WHY I KNOW THE YANKEES 2011 ALDS ROSTER

It comes down to who contributed and who didn’t this season. There were some newbie’s who came up in September who provided some pop and there were some that slowed down considerably. Evaluating the whole season and using my gut a bit helped me make my decision and to me, it was pretty simple. This is what I would do if I was the Yankees and had to fill a 25 man roster for the ALDS.

I’m like the Count on Sesame Street. (A lot of Sesame Street references lately. You can see where the other part of my life lies.)

There are the obvious guys of course; Russell Martin, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… ha ha ha.For the pitchers, You have to go CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, Rafael Soriano, Cory Wade, Luis Ayala, Boone Logan and the other lefty, Raul Valdes, who in a short batch of appearances, has impressed me. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14… ha ha ha

The outfield clearly has to be Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner. That’s 3 more… 15, 16, 17… ha ha ha

Now comes the tricky part. Who would I choose to fill in the blanks? I know. Well. First off, you need a Designated hitter and since the Yankees have an experienced veteran like Jorge Posada, he’s got to join the party, but, because he can’t hit lefties and Jesus Montero can, we add him. Montero can also be a backup at catcher if need be and Posada can as well. That’s 2 more. 18, 19.

There are 6 spots left and we still need at least 1 more starter. I am choosing Freddy Garcia. It’s bold but based on experience and his ability to get out of trouble, I go with my anchor. 20.

We need alittle speed and we need alittle pop on the bench. Automatically, I need to choose Eduardo Nunez and Eric Chavez. Both have demonstrated they deliver when called upon. 21, 22… ha ha ha. 3 spots left.

I need another bench player no doubt. Someone who can bat or run late in the game to scratch out another run if needed. I’m going with Chris Dickerson. He provides extra speed and can play the outfield. 23.

2 slots left and I need to concentrate on pitching now. Phil Hughes has been suggested as a guy they’d put in the bullpen in the ALDS. But this is my concern, if Hughes has a cranky back, why the hell are we going to do that? With this guys injury record this season, I decline that option. I go with Hector Noesi. Noesi has not only proved himself, he can go a few innings and I consider him my go-to-guy if shit hits the fan. Now I’m up to 24…ha ha ha.

1 slot left and I’m going with the most controversial pick of the post. AJ Burnett. AJ Burnett will be my wild card. AJ is there if a starter gets lit up early, God forbid, or if a starter tweaks his back, kind of like how David Wells did back in 2003. We probably won’t see AJ pitch in the ALDS, but just in case, he’s there. 25. 25 Yankee roster spots filled!

Yeah… it’s not easy and it may not be perfect in your mind, but this is my opinion based on what I’ve seen all season. Yeah, it’s tough because in this series, Andruw Jones didn’t make the cut and Phil Hughes would be staying home too because of injury, but I’m confident this formula would work.

Don’t agree? Tell me why. Comment. Keep it clean too by the way, I’ll respect your roster scenario if you respect mine. Oh and one more thing… LET’S GO YANKEES!

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