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Royals Vs Angels Preview 2014 ALDS

The Angels are finally back in the postseason after a couple of years absence.  They have the best 1 - 9 lineup in the AL, an extremely deep and revamped Bullpen, and starters like Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson have lots of playoff experience.  Add a roster full of World Series heroes of not so long ago, and it could be a recipe for a long postseason run.  They also have the luck of the draw with playing the Royals in the 1st Round, with only having to face James Shields once, while their top duo of Jered Weaver and Matt Shoemaker are slated to tow the hill in 4 of the 5 games.

The Angels are finally back in the postseason after a couple of years absence. They have the best 1 – 9 lineup in the AL, an extremely deep and revamped Bullpen, and starters like Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson have lots of playoff experience. Add a roster full of World Series heroes of not so long ago, and it could be a recipe for a long postseason run. They also have the luck of the draw with playing the Royals in the 1st Round, with only having to face James Shields once, while their top duo of Jered Weaver and Matt Shoemaker are slated to tow the hill in 4 of the 5 games.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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No time to rest for the tired and weary.  After an emotional, and jaw dropping game for the Royals on Tuesday night, they will fly to Anaheim to meet the top seeded  Los Angeles Angels in the LDS Round.

You have to realize that Mike Scioscia is running the gauntlet on the running prowess of Kansas City even as we speak,

There will be no 2 – 3 or extra jackrabbit’s for the Royals squad, who were definitely aided by a lax Roster enforcement for Wild Card play, and also by the early game injury to Geovany Soto.

Chris Iannetta and Hank Conger will have to be ready for the speed demon club, that features several guys who can swipe bags on a whim.

If there is one thing going for Kansas City right now it is rhythm of repetition having played on Tuesday, while the Halo’s have been licking their chops in Orange County all week at the beach.

The Angels clinched so early, it would have been about 15 days since they have played a meaningful game in Game #1. Read the rest of this entry

How All Of The Yankees Hitters Were Acquired: 2014 Roster Tree

derek jeter

How All Of The Yankees Hitters Were Acquired:

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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The success of most franchises usually occurs when a huge core is built up through a drafting system, and then the club can piece the rest of the club together.

The 2nd best way to create a winning squad is to trade for players with the organizational pieces you have supplanted in the Minors or Majors.

Then there is the Yankees way of doing things.  Hiring Free Agents – and spend boatloads of dollars.

Out of the majority of their hitting roster in 2014, most of them came through the Free Agent route.

Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Brian Roberts, Kelly Johnson and Yangervis Solarte were acquired through outright Free Agency.

Ichiro Suzuki and Brendan Ryan were both acquired in deals, then have since re-signed as Free Agents in the open market afterwards.

Alfonso Soriano, was brought over in a deal, and is in the last year of his current contract signed back in 2007.

Yes, he was originally signed by the “Pinstripers”, but the new chain of transaction, had the club giving away a pitching prospect for his services, even though he is still tied to A’Rod.

Derek Jeter, Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli stand alone as the only 3 players to have been drafted by the club – and have remained Yanks their whole playing time thus far. Read the rest of this entry

The New York Yankees Organizational Depth Charts (All Affiliates) – Spring 2014 (Majors and Minors)

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): & Jeff Kleiner (Org Depth Chart + Payroll Expert – find his website here)

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Brian Cashman has signed 10 new Free Agents this winter, and also made a mockery of the waiver wire list, with his 2013 pluckings last campaign to aid an injury riddled squad of veterans.

Simply put, this franchise has done a brutal job of drafting over the course of the last decade or so. Cashman has to take his share of the blame for that.

Luckily for the big market club, these can be overlooked when you feature a payroll in the $235 MIL range.

Having said this, the cupboard is not bare in the Minor Leagues. Read the rest of this entry

New York Yankees Payroll In 2014 Is Now $197 MIL (AAV) With Tanaka Added

2014 Contracts in MIL Annual Average Vakue – AKA AAV (Age) – Running $ Total

1. 1B Mark Teixeira – 23.0  (32) 23.0

2. SP CC Sabathia – 22.8  (32) 45.8

NEW: SP Masahiro Tanaka – 22.1 (25)  67.9

3. CF Jacoby Ellsbury – 21.9 (30) 89.6

4. C  Brian McCann – 17.0  (29) 106.6

5. SP Hiroki Kuroda – 16.5  (37) 123.1

6. LF/DH Carlos Beltran – 15.0 (36) 138.6

7. SS Derek Jeter – 12.0 (40) 150.6 Read the rest of this entry

New York Yankees Projected Payroll In 2014 With A-Rod Relief

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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2014 Contracts in MIL Annual Average Vakue – AKA AAV (Age)

