N.Y. Yankees: Wild Card Preview

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

AMERICAN LEAGUE

WILD CARD PLAYOFF

TUESDAY

Minnesota Twins

vs.

New York Yankees

FROM

The Ballpark Along River Avenue

BRONX, N.Y.

New York Yankees: Cashman's Kids Reach Post-Season Ahead of Schedule.

Dare I say, this is Brian Cashman's team? And dare I say, finally?  

And to his credit, this is seemingly only the beginning of something much bigger and better to come?

Maybe not by this Tuesday, but most certainly in the seasons which lay ahead.

As (former) general manager of the Yankees, Bob Watson was working for a somewhat subdued George Steinbrenner in the aftermath of being suspended by then commissioner Fay Vincent.  A confident man, Watson nevertheless interacted with the Boss smartly.  He helped assemble the organization's first World Series champion since 1978.  

However, I'd be remiss for not acknowledging Gene "Stick" Michael as being the man most responsible for setting the foundation upon which the Yankees would build a modern day dynasty -  just not before suffering a crushing defeat against the Cleveland Indians in the 1997 ALCS.

After which, the role of general manager was transferred from Bob Watson to Brian Cashman in February 1998.  By that time, however, the groundwork for long-term success was already believed to have been laid.  In fact, Cashman critics and his supporters argued over just that, and at the end of the day agreed that he was being charged with not screwing things up.

As we know, after winning three consecutive championships (1998-2000), the Yankees lost the 2001 World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks in heart-wrenching fashion.  George was obviously affected by that loss, because ever since the final out of Game Seven, through about the 2007 season, the old classic Boss was in full effect again.

And for this reason Brian Cashman was long and widely minimized and criticized throughout fan circles as being George's Yes Man.  In those days, the perception was Cashman served two roles: sign players the Boss wanted, and give said players more money than other teams could or would.

Despite winning another championship in 2009, Cashman did himself no favors by committing a half-billion dollars in order to get it done.  He lucked out when Mark Teixeira retired.  But he's still paying CC Sabathia, and Jacoby Ellsbury.  Those are strictly on Cashman, not George.

Today, there's no denying replenishment of the farm system, an effective and expedient rebuilding effort, and clinching a post-season berth at least two years ahead of schedule are all Brian Cashman's doing.

• From the New York Penn League up through the International League, all Bronx affiliates qualified for their respective minor league post-seasons this year.  
• The production provided by Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks (when healthy), and the prodigious season had by Aaron Judge, all speak for themselves. 
• Meanwhile, I feel two of Brian Cashman's greatest moments came when he acquired shortstop Didi Gregorious, and second baseman Starlin Castro.
• Throw in free agent re-acquisition Aroldis Chapman, and the Yankees young bullpen is among the best in baseball.

Yes, the Yankees still have the second highest payroll in baseball.  These days, however, typical big market spending shouldn't be held against them.  Hal Steinbrenner has been trying to get the Yankees under the luxury cap ever since taking over for his father.  This doesn't necessarily mean the Boss' old business model is dead (pardon the pun).  It just means the Yankees are allowing a few more big money deals to expire before delving back into the market for Type-A free agents.

Win or lose Tuesday, Brian Cashman's ongoing transformation of the Yankees has been quite commendable.


Anything Can Happen In One Game: Unlike Previous Post-Season Meetings Between These Teams, Yanks Better Not Take These Twins Lightly.

Yankees vs. Twins

2003 ALDS - NYY 3; MIN 1

2004 ALDS - NYY 3; MIN 1

2009 ALDS - NYY 3; MIN 0

2010 ALDS - NYY 3; MIN 0

The Yankees were one of only four teams in the American League to win 90 games or more.  The Minnesota Twins, who qualified for the second Wild Card with an 85-77 record, were obviously the best of the rest.

These Twins, however, should not be taken lightly.  

First, they are led by third year manager Paul Molitor.  The Twins finished second in the Central with an 83-79 record during his first season at the helm.  Then after piloting the Twins to a dreadful 59-103 record last year, he has them playing in the post-season just one year later.  The match-up between Molitor and the Yankees Joe Girardi is one I will be watching very closely.

At the plate, Minnesota second baseman Brian Dozier hit 34 home runs and led the team with 93 RBI.  Third baseman Miguel Sano hit 28 homers, and left fielder Eddie Rosario hit 27 home runs.  The Twins have three more players with at least 15 home runs this season.  They hit 206 home runs as a team versus the Yankees 241 home runs.

The disparity between runs scored is not as wide as you may think either.  The Yankees finished second in the American League with 858 runs scored, while the Twins registered 815 runs.  Ditto with regards to team slugging.  The Yanks finished with a .447 mark, while the Twins were only slightly behind with a .434 slugging average.  The spread in team average is even closer.  The Yankees posted a .262 team batting average, while the Twins finished with a .260 team average.

With the Yankees holding only a slight offensive statistical advantage over the Twins, Tuesday's one game Wild Card may invariably boil down to pitching.

The Twins are handing the ball to right-hander Ervin Santana.  He posted a 16-8 record in 33 starts this season, with a 3.28 ERA and 167 strikeouts through 211.1 innings pitched.  He surrendered 177 hits and walked 61 batters for a 1.13 WHiP, while opposing hitters batted .225 against him.

The Yankees are going with their top right-hander Luis Severino.  He went 14-6 in 31 starts this season with a nifty 2.98 ERA and 230 strikeouts in 193.1 innings pitched.  He allowed 150 hits and walked 51 batters for a 1.04 WHiP, while opposing hitters batted just .208 against him.

The bullpen is where the Yankees own a noticeably distinctive advantage, which could very likely make the difference in Tuesday night's game.