2012 New York Yankees Predictions

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The New York Yankees won the American League East division in 2011 behind a 97-65 record and marched into the playoffs for the 16th time in the last 17 years. While they made an early exit from the postseason, there are plenty of reasons to believe this team is capable of making a World Series run in 2012.

Projected Pitching

Starting rotation: CC Sabathia (L) – The big southpaw is one of the elite pitchers in the game. Last year, he finished 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA. It was his fifth straight season with at least 17 wins.

Hiroki Kuroda (R) – The Yankees felt like they wanted to get better in their starting five and getting Kuroda helps them do that. He went 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA and gobbled up 202 innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Ivan Nova (R) – He’s coming off a breakout season in which he went 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA.

Michael Pineda (R) – This good-looking young pitcher showed flashes of brilliance while hurling for the Seattle Mariners last season. He went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA and would have easily reached double-digit wins on a better team.

Freddy Garcia (R) – The veteran right-hander came up big for the Yanks last season going 12-8 with a 3.62 ERA. Phil Hughes will likely spend some time in the rotation as well. He was hindered by shoulder issues in 2011 but the Yanks are hopeful he can return to his 2010 form when he won 18 games.

Closer: Mariano Rivera (R) –  The great Mariano Rivera continues to be one of the best in the ninth. The all-time saves leader had 44 in 2011 while posting an impressive 60-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Projected Lineup

Russell Martin (Catcher) – The two-time All-Star for the Dodgers proved to be a good fit in the Bronx. He’s coming off an 18-home run, 65-RBI campaign.

Mark Teixeira (First Base) – He’s regarded as one of the best first basemen in the game. He blasted 39 home runs and drove in 111 runs last year.

Robinson Cano (Second Base) – He’s the best second baseman in the bigs and arguably the best player on the club. Last year Cano became the first second baseman in history to record back-to-back seasons with 40 doubles, 25 home runs, 100 runs and 100 RBIs.

Alex Rodriguez (Third Base) – A-Rod’s health is a growing concern considering he hasn’t played 140 games in a season since 2007. He’s a 30-home run, 100-RBI guy when healthy but only had 16 home runs and 62 RBIs while missing time in 2011.

Derek Jeter (Shortstop) – He’s not the player he once was but showed he’s not washed up yet by batting .331 from July 4 on.

Brett Gardner (Left Field) – He’s perhaps the best defensive left fielder in the majors and is a terror on the bases because of his blazing speed.

Curtis Granderson (Center Field) – He’s coming off a monster season in which he smashed 41 round trippers and had 119 RBIs.

Nick Swisher (Right Field) – Swisher has been a very productive hitter for the Yankees in the regular season, but the postseason has been a different story. He’s just 16-for-100 in the playoffs for New York.

Andruw Jones (Designated Hitter) – The former defensive specialist can’t cover ground the way he once could but is still an asset at the plate. He belted 13 home runs and added 33 RBIs in a limited role last season.

Prediction1st Place AL East: The Yankees have won at least 90 games in 14 of the last 17 seasons, and they’ve won 12 of the last 16 AL East titles. Baseball odds makers have listed the Yankees at -200 to win the AL East.

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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