1. 1B Mark Teixeira – 23.0  (32)

2. SP CC Sabathia – 22.8  (32)

3. CF Jacoby Ellsbury – 21.9 (30)

4. C  Brian McCann – 17.0  (29)

5. SP Hiroki Kuroda – 16.5  (37)

6. LF/DH Carlos Beltran – 15.0 (36)

7. SS Derek Jeter – 12.0 (40) Read the rest of this entry

Don’t Believe Everything You Read: A Response to The New Normal For the New York Yankees- Part II

Alfonso Soriano came back to New York - and thrashed on the competition, with 17 HRs and 50 RBI - in just 58 games with the Bronx Bombers.  He also snuck in 18 SB for the campaign, but nobody even noticed.  Still the experts have failed to recognize that the offense was significantly better once this man entered the fray.  Even with his 38 year old season coming up, it is entirely possible he could club another 25 - 30 HRs and approach 85 - 95 RBI out of the DH slot.

Alfonso Soriano came back to New York – and thrashed on the competition, with 17 HRs and 50 RBI – in just 58 games with the Bronx Bombers. He also snuck in 18 SB for the campaign, but nobody even noticed. Still the experts have failed to recognize that the offense was significantly better once this man entered the fray. Even with his 38 year old season coming up, it is entirely possible he could club another 25 – 30 HRs and approach 85 – 95 RBI out of the DH slot.  Along with McCann, Beltran, Ellsbury, a potentially full year of Teixeira and Jeter, this lineup is a hell of a lot different from the team that limped to a 85 – 77 mark for the 2013 year.

By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent):

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As with the first part of this piece, this article is in response to a piece written for Grantland by Rany Jazayerli (which can be found here) that paints a fairly negative picture of the near-future for the New York Yankees.

Once again, I would encourage everyone to visit Grantland.com as it is a one stop shop for some of the best internet based writers on the planet. 

Again, a quick thank you to Fangraphs.com and Baseball-reference.com.

Those organizations are a huge reason for the increased understanding and intelligent discussion relating to baseball over the last decade, and they are used throughout as resources for all advanced statistics. 

If you aren’t reading the content on those sites, I would strongly suggest you do.

We will start with our Point/Counter-Point structure with a discussion of the new Yankee line-up, and more so, the effect of the departure of Robinson Cano on that lineup.

For Part 1 Of Don’t Believe Everything You Read:  A Response to The New Normal click here.

Alfonso 2013 Highlights as a Cub and a Yankee – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance Is Advised


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Don’t Believe Everything You Read: A Response to The New Normal For the New York Yankees- Part I

Opinions have varied wildly about the effect on the wholesale changes to the New York Yankees roster.  This piece is in response to in response to a piece written for Grantland by Rany Jazayerli (which can be found here  http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/10150907/the-new-normal-new-york-yankees).

Opinions have varied wildly about the effect on the wholesale changes to the New York Yankees roster. This piece is in response to in response to a piece written for Grantland by Rany Jazayerli (which can be found here lower in a link icon in the 1st couple of lines.)  As the Yankees Correspondent for the MLB Reports, I felt I needed to address the merits of the topic in question, make some counterparts, in order to move the dialogue from a slightly different perspective.

By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent):

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Before we get started, I wanted to give credit where credit is absolutely due.

This piece is in response to a piece written for Grantland by Rany Jazayerli (which can be found here) that paints a fairly negative picture of the near-future for the New York Yankees.

If you haven’t been to Grantland.com for sports and entertainment news and opinions, you are missing out.  Some of the best work in the business. 

All advanced statistics (and other statistics) are courtesy of our friends at Fangraphs.com and Baseball-reference.com

As always, we appreciate those sites making the information available to be able to debate the game we love. For ease to the reader, the response has been broken into two parts.  This is part one of the response.

Part 2 of the Don’t Believe Everything You Read: A Response to The New Normal For the New York Yankees click here

New York Yankees 2013 Year Highlights – With Full Credit Going To The YES Network

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The Yankees Might As Well Wait Another Year For The Luxury Tax Threshold ‘Reset’

With Derek Jeter and Hiroki Kuroda  coming back for one more year, plus the uncertainty of the A-ROD suspension, why not push back the reset of the Luxury Tax Threshold, since you still have a chance to do this in 2015.  By then, all of your older players will be another year older, and #13 will be back to wreak havoc on your financial flexibility for years?

