Spring Training Team Profile: New York Yankees

New York Yankees

Established: 1901

Other Names:

Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902)

New York Highlanders (1903-1912)

2016 results: 84-78, 4^th in AL East

2017 Prediction: 4^th

World Series Titles: 27

Most Recent: 2009

Last World Series Appearance: 2009

Last Division Title: 2012

Ballpark: Yankee Stadium III

Est: 2009

Best Season: 1998

                There are a number of seasons that one could pick to be the best in Yankees’ history, but the numbers from 1998 speak for themselves. They won 114 games in the regular season, plus another 11 in the postseason for a total of 125 victories in one season, the most by any team in baseball history. They won the AL East by 22 games over the Red Sox, swept the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, took out the Cleveland Indians in six games to win the ALCS, then swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series. The team was led offensively by Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neill and Darryl Strawberry, and by starting pitchers Andy Pettitte, David Wells, David Cone and Orlando Hernandez, and of course, closer Marino Rivera.

Best All-time Player: Babe Ruth

                No player ever had as much impact on the game of baseball than Babe Ruth. The pace at which he slugged home runs was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. In his 15 years with the Bronx Bombers, the Babe smacked 659 home runs, had 1978 RBIs and batted .349. He won the MVP Award just once (1923), but led the American League in home runs 11 times, including becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 60 home runs in a season (1927). When he retired in 1935, his career 714 home runs was more than double than that of the second-place player on the list. Such a discrepancy in a record has never been matched.

Best Player on the Current Roster: Didi Gregorius

                The days are gone when the Yankees would stockpile their lineup with overpriced veterans and they’ve finally started to inject some youth. Perhaps the most talented is Gregorius. Of course, it doesn’t help him that he’s taken over at short stop for one of the greatest players in team history, but over his two seasons, Gregorius has improved. In 2016, he batted .276, hit 20 home runs, added 70 RBIs and stole seven bases. And while he didn’t win a Gold Glove, his defense was solid, committing only 15 errors in 575 chances for a .974 fielding percentage. 

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Spring Training Team Profile: New York Mets

New York Mets

Established: 1962

Other Names:

None

2016 results: 87-75, 2^nd in NL East

Lost Wild Card Game to San Francisco

2017 Prediction: 3^rd

World Series Titles: 2

Most Recent: 1986

Last World Series Appearance: 2015

Last Division Title: 2015

Ballpark: Citi Field

Est: 2009

Best Season: 1986

                Off the field, the 1986 Mets were not exactly a group of role models. Several books have been written over the years detailing the drug and alcohol problems a lot of the players endured. But on the field, the Mets never had a better team. They easily won the NL East title with a 108-54 record, 21 ½ games ahead of the second place Philadelphia Phillies. In the NLCS, they took on the Houston Astros and eventually won the series in six-games. But it wasn’t easy. Three of their wins were by just one run and two of them went to extra innings. A two-run, ninth-inning home run by centre-fielder Lenny Dykstra in Game 3, turned a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 win. After a 12-inning 2-1 win in Game 5, the Mets and Astros battled for 16 innings in Game 6 before the Mets won, 7-6. But the World Series would be even more dramatic. The Mets dropped the first two games at home to the Boston Red Sox before rebounding to tie the series in Fenway. After dropping Game 5, the Mets were down by two runs in the bottom of the tenth with two out in Game 6 when they staged a three-run comeback capped by the dramatic Mookie Wilson ground ball that went through Sox first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs. An 8-5 victory in Game 7 gave the Mets their second and (to date) last World Series Championship.

Best All-time Player: David Wright

                While injuries have hampered his play in recent years, Wright is arguably the best player the Mets franchise has ever had. He is the all-time leader in runs scored (949), hits (1777), total bases (2945), doubles (390) and RBIs (970). He has a career .296 average and has hit 242 home runs. The seven-time All-Star has also won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers.

Best Player on the Current Roster: Yoenis Cespedes

                While many would question the attitude, there’s no denying the talent that Cespedes has brought to the Mets since being acquired in 2015. In 189 games with the Mets over a year and a half, he has a batting average of .282, slugged 48 home runs, driven in 130 runs, was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger Award in 2016. There are no problems with his defense either as he won a Gold Glove in 2015.

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Spring Training Team Profile: Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

Established: 1901

Other Names:

Washington Senators/Nationals (1901-1960)

2016 results: 59-103, 5^th in AL Central

2017 Prediction: 5^th

World Series Titles: 3

Most Recent: 1991

Last World Series Appearance: 1991

Last Division Title: 2010

Ballpark: Target Field

Est: 2010

Best Season: 1991

                After finishing in last place in the AL West in 1990, the Twins turned their fortunes completely around when they won 95 games and finished in first place by eight games over the second place Chicago White Sox. Despite having won more games, they were a decided underdog heading into the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays, but won the series rather easily in five games to advance to the World Series. Their opponent was the Atlanta Braves, another team that had finished last in their division in 1990. What would transpire over seven games was perhaps the greatest World Series ever. The two teams battled back and forth, with five of the seven games being decided by one run, four of them won in walk-off fashion. Games 6 and 7 were very memorable. In the sixth game, Twins’ centre fielder Kirby Puckett made a leaping catch up against the wall in extra innings to keep the game tied, then ended it with a solo home run in the bottom of 11^th inning. The seventh game was scoreless after nine innings and was won by a bases loaded-single in the bottom of the tenth by Gene Larkin. The Twins have not won another World Series since.

Best All-time Player: Kirby Puckett

                While technically, the Twins and the Washington Senators are the exact same franchise, in reality, they are different clubs with their own history. So as much as a dominant pitcher Walter Johnson was with the Senators, the Twins’ best player in franchise history was Puckett. The pudgy centre-fielder played 12 season in the Bigs, all with Minnesota. In 1783 career games, Puckett collected 2304 hits on his way to a .318 batting average. He hit 207 home runs, 1085 RBIs and stole 134 bases. He was a ten-time All-Star, won six Gold Gloves and six Silver Slugger Awards. He was also the 1991 ALCS MVP. Unfortunately, his career was cut short in 1995 when he was hit in the face with a pitch, suffering a broken jaw, then losing sight in his right eye during Spring Training the next year. Even more tragic was his death from a stroke suffered at the age of 45.

Best Player on the Current Roster: Brian Dozier

                No question of Dozier being the best player on the Twins’ roster. In 2016, the second baseman slugged 42 home runs, had 99 RBIs, batted .268 and even stole 18 bases. Over his five-year career, he has a .246 average, 117  homers, 346 RBIs and 74 stolen bases. He was an All-Star in 2015. Despite being on the worst team in baseball last season, Dozier was a consistent threat at the plate and even managed to score 104 runs even though not many run producers were in the line-up behind him. Unless the Twins trade him in yet another re-build mode, expect Dozier to be a big producer in Minnesota for years to come.

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