WHY THE 2012 YANKEES WILL LOOK DIFFERENT: PART 4

Robinson Cano: .302, 28 HR, 118 RBI. Cano is the only starter to hit over .300 this year and probably was the most clutch player in the lineup. Robbie has matured and turned into a excellent player since his BFF Melky Cabrera was shipped off to the Braves. He plays amazing
defense and Girardi finally wised up at the end of the season and moved Cano to the 3 hole in the lineup. I think its safe to say Cano is going to be the cornerstone of both the infield and the lineup for years to come.Eric Chavez: .263, 2 HR, 26 RBI in 58 injury-plagued games. Chavez was a good pickup last off season. The question was always his health. Chavez is a good fit as a backup corner infielder for the Yanks. He started out quick and then broke his foot. Speculation is that Chavez will retire, but if he chooses to play again, I’d love to have him back as a backup to Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.

Derek Jeter: .297, 6 HR, 61 RBI. Once the chase to 3000 was over Jeter seemed to be on a mission to prove everyone who said he was done, wrong. He finished a few hits shy of .300 this year. Yes his defensive range is down, but this year Jeet proved he still is a viable lead off option. The day will come when Jeter needs to make room for the younger guys, but if 2011 was any indication, 2012 will not be that year.Eduardo Nunez: .265, 5 HR, 30 RBI in 112 games. Remember Nunez is only 24. He makes way too many errors defensively, but his offense has potential to be a contributor to this team next year. When he was up there he always seemed to add a spark. However, the question remains: Is he a Brett Gardner or a Shane Spencer.

Ramiro Pena: .100, 1 HR, 4 RBI in 23 games. Pena is awful. He needs to go. I don’t understand why he keeps coming up. He’s been here and continues he’s prove he’s not major league ready. Done... that was easy.Alex Rodriguez: .276, 16 HR, 62 RBI. He’s not the same player that signed the big contract. I’m not sure how much the steroids aided his ability to hit the ball, but clearly they helped him bounce back. ARod looks old and slow at the plate. Although after his return from the DL he was sharp defensively. Lucky for us Yankee fans, he’s ours through 2017.
Mark Teixeira: .248, 39 RBI, 111 RBI. The power numbers are still there, but the average continues to plummet. Perhaps moving him to the 5 hole will take off some of the pressure and Teixeira can start to hit and get on base again. Hopefully this isn’t a sign for the next 5
years of his contract.

Finally, my final Part, Part 5 will come out tomorrow. In it, I'll finally explain what I mentioned in Part 2 Jorge Posada when I wrote:

Jorge Posada: .235, 14 HR, 44 RBI in 115 games. Look, Jorge has had a fabulous career but a 40 year-old catcher needs to know when to hang up the spikes. I know he says he wants to play next year, but I can’t imagine him in any other uniform. I know where Jorge should spend 2012, but more on that later.

Look for it tomorrow morning. Thanks.

-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer
bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com



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