With Derek Jeter and Hiroki Kuroda coming back for one more year, plus the uncertainty of the A-ROD suspension, why not push back the reset of the Luxury Tax Threshold, since you still have a chance to do this in 2015? By then, all of your older players will be another year older, and #13 will be back to wreak havoc on your financial flexibility for years?

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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Our Lead Writer Paul Sullivan (feel free to call him Sully) is right about Brian Cashman….The guy should be fired for his ineptness of stockpiling the Minor League System since taking over the reigns in 2006.

If you are not subscribing to Sully’s podcast daily (about 20 minutes), please do so here.  He talks complete sense for an objective perspective.

I will also denote that I am a Yankees fan.  I was one of the 1st to destroy the clubs winter last year, when they never addressed their Catching situation, and said they should do some more moves to bolster the club.

Not that Cashman listened to me at all, but he grabbed 3 players I said he should (1 reluctant player he never wanted – (good one Cash) was Alfonso Soriano). 

The other 2 players he picked up were Vernon Wells and Mark Reynolds.

Yankees win the 2009 World Series

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New York Yankees Payroll In 2014 + Contracts Going Forward: Updated For The Beltran Deal

He will also make $30 MIL left in marketing bonuses should he hit escalating marketing bonuses from HRs 661 through 763. At this rate, maybe he will never collect on all of those.  The base is ridiculous enough at $86 MIL over the next 4 years.  The insurance paid on his ailing hip injury will not make a huge enough dent for Yankees Fans.  He is the ALL-Time Active Leader for HRs , RBI and XBH At best he may turn back to a .250/.310/700 with around 50 RBI a year from 2015 - 2017.  Hardly worthy of a $22.8 MIL average salary from 2014 - 2017.

He will also make $30 MIL left in marketing bonuses should he hit escalating marketing bonuses from HRs 661 through 763. At this rate, maybe he will never collect on all of those. The base is ridiculous enough at $86 MIL over the next 4 years. The insurance paid on his ailing hip injury will not make a huge enough dent for Yankees Fans. He is the ALL-Time Active Leader for HRs , RBI and XBH At best he may turn back to a .250/.310/700 with around 50 RBI a year from 2015 – 2017. Hardly worthy of a $22.8 MIL average salary from 2014 – 2017.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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With news breaking today that Robinson Cano has signed with Seattle, this has freed up the Yankees to pursue other players at the Winter Meetings – and for the rest of the offseason..

Based on the team payroll (with the A-Rod suspension being counted), the club is right around $174 MIL – $176 MIL right now for about 20 MLB Players signed – and another 5 guys that are on entry – level deals.

If A-Rod’s suspension sticks for the whole 2014 year, the club would then drop down to the $149 – $151 MIL range, which would free up the club to sign some more players.

Maybe the Yankees won’t have any choice but to hope for that very result.  They still need 1 – 2 Starting Pitchers, and a relief pitcher would also be nice. 

Read the end of this article – for potential candidates they could eyeball.

CC Sabathia Highlights

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New York Yankees Payroll In 2014 + Contracts Going Forward + The Cano And A – ROD Factors

The Yankees should not pay Robinson Cano more than $25 - $28 MIL per season for a max of 7 years.  The club was fortunate to have the relief of A - Rod's suspension - otherwise the percentage of inking the Free Agent 2B would not even be possible - and have a competitive team.

The Yankees should not pay Robinson Cano more than $25 – $28 MIL per season for a max of 7 years. The club is fortunate to have the relief of A – Rod’s pending suspension – otherwise the percentage of inking the Free Agent 2B would not even be possible.  Cano’s agent -Jay – Z, has thrown out the first Salvo, saying the Slugger wants a 10 YR/$300 – 305 MIL Deal.  The Bronx Bombers would be crazy to offer any more than what I stated up in the 1st sentence of this Caption.  New York is looking to reset its Luxury Tax Penalty (when the Threshold is moved to $189 in 2014), in order to spend again commencing in 2015.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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They are old and 2014 will not make them younger.  However, there are some small tweaks that the team could do in order to make the payroll make sense. 

The 2014 version of the Yankees may struggle. Exiting are Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Hiroki Kuroda, Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Curtis Granderson, Brendan Ryan and potentially Derek Jeter (although he has a Player Option for 2014) and Mark Reynolds.

