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New York Yankees Spring Training Report
By ToddN
Baseball season is finally here and spring training is over. It has been a very successful preseason from many different perspectives, particularly from the aspect of rookie potential and successful leadership provided by the veterans of most of the contending ball-clubs.The Bronx Bombers are no exception to this exciting transition into the regular season
competition. The New York Yankees organization is riding high with expectations for the
upcoming regular season. A ball club steeped in so much tradition of winning should
have high expectations. This year they have a lot of young players to help the team get
back to the playoffs and advance much further then another early stinging elimination in
the divisional series.
Players like Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang have a lot of potential to try and get
this team back to the World Series. Robinson Cano is entrenched at second base
because of his range and athleticism; he continues to astound everyone that witnesses
his rock solid defense. Based on spring training he should have a breakout season this
year and all years beyond. Hitting and fielding has always been one of his strengths
along with his knowledge for the game. Cano is still young and has a long career ahead
of him. Chien- Ming Wang is a young pitcher the Yankees picked up in 2004 from
Taiwan. He helped the Chinese-Taipei team advance far in the Olympic tournament in
2004. He pitched with the Yankees triple A team for five starts and then was called up to
the big leagues in 2004. This pitcher has great potential to rack up a lot of wins. Barring
serious injury he should be a mainstay in the Yankees rotation for years to come.
The Yankees have a surplus of talent in the minor leagues, names like Kevin Reese,
Melky Cabrera and Eric Duncan. Reese has been with the Yankees organization since
2002. He started out with the Yankees AA team and is now at the AAA level. He has had
brief stints with the Yankees at the Major League Level. He¡¯s a very patient hitter and
does not strikeout a lot. He makes very good contact with the baseball and has average
speed but doesn¡¯t steal very many bases. Reese¡¯s batting average ranges between
.290 and .300.
Melky Cabrera grew up in the Dominican Republic. He has been in the Yankees
organization since 2003, started out at Single A ball and now has moved up to the
Yankees AAA team. He has had brief stints with the Yankees at the major league level
in 2005. Coming out of spring training he had a shot to make the Yankees major league
roster but was optioned down to the AAA team due to the veterans on the team that
have more experience at his outfield position. Cabrera¡¯s batting average is .285 to .290;
he steals bases from time to time but not often. He does make good contact and can lay
down a bunt with the best of them.
There are other good, solid prospects on the horizon as well; Eric Duncan is a 3rd
baseman in the Yankees organization. Currently he is playing at the AAA level where he
continues to amaze everyone with his glove work and his on base percentage. He has
incredible range and is an exceptional athlete. He is one of the top prospects in all of
baseball. Unfortunately, Alex Rodriguez is the starting 3rd baseman for the New York
Yankees. A change in position or a move to another ball-club might benefit Duncan¡¯s
chances of making it on a major league roster to play every day. Of course, all these
young up and comers are going to need great leadership.
There is no better way to exhibit great leadership than by winning. Everybody knows that
good pitching wins games in major league baseball. The Yankees have one of the best
starting rotations in the American League. Randy Johnson seems right at home in New
York, even though he¡¯s only been there for one season, he practically owns the town. It
must have caught the eye of the Yankees when "The Big Unit" came into the game in
relief for one inning in the 2001 World Series and slammed the door in the face of the
Yankees¡¯ hopes of winning it all. It was the first time Johnson had come in for relief since
1996 when he was with the Seattle Mariners. It wasn¡¯t exactly a surprise move, as
Johnson was the best they had sitting in the bullpen, but it sure got the fans¡¯ attention.
Surely Diamondback fans miss his blazing fastball. Although Johnson is 42 years old he
can still bring it to the mound every night and be dominating. Although he struggled a bit
with the Yankees last year, there are a lot of expectations for his return to his glory
status.
After all is said and done in spring training, the Yankees are high on their prospective
outlook for a successful season. The conditioning of their players has reached peak
levels, the line-ups are set, and the boys of summer are inspired. The New York -
Boston rivalry is going to be as strong as ever. Both of these organizations are going to
look to their veteran leadership to provide guidance by example to a fresh batch of
rookie talent, as well as the seasoned minor-leaguers brought up into the majors
through excellent showings in spring training 2006.
About the Author
This article was written by Todd N. sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com. If you're looking for baseball tickets to see your favorite team live in action, look no further than Stubhub.com where fans buy and sell the hottest sports tickets. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.stubhub.com
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