CC SABATHIA IS BUT ONE MAN

One of the first lessons you learn in little league is there is no "I" in team. You work together for a common goal. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. Either way, everyone on the team participates, and everyone is equally responsible for the outcome. When you win, you congratulate one another. When you lose, you evaluate what you did wrong as a team, and how you can change that before the next game. That's what team work is. Last season our ace, CC Sabathia, didn't do so well. So he went, made his changes, and has been dominant this spring. But can he be expected to carry the team?

Richard Justice wrote a piece called "For Yankees to Succeed, CC Must Return to Form." In it he writes:

"If you look at this team from a certain angle, you see a club that's capable of competing for a division championship. Yet if things start to go south, if the older players aren't healthy and productive, if the magic disappears, it could turn into a tough ride.

Regardless of all that, there's almost no scenario for the Yankees to make a run at the post season without a big, productive, workhorse season from their ace."

Hey, I get it! CC needs to step up. I'm sure we are all pulling for him. We all know what CC is capable of. He is a workhorse. There have been plenty of times when he has gone 8 strong innings for us. Put simply, he is undeniably our ace. BUT, he is one man on a five man rotation. 

Honestly, just looking at the names on our rotation makes me hopeful. Along with CC we have Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Masahiro Tanaka, and Michael Pineda. All of them have had stellar spring training outings. They are healthy, and they are showing signs that this will be a good season. Though there are a lot of unknowns that could happen through out the season, I'd say we have a decent rotation.

CC, of course, has to be our ace though. And I think that is what Justice was trying to convey in his piece. He has got to be a leader. I think that is a given with CC. I have never seen him play and thought "He isn't being a leader," or "He's not being a team player." The opposite, actually. CC has gone many inning for the Yankees. Many times, he makes it so our bullpen gets some much needed rest. He plays hard, and I appreciate him for it. But, we have a rotation we can put some faith in. Those other four guys work just as hard. It is obvious from watching them this spring that the fire is burning, and they are ready to light it up! 

Bottom line? One man does not a team make. I have faith in CC. His mechanics seem to be on point so far. He is an excellent ace. He is a great example for the rest of our rotation. But wins and losses? That's not a single mans doing. Pitching is important, and we've got it. But so is fielding, and so is hitting. For the Yankees to succeed, all five guys in our rotation, and the bull pen have got to come through, our bats have got to come alive, and our fielders have got to be as close to golden glovers as they can get. 

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer

Twitter: @e_morales1804

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