I really don’t like Girardi much as a manager but it’s hard to get on him too much as he led the Yankees to their 27th World Championship in 2009. With another all-star team set up for Girardi in 2010 he will be expected to repeat. Girardi led the Yankees to a 103-59 (63.6%) record last season. In two years with the Yankees, Girardi is 192-132 (59.3%). Girardi seems more at home in the American League where the DH takes a lot of the strategy out of the game. He has now compiled a 270-216 (55.6%) in his three years as a major league manager.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE MANAGER IN 2010: B

The Yankees have released starter/reliever Chad Gaudin. Gaudin had a awful spring for the Yankees working in 4 games (2 starts) in which he was 0-3 with a 8.68 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP. But, he didn’t pitch that bad for the Yankees last season when the games counted. He pitched in 11 games (6 starts) for the Yankees last season in which he was 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. He will likely hook on with another team soon.

40-year old righty Mariano “The Sandman” Rivera is showing no signs of slowing down as he continues to chase Trevor Hoffman to be the all-time saves leader in major league history. Rivera pitched in 66 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season in which he was 3-3 with 44 saves, a 1.76 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He only gave up 48 hits in 66 1/3 innings for the Yankees last season while whiffing 72 batters showing that he still has more than enough movement left on his fastball to dominate. Rivera has now pitched in 917 games (10 starts) in his 15 years in the majors in which he is 71-52 with 526 saves, a 2.25 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Look for another 40+ saves out of the Sandman in 2010.

Either 24-year old Joba Chamberlain or 23-year old righty Phil Hughes is going to be the set-up man for Rivera in 2010. Hughes was awesome in that role last season for the Yankees. As a reliever, Hughes pitched in 44 games for the Yanks last season in which he was 5-1 with 3 saves, a 1.40 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. He only gave up 31 hits in 51 1/3 innings in relief last season while whiffing 65 batters showing just how dominating he was. But, he is clearly outpitching Joba Chamberlain this spring in the battle for the 5th job in the starting rotation. Joba Chamberlain really struggled last season in the starting rotation. The Yankees would be better served to just let him rip for an inning at a time out of the pen. In his first two years with the Yankees, Chamberlain pitched in 61 games (12 starts) in which he was 6-3 with 1 save, a 2.17 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Whichever one they choose to work the 8th inning, the Yankees will be in good shape.

27-year old righty Alfredo Aceves always seemed to be in the right place at the right time for the Yankees in 2009. Aceves pitched in 43 games (1 start) for the Yankees last season in which he was 10-1 with 1 save, a 3.24 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. He only gave up 69 hits in 84 innings for the Yankees last season and he only walked 16 batters. Aceves comes right at hitters and he can work multiple innings per outing making him a huge asset for the Yankees.

36-year old righty Chan Ho Park will be the Yankees’ #6 starter and long man in 2010. Park pitched in 45 games (7 starts) for the Phillies last season in which he was 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Park can work a lot of innings just like Aceves giving the Yankees a option every day of yanking a starting pitcher early.

35-year old lefty Damaso Marte is the Yanks’ top lefty reliever for 2010 but he has been a bust so far in his career with them. Marte pitched in 21 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 1-3 with a 9.45 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. He has now pitched in 46 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Yankees and he is 2-6 with a 7.11 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. But, he has struck out 37 batters in only 31 2/3 innings showing that he does still have decent stuff.

24-year old righty David Robertson really pitched pretty darn well for the Yankees last season. He pitched in 45 games (0 starts) for the Yankees in 2009 and he was 2-1 with 1 save, a 3.30 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He whiffed a stunning 63 batters in only 43 2/3 innings for the Yankees last season showing just how nasty he can be.

25-year old righty Mark Melancon is another young righty who can really bring it for the Yanks. He pitched in 13 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last year and he was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Melcanon also pitched in AAA-ball last season in which he appeared in 32 games (0 starts) and was 4-0 with 3 saves, a 2.89 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP.

