Kuzul

The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers are exposing the MLB playoffs, and the game of baseball in general, for what they really are.

In baseball, a single pitch in a hitter’s hot zone could be the deciding factor between a World Series appearance or historical insignificance. More often than not, a confident team feeding off of recent success is better-suited for October than a team that appears to be superior on paper.

In the case of the 2012 American League Championship Series, the Tigers are playing the role of the team that’s on fire, and the Yankees are starring as the team that can’t remember how good it was in the regular season.

The series is not over, of course. The Yankees have a huge hurdle to clear tonight against Justin Verlander, but the playing field will be more even if New York can avoid the 3-0 hole.

In order to do so, there are a few things the Bronx Bombers must accomplish tonight. If they don’t, it’s going to be a long offseason in the Big Apple.

Stop striking out and get some hits.

We knew coming into October that the Yankees live and die by the long ball. Strikeouts are part of loading the batting order with power hitters, but the prevailing notion was that New York had enough big bats in the lineup to make up for all the strikeouts. 

Turns out that this was an incorrect diagnosis. The Yankees have given new life to the term “free-swinging,” averaging 9.6 strikeouts per outing in their seven playoff games. They’ve struck out 20 times (against just five walks) in two games against Detroit, which has contributed heavily to their going 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position.

The biggest offender has been Robinson Cano. The graceful second baseman has forgotten how to hit, batting 2-for-22 with four strikeouts in the playoffs. That’s a .091 clip for a guy that hit .313 in the regular season. With Justin Verlander taking the mound tonight, the Yankees have to find a way to get good wood on the ball fast, or their season will be for naught. 

Keep the lineup steady.

The big story throughout the playoffs has been whether or not manager Joe Girardi should drop Alex Rodriguez from third in the batting order. Girardi did eventually drop A-Rod—but he switched up a lot more in the process. 

Even before Derek Jeter got injured, Girardi had made questionable decisions. Raul Ibanez had played the hero against Baltimore in the late innings, but that didn’t justify putting him in the cleanup spot. Russell Martin hit .211 during the season and shouldn’t be hitting in the five-hole, and Curtis Granderson, while he does strike out a lot, still shouldn’t be hitting seventh. 

The Yankees need to go back to what made them successful—batting the right guys in the right spots and letting them do their jobs. I understand that the bats have been silenced, but it only takes one good game to awaken a lineup. Hitters are creatures of habit, and constantly shifting them around, in addition to the pressure they face in the playoffs, is the worst strategy to try and shake things up.

Regain that New York swagger—before it’s gone for a while.

Part of the reason the Yankees had such a great regular season is because they scared teams with their power and versatility. Few teams can match the Yankees’ lineup from top to bottom, and New York finished second in the majors in scoring.

They seem to have lost all semblance of that confident team in this postseason. The shocking thing is, it’s not like the Yankees have young players who have little experience. This is the oldest roster in baseball, and it’s wilting under the bright lights like its never been on a big stage before.

In order for the Yankees to beat Verlander, they need to remember how good they really are.

Jeter’s injury is a huge blow, but that doesn’t mean guys like Cano, Granderson, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher should be struggling as well. It’s impossible to fathom how far the Yanks have fallen. It seems like literally every player has hit a cold streak at the exact same time, and there’s no way to return to form without gaining back that good old Yankee swagger.

This brings another issue into play: the Yankees’ age.

The roster has an average age of 31.7 years, by far the oldest in the majors. If the Yankees don’t wake up now, they’ll soon see that their amazing run of playoff successes in the last decade will be a distant memory. It’s time to put up or shut up.

The window is closing on the New York Yankees.

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Success certainly raises the bar, as the Boston Red Sox have learned.

Two World Series titles in the first decade of the new millennium made the Red Sox more like the New York Yankees than they probably care to be. As the payroll increased, so did expectations. When those expectations weren’t met, the ax fell. First on manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein, and now on the core of the team expected to contend this season.

Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford are headed to Dodger town with their silly money contracts in one of the biggest trades in baseball history, according to the Associated Press via ESPN.

The Red Sox get James Loney and some prized Dodger prospects as they rebuild in the image of first-year general manager Ben Cherington. And the third-highest payroll in the major leagues behind the Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies just nose-dived like the stock market in the crash of 2008.

But should Yankee fans rejoice as the Red Sox raise the white flag and begin to rebuild?

Or are the Bronx Bombers facing a similar fate in 2013 or 2014?

The Red Sox aren’t finished cutting ties with the glory days of the early 2000s. David Ortiz is probably spending his final months in a Boston uniform. John Lester may be on the trading block, and perhaps Dustin Pedroia too, even though he is a fan favorite.

No one knows whether Bobby Valentine will be back as manager.

The Yankees do not have the toxic clubhouse problems that initiated the dismantling of the Red Sox. Like their rivals, however, they are an aging team saddled with contracts that are weighing them down. They are also adhering to a philosophy that the free-spending days of George Steinbrenner are over and that the Yankees will have a payroll of $185 million going forward to avoid a luxury tax.

Most teams would salivate having that kind of money to spend, but in New york this represents belt-tightening.

Nick Swisher will be a free agent as will catcher Russell Martin. Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano will be entering their walk year in 2013.

And A-Rod and Mark Teixeira are being paid for production they don’t deliver anymore.

The progress of the young arms in the farm system has been delayed by injuries, and there aren’t any position players that appear to be ready to step into the lineup in 2013.

The Yankees have managed to keep winning, however, but the question is whether or not this will allow them to avoid the Red Sox’s fate. Or is it simply delaying the inevitable?

Let’s look at a few Yankees who may not be wearing pinstripes in the future: 

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Earlier in the season, Josh Hamilton dominated all American League MVP discussion. As June has progressed, though, Curtis Granderson is quietly making his case to be considered.

While Hamilton’s 22 home runs and 62 RBI still make him the favorite, Granderson’s 20 home runs and 39 RBI are also quite good.

Granderson’s case for the MVP award is backed by his consistency this season. In March/April, he launched eight home runs and hit .262. In May, he hit eight home runs with an average of .257. We’re currently half-way through the month of June, and Granderson has four home runs with an average of .250.

His consistency helped to keep the Yankee offense somewhat afloat during it’s rough stretches in April and May and, without his production, the Yankees may not be as well off as they are right now.

His 46 runs scored are good enough for fourth in all of baseball as well.

Unfortunately, there are several factors holding him back from winning the award.

Even without considering his competition in the league—Hamilton, Paul Konerko, Adam Jones—Granderson’s 73 strikeouts, .257 batting average and probable failure to drive in more than 100 runs will really hurt his case.

Barring any hot or cold streak, CBSSports.com projects that Granderson is on pace for exactly 100 RBI.

When all is said and done, Granderson will likely receive votes for the MVP award. Unfortunately, it’ll likely be the same result as last season when he finished fourth in the voting.

If he keeps hitting like he is, then neither the team or Granderson will likely care if he’s recognized for the award.

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The Winter Meetings just ended this week and as expected, Brian Cashman made zero significant moves other than bringing back their own free agents. The Yankees may be interested in Yu Darvish and Yoenis Cespedes, but as of right now, they have not made any moves.

The 2011-2012 offseason was dominated by first basemen, such as Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, but the New York Yankees already have Mark Teixeira and had no need for either of them.

The Yankees need pitching to push them over the top to legitimate World Series contenders, and the 2012-2013 free agent class is full of great starting pitchers. The Yankees also have other important needs, such as right field and the left side of the infield.

This class of free agents is loaded, and Brian Cashman would be smart to take advantage of this fact and go out and make at least one huge deal. Let’s see who they will be targeting in the next offseason.

