
All in all Soriano came off a rough 2011 season, his first season in Pinstripes. But hear me out, he’ll have a big season this year and elevate himself back into the discussion by the fans as to who will “replace” Mariano Rivera. I wrote WHY RAFAEL SORIANO WILL REBOUND IN 2012, and in it I explained Soriano’s possible change in mindset while rehabbing his elbow injury suffered in the middle of last season. He needed to check his ego, considering his body language and attitude off the field wasn’t even close to being ideal. And because of that, the results on the mound showed, as he posted a solid 3.33 ERA and 26/7 K/BB ratio in 26 games, and maybe, just maybe, reinstalled some confidence in Yankees fans going forward.

First and foremost, Rafael Soriano needs to have a big 2012, in my opinion, to be considered as Mariano Rivera’s heir apparent. Who knows if he’ll really opt-out of his contract, but I don’t see him opting out if he has a less-than-stellar season again as, like I said earlier, he’ll be guaranteed $14 million in 2013. Although he’s not a fan favorite, there’s a reason why the Yankees signed him. They knew he was an elite level reliever when right, and because of that he should get just as much of a look as David Robertson or anyone else to be Rivera’s heir apparent.
--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse
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