With the way that backup outfielder Marcus Thames is swinging the bat right now the Yankees need to find more at bats for him. Thames has played in 7 games for the Yankees this season and he is 7 for 14 (.500 avg, 1.420 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 2 doubles, 1 homer and 1 RBI. It was originally thought that Thames was signed with the idea that he would platoon in LF with Brett Gardner. But, with Gardner off to a outstanding start to the season Thames has not got much playing time in LF. The door is probably open at DH for Thames to get some playing time with Nick Johnson’s back barking. Johnson is off to slow start and he’s hurting too so Thames could work his way into a platoon with him despite the fact that Johnson makes a lot more money than he does. Regardless of where he plays the Yankees need to get more at bats for Thames.

The Yankees weren’t sure who was going to step up and be the #5 starter in 2010 until near the end of spring training. 24-year old righty Phil Hughes won the job and despite being a top prospect of the Yanks he never performed that well as a starting pitcher for them. He was lights out as a reliever for the Yankees in 2009 after struggling early in the year as a starter. Hughes has started 2 games for the Yankees this season and he is 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. He has only allowed 4 hits in 12 1/3 innings this season while whiffing 16 batters showing just now nasty his stuff has been. The only worry is his control as he has walked 7 batters this season but he has time to fix that. If Hughes continues to dominate like he is right now the Yankees are going to really be awesome this season and he has the stuff to win the most games on the team in 2010.

The added pressure of being a New York Yankee has not fazed Curtis Granderson one bit so far this season.  Granderson, who the Yankees acquired in the offseason from the Detroit Tigers, is one of their best hitters through the first 13 games.  In his debut with the Yankees, he hit a homerun on opening day in Boston against the Red Sox, so has quickly become a new favorite amongst Yankees’ fans.  The Yankees have not missed Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon at all so far this season, and Granderson is a key reason why.  Through 13 games, he has a .313 BA (15/48), 2 HRs, 7 RBIs, 7 Rs, 4 SBs, .389 OBP, and .563 SLG.  Granderson gives the Yankees more speed on the base-paths, as well as covering more ground in the outfield.  The Yankees have such a potent lineup, making things easier for pretty much every hitter.  Granderson seems to be liking the dominant ways of the Yankees and he has helped them get off to one of the best starts in baseball, where they are atop the AL East Division with a 10-3 record.

The Yankees are 9-3 on the season which has them in 2nd place in the A.L. East, 1/2 a game behind the Rays. The Yankees have won 4 games in a row and they have outscored the opposition 69-44 this year. The Yankees are excelling despite getting next to nothing out of DH Nick Johnson and 1B Mark Teixeira with the bat so far this season. The Yankees will be on the road against the A’s (3 games) and Angels (3 games) this week.

38-year old lefty starting pitcher Andy Pettitte is off to a outstanding start to the 2010 season for the New York Yankees. In Pettitte’s first three starts of the season he is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has only given up 15 hits in 20 innings so far this season for the Yankees but he has walked 9 batters which will get him into trouble eventually. With a great bullpen and offense behind him don’t be surprised if Andy Pettitte wins 20 games for the Yankees this season as long as he stays healthy.

The Yankees have placed righty reliever Chan Ho Park on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Park has pitched in 3 games for the Yankees this season and he is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. But, he has given up 2 homers in 5 2/3 innings already this year. The Yankees have called up lefty reliever Boone Logan to replace Park in the bullpen. Logan has pitched in 3 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he is 0-0 with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP. He only allowed 3 hits while whiffing 9 batters in 6 2/3 innings in AAA this season. Logan will likely be little more than a lefty specialist for the Yanks but he can help them.

Starting 1B Mark Teixeira is off to another rough start for the Yankees this season. He has played in 7 games this season and he is 3 for 27 (.111 avg, .442 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 3 RBIs. His stuggles shouldn’t surprise anyone as April is usually his worst month of the year. I look for him to heat up along with the weather. This is nothing the Yankees need worry about as they have more than enough offense to pick up for Teixeira until he starts hitting the ball better.

Javier Vazquez was awful in his season debut for the Yankees last Friday Night. He was the losing pitcher working 5 2/3 innings in which he gave up 8 hits (2 homers), walked 3 batters and whiffed 5. I didn’t like the trade for Vazquez over the winter because he was awful in his first time around with the Yankees. In 2004, he started 32 games and was 14-10 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He gave up a stunning 33 homers that season and the new Yankee Stadium is a launching pad.

The Yankees are getting great production out of starting 2B Robinson Cano. He is 9 for 25 (.360 avg, 1.050 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs in his first six games. The Yankees have elevated Cano to fifth in the batting order this season which is a very important position as he has to protect A-Rod. I look for Cano to have an outstanding season for the Yankees as he should knock in over 100 runs in 2010 as long as he can stay healthy.

The Yankees took two out of three games from the Rays this weekend. They did it with good hitting and solid starting pitching as C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett rebounded well from rough first starts in 2010. The Yankees will be on the road this week hitting Anaheim to play the Angels starting Tuesday for a three game series and then down to Texas for a three games series against the Rangers. The Yankees are 4-2 on the season which is good for second place in the A.L. East, 1 game behind the surprising Toronto Blue Jays.