Know Your Enemy: Recapping the Yankees' 2010 Season So Far

The last time we saw the Yankees, Shane Victorino was grounding meekly to second, making the final out of Game Six of the 2009 World Series at Yankee Stadium. Phillies fans can be forgiven for avoiding following the Yanks after they hung their 27th championship banner, with memories of Johnny Damon swiping two bags at once and Hideki Matsui teeing off Pedro Martinez still reverberating too freshly. But seeing as how we're about to get reacquainted with our old friends in pinstripes, I figured it was as good a time as any for a little recap as to what the Bronx Bombers have been up to since last we spoke.

• Bye Bye Badmen. If you are indeed one of those haunted by previously-mentioned memories of Damon and Matsui, good news: Neither of them are around anymore. Both free agents after 2009, the Yankees decided to quit while they were ahead with the two World Series heroes, with Damon making an eleventh-hour signing with the Tigers and Matsui heading out west to be the Angels' DH. Both are doing fine, if unspectacular, in their new digs, Damon posting a .395 OBP as the Tigs' two-hole hitter and Matsui going deep nine times for the Angels. Last year's starting centerfielder Melky Cabrera is also gone, the Melkman going to Atlanta in a deal for pitcher Javier Vazquez.
• New Faces, New Fun. Speaking of Vazquez, he's given NY talk radio a lifetime's worth of fodder with his early performance in his second tour of duty as a Yankee. Despite being a Cy Young candidate last year with the Braves, Javy's '10 started disastrously, with a 9.78 ERA through his first five starts, though he's since stabilized somewhat, whittling that number down to a semi-respectable 5.43. Also new to the fold is Curtis Granderson, the all-star centerfielder, who the Yanks traded a pair of prosps to pry away from the Tigers. Grandy is off to something of a slow start himself, hitting just .241 and missing several weeks of play with a strained groin.
• The Kids are Fairly Satisfactory. A possible next generation of True Yankees has really started to emerge this year, starting first and foremost with 27-year-old second-baseman Robinson Cano. A longtime tease of Rod Carew-like potential, Cano finally appears to be making that leap to the next level, hitting a remarkable .371 with 13 homers and probably marking the AL's MVP to this point in the season. On the other side of the ball, former eighth-inning man Phil Hughes's transition to the starting rotation has been a brilliant one, Hughes starting the season 9-1 with a 3.11 ERA and a 3.36 K/BB ratio. Top-of-the-order speedster Brett Gardener has also softened the loss of Johnny Damon in his first year of regular duty, hitting .317 with 22 steals, good for third most in the league.
• Still Got It. The Yanks' old-timers aren't ceding anything to the young'ns just yet. Leading the charge of the fogies is Andy Pettitte, aging like a fine Velvet Underground album with an 8-1 record and a 2.46 ERA in his 13th season in the pinstripes, and making a logical claim to being the AL's All-Star starter. "El Capitan" Derek Jeter shows few signs of rust himself, batting .293 with eight homers and seven steals at the age of 36, likely no more than a season away from reaching 3000 hits. And of course, closer Mariano Rivera remains the model of efficiency, even after reaching the big 4-0. Aside from the grand slam Mo gave up to Twins slugger Jason Kubel in May, Mo has given up but one earned run in his 24 appearances, good for a 1.21 ERA and 15 saves so far this season.
• Late Risers. Notorious career slow-starters CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira have stayed well in character in 2010, both getting off to relatively cold springs. Sabathia, the Yanks' presumptive ace, has only been their third or fourth-best starter so far, getting touched up by the Red Sox on opening night and ending poorly in recent outings against the Mets and Indians, posting a disappointing 4.01 ERA through his first 13 starts. And a year after leading the AL in homers, Teixeira has only clocked nine so far this season, while flirting with the Mendoza Line for most of the season's first two months, currently settling in at 2.29. Both are fairly due to start tearing it up right quick, we just hope they wait another week before embarking on their respective hot streaks.
• Tough Crowd. Despite tying for the best record in the bigs with their 40-23 mark, the Yanks are not even the clear favorites in their own division, with the other 40-23 team being AL East bros the Tampa Bay Rays. As if that wasn't enough, the Red Sox have come around from an early funk to land just four games out with their 37-28 record, and even the projectedly-woeful Blue Jays are still technically in the mix at 35-30. You'd have to think that the Yanks have the firepower and the financial resources to ensure a slot in October play, but one really good AL East team is going to be left out of the post-season this year, and none of them will be able to ease up much until clinching is official.

Well, I think that about does it--wraps 'er all up. Stay tuned to see what new chapters the Phillies help write in the Yankees' story of 2010 this week.