Yankees DH

The Yankees are attempting to repeat as AL East Champions in 2011.  Having said that, the Yankees have made very little changes in the off-season, leaving most of their roster from last season intact.  One area with a new player in place, however, is DH.

1.  Raul Ibanez:  Ibanez was signed late in the off-season to add another left-handed bat to their lineup and to fill what some viewed as a hole at the DH spot.  He had a good season last year in Philadelphia, hitting 20 homers.  Ibanez has never been a good outfielder and should have probably played first base throughout his career, but that probably is now a moot point as he will be playing for the Yankees as a DH.  The Bombers are hoping that Ibanez will be able to provide another 20-homer season this year, though he could be in for a sharp decline as he'll be turning 40 this year.

2.  Andruw Jones:  Jones was re-signed in the off-season to either return as the team's fourth outfielder or to be the starting DH.  With the signing of Ibanez late in the off-season, Jones will now return to the team as a fourth outfielder.  The Yankees expect him to play good defense and reach double-digit totals in homers again, and he may get a lot of platoon-like playing time in both left field and at DH.

3.  Alex Rodriguez:  A-Rod is under contract as the team's third baseman for the foreseeable future, but he's not getting any younger, IF Eduardo Nunez is waiting in the wings, and their may be available playing time at DH.  A-Rod had a lost season last year due to injury, batting .276 with only 16 homers, 62 runs batted in, and four stolen bases in 373 at-bats.  So far, the team has stated that they want A-Rod to potentially get as many as 50 starts at DH.  A-Rod says that he wants to play third base, but he hasn't opposed the move either.  The Yankees are hoping that with less-fielding time A-Rod can stay healthy and return to his 2010 form.

4.  Derek Jeter:  Jeter is under contract as the team's shortstop for the foreseeable future, but he's not getting any younger, Nunez is waiting in the wings, and there may be available playing time at DH.  Like A-Rod, the team has publicly stated that they want Jeter to get as many as 50 starts at DH, but Jeter has told manager Joe Girardi flat-out that he's "Derek Jeter and Derek Jeter doesn't play DH."  Jeter had a decent but unproductive season last year, batting .297 but producing mediocre numbers beyond that, with his already-poor defense getting worse and worse with age.  The Yankees are hoping that he has another decent season this year and won't embarrass himself too much in the field.

5.  Mark Teixeira:  Teixeira is under contract as the team's first baseman for the forseeable future, but he's not getting any younger and there may be playing time available at DH.  Teixeira had an outstanding season last year, hitting 39 homers and driving in 111 runs while playing outstanding defense at first.  The Yankees were planning to get Teixeira a small amount of playing time at DH this season just to give him a rest every once in awhile, but with the signing of Ibanez and the logjam created by the injury problems with A-Rod and fielding problems with Jeter, that time now seems to be diminished.  The Yankees are hoping that Teixeira has another outstanding season next year.

The Yankees look pretty good at DH.  Ibanez isn't the player he once was, but he should provide some left-handed pop in their lineup.  Jones will provide a good right-handed complement to Ibanez against lefty pitching.  A-Rod, Jeter, and Teixeira will all benefit from occasional playing time at DH.