It may be a little early, but we all love predictions, so let’s look ahead at next offseason targets for the New York Yankees.

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As the MLB trade deadline approaches every year, rumors swirl about what big names will be on the move.

I barely even remembered Alex Rodriguez almost ended up with the Boston Red Sox back in 2003 before the MLBPA shot it down. Can you imagine how differently things could have turned out around the league?

It’s fun to look back on trades and think about “what could have been” after seeing how some of the prospects turned out a few years down the road. So many teams make trades that look horrible in the long run (see: Pittsburgh Pirates), but there are just as many cases where trades fall through that would have been great for those teams.

The following 10 trades were all at one point in time in the works before being declined or falling apart—and they all could have reshaped MLB as we know it.

Here are 10 trades that almost happened (but never did).

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The hated enemy, the Boston Red Sox, took over first place in the American League East division last night, pushing the New York Yankees into the unfamiliar position of being a second-place team.

Boston and New York are tied in the lost column. It’s never too early to be aware of the lost column. The Yankees can make up the two wins by which they trail the Red Sox. Losses can never be made up.

Paradoxically, the Yankees’ problem, as ridiculous as it sounds, is their offense.

They lead the league in runs scored with 253 and average 5.16 runs a game, which is excellent, but the concern is how and when they score.

About 50 percent of the Yankees’ runs are result of the home run. The problem is that they score only about 50 percent of their runs without hitting a home run.

The first five batters in the Yankees lineup are solid, but Derek Jeter (.254/.308/.318) and Robinson Cano (.273/.312/.481) have been less productive than in the past.

The number six through number nine hitters’ decreased production from past years has been less noticeable thanks to the fact that top of the order hitters have covered for them.

Curtis Granderson is having an outstanding season and has 16 home runs with a .620 slugging average. Mark Teixeira has hit 14 home runs. Alex Rodriguez is doing well as well, hitting .288 with nine home runs and a .500 slugging average.

Russell Martin, Jorge Posada, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner have tailed off. If the top five don’t produce, the Yankees often are in trouble, especially when they fail to hit the long ball.

Joe Girardi recently kept Swisher out of the lineup to give him time to work with batting coach Kevin Long.

Last night against the Seattle Mariners, Swisher walked and singled to raise his batting average to an awful .206, but with the Yankees trailing by a run, Swisher took a called third strike leading off the ninth inning.

Swisher led off the ninth inning because in the eighth inning, with Swisher at bat, Eduardo Nunez stole second to put the potential tying run in scoring position with two outs.

That is the kind of baseball that wins games, but then Nunez was picked off second, which in inexcusable.

Nunez expressed remorse after the game.

“I feel bad. It’s a big play in the inning,” Nunez told MLB.com’s Brian Holch. “The tying run is me. To get picked off, I feel so bad. It happens.”

Overall, the Yankees have the most prodigious offense in the major leagues, but upon close examination, the Yankees have scored nine or more runs in a game seven times, which has accounted for 80 of their 253 runs.

The problem is that they have often have trouble scoring in low scoring games when one or two runs can turn the game around.

In the 4-3 loss last night, Yankees pitchers held the Mariners hitless in chances with runners in scoring position, but the Mariners scored all of their runs on ground ball outs.

The Yankees will make the playoffs, but in October, when they don’t face the opposition’s fourth and fifth starters, they must score playing “small ball” as well as getting some home runs, but hitting home runs in the playoffs is usually difficult.

Winning 15-3 and 12-1 is great, but it is winning 3-2 and 2-1 that produces world champions.

Ask the 1960 Yankees.

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One of those vaunted New York and Boston rivalries comes to the forefront for New England fans who are reeling over the loss of the Celtics.

We began to wonder what exactly we are likely to see this weekend at the House Next Door to the House That Ruth Built.

If a visitor arrived all the way from Uranus to see what all the space chatter is about, he’d be perplexed to find two normal teams, playing typical baseball.