25-year old lefty Boone Logan will make the Yanks’ pitching staff if they think they need two southpaws. Logan pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. He has now pitched in 164 games (0 starts) in his four years in the show and he is 5-5 with 1 save, a 5.78 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2010: A

The first four pitchers in the Yankees’ starting rotation in 2010 won at least 13 games in 2009. 29-year old lefty C.C. Sabathia is the #1 starter for the Yankees. He started 34 games for the Yankees last season in which he was 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He only gave up 197 hits in 230 innings last season and he whiffed 197 batters showing his stuff is still elite. I look for Sabathia to improve on his numbers across the board in 2010 as he will be a finalist for the Cy Young Award again.

33-year old righty A.J. Burnett is hit and miss. He has got the best stuff on the pitching staff but he always seems to have one bad inning. Burnett started 33 games for the Yankees last season and he was 13-9 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Burnett only gave up 193 hits in 207 innings last season while whiffing 195 batters showing what kind of stuff he has. For Burnett to take the next step for the Yankees he will need to sharpen his control as he walked 97 batters in 2009 and that’s way too many.

37-year old lefty Andy Pettitte will likely be the #3 starter for the Yankees in 2010. He remains a bulldog on the mound but his stuff isn’t near as good as it used to be. Pettitte started 32 games for the Yankees last season and he was 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Pettitte has won at least 12 games in 14 of his 15 years in the majors. The only time he didn’t was when he was injured. Look for him to put up the same type of numbers he did in 2009.

33-year old righty Javier Vazquez will slot #4 in the Yankees’ rotation in 2010. Vazquez started 32 games for the Braves last season in which he was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Vazquez only gave up 181 hits in 219 1/3 innings last year while whiffing 238 batters as his stuff is still sharp. He only walked 44 batters last season as he was pounding the strike zone all year. Still, Vazquez has pitched in 130 games (129 starts) in his four years in the American League and he is 52-46 with a 4.52 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. I’m not so sure the American League will be kind to Vazquez in 2010.

24-year old righty Joba Chamberlain was in the rotation for the Yankees last season and he did not do well in that role. Chamberlain pitched in 32 games (31 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 9-6 with a 4.75 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He gave up 167 hits in 157 1/3 innings while walking 76 batters and that explains his troubles. He whiffed 133 batters last season showing his stuff is still there but he wasn’t missing many bats. He is better served working in the bullpen where he can just let it rip for 1 inning at a time. Chamberlain pitched in 61 games (12 starts) in his first two years with the Yankees and he was 6-3 with 1 save, a 2.17 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. In those two years, Chamberlain whiffed 152 batters in only 124 1/3 innings last season while allowing only 99 hits showing how dominating he can be working out of the pen.

23-year old righty Phil Hughes is also fighting for the #5 slot in the Yankees’ rotation. Hughes pitched in 51 games (7 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 8-3 with 3 saves, a 3.03 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Hughes only gave up 68 hits in 86 innings pitched while whiffing 96 batters. Hughes, like Chamberlain, is much better as a reliever. Imagine a bullpen with Hughes, Chamberlain and Rivera pitching the last three innings of a game!

27-year old righty Chad Gaudin would be my selection to be the #5 starter for the Yankees if I were running the team. Gaudin pitched in 11 games (6 starts) for the Yankees last season in which he was 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. He pitched in 31 games (25 starts) overall for the Padres & Yankees in which he was 6-10 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. Gaudin whiffed 139 batters in 147 1/3 innings overall last season but he walked 76 batters and that got him into trouble. If Gaudin were to be the Yanks’ #5 starter all year in 2010 I think he would win between 12-15 games.

29-year old righty Sergio Mitre is what he is. He pitched in 12 games (9 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 3-3 with a 6.79 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. He has now pitched in 90 games (61 starts) in his six years in the majors in which he is 13-26 with a 5.56 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. The Yankees are using Mitre as trade bait this spring as they don’t want him to pitch for them in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE ROTATION IN 2010: B+

29-year old switch hitting Nick Swisher will be the starting RF for the Yankees in 2010. Swisher played in 150 games for the Yankees last season in which he was 124 of 498 (.249 avg, .869 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 29 homers and 82 RBIs. Swisher looks at a lot of pitches as he walked 97 times last season but he also whiffed 126 times so how good is his eye really? Swisher had 5 errors in 130 games in RF last season in which he showed average range. Swisher only had 2 assists while in RF showing a pretty weak throwing arm. The Yankees need Swisher to be more consistent with the bat as he was very up and down last year.

