Yankees vs. Red Sox: Position by Position
With the Yankees falling out of playoff contention last year, the rivalry took a bit of a year off. With the moves the Yankees have made this offseason I believe they have closed the gap with their bitter rivals and the war is back on for 2009! I am no way discounting the Rays because they are the defending division champs and they will battle the Yanks and Sox all year long. This post is just purely to highlight the special rivalry the Yanks and Sox share.
C-Yankees. If Posada is anywhere near 100% his offensive production should be head and shoulders above the woeful Varitek
1B-Yankees (Barely). Tex is primed for a big year in the Bronx, but Youk is also an offensive force, especially in Fenway Park. Tiebreak goes to the Yankees because they ended up signing Teixeira away from the Sox, who so desperately wanted the slugger
2B- Red Sox. Reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia will probably come down to earth a bit from last year but Cano’s inconsistency gives Pedroia the edge.
3B-Yankees A-Rod Returns in May. Enough said.
SS-Yankees. Jeter may be headed into decline but I’d still take him over the combo of Lowrie and Lugo anyday.
LF-Push. Bay fit into the Red Sox clubhouse nicely, but Damon continues to be a force coming off of another great year.
CF- Red Sox. Ellsbury is exactly the type of player the Yankees hope Gardner turns into this year. Excellent defensively and on the bases.
RF- Push. Drew still has yet to put together a complete season in Boston. While the combination of Nady and Swisher should be comparible to Drew's production.
DH- Red Sox. Papi had a down year in 08 while Matsui could barely stay on the field. Papi takes it on pedigree.
Bench: Push. The Yankees will feature a bench with Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera on it. While the Sox have Rocco Baldelli and Mark Kotsay on the bench.
SP- Yankees. Top 3 are a push. Sabathia, Wang, Burnett are just as good as Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka. 4-5 Starters give the Yanks the edge. Pettitte and Chamberlain over Wakefield and Penny easily.
Middle Relief- Red Sox. The Yankees should be improved but the Sox have the proven bullpen arms.
Closer- Yankees. Rivera is still the greatest of all time but Papelbon isn’t far behind.
Manager- Red Sox. Francona has shown a winner’s touch while Girardi has yet to taste the champagne.
Front Office- Red Sox. You can’t argue with their success in mixing solid vets with young players from within. A lot like what the Yankees did back in ’94-’01. Yankees are slowly getting back to that formula.
Final Score: 6-6
It should be a fun year.
I’m sure these will be hotly contested opinions. I’d love to hear your comments/arguments. So please Post ‘em!
-Favad Ali
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I have to say that I agree with the position by position break downs with the exception of one. J.D. Drew was far more productive in his limited play than Nady's career year (which may never happen again). If you translate Drew's season to a full season, than he would have batted .280 with 30 Home runs and 99 RBIs. I give the nod the Sox and thus the match....
ReplyDeletePart of Drew's deficiency as a player is his inability to stay healthy. His splits are very impressive, but he is almost a shoe in to spend time on the DL each and every year which weighed into my assessment of him as a player. Baseball is a game where durability is a big key. His lack of durability is why we have yet to see Drew fulfill his true potential.
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