2012 Fantasy Baseball New York Yankees Starting Rotation Preview
CC Sabathia (credits below)
The Yankees starting pitching staff scored a nice coup in the off season as they resigned ace CC Sabathia and added 2011 rookie phenom Michael Pineda. Freddie Garcia will be brought back also as the only real loss the staff will suffer is with Bartolo Colon now in Oakland. With a rock solid bullpen in place the starters need only to pitch six solid innings to reap the benefits of being a pinstripe pitcher. Beyond CC though we are left with several question marks going into 2012.
CC SABATHIA- CC had a stellar year last year going 19-8 with a 3.07 ERA while finishing with the second most strikeouts and second best ERA in his career. He also has now pitched 230-plus innings for five consecutive years. Although he ran out of gas at the end of the season, I expect another top 10 pitcher perfromance once again in 2012. He will win 20 games this year.
IVAN NOVA- Nova finished 16-4 last year with a 3.70 ERA earning him a fourth place finish in the American League's Rookie of the Year voting. His strikeout and walk rate are not real good adding to his 1.33 WHIP. I am not terribly high on Nova this year but if you can get him cheap or late he is definitely worth a gamble especially in the wins category.
MICHAEL PINEDA- Pineda who came over in a trade for Yankee phenom catcher Jesus Montero, now brings his electricfying stuff to the Bronx where he may find things a bit tougher in the small confines of Yankee stadium. Pitching in the American League East doesnt help either although I feel with another year of experience under his belt can only help the 23 year old. I loved Pineda last year especially in the first half of the year but will temper my expectations for the 2012 year until I see how the youngster can handle the New York spotlight.
PHIL HUGHES- Keep a close watch on Hughes' spring training, especially radar gun numbers before drafting him. He could be a late round steal if you are willing to take a chance that he can get back to what he once was before his dead arm issues in 2011. He did have better numbers after returning from his disabled list stint although they still were not as good as we saw in 2010.
A.J. BURNETT- A.J. ended up with an 11-11 record last year with a terrible 5.15 ERA. If the Yankees can find a suitor for his contract he will not be in pinstripes for the 2012 year. His velocity is down and for a high ball pitcher in Yankee stadium and the A.L. East that spells disaster.
FREDDIE GARCIA- Freddie managed a 12-8 record and a 3.62 ERA in 146 innings last year. What a splendid surprise he turned out to be although do not expect anything close to that again in his career. I see him getting some spot starts and may win 10 games in this offense but his velocity continues to decline and he can only get away with so-so stuff in this division for so long.
CC SABATHIA- CC had a stellar year last year going 19-8 with a 3.07 ERA while finishing with the second most strikeouts and second best ERA in his career. He also has now pitched 230-plus innings for five consecutive years. Although he ran out of gas at the end of the season, I expect another top 10 pitcher perfromance once again in 2012. He will win 20 games this year.
IVAN NOVA- Nova finished 16-4 last year with a 3.70 ERA earning him a fourth place finish in the American League's Rookie of the Year voting. His strikeout and walk rate are not real good adding to his 1.33 WHIP. I am not terribly high on Nova this year but if you can get him cheap or late he is definitely worth a gamble especially in the wins category.
MICHAEL PINEDA- Pineda who came over in a trade for Yankee phenom catcher Jesus Montero, now brings his electricfying stuff to the Bronx where he may find things a bit tougher in the small confines of Yankee stadium. Pitching in the American League East doesnt help either although I feel with another year of experience under his belt can only help the 23 year old. I loved Pineda last year especially in the first half of the year but will temper my expectations for the 2012 year until I see how the youngster can handle the New York spotlight.
PHIL HUGHES- Keep a close watch on Hughes' spring training, especially radar gun numbers before drafting him. He could be a late round steal if you are willing to take a chance that he can get back to what he once was before his dead arm issues in 2011. He did have better numbers after returning from his disabled list stint although they still were not as good as we saw in 2010.
A.J. BURNETT- A.J. ended up with an 11-11 record last year with a terrible 5.15 ERA. If the Yankees can find a suitor for his contract he will not be in pinstripes for the 2012 year. His velocity is down and for a high ball pitcher in Yankee stadium and the A.L. East that spells disaster.
FREDDIE GARCIA- Freddie managed a 12-8 record and a 3.62 ERA in 146 innings last year. What a splendid surprise he turned out to be although do not expect anything close to that again in his career. I see him getting some spot starts and may win 10 games in this offense but his velocity continues to decline and he can only get away with so-so stuff in this division for so long.
Written by John Marino exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com.
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(September 3, 2011 – Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images North America)
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