YANKEES PROJECTIONS 2011: THE INFIELD

INFIELD

• C- Russell Martin: .255 Avg, 13 Hrs, 45 RBI. I don't expect Martin to be the full-time catcher this season. I believe youngsters Austin Romine and Jesus Montero will be in the bigs sooner than you think, and they'll probably split time. Expect Russell Martin to play good defense, as he has a career 31% caught stealing rate.

• 1B- Mark Teixeira: .283 Avg, 37 Hrs, 116 RBI. Last year Teixeira had a rough year, batting .256, but hit 33 HRs and drove in 108. He also won a Gold Glove, and committed just three errors at first base. But, overall, it was a down year for Tex, especially offensively. With Teixeira working harder than ever this spring, expect him to have a season similar to the one in 2009.

• 2B- Robinson Cano: .331 Avg, 35 Hrs, 120 RBI. Robinson Cano proved last season that he could be a big time middle of the order hitter for the Yanks by hitting a career high 29 home runs and a career high 109 RBI. He had just three errors at second base last year, while having 38 the three previous seasons. At 28 years old, Cano is in the prime of his career, and clearly the best second baseman in the game. I believe with the numbers he can put up offensively and defensively he can win an MVP in 2011.

• SS- Derek Jeter: .302 Avg, 11 Hrs, 72 RBI, 20 SB's. It looked as though last year Derek Jeter finally hit the wall. With his .270 batting average last season, the critics were all over him. Not so fast my friends. Derek Jeter has worked on his stride in the off season, and he batted over .300 in the spring. Yes, it's only the spring, but I think the Captain has at least another .300 season left in the tank. Jeter also won a Gold Glove last season, so we know he has enough defensively.

• 3B- Alex Rodriguez: .281 Avg, 37 Hrs, 128 RBI. Like Jeter, A-Rod had a tough season last year batting .270. But, for the 13th season in a row, and 14th in the last 15 seasons, Rodriguez had 30 or more home runs and 100 or more RBI. And look for him to do it again. Rodriguez hasn't been this healthy since 2007. Since the start of the 2008 season, Alex has missed 87 games, and has been on the DL a number of times in that span. But, he should be healthy this year, so expect another big year from the most scrutinized player in the game.
  

THE DESIGNATED HITTER

• DH- Jorge Posada: .245 Avg, 20 Hrs, 72 RBI. This may be the begining of the end of a great career for Jorge Posada. It's the last year on his contract, and at 39 years old, and with the Yankees having a number of aging players, it could be the last year of Posada in pinstripes. Posada will be the primary DH this season, and it may take him some time to get used to it. Remember, it even took Hideki Matsui some time and even Jason Giambi couldn't even handle it. Look for Posada to struggle a bit early on, but have a solid rest of the season. He still has some pop left in his bat, and although he won't be behind the dish, he has proven he can still be a leader in the clubhouse.

Look for my projections for the Yankees outfield soon. if you like what you see, comment.


--Jesse Schindler, BYB Guest Writer
My Blog: The Pinstriped Personality



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