The 2007 lineup for the New York Yankees? may quite possibly the most powerful hitting squad baseball has seen. With the number of star players on the team, they should win the AL East for their tenth year in a row, and there is no reason they shouldn't continue that trend through the post season. Here is a look at what you can expect to see from the Yankees in 2007.
First of all, losing Gary Sheffield was bad for the Yankees. In two seasons, Gary was accepted as the Most Valuable Player for the team. Now he plays for the Detroit Tigers, leaving the Yankee's team wounded. Bobby Abreu has a chance to prevent the loss from affecting the team negatively, but he's going to have to continue playing like he has since he's been in New York, or else this year will end like last year for him.
2007 starter Robinson Cano ranked as the best offensive second baseman, and second place overall. At the young age of twenty three, he's got all of his best years right ahead of him. Cano's defensive game isn't very strong, but this year should see some improvement on that.
Alex Rodriguez will be another strong contender for the Yankees this year. He should be able to have another MVP season, as long as he can come to terms with how good he really is. His defense is strong, which is a saving grace with the lack of defense from most of the team?however, a little support for him might be a good idea. Though nothing like 1999 or 2006, Derek Jeter should have another good season. Hopefully he can stay on the same trend of improving on his poor range.
The ?07 outfielders form a very potent offensive outfield, probably the best in the league. We should see Bobby Abreu return his numbers to normal, hitting twenty or twenty five home runs. Productivity should be up from Hideki Matsui as well. Much is resting on this collection of players this year.
For the sake of the Yankees, we really need to see some improvement in Wang's pitching. We simply need more strike outs from him. With a fastball upwards of ninety four MPH, and a slider in the 80's, he should be able to strike a lot more people out, so the fans are waiting.
Although a little rusty recently, Jason Giambi is still one of the leagues greatest hitters. Giambi will be designated hitter again this year. This should ensure that he won't break down towards the end of the season for the Yankees.
The question isn't whether or not they'll make the playoffs; some say that's a guarantee. The question left remaining is whether or not the team will advance in the postseason. Whether on paper or on the field, the New York Yankees are by far the American League's best team, with the Dodgers being the only possible challenge in all of baseball for them.
Widely known for "5-o¡¯clock lightning", the 1927 New York Yankees boasted awesome offensive power. Intimidating all of baseball with the bats of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, this team was unstoppable. Many of their opponents built up hope slowly in the early stages of a contest, only to be "struck" with an unceasing barrage some time around 5-o¡¯clock. Baseball games routinely started at 3:30 pm back in the 1920s and generally ended somewhere around 6:00 pm. The '27 Yanks usually delivered a crippling offensive blow to their opponents in the late innings, thus the phrase "5-o'clock lightning." Of course, they had no lights for playing at night, all games were day games. Major League Baseball was settling into its widely held superstitions and routine, repetitiveness and all of the mythical and obsession-based ceremonial acts that still exist to this day. The 3:30 start time was one of those mystified traditions that players did not like to break from. Many considered it bad luck if a game was to start at any other time, or to start early or late if scheduled for 3:30 pm.
"Murderers¡¯ Row" was actually a nickname for the New York Yankees first used in 1919 before Babe Ruth was imported from the Boston Red Sox. A sports reporter had used it as he was describing the spring training projected line-up. It was actually hype more than anything else, although the 1919 line-up was very good, even without Ruth. The Babe arrived and the term was used loosely here and there, but never really took root until it was widely used in the 1927 season. Babe Ruth hit his high mark of 60 homeruns in ¡¯27 and the New York Yankees won 110 games, losing only 44 times. They also swept the World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and then repeated the feat again in 1928. Babe Ruth hit 161 homers from the 1926 season through the 1928 season. The Babe also hit for a high average during this period, with a three-year batting average of .350. During this stretch, he collected 452 RBIs as well. His single season home run mark of 60 would stand for 34 years.
Lou Gehrig, believe it or not, was voted the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1927. He hit .373 that year, better than Ruths¡¯ .356. He also added 47 homeruns and 175 RBIs. The combination of Ruth and Gehrig struck fear into all of the Major League players that were playing the game in the "Murderers¡¯ Row" era. These two players, however, weren¡¯t all the ¡¯27 Yankees had. It seemed they had all the best players of the time, and not just offensive players but solid defensive players as well. However, the most astonishing numbers from this alleged "greatest team ever" came from the offense; the lead off hitter and centerfielder, Earle Combs, had an on-base percentage of .414, hit .356 and had 62 walks and 231 hits. Tony Lazzeri played second base and hit 18 homers that year, finishing third in the American League home run race. Ruth and Gehrig, of course, were I-2. Bob Meusel played the outfield (left or right) and batted .337 with 103 runs batted in. He also piled up 24 stolen bases. Lazzeri had 22 swipes. Other notable offensive minded "Murderers¡¯ Row" members were Johnny Grabowski, Joe Dugan, Pat Collins and Mark Koenig. As a team, the ¡¯27 Yankees¡¯ batting average was a staggering .307. They out-scored their opponents by 376 runs and broke a lot of defensive-minded hearts by scoring 975 runs that year.
"Murderers¡¯ Row" also boasted some of the best pitching in the Major Leagues in 1927; Dutch Ruether, Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock and Wilcy Moore, an early relief prot¨¦g¨¦. Hoyt, Shocker and Moore were the top three pitchers in the league, based on wins and earned run average (ERA). These three amassed a combined total in wins of 59. Defensively, the very same players that drew massive crowds with their legendary "5-o¡¯clock lightning" were making a statement with their gloves as well. Fielding the ball was not as big of an attention-getter as their explosive offense, but they did it well enough to hold their opponents to 599 total runs scored.
These trends were not just evident in the 1927 Yankees, but all through the middle of the decade. The Yankees¡¯ success continued, and the term "Murderers¡¯ Row" stuck. It was carried all the way to the 1936-39 Yankees, who won 4 World Series in a row. Professional Baseball officially "crowned" the 1927 Yankees as the best overall team of all-time in 1969, during the Centennial celebration of Major League Baseball.
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