gardner now, not after the season he is having for the Yankees.

It looks like “Brett The Jet” has become a fixture in the Yankees lineup and will be so for a long time now.

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This is the latest installment of the 2010 New York Yankee progress, honoring the epic Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. According to the astute readers of imdb.com, the Baseball-Reference of the movie and T.V. industry, “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo ” is ranked as the No. 4 movie of all time .

What is more important is that the Yankees have vaulted themselves into the No. 1 record in the major leagues. With Sunday’s 9-5 win over the Houston Astros, combined with Tampa Bay’s 6-1 loss to the Florida Marlins, the Yankees and Rays are tied atop of the AL East with identical 40-23 records , the best record in MLB.

The Yankees have been 9-3 in June, fattening up on the Baltimore Orioles (5-1) and the Houston Astros (recent three game sweep), while losing two of three to the pitching-rich Toronto Blue Jays.

All numbers are from the last 14 days, unless noted.

Il Buono

No. 1 Robinson Cano —has slashed .395 BA/.469 OBP/.605 SLG/1.074 OPS, with three doubles, two homers, seven RBI and 13 runs scored. Even more impressive are his numbers over the last month at .443/.476/.660/1.136.

During one stretch of his recent 17 game hitting streak, Cano had multiple hits in eight straight (19-33, 3 2B, 3 HR, 14 RBI).

Simply ridiculous, and at the top of the leaderboards for American League MVP.

No. 2 Brett Gardner —How can you not love Brett the Jet?  After a mini-slump which brought his numbers down considerably, Gardner began to hit again (and walk), by slashing .455/.552/.773/1.324 over the last week. Included were a double, triple, and his third home run.

Until Sunday, that homer tied him for the New York city left field lead with the New York Mets Jason Bay, he of the $66 million contract. Bay hit his fourth home run Sunday, but Gardner still leads the very wealthy Bay in OPS (.822 vs. .806).

No. 3 Derek Jeter —Do you really think he was going to stay on the bad list forever? After going through a long funk at the plate and in the field, which prompted the annual “Is Derek Jeter Done?” articles, Jeter has ripped a .333/.391/.514/.906 line over the last month.

While many do not like it when Jeter goes after the first pitch, he is hitting .404 with a .908 OPS when hacking at the first offering. The key is swinging at good strikes.

No. 4 Curtis Granderson —While Granderson’s overall numbers since returning from the disabled list are not great, the team has picked up its pace since Curtis returned to the lineup and his position in center.

That is because we saw less of Randy Winn (before being released), Marcus Thames and rookie Kevin Russo.

The Yankees are 12-4 since his return, but were only 7-11 in the last 18 games he was out of the lineup.

I would still like Granderson to sit back more when he swings, as he is often out in front on the right leg during swings and misses.

No. 5 Nick Swisher —He is turning in to one of my favorite Yankee players. I was not a fan of the trade which brought him here, but he has done very well, and has been instrumental in the lengthening of the 2009 and 2010 lineups. Has hit a very consistent .308/.402/.495/896 with 19 runs, eight doubles, three homers and 16 RBI over last month.

No. 6 CC Sabathia —What? He is struggling, right? Well, he is 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in his two June starts. A 6-3 record thus far should be 8-3, but CC lost a win at Boston because of a rain delay and another when Joe Girardi pulled CC early against the Sawx and the bullpen blew the game.

This is a durable pitcher who should be allowed to throw 125-135 pitches each start.

No. 7 Andy Pettitte —Happy Birthday to Pettitte, who turns 38 today. Imagine on Thursday when Pettitte faces Jamie Moyer, who is seven years older than Andy?

Age is no factor for Pettitte, who is still dominating lineups by changing speeds and hitting corners. Again, why do scouts always worry about velocity and arm strength when a guy who does not top 90 MPH can consistently get guys out?

No. 8 Yankee bullpen —Over the last two weeks, the main part of the bullpen, Mariano Rivera, Joba, D-Rob, Chan Ho Park and Damaso Marte have been outstanding. They have thrown 21 innings, allowing 12 hits, five walks, and struck out 23. That is a WHIP of .809 and the one earned run allowed leads to a miniscule 0.43 ERA.

No. 9 Javier Vazquez —He is 4-1, 3.03 ERA over the last month with a 0.918 WHIP. While he has allowed five home runs, Javy has only walked five over his last 33 innings. He has been the most consistent starter this side of Pettitte.

He is similar to Andy by changing speeds and hitting that outside corner to RH hitters with his curve ball being the key to his success.

Il brutto

No. 1 Francisco Cervelli— Wow! He has come back down to earth faster than the Space Shuttle. Over the last month, the Cisco Kid has hit under .200 with an OPS of .522. He still dos come through with key RBI singles.

His 13 hits (all singles) over the last month have produced 12 RBI. He is still a force on defense and calls a great game.

I love the way he watches the batter before he puts down the sign. Concentrate on Cervelli during a couple at bats tonight and you will see what I mean.

No. 2 Alex Rodriguez —it has nothing to do with his lack of power, because he is still hitting the ball hard. But his injury could be more severe than a few missing days. Any long term time missed could hurt the Yankees lineup at a time when it was finally complete. (I do not count Nick Johnson).

No. 3 Jorge Posada —Two swings doesn’t make a season. Posada was brutal before his two grand slam weekend, but he also swung the bat better in other at bats during the Houston Series.

Posada gets into a taking pitches groove once in a while, taking good hitting strikes. This leads to indecisiveness and too much thinking at the plate.

When Posada is aggressive and still taking his walks by not swinging at balls outside the zone, he is a much better hitter.

Stay aggressive and hit good pitches, Jorge!  

Il cattivo

No. 1 AJ Burnett —An 0-2 record with 7.11 ERA in June with four home runs allowed in two games. Combine that with five walks and 14 hits in 12.2 innings pitched, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Bad AJ go home, but tell your twin brother, good AJ, to come back out and play.

No. 2 Marcus Thames —basically it is the entire bench which stinks, but since I think Thames never should have made the team in the first place, he is my poster boy.

Thames is 2 for his last 22 with eight strikes out and an OPS of .322. By the time his injury heals, I hope Chad Huffman (or Jorge Vazquez from Triple A) takes his roster spot – for good.

Combine Thames with Ramiro Pena, Kevin Russo and Chad Moeller, and the bench is 14 for 81 with four doubles and six RBI over the last month.

That is why Alex needs to be back in the lineup soon.

No. 3 Chad Gaudin —There is no conceivable reason why Gaudin actually pitches in games or is on the roster. He stinks!

Having been released twice already this season, once by the Yankees should only reiterate how bad this guy is.

There is no reason why Gaudin should have been in the June 5th game in the bottom of the 13th in a tie game at Toronto. It only took nine pitches before the Yankees were walking off the field.

That 13th inning rundown: Batter One – leadoff walk on FOUR pitches. Batter two – sac bunt on second pitch. Batter three – game winning single on an 0-2 count!

No way the Yankees should lose on the road to a division rival without using your best relief pitcher, Mariano Rivera.

Get rid of this loser, Gaudin, and bring up Mark Melancon for good.

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