2008 New York Yankees Predictions & Season Preview

The Yankees played caught fired in the second half last season but fizzled out in the playoffs to cost Joe Torre his job as their prestigious manager. In comes Joe Girardi fresh off his huge turnaround of the Florida Marlins in 2006. Girardi gets handed a loaded lineup but a pitching staff filled with questions and inexperience. For the first time in more than a decade, odds makers from around the world have said that the Yankees are not the favorite to win the AL East. Maybe this can be the added motivation these players need to get back to winning championships.

Starting Rotation:

The Yankees appear to be sick and tired of plowing money into used-up arms this season, and a youth movement is clearly in store. Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright have not panned out over the last few years. The Yankees have drafted wisely and find themselves strapped with young, strong arms behind the veteran trio of Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettite and Mike Mussina. Wang has been a steady force with back-to-back 19-wins seasons in each of the past two years in a Yankee uniform. Andy Pettite will have to deal with his admittance to using human growth hormone, but Yankees fans love and admire this steely veteran. His 15 wins last season prove that he is still going strong and he has now compiled 10 straight 10-win seasons to his legacy. Mussina faded down the stretch and could easily be replaced by young talent if he doesn't get his act together. Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy all made a strong impression last season. Hughes is an ace-in-waiting after he finished the season strong despite having hamstring and ankle problems.

Bullpen:

The Bullpen cost the Yankees in many instances last year, proving that this is the greatest area of need for a stacked roster. It's extremely tough to count on Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy to give 200 innings. Minor league starters like Alan Horne and Daniel McCutchen have big league stuff and may be asked to grow up in a hurry. Neither has pitched in the majors so there may be many more growing pains for the Yankees' pitching coach. For now, LaTroy Hawkings and Kyle Farnsworth are around to set up Mariano Rivera. It's a free-for-all heading into spring training beyond those two, and righthanders like Jonathan Albaledajo, Chris Britton, Brian Bruney, Ross Ohlendorf and Jose Veras will get their shot. Lefties Kei Igawa, Chase Wright and Sean Henn will be in the mix as well. The Yankees are going to have to find a few gems in this bunch if they are to catch the Red Sox in the AL East.

Line-Up:

LF Johnny Damon will hit lead-off for the Yankees and must report to camp in better shape to avoid the nagging injuries he faced last season. SS Derek Jeter is still the best 2-hitter in baseball, and captain clutch hit .354 last season with runners in scoring position. RF Bobby Abreu will still man the 3-spot in the batting order despite his .369 OBP which was the lowest of his career last season. 3B Alex Rodriquez put up ridiculous numbers last season, but after signing a huge contract extension with the Yankees, Rodriquez will likely not match those numbers. If history holds true, Rodriquez will suffer a significant drop-off this season just as he has after winning the MVP award in two other seasons through his young career. DH Hideki Matsui will hit 5th and questions will have to be answered quickly as to how effective he will be coming off a knee surgery. Jorge Posada posted a career-high .338 batting average which earned him a 4-year deal as the majors' richest catcher. Go figure as he mans the 6th spot on this stacked line-up. Jason Giambi will play some 1st base and hit 7th. Giambi will likely break down if he plays too many games in the field, though. Robinson Cano is a line-drive machine with surprising pop n his bat for a little guy. He is as solid of an 8th hitter as you will find in this league. Melky Cabrera will get his chance in center field for his first full season. He is basically a "second leadoff hitter" at the bottom of the order. Matsui, Damon and Giambi will all share time at the DH position this season because all 3 are likely to deal with injuries at some point. Switch-hitting Wilson Betemit figures to play a little at first base coming off the bench. Alberto Gonzalez will try to beat out Nick Green as the backup shortstop, but neither player will see much time with Jeter and Cano manning the middle of the infield. This line-up is just as explosive as Boston's, if not more, but it will be the pitching that tells the tale for the Yankees this season.

Yankees 2008 Predictions:

If the pitching just holds up, Girardi's Yankees have all the tools to make another run into October. The offense is as powerful and versatile as they come in the big league's, and the young starters have strong arms and another year of experience under their belts. The Yankees are not the favorite for the AL East crown, but should give the Red Sox a run for their money because of it. In the end, the Red Sox have too much pitching for the Yankees to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the AL East. But as long as the Yankees secure the Wild Card spot as we expect, look for New York to make a bigger impact in the postseason in 2008.

Larry Cook finished with the #5 World Ranking with his baseball picks in 2007 last year. Hard work with research, analysis and starting pitcher breakdowns gives Larry the edge over your sportsbooks and bookies. You won't believe the kind of profits you can make by signing up for any of Larry's long-term packages. By doing so, you will get in on all of his winning baseball betting action this season. Larry will guide you to profits you have never seen before once he makes his move up to the #1 spot in 2008.

2008 New York Yankees Odds:

Odds to win AL East: 6/5
Odds to win 2008 AL Pennant: 3/1
Odds to win 2008 World Series: 5/1