People
have given them no chance, no hope. They are too old, they are not athletic
enough, they lost too much. These Yankees might be all those but they are still
the New York Yankees. They have brought back key players from last year and
have revamped their team. Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, and Ichiro Suzuki are
all key components that have resigned. The Yankees will have 7 of their 9
starters back for this season. Yes they may be a year older but we are talking
about the Yankees. The same team that won the 2009 World Series, the same team
that made it to the American League Championship Series last season.
These
Yankees are different. They will play different and look different. No longer
will these Yankees rely solely on the long ball. This team will manufacture
runs with the speed of Ichiro and Brett Gardner, who missed most of the 2012
season with an elbow injury. Gardner was a huge loss to the Yankees last season
but back this year, he adds much better defense and a speed element they did
not have last year. The Yankees will also have Robinson Cano and Curtis
Granderson, two players entering the final year of their contracts. They will
be looking to have career years and will once again be the anchors to this
lineup.
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| Jeter rehabbing from his recent injury |
Cano
should return to form after having one of the worst postseasons in Major League
history. The Yankees do have injury questions without a doubt. Mariano Rivera
is returning off an ACL injury and Derek Jeter will be coming back from an
ankle injury. Both of these players are the hardest working players in baseball
and there is no reason why both should be at full strength when the season
comes because the Yankees will definitely need them.
So,
say what you want about this Yankees team but they are resilient, proven, and
hungry for their 28th World Series Championship in franchise
history.