35-year old switch hitting Randy Winn will likely replace Swisher defensively quite a bit in 2010. Winn played in 104 error-free games in RF last season while showing good range. He also had 3 assists while in RF as his arm is stronger than Swisher’s.

24-year old righty swinging Greg Golson could also get some P.T. in RF for the Yankees in 2010 but he will likely start the year in AAA. Golson played in 1 game for the Rangers last season and he was 0 for 1 with a whiff. Golson also played in 123 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 118 of 457 (.258 avg, .642 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 2 homers, 40 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: B

28-year old lefty swinging Curtis Granderson will be the new starting CF for the New York Yankees in 2010. His power swing is perfect for the confines of the new Yankee Stadium which favors lefty swinging power hitters. Granderson played in 160 games for the Tigers last season in which he was 157 of 631 (.249 avg, .780 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 30 homers, 71 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Granderson has a career batting average of .272 with a .828 OPS in 674 games in the majors so the Yankees expect him to rebound in 2010. Granderson had 3 errors in 160 games in CF last season while showing slightly above average range. He also had 4 assists in CF showing a fairly decent throwing arm.

26-year old lefty swinging Brett Gardner will get most of his playing time in LF in 2010 but if something happens to Granderson or he needs a day off, Gardner could fill in. Gardner had 2 errors in 99 games in CF for the Yankees last season while showing above average range. He also had 3 assists showing off a pretty good throwing arm from CF last year.

35-year old switch hitting Randy Winn could also get some P.T. in CF in 2010 but he will likely get most of his playing time in LF and RF for the Yanks this year. Winn played in 22 error-free games in CF last season while showing poor range. He also had 1 assist while playing in CF last year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: B+

26-year old lefty swinging Brett Gardner will likely get the call against all righty starting pitchers with either 35-year old switch hitting Randy Winn or 33-year old righty swinging Marcus Thames starting against lefty starters in left field for the Yankees in 2010. Gardner played in 108 games for the Yankees last season in which he was 67 of 248 (.270 avg, .724 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 3 homers, 23 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. Gardner should be a great left fielder defensively as he was a above average CF and he is by far the fastest baserunner on the team so look for him to approach 30 steals for the Yankees in 2010.

35-year old switch hitting Randy Winn played in 149 games for the Giants last season in which he was 141 of 538 (.262 avg, .671 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 2 homers, 51 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. The Yankees expect him to hit better in 2010 as he has a career batting average of .286 with a .762 OPS in 1,601 major league games. Winn didn’t make any errors in 54 games in LF last season while showing good range. If Gardner were to struggle in 2010, Winn could bump him for the starting job in LF.

33-year old righty swinging Marcus Thames would be the perfect platoon partner for Brett Gardner as he pounds lefty pitching. Thames played in 87 games for the Tigers last season and he was 65 of 258 (.252 avg, .777 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 13 homers and 36 RBIs. Thames didn’t make any errors in 20 games in LF last season while showing poor range.

25-year old righty swinging Jamie Hoffman is the Yankees’ #30 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. The Yankees snagged Hoffman in the Rule 5 Draft from the Dodgers so they have to keep him on the 25-man roster all year in 2010 or offer him back for half price. Hoffman played in 14 games for the Dodgers last season in which he was 4 of 22 (.182 avg, .576 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. He also played in 97 games in AA+AAA ball last season in which he was 104 of 358 (.291 avg, .856 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 10 homers, 64 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Hoffman didn’t play any games in LF for the Dodgers last season but he’s a more than capable defender there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LF IN 2010: C+

The Yankees have inked 29-year old righty reliever/starter John Van Benschoten to a minor league deal. He pitched in 22 games (13 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 2-8 with a 6.35 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. Van Benschoten last pitched in the majors in 2008 with the Pirates. He has pitched in 26 games (19 starts) in his major league career and he is 2-13 with a 9.20 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP. Van Benschoten is one of the only pitchers on the planet who would have a terrible record with the Yankees as he is one of the worst pitchers I have ever seen. They better hope they don’t need him in 2010.