To the Readers on our Payroll Breakdowns:   Keep in mind these are all just estimates as we are all not forensic payroll accountants.  For a better look at how Payrolls work in the MLB please check out this article here.

Derek Jeter Highlights:

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Soriano Has Led The Resurgent “Bombers” – ARod’s Pending Suspension – Best Get Out Of Jail Card Ever + Reynolds Signing

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Thursday Aug.15/2013

Alfonso Soriano has given the Yankees team an infusion of power that they have not seen from the Right Handed hitting players in their lineup since Vernon Wells took off in April. The LF destroyed the Angels for 4 HRS and 13 RBI on Tuesday and Wednesday combined While Cashman never liked this idea to bring back the Veteran, I called for it all the way back in April. The offense has gone back to being the Bronx Bombers, putting up 36 Runs in their last 5 Games, among a 4 - 1 record.  In 18 Games for his return to NY, the 37 Year Old has a 3 Slash Line of .296/.324/.944 - with 7 HRs, 22 RBI and 17 Runs scored.

Alfonso Soriano has given the Yankees team an infusion of power that they have not seen from the Right Handed hitting players in their lineup since Vernon Wells took off in April. The LF destroyed the Angels for 4 HRS and 13 RBI on Tuesday and Wednesday combined. While Cashman never liked this idea to bring back the Veteran, I called for it all the way back in April. The offense has gone back to being the Bronx Bombers, putting up 36 Runs in their last 5 Games, among a 4 – 1 record. In 18 Games for his return to NY, the 37 Year Old has a 3 Slash Line of .296/.324/.944 – with 7 HRs, 22 RBI and 17 Runs scored. –Photo courtesy of faniq.com.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

Sometimes as writers we prognosticate things that end up panning out, other times our predictions are lit up bigger than a New York Dumpster Fire in the brunt of summer.

Back when Curtis Granderson was 1st hurt this year, I wrote an article on the options for the Yankees to replace him – check it out here.

I stated that I thought Vernon Wells and Alfonso Soriano would be good additions for the year – considering where the Yankees wanted to go during Mariano Rivera‘s last season.

Alfonso Soriano Grand Slam 8/14/2013

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The NY Yankees Roster Tree Part 1: The Hitters Acquisitions For Each Player

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Tuesday July.09/2013

Derek Jeter starts the 2013 year only 11 hits behind Eddie Collins for 10th place on the ALL-Time hits list.  With a possible Player Option in 2014, - and maybe playing one additional year after - can he hit 327 base knocks to pass Stan Musial for 4th place on the list by that years end?  Will he play beyond this year even?  Derek Jeter was Drafted by the team in 1992 - and represents all that good drafting the team did prior to the new regime

Derek Jeter starts the 2013 year only 11 hits behind Eddie Collins for 10th place on the ALL-Time hits list. With a possible Player Option in 2014, – and maybe playing one additional year after – can he hit 327 base knocks to pass Stan Musial for 4th place on the list by that years end? Will he play beyond this year even? Derek Jeter was Drafted by the team in 1992 – and represents all that good drafting the team did prior to the new regime.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

At the MLB Reports, we intend to show you the Roster Tree for the Yankees – and how they assembled their current roster for hitting and Pitching.  It will work in a six degrees of separation like format.

Once we figure out the origin of how many trades going back in time it takes to see where the tree started, it will be time to dissect how the team fared on the deals.

If a player has never left the organization at all, the tree will be easy – as it will just be the year they were drafted.

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New York Yankees Organizational Rosters + Salaries + Depth Charts – (MLB + MiLB)

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Sunday, June.09/2013

Scranton Logo

RailRiders

The Yankees do have some decent prospects coming along the way like Mason Willians, Tyler Austin, Slade Heathcott, Gary Sanders and etc.. Will the club stay true to their word and go under the 189 Million Dollar Luxury Tax Threshold next year?  If yes, the club could struggle for a few years like it hasn't for two decades.

The Yankees do have some decent prospects coming along the way like Mason Willians, Tyler Austin, Slade Heathcott, Gary Sanders and etc.. Will the club stay true to their word and go under the 189 Million Dollar Luxury Tax Threshold next year? If yes, the club could struggle for a few years like it hasn’t for two decades. These prospects could go  a long way in forecasting their recovery time to contention.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website  here  

You guys are all in for a treat.  Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website.  He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs.  We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams. 

Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective.  If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.

In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball.  He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job.  So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!

