The Las Vegas oddsmakers put up a good number here. The Yankees are starting to get older in the field and they will be depending on a lot of young pitchers this season. I think with the Red Sox and improving Blue Jays and Rays in the division that the Yankees will only win around 88 games, so I would take the under.

The Yankees are depending on young pitchers this season to give them big-time innings. It all starts with 28-year old righty Chien-Ming Wang. Wang started 30 games for the Yankees last season and he was 19-7 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Wang is not a strikeout pitcher so he needs to keep the ball down to be effective. Look for him to have another really solid season for the Yankees in 2008.

36-year old lefty Andy Pettitte will be under the microscope this season due to his admitting use of HGH in the past. His elbow is barking right now so the Yanks should be a tad worried about him. Pettitte pitched in 36 games (34 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 15-9 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Unless he gets a ton of run support this season I don’t see him winning 15 games again as he is not the pitcher he used to be.

22-year old righty Phil Hughes is the big hope for the starting rotation this season. He started 13 games for the Yankees last season and he was 5-3 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He has the potential and stuff to be the leading winner on the Yankees this season as long as he maintains his focus on the mound. He started 8 games in A+AA+AAA last season and he was 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. He whiffed 42 batters in 37.2 innings there.

23-year old righty Ian Kennedy doesn’t quite have the stuff that Hughes has but he has been the better pitcher so far. He started 3 games for the Yankees last season and he was 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He was also dominant in the minors last season. He pitched in 26 games (25 starts) in A+AA+AAA ball last season and he was 12-3 with a 1.91 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He also whiffed 163 batters in 146.1 innings last year. Look for him to be a solid starter for the Yankees this season.

39-year old righty Mike Mussina will be the #5 starter when the season begins but the Yanks will likely have him on a short leash. Mussina pitched in 28 games (27 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 11-10 with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He has appeared to lose too much off his fastball to remain effective. Look for him to be yanked from the rotation around June with Joba Chamberlain taking his place.

22-year old righty Joba Chamberlain will open the season as the set-up man for the Yankees and he will end it in the starting rotation. Chamberlain pitched in 19 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 2-0 with 1 save, a 0.38 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. That alone shows what kind of lights out stuff that he has. He pitched in 18 games (15 starts) last season in A+AA+AAA ball and he was 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. He also whiffed 135 batters in only 88.1 innings in the minors.

28-year old lefty Kei Igawa was a complete bust for the Yankees last season but he will likely get another chance to redeem himself at some point in 2008. He pitched in 14 games (12 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. He also started 13 games in A+AAA ball last season and he was 6=5 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Whoever scouts the Far East for the Yankees should be fired after signing Igawa.

27-year old Darrell Rasner pitched decent for the Yankees when they needed him as he was 1-3 with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He will also likely get another chance with the Yanks in 2008 at some point.

25-year old righty Jeff Karstens pitched horrible for the Yankees last season and it’s up in the air as to whether they would give him another chance this season. He pitched in 7 games (3 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 1-4 with a 11.05 ERA and a 2.45 WHIP.

25-year old lefty Chase Wright also proved that he wasn’t quite ready for prime time last season. He pitched in 3 games (2 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 2-0 despite having a 7.20 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. He also allowed a whopping 8 homers in only 10 innings in the majors. He pitched in 25 games (24 starts) in the minors for the Yanks last season and he was 13-5 with a 3.85 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.

32-year old Carl Pavano only started 2 games for the Yankees last season and he was 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He likely will return late in the season as he is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B

34-year old lefty swinging Bobby Abreu is set in RF for the Yankees. He played in 158 games for the Yankees last season and he was 171 for 605 (.283 avg, .814 OPS) with 123 runs scored, 16 homers, 101 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Abreu made 4 errors in RF last season in 157 games while showing above average range. But, he misplayed a bunch of balls that weren’t called errors. Look for Abreu to have another solid season for the Yankees in 2008.

31-year old righty swinging Jason Lane will try to make the Yankees as a backup outfielder. He played in 71 games for the Astros & Padres last season and he was 30 for 171 (.175 avg, .599 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 8 homers and 27 RBIs. Lane is a much better hitter than he showed last season so he could rebound in 2008 with the Yankees.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B+

The Yankees will likely hand over the 2008 starting job in CF to Melky Cabrera. The 23-year old switch hitter played in 150 games last season for the Yankees and he was 149 for 545 (.273 avg, .718 OPS) with 66 runs scored, 8 homers, 73 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Cabrera was also outstanding on defense last season as he made 4 errors in 131 games in CF for the Yankees while showing outstanding range. He also has a rifle attached to his right shoulder as he made 14 assists from CF last year.

