It may still be early in spring training 2006, but strikingly absent from the baseball grapevine are the usual sniping between members of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
It may be because Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has focused his venom towards the World Baseball Classic. Perhaps it's because Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino has been preoccupied with trade demands from outfielder Manny Ramirez and pitcher David Wells (though Wells rescinded the request). But this week, "Inside the MLB" will be the one entering the fray and evaluating these two talented ball clubs.
Offense: The Yankees will have the best lineup in baseball in 2006, end of story. In fact, when it's all said and done, New York's offense may challenge baseball's record for the most runs scored in a single season.
Centerfielder Johnny Damon has been brought in to fill the leadoff role, and he should do so quite nicely, with or without his trademark hair. Though he's often overrated as a hitter, he still marks a huge upgrade over the aging Bernie Williams.
The rest of the lineup is identical to 2005 (and as ridiculously good). Future Hall of Famers third baseman Alex Rodriguez and shortstop Derek Jeter will headline the lineup, and the rest of the All-Star caliber Yankee cast will fill in the middle of the batting order. Robinson Cano isn't a proven threat like the rest of the lineup, but a 23-year-old second baseman who posts a .778 OPS in his rookie year is a rare commodity.
Ironically, New York's only hole is at the designated hitter position. The declining Bernie Williams is slated to start the season in the role, but Joe Torre will probably give Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield time in that spot as he has done in past years.
Boston's lineup has a lot of potential, but many more unknowns than New York's. Outfielder Manny Ramirez (assuming he stays, which is looking increasingly likely) and designated hitter David Ortiz will anchor the lineup, supported by outfielder Trot Nixon, catcher Jason Varitek, and second baseman Mark Loretta.
Some are predicting that Boston will falter without Damon, but newly acquired center fielder Coco Crisp's OPS mirrors that of Damon's from last season. Crisp has the tools to succeed, but no one can predict whether or not he will make it in the pressure cooker that is Boston baseball.
Boston does have two potential holes, and they're both former Florida Marlins. Alex Gonzalez doesn't take walks and he doesn't hit for average, but once in awhile he'll pop a home run. He's a Pokey Reese clone (who's apparently gone missing, but that's another story) with slightly better power.
Third baseman Mike Lowell is the biggest question mark in Boston's lineup. There's no way to predict what to expect from Lowell; he had some All-Star caliber seasons in Florida, but suffered a Tony Clark-esque collapse last season.
Edge: New York
Defense: Defensively, New York has fared terribly over the last few years, but the addition of Damon over a hobbling Bernie Williams is a big upgrade. And if Jason Giambi continues to hit like he did at the end of last season, New York will have to live with his sub-par fielding at first base.
A new book by STATS, inc. CEO John Dewan entitled "The Fielding Bible," which uses complex statistical analysis to gauge defensive ability, ranks Cano, Sheffield, and Jeter among the worst at their positions in baseball. Yes, Jeter earned his second consecutive Gold Glove last season. Go figure.
Boston's defense has been upgraded substantially in the offseason. Dewan's Metrics rank Crisp ahead of Damon as a centerfielder and Nixon as one of the best right fielders in the game. Loretta is a sure-handed second baseman, and Gonzalez is a wizard with the glove. Ramirez is a disaster in left field, but he's Boston's only real hole.
Edge: Boston
Pitching: New York has two pitchers that are better than anyone on Boston's staff: Randy Johnson and Mariano Rivera. Mike Mussina is also a quality starter, but after that it gets dicey for the Yanks. If Johnson gets injured, New York's season is finished unless they can lure Roger Clemens back.
The Yankees are gambling with Shawn Chacon, Aaron Small and Chien-Ming Wang, all of whom emerged from anonymity to pitch brilliantly in 2005. None of them struck out many batters, however, and they gave up a decent amount of hits.
Kyle Farnsworth is a nice addition to the bullpen, but due to the loss of Tom Gordon, the pen may be no better than it was in 2005.
Boston doesn't have the top-heavy talent of New York, but it has more depth, provided that Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett remain healthy. Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement, Bronson Arroyo, David Wells and Jon Papelbon can all provide quality starts and if Boston runs into trouble, it has a wealth of young pitchers it can trade.
Due to the additions of David Riske, Julian Tavarez and Rudy Seanez, Boston's bullpen is also much improved. If Keith Foulke he can return to a form that even closely resembles his level of performance from 1999 to 2004, he will be a big boon to Boston as well. When you factor in the potential impact of rookies Craig Hansen and Jon Lester, Boston has a ton of options.
Edge: Boston
Overall: Boston's offense will be slightly worse than it was in 2005, but its defense and pitching will be vastly improved. New York's hitting will be better, its defense might be slightly better, but its pitching will likely be worse. Boston's depth in the pitching staff pushes it ahead of the Bronx Bombers.
Edge: Boston