Jeff updates this page below on a daily basis.  After you click on it….Bookmark it.  There is a 3 year salary forecast and stats not listed here on this page.  Jeff updates these pages daily and these changes include any Roster moves!

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Yankees Organization click here

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Top Teams In The MLB 1 – 30 + (200 Best Stats For The Last Month)

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Thursday June.06/2013

Chris Davis was the hitter of the month for the MLB Reports.  The guy has 20 HRs and 20 2B on the season - after hitting 11/11 for both columns in the last 30 Days.  The Orioles slugger also hit for a 3 Slash Line of .385/.448/1.256.  Davis also Walked 11 Times, drove in 22 RBI - and collected 40 Hits in just 24 Games Played.  He is on pace for a 50 HR/ 50 Doubles Season.  "Crush" is due for Arbitration after this year - and will garner a considerable payraise from the $3.3 MIL he will earn this season.

Chris Davis was the AL hitter of the month for the MLB Reports. The guy has 20 HRs and 20 2B on the season – after hitting 11/11 for both columns in the last 30 Days. The Orioles slugger also hit for a 3 Slash Line of .385/.448/1.256. Davis also Walked 11 Times, drove in 22 RBI – and collected 40 Hits in just 24 Games Played. He is on pace for a 50 HR/50 Doubles Season. “Crush” is due for Arbitration after this year – and will garner a considerable payraise from the $3.3 MIL he will earn this season.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

The time has come for the June Power Rankings with Stats Edition.  There will be one each for May, June, July, August, September – and then a special playoff edition Power Rankings will be done in October.

I will not do a weekly Power Rankings during this weeks, because in essence, these are the weekly rankings done on a much larger scale.

These Reports are done with a heavy thought to how the teams project by the end of the season – along with how the clubs have fared so far.

I will point out who has had great months for the all 30 MLB Teams.  I reward the good performances in these rankings – and leave the poor ones for the Podcasts or future articles. CLICK THE READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON or scroll past the video and picture

Chris Davis 2013 Highlights:

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2 And A Hook Podcast Episode #6: Fantasy, Phillies And Rangers Expert Interviews + Notes

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Friday, May.31/2013

MLB reports and The Benchwarmers Show present 2 and A Hook Podcast

MLB reports and The Benchwarmers Show present 2 and A Hook Podcast.

‘2 And A Hook’ is an expression from Baseball:  ‘Throw the guy 2 Fast balls and then a Hook’ (AKA Curve Ball, Wiggly one, Chair etc..)

By James Acevedo – Host (Podcast Veteran) 

People in this Podcast:

On today’s show, brought to you by MLB Reports (www.mlbreports.com) & The Bench Warmers Show (thebenchwarmers.podomatic.com), I started by paying respects to a follower of mine on twitter (the great late Kiley)   who passed away last week…not only she was a great Yankee fan who loved Derek Jeter – but also was the most sweetest giving person ever, R.I.P….

I start to talk about the Subway Series then I interviewed my first guest Derek Jackson (10 Minute Mark  – 20 Minute Segment.   who is a fantasy expert for MLB Reports! We talked about which callups to watch midway through the season,a look at the rookie crop of players & second year players…check out his latest fantasy article here Read the rest of this entry

Yankees Current State Of The Union + The Phil Hughes Question

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Wednesday, May.08/2013

As the Yankees enter May, they do so in second place trailing their rivals, the Boston Red Sox. This is a surprise for many who thought that Boston and New York would struggle in 2013.

As the Yankees enter May, they do so in second place trailing their rivals, the Boston Red Sox. This is a surprise for many who thought that Boston and New York would struggle in 2013

By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent):

As April came to a close and May began, the Yankees found themselves in an all so familiar place. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were atop the American League East.  It seems like this struggle between century old rivals has dominated the AL East for the better part of the last 15 years.  

This year was supposed to be different as New York and Boston were both expected to cede the division to the Baltimore O’s, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays, and perhaps that will still be the case, but after five weeks of the season, it certainly seems like the demise of the Yanks and Sox was greatly overstated.

Part of the reason that the Yankees have managed to prove their naysayers incorrect has been their stellar starting pitching.  Each of the top four Yankee starters has pitched well to start the season, but as the title of the article suggests, there is one pitcher who has stood out especially in the last several weeks.

 His performance leads to this question: Is Phil Hughes finally becoming the pitcher he was always touted to be? Is the 26-year old right hander finally blossoming into a strong 1/2 starter? The numbers, at least early on, scream YES. 

The Phil Hughes Question:

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