Johnny Damon will be the backup in CF. He played 48 games there for the Yanks last season and he didn’t make an error while still showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B

34-year old lefty swinging Johnny Damon will likely be the full-time LF for the Yankees this season. He played in 141 games for the Yanks last season and he was 144 for 533 (.270 avg, .747 OPS) with 93 runs scored, 12 homers, 63 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. Damon did make 2 errors in 32 games in left field but he showed outstanding range there. Look for Damon to rebound this season for the Yanks as he was banged up last year plus the move to LF will save some wear and tear on his body.

Hideki Matsui can play LF once in a while but the Yanks want to keep him healthy so he might wind up being the full time DH this year. He played in 112 games in LF last season and he made 3 errors while showing good range.

28-year old righty swinging Shelley Duncan might also get some P.T. in LF for the Yankees. He played in 34 games for the Yankees last season and he was 19 for 74 (.257 avg, .883 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 7 homers and 17 RBIs. Duncan also played in 91 AAA games last season in which he was 99 for 336 (.295 avg, .957 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 25 homers and 79 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B

The Yankees will likely use 34-year old lefty swinging Hideki Matsui as the full time DH to ease the stress on his bad knees. He played in 143 games last season for the Yankees and he was 156 for 547 (.285 avg, .855 OPS) with 100 runs scored, 25 homers and 103 RBIs. Look for Matsui to have another solid season for the Yanks as long as he stays healthy.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B+

32-year old righty swinging 3B Alex Rodriguez tried out the free agent market after the World Series before deciding to return to the team with the most cash….the New York Yankees. A-Rod played in 158 games last season for the Yankees and he was 183 for 583 (.314 avg, 1.067 OPS) with 143 runs scored, 54 homers, 146 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Rodriguez only made 13 errors in 154 games at 3B for the Yanks last season but he showed below average range. Look for A-Rod to have another MVP type season batting in the potent Yankees lineup.

Wilson Betemit will give A-Rod a day off once in a while. He played in 67 games at 3B last season for the Dodgers and Yankees. In those games, Betemit made 6 errors and showed below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A+

34-year old Derek Jeter is still at the top of his game. He played in 158 games last season for the Yankees and he was 206 for 639 (.322 avg, .840 OPS) with 102 runs scored, 12 homers, 73 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He made 18 errors in 155 games at shortstop last season as he is starting to show declining range. Jeter will have another solid season for the Yanks in 2008.

Wilson Betemit will give Jeter a day off once in a while. Betemit played in 10 games at shortstop for the Dodgers and Yanks. He made 2 errors in those games while showing poor range.

25-year old righty swinging Alberto Gonzalez could also get some P.T. for the Yanks this season but only if Derek Jeter gets hurt. He played in 12 games for the Yankees last season and he was 1 for 14 (.071 avg, .204 OPS) with 1 run scored and 3 RBIs. He made 3 errors in 11 games at SS for the Yanks last season but he also flashed outstanding range. Gonzalez played in 134 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 131 for 493 (.266 avg) with 62 runs scored, 1 homer, 51 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A

25-year old lefty swinging Robinson Cano is a rising star for the Yanks. He started last season slow before coming on like gangbusters in the 2nd half of the season. Cano played in 160 games for the Yankees last season and he was 189 for 617 (.306 avg, .841 OPS) with 93 runs scored, 19 homers and 97 RBIs. Cano is a threat to win a batting title soon and the Yankees were smart to resist trading him in the off-season even though every team was asking for him in return. Cano has outstanding range and that’s part of the reason that he made 13 errors in 159 games.

Wilson Betemit will give Cano a day off once in a while and he has some thunder in his stick. He would do a good job for the Yankees if anything happened to Betemit.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A

The Yankees have signed 33-year old righty swinging catcher Chad Moeller after he was released by the Washington Nationals. He played in 37 games last season for the Reds & Dodgers and he was 9 for 56 (.161 avg, .407 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. Moeller has now played in 421 games in his major league career and he is 268 for 1,198 (.224 avg, .630 OPS) with 125 runs scored, 26 homers and 113 RBIs. Moeller won’t make the Yankees out of spring training unless Jorge Posada or Jose Molina are injured.