2007 Yankees Final Report Card, Part 1

We've been at it for two years today here at Y2K. Why? Well, there's a great example of why later in the column, but the bottom line is that it's too fun not to. New York sports fans have a lot of venues in which to follow their teams, and most of them won't give it to you straight.

Not so here. Say what you will about Sip, A.F.O.M.G., and Cheddar, but you're getting an unvarnished take every time. A little bit here, a little bit there, and pretty soon, you're talking about a whole new way of looking at sports. And as long as you all keep reading it, we'll keep putting it out there.

Tough but fair, that's my motto. Let's to it.

Catcher

Well, Georgie had the best season for a plus-35 catcher ever, hitting a Bill Dickey-esque .338/.426/.543 and playing probably the best defense of his career. Funnily, as he's gotten better, Posada has irritated me less and less. Not sure why that is. I was going to penalize the position two grades for having the ugly Wil Nieves and his even uglier .161 average on the team, but the Cash Man fixed that mid-season by bringing in Jose Molina. A league-best showing, easily. Tough to hate on this.

Grade: A

First Base

No such luck here, Bombers. What a fucking train wreck. You've got your IP leader in Minky, who hit like a beast the last month of the season and still ended up with a mediocre season line. You've got Andy Phillips, who's never going to be mistaken for a Major League first baseman by anyone other than Suzyn Waldman. You've got the Craig Wilson Special in a quarter-season of work by Josh Phelps -- crappy for New York, money for Pittsburgh (.351 with 5 HR in 77 ABs, didn'tcha know?). And then there's Miguel Cairo, who actually lost a couple of games for the Yanks with his awful defense. Ironic, yes.

We'll even save the Giambino for the DH slot. Absolutely indefensible stuff here.

Grade: D

Second Base

Robbie actually got quite a bit more patient this year, drawing almost 40 walks, which is scary. Pure hitter with power at age 24 ... it's the type of thing that can develop into a real problem. His defense is mediocre at best, and his slow starts to the season are actually comical, but as much as I wished he'd flame out into a Hector Luna type, it just ain't happening. Dang.

Grade: B+

Shortstop

The reason Y2K exists -- Derek Jeter, probably the worst defensive shortstop in the American League, is the odds-on favorite to win the Gold Glove. No kidding. At least most of the country got to see how awful he is during the playoffs, when a hobbled Captain America was the secret ingredient to Chien-Ming Wang's No Good Very Bad Series. I know he's hurt, but the guy couldn't get to grounders two steps off his position; this isn't anything new.

The hitting slumped from "MVP" levels back to his career norms, which are still great for a shortstop. He's an excellent player, etc, etc, but the combination of awful defense/great bat earns guys like Ryan Braun nothing but constant questions about potential position changes. With Jeter, it earns you the right to push the actual Gold Glove SS to third base. Ahem.

Grade: B

Third Base

Hope you all enjoyed it while it was there. I hear Anaheim is lovely in April.

Ha!

Grade: A

Left Field

Matsui was an underrated part of the Yanks' second-half offensive surge, picking up from a rare injury to post a 128 OPS+ and turn his year around. His defense has atrophied, but he saw a lot of ABs at DH in the second half, and Damon can still play the field well enough. Postseason homers notwithstanding, though, he hits like a pansy -- .270/.351/.396 with the arm of a starfish isn't exactly a $16 million package.

This all looks good enough until you realize there's a reason Andruw Jones won't be in pinstripes after all. Even worse, the presence of these two clowns ensures than an even more fitting personage won't sign a 1-year deal.

Matsui, you've denied me the dual pleasure and pain of seeing Barry Bonds suit up in the Bronx. For shame.

Grade: C

Center Field

Melky's talented enough and young enough that everything looks more intriguing than it actually is. Bad play in the outfield to start his MLB career? The guy was rushed. Hot bat the next year? He's a sleeper. Great defensive effort in 2007? He's a lock to start for the next 5 years.

The truth, of course, is that Melky's defense is somewhere from middling to solid, and his bat resembles Damon's, only with less patience. At age 22, this is somewhat promising stuff -- again, if the combination of him and Damon sends Jones (who'd otherwise be a mortal lock for a Free Agent pickup) elsewhere, then what you've got in the end is nothing more than fool's gold.

Remember how much Damon makes. And he's only going to get worse.

Grade: C-

Right Field

After hitting like Rey Ordonez on a coke bender for the first two months of the season, Abreu turned into himself for the second half, all but ensuring that his $16 million option will be picked up. The guy had what ended up as a down year for him, and he still scored 123 runs. This is what happens when you get to hit in front of the presumptive Most Valuable Player.

On the other hand, as his production has slipped a little bit, I've started to loathe Bobby. Couldn't tell you why.

Grade: B+

Designated Hitter

Heh heh heh. Damon's going to drag this grade down some, but not as much as the Revolting Blob that is Jason Giambi, he of the .236 batting average (in 254 precious ABs) and 14 dingers. In return, at an actual price tag of $21 million and considering the Texas Rangers' role in the equation, he cost the Yanks more than A-Rod.

That's unbelievable. And considering there's no room for Bonds as a result, well ... you know what's coming.

Grade: F

Next time: Pitching. How much did Big Stein pay Roger Clemens per strikeout? Could the answer provide health care for an entire Bronx neighborhood? The answer may surprise you!