Well, they are as normal as baseball allows.

An interloper from space would surely notice that Yankee pitchers are fat. Bartolo Colon and Joba the Chamberlain look like Pizza the Hutt from a bad Mel Brooks movie.

And the Red Sox pitchers, like Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard, seem to be married to Jack Spratt’s former wife. They don’t look like they ever had a chance to lick the platter clean.

The splendid splinters on the Red Sox all seem to be pitchers.

Late arriving radio waves to the outer planet may have not told the visitor that Derek Jeter, erstwhile hero of the Yankees for a generation, seems to have fallen and can’t seem to get up.

Home runs seem to come from Mickey Mantle’s grandson, someone named Granderson, no less.

Our extraterrestrial visitor would have heard about the great catchers of the past, like Thurman Munson and Carleton Fisk, but now a couple of guys named Martin and Saltalamacchia seem unable to catch much of anything, not even a break.

Our friendly visitor from another world may have heard reports how in the past every one in the starting lineup on the Red Sox was batting near .300, and now nearly every starter is barely hitting .250.

In the past, all those great hitters meant the team was mired in fifth place. Now, so-so hitting means the team is mired in fifth place.

Einstein was right about space travel, but he had no idea how it might affect a baseball fan. Better to sit on Uranus and think about those champion-caliber Big Bad Bruins.

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This is a slideshow on the top 10 Yankee performers right now.  Keep in mind that the entire show is not based on past seasons’ performances.  It is only based on the future, which I think is the most relevant tool that we can look to at this point.  Thus, don’t be surprised if you see some major names kept off of this list.

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The Yankees just can’t catch a break.

After dealing with an ailing Joba Chamberlain, Sergio Mitre and Greg Golson this spring, the oblique strain is back and is now affecting key player Curtis Granderson.

The right muscle strain caused the hitter to be scratched from the lineup on Tuesday and may deprive Granderson of participating in Opening Day on Thursday against his former team, the Detroit Tigers.

Despite improvement from Granderson, there is still a change he may not be ready for Opening Day. Although it only took Mitre days to overcome the strain, it took Chamberlain 10 days and Golson two weeks to fully recover.

Rushing players back with this type of strain will most likely end badly.

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi told the Daily News, “We told him, look Curtis, we don’t need to rush this back where you say ‘I have to play by Friday or Saturday.’ You don’t have to do that. Let’s just make sure that when you’re ready to go, you’re ready to go.”

Despite starting off 2010 as one of the more dominant Yankee players, Granderson has had his ups and downs with the team, posting a .247 batting average with the Yankees last season.

Facing some difficulties on the plate, Granderson finished April with just a .211 batting average; this slump continued throughout the summer.

Thankfully for the Yankees, Granderson performed to his full potential from September throughout the playoffs, recording a .455 batting average in the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins and a .294 in the ALCS against the Texas Rangers.

Before becoming injured, Granderson’s success continued throughout Spring Training, recording a .385 batting average in 15 games.

“I know the guys more, I know the facility more, the coaching staff more,” Granderson told reporters of the Daily News, “This year will be very similar in mentality to every other spring training except for last year. I’m excited about that. Everything is just normal again.”

With Granderson feeling more comfortable and apart of the Yankees, when he is fully recovered from this strain (hopefully by Thursday), Granderson is expected to play as well as he has been.

If unable to play by Thursday, Brett Gardner will go back to his old position and replace Granderson in center field as Andruw Jones is a candidate to play left field.

Jones recorded a .230 batting average last season with 19 home runs, 12 doubles and one triple with the Chicago White Sox.

Another favorite to replace Granderson is outfielder Chris Dickerson (.267). The player went 3-for-3 with a RBI and a double on Saturday against the Pirates at Steinbrenner Field before getting taken out of the game due to cramps and hamstring spasms.

If healthy, he will most likely replace Granderson over Jones in left field.

