Fan Confidence Poll: February 28th, 2011

February 28, 2011 by Mike Axisa 19 Comments

Record Last Week: 1-1 (11 RS, 8 RA)
Spring Training Record: 1-1 (11 RS, 8 RA)
Schedule This Week: @ Tigers (Mon.), @ Pirates (Tues.), vs. Astros (Weds. on YES/MLBN), @ Rays (Thurs.), vs. Red Sox (Fri. on YES/MLBN), vs. Nationals (Sat.), @ Astros (Sun.)

Top stories from last week:

Hank Steinbrenner grabbed some headlines by saying the team his father gave him celebrated the 2009 World Series a little too much, and that they were too busy building mansions to focus on baseball. Yep. Derek Jeter responded as you’d expect him too, basically blowing it off.
Bartolo Colon started the Grapefruit League opener on Saturday, but Freddy Garcia is the guy that seems to have a leg up on a rotation spot.
Injury Zone: Andrew Brackman missed a few days with a groin/hip injury. Ronnie Belliard will miss more than a week with a bum calf, and Mark Teixeira had a bruised toe after getting hit by a pitch. Russell Martin‘s knee is about 90%, and he’ll catch in a game later this week. Alex Rodriguez, meanwhile, is finally healthy following his hip surgery and was cleared to resume his full-blown training routine.
The Yankees continue to keep an eye on Francisco Liriano, and their scouts are bearing down on clubs with excess pitching. Adam Wainwright’s injury could trickle down and impact the Yanks, and we know that Chris Carpenter would be willing to accept a trade.
The Yankees signed Cuban-born shortstop Yadil Mujica. Carl Crawford said he never had any kind of contact with New York when he was a free agent, but the Yankees did make a hefty one-year offer to Carl Pavano. For $2M, the Yanks could have had Daniel Bard eight years ago.
Six Yankees farmhands cracked Baseball America’s top 100 list, including Jesus Montero at number three.
Early playoffs odds have the Yankees in a favorable spot for October.
There will be no team-building exercise in camp this year. For shame.

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.

RL

While this year may be a bit of a bumpy ride (as the Yankees go. I do expect them to make the playoffs, it just may not be smooth as we all want), longer term, I like what I’ve seen in ST so far from the current crop of Minor League players. I have confidence that even if ’11 doesn’t pan out as we’d like, going forward the team will be in good shape. Just hoping the FO makes the right moves with the younger talanet (which may or may not include no moves at all).

I’m uping my confidence to an 8.
Bob Stone

Call me crazy – I’m still at nine.
David

I am going up to a 9. I can see something very favorable developing, which is that we will have several prospects dominating in the minors, Betances being one example, that other teams will be absolutely drooling over. Better yet, they are stacked at the same positions, those being starting pitcher and catcher, maybe the two most important positions, and to a lesser extent second base. The current team is about a 92 win team, and it easily can be improved by trading prospects that would be excess for the Yankees.
Riddering

9.

I’m am exercising extreme self-control by not voting a 10 after being overjoyed with Betances and Montero and just moderately gleeful with Nova, Granderson, and Gardner.
CS Yankee

I’m just hoping that they don’t trade one of their top 5 prospects (Jesus, 3-B’s, & Sanchez) for SP. I would be alright trading the next 6-7 for a Lirano though.

8 for now (2011), 9-plus for the future.
- RL
  
  +1
Andy in Sunny Daytona

10, per usual. The tree of talent is starting to bare fruit. If, and I mean IF, the current crop of high end arms can stay healthy, the Yankees won’t have to worry about trading for anyone else.

If Jack Curry mentions Betances for the 8th inning again, I’m gonna punch his momma right in her mouth.

‘BufordTJustice’d
- Riddering
  
  If Jack Curry mentions Betances for the 8th inning again, I’m gonna punch his momma right in her mouth.
  
  We will all be punching Curry Momma in the mouth. ALL OF US.
  
  A suggestion like that might be benign for another team but with the Yankees’ history it is just too weighed down in disappointment to be an acceptable career path.
- The Big City of Dreams
  
  Would it kill the Yankees to develop a lights out reliever so we can stop everyone from thinking starter X throws hard so why not bring him up and have him pitch in the 8th.
Henry

Hank may have been talking about his brother Hal. Hal was the one that built a mansion last year, Derek just happened to FINISH his, even though the latter’s mansion had started to be built before the start of last year. So for all we know this could’ve just been a shot at his brother, not Derek. Who knows…
Reggie C.

6.

Two spring training games tell me this:
1. Colon’s weight will inspire funny at the moment jokes, but the man is throwing 92-93. He’ll get stronger. Garcia’s no shoe in for the 4 spot.
2. Nova looked good against a largely regular Phillies lineup.
3. Betances will post monster numbers at AA as long he stays healthy.
4. Arod’s swing looks goooood.
- Fair Weather Freddy
  
  5. Jorge Vazquez can bea right handed Adam Dunn if he learns patience at the plate
  - http://www.twitter.com/jordansmed JGS
    
    When Dunn was Vazquez’s age, he had a .900 OPS and 278 home runs…in the Majors. He’ll be 29 this year. He isn’t likely to suddenly pick up new skills.
    - Rick in Boston
      
      Not even this year – his 29th bday is 15 days away. I know some people on RAB love Vazquez, but the guy has a 26:148 BB:K ratio. He’s a nice AAAA guy, but he won’t be seeing NY unless Tex gets hurt – the guy is not a 3B.
- RL
  
  And all of that only puts you at a 6?
camilo Gerardo

Team will get playoffs; wooden bed. Farm is excellent. Seems to be nothing to worry about financially. Only challenge they perhaps cannot overcome is the ’12 apocalypse. 10.
- RL
  
  The ’12 apocalypse won’t occur until Dec. The Yankees will have won #’s 28 & 29 by then. :-)
bonestock94

I’ve reconsidered my previous 6 after some debating last week about the impact of our farm on 2011. I’m moving up to a 7.
Jimmy McNulty

Five. I still hate the rotation and have questions about the aging team, but damn it’s hard for me to not get excited with baseball coming up soon.