Winning a World Championship in baseball requires an incredible amount of focus, determination, courage, and heart. The New York Yankees are what baseball is all about. They represent the integrity of the game and have an uncanny desire to win. This year’s Yankee club is no different. They have the determination, the willpower to succeed, and the Yankee legacy on their side. One important component the Yankees lack is pitching. The Yanks have always possessed the intangibles, but this year they are missing that very important piece of the puzzle. In order to succeed in Major League Baseball every team must rely on starting pitching to help grind out the playoff games in October. The legacy of Mantle and Ruth can’t help NY now, but Clemens could’ve.
The Yankees possess the leagues best array of offensive weapons, hands down. No other team in the MLB has the same power and consistent production 1-9 then the Yankees. The Yankees will do great for the remainder of the regular season. They will lead the league in wins with over 100. If those 100+ wins carried over into the playoffs then the Yanks would probably do well, but those regular season wins mean nothing come playoff time. The playoffs are all about who matches up better with who. Their offense just won’t be enough to push them over the top.
The bottom line is that the Yankees don’t have enough starting pitching to reach the World Series. They have three solid starters: Vasquez, Brown, and Mussina. After that they don’t have much. Jose Contreras is still too inconsistent to have any playoff success. Orlando Hernandez is all washed up, at best a fifth starter for a team not in contention. Leiber hasn’t been a good pitcher since his arm surgery. He shouldn’t even be playing anymore.
Their starters that do have solidified positions on the rotation have their own issues to deal with: Vasquez is still young, can he take the barrage of the Yankee Stadium crowd in the post-season? Brown has been injury liable his entire career, he has already made a few trips to the DL, can he hold up? Mussina is getting older and has shown evidence of losing velocity, how reliable will the Moose be? All questions the Yankees will need to answer upon entering the post-season.
The Yankees are in deep trouble with the current rotation they have. Beating sub .500 teams 10-8 may be good enough to get you into the playoffs, but once you cross that line into the post-season, the teams don’t seem that easy anymore. Unless they make a move sometime before the season ends, they will fail miserably in the playoffs.
The Yanks could be looking at a first round playoff exit if they get an unfavorable matchup in the opening stage. Some unfavorable matchups would include Boston, or Anaheim. Both the Sox and the Angels have high powered offenses and consistent pitching. A favorable matchup for the Yankees would be the Rangers or Athletics. These teams excel in one area but lack in the other; these are teams the Yanks could feast on. The consistent clubs are what the Yankees will need to worry about.
If the Yankees won’t win the World Series, then who is better in the MLB? A few teams that have a better shot at the title: the Boston Red Sox should have no problem in the first round of the playoffs. They have a great slugging offense and the premiere pitching to propel them past the first round. After that they may have trouble.
The Anaheim Angels got off to a great start this year only to be plagued with the injury bug. They lost their all-star caliber third baseman for the whole year and have had other key role players go on the DL. Once they win the AL West, which I believe they will, their pitching will finally pickup again and they will reach the World Series and win the crown.
The Cubs have the great starting 5 a team needs to reach the WS. New additions of Derek Lee and Todd Walker will add some pop to the lineup. They will win the Wild Card in the NL and eventually break the dreaded curse by reaching the World Series.
The Cardinals are also in better shape then the Yankees. Although their starting pitching isn’t what it should be, they have a more consistent and reliable staff then the Yankees. They also have the offense to compliment the pitching staff. Look for the Cards to win the first round and get knocked out in the NL Championship by the Cubs.
If the Yankees have one factor on their side it has to be their bullpen. The deepest bullpen in the majors with one of the most battle tested closers, Mariano Rivera. If they Yankees are going to win a playoff series, their bullpen will have to be superb.
In the end I believe the winner of the World Series will be a team that has consistent, reliable pitching and a strong offense to supply plenty of runs. I’m not saying this team has to have 5 all-star starters, just pitchers that can get the job done, no questions asked. This is why I believe the Angels and the Cubs will reach the WS and in 7 games, the Anaheim Angels will be crowned Champions of Major League baseball. The Yankees will be left in the dust.