Yankee Questions: 2009 edition

So the Yanks have started the season 9-6 despite three horrific performances from former ace Chien-Ming Wang, Xavier Nady's injury, and, oh yeah, A-Rod's injury. Here's a list of 5 questions that the 2009 season may answer, or at least begin to answer (kind of like a season of LOST)... 1 - ARE THE YANKEES BETTER OFF WITHOUT A-ROD? With A-Rod likely out until early-to-mid May, the question must be asked. No A-Rod means less distractions, and possibly a better clubhouse. Is a guy who cheats on his wife, hooks up with women who were hot in the 80s, makes out with himself in the mirror, takes performance enhancing drugs, and puts up offensive numbers that rank him as one of the best- if not the best- offensive player of all time worth having on your team? The Yankees did wonderfully without a guy like him in the late 90s, and they missed the playoffs with him in the lineup last year, but it's hard to argue with putting a bat in the lineup that hits 40+ HRs per season, drives in 120+, hits around .300, and steals around 20 bags... My prediction: Too many x-factors to know for sure. Without him, probably a better atmosphere in the clubhouse, but also missing the biggest bat in the lineup. If he helps the Yankees with a World Series, I will finally accept him as a Yankee. 2 - WHAT'S WRONG WITH WANG? A pitcher with a career ERA around 4, one year removed from consecutive 19-win seasons doesn't suddenly start to suck. Horribly. The guy has an ERA of 34.50 over his first three starts. He looks more like Kei Igawa than a guy who nearly won the Cy Young award a few years ago (Note: this statement does not imply that he looks like Kei Igawa- at least not until he starts doing laps around the Stadium for fun). Hopefully it's a mechanical flaw that's unrelated to any injury. If so, the Yankees have a well-qualified staff to work with him, and he should be back to his old self soon. If not, Phil Hughes will find himself starting in the Majors again very soon. My prediction: Barring injury, Wang will be fine. He's just had bad mechanics and bad luck so far this season. He'll win around 15 games this year and bring down his ERA to a respectable level (likely in the high 4s). 3 - IS C.C. WORTH THE MONEY? I say no. No pitcher- or player really- is worth that kind of money. But you can't judge by April whether or not the Yanks should have signed C.C. He was pretty bad early in the season with the Indians last year, but he was unbelievable late in the season after he was traded to the Brewers, when it counted. He'll probably have a decent season, but he's not the best pitcher in the league. He'll need to have at least a few stellar season, mixed in with a few above average, injury-free seasons, otherwise there's really no way to justify signing him. Hopefully he does not go the way of the morbidly obese Bartolo Colon. A slightly better version of David Wells would be acceptable, though still very overpaid. My prediction: This is really an opinion questions, and my opinion is no, unless he starts putting up stats like Clemens, Ryan, or Maddux in their prime. If he pitches extremely well and helps the Yankees with the World Series, I can justify it at least. But there are several pitchers that I think are better than him and will end up with better stats. 4 - IS NICK SWISHER THE NEXT SCOTT BROSIUS? A-Rod can't fill the shoes of the legendary Brosius, but so far the savvy signing of Swisher is looking similar to the signing of Brosius. Here's a comparison of their stats... Scott Brosius 1997 with OAK - .203 BA 11 HR 41 RBI Nick Swisher 2008 with CWS - .219 BA 24 HR 69 RBI Scott Brosius 1998 with NYY - .300 BA 19 HR 90 RBI Nick Swisher 2009 with NYY - .306 BA 4 HR 12 RBI (through April 22) My prediction: Swisher is probably a very good free agent find, but he's not Brosius. 5 - HOW WILL THE YANKEES PLAY IN THE NEW STADIUM? So far, pretty good, but up-and-down (two blowout losses, but four wins). It seems to be a hitter-friendly ballpark, more so than the old Yankee Stadium for sure. We'll have to see if this trend continues. The Yankees have the best team on paper. My prediction: The Yankees will play well in whatever ballpark they play in, most of all the new Cathedral of Baseball. ...AND THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION... WILL THE YANKEES WIN THE WORLD SERIES IN 2009? My prediction: Yes. Of course. I say that almost every year though, so don't take it from me.