Granderson being unable to play on Opening Day would impact the lineup, as he has more experience than Dickerson and is a better hitter and outfielder than either of these players.

However, the Yankees offense is performing up to par, leaving them to be in good shape until the Grandy man returns.

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An injured player that returns can be like making a one-sided trade for your fantasy team. You can add a star player to your lineup while dropping your worst player. Sometimes the strategy pays off. Sometimes it blows up in your face. You have to take risks to win fantasy championships though.

Here are some injured players that you can store in your “bank” in hopes that they will pay dividends down the road.

Kendrys Morales, 1B, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Morales is a little scary right now because he seems to be getting worse, rather than better. You probably remember he broke his leg celebrating a walk off grand slam on May 29th last year. He has been experiencing soreness in his toe. Mark Trumbo, who has been dealing with an injury (groin) of his own, will keep first base warm for Morales. Kendrys hit 34 home runs in 2009 and had 11 in 51 games before going down. Unfortunately you’re going to have to still take him fairly early (64 average draft position) because of his potential. Hopefully he won’t spend too much time in your DL slot.

Curtis Granderson, OF, New York Yankees
Granderson strained his oblique, which could cause him to miss the start of the season. While that is disappointing news to fantasy owners, it could give you better value than his ADP (73) before the injury. Granderson hit 17 home runs and carried a .861 OPS after the All-Star break last year.

Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies 
Utley is another guy that comes with a risk thanks to a knee injury that will likely keep him out on Opening Day. Anytime a knee is involved, it’s a pretty sticky situation. Best case scenario is it heals fast and it doesn’t hinder his production. The likely scenario is Utley playing through the injury, but his numbers will be affected. The worst case scenario is Utley being shut down. We don’t really know what is going to happen with him. That’s what makes drafting Utley so scary. His ADP is 18, but sinking fast.

Grady Sizemore, OF, Cleveland Indians
Sizemore won’t play on Opening Day, as he recovers from a knee injury. When he returns, he will probably be limited initially. He isn’t a 30-30 threat this year, but he could post a 20 HR/20 SB season. His ADP is 99, which makes him a little bit of a risk. The payday could be great though.

Carlos Beltran, OF, New York Mets
Beltran is shooting for Opening Day, but given his injury history, I wouldn’t hold my breath. The main reason I like Beltran is his value. His ADP is 228, meaning you can get him around the 19th round of fantasy drafts. I don’t think he’ll ever post the numbers he did, as recently as 2008, but he could be a solid power/speed combo.
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Brian Wilson, RP, San Francisco Giants
Like Granderson, Wilson is dealing with a strained oblique. It is an injury that can be aggravated, but it’s not alarming at this point. Wilson remains one of the game’s elite closers.
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Johan Santana, SP, New York Mets
It’s gambling time. Johan won’t like pitch until the All-Star break, if he pitches at all in 2011. He’s an excellent second half pitcher, but will he be productive without having the first half to get warmed up?  With an ADP of 208, he is certainly worth the risk. If he is 75 percent of what he’s been after the break (65-23, 2.95 ERA, 1.07 WHIP), you could get a huge boost for the stretch run.
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Jake Peavy, SP, Chicago White Sox
Peavy’s return from lat reattachment surgery is dealing with rotator cuff tendinitis. It’s only expected to keep him out a few weeks of the season. He struggled a bit last year going 7-6 with a 4.63 ERA. I think he’ll be closer to the pitcher that went 9-6 with a 3.45 ERA with the White Sox in 2009.

Johnny Cueto, SP, Cincinnati Reds
Cueto’s shoulder will sideline him for the start of the year. He still should have plenty of value for fantasy owners. His ERA and WHIP have gone down in each of the past two years. He’s worth considering towards the end of your draft.

Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Value Picks
• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Profiles
• 2011 Fantasy First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Closer Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only Closer Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only Closer Rankings

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com