Gunnin' for 28 - A Yankees 'Chise

[Legend.]

Yankees sit atop AL East at 81-41; lead Rays by 6
Lowly Royals await the MLB record-leading Yankees as they come into town
August 15th, 2011

BATTING

The Yankees lead the Majors in team batting average at .283 and breaking down each player down the lineup, we start with lead-off man Brett Gardner. Gardner is having a somewhat break-out year, as he has improved his power greatly, as he's already hit 13 home runs and adds 62 RBI's to go with that. To go along with his .280 average, Gardner has stolen 37 bases and has only been caught 4 times. Let's face it... the Yankees have found their lead-off hitter in Gardner.

The Captain, Derek Jeter, has bounced back from his dreadful 2010 campaign and is currently hitting over .300 at .301, as well racking up the power with 11 home runs and 57 RBI's. Jeter has found his swing again and the haters and naysayers have shut their mouth... for now.

Mark Teixeira has once again struggled at the plate this year as a Yankee, only tallying a .252 average through the middle of August, but has hit 28 home runs and even though his RBI total (75) shouldn't be where it's at, 'Tex' is stilling making an impact in the field as he's only recorded 3 errors and has a .997 fielding percentage, as he challenges for another Gold Glove.

A-Rod has had a very solid season as he continues to prove the critics that even at 35 years old, he's not slowing down anytime soon. Rodriguez has hit .298 through the middle of August and has tallied 25 home runs to go along with 76 RBI's. But like 'Tex'... his impact in the field is even a bigger one as he's only had 2 errors and if he's keep that up, he could be looking at another Gold Glove.

Robinson Cano is having another Cano year... he's hitting over .300, he's got over 20 homers already and is second on the team in RBI's with 77. He continues to show people in the league why he's maybe the most complete second basemen in the league. When the season ends, don't be surprised to see Cano with a .300 average, 30+ home runs and possibly 100+ RBIs.

A fan favorite in the Bronx, Nick Swisher is having a frustrating year at the plate as even though he's been good in the field and he has had the power, his average has dipped in the last month and if he doesn't pick it up, this year could be his last in Pinstripes. Despite all that, he has a .249 average but has coupled 23 home runs and 69 RBIs.

Curtis Granderson should send hitting coach Kevin Long a fruit basket as thanks to the genius hitting coach, 'The Grandy Man' has broke out this season with the Yankees. With .278 average to go along with 20 home runs and a team-high 82 RBIs, Granderson has improved his hitting and is making a force in the seventh spot in the lineup.

Well... what a pleasant surprise Jorge Posada, at the age of 38, has been for the Bronx Bombers. Most people thought Posada was done and the impending arrival of top prospect Jesus Montero was coming soon... think again. Hitting an impressive .304 and to go along with 11 home runs and 64 RBIs, Posada is making a case that even though this might be his last year... he's going out with a bang.

Russell Martin has been everything the Yankees hoped for when they brought him in the off-season... he's been fantastic behind the plate and he has found his old-self this season. Hitting a good .292 and hitting an impressive 15 home runs to go along with 66 RBIs, Martin is looking like his old-self every day and could find himself back in the Bronx next season or two if he keeps this up.

STARTING ROTATION

The starting rotation starts off with the big man and the ace... C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia is having a Cy-Young award-winning year, as he has posted a great 12-2 record to go along with an impressive 2.92 ERA and 180 strikeouts. Yeah, Yankees fans are feeling pretty good about the big going forward...

One of the biggest questions going into the season was... can A.J. Burnett bounce back? Well, to answer your question... he has. Burnett has played solid baseball all season long, posting a 8-5 record to go along with a solid 4.12 ERA and a somewhat low 104 strikeouts, but that has been due to the somewhat different pitching style of Burnett this year as he has gone for more of a contact-style of pitching rather than an aggressive style.

Phil Hughes has once again filled in nicely as the third guy behind Burnett and Sabathia, posting a great 12-5 record and a solid 4.08 ERA, as well as 131 strikeouts. Hughes, like last year, gets great run support from the bats and has taking advantage of that, tying C.C. with a team-high 12 wins.

The story of the year belongs to Bartolo Colon, who was originally just a Spring Training invitee, has turned into the probably Comeback Player of the Year, as the former Cy Young award winner has posted a excellent 3.67 ERA to go along with a 11-5 record and 143 strikeouts. Behind Sabathia, he's probably been the Yankees second best pitcher.

Another journeyman is Freddy Garcia, who has bounced back from a shaky start to the year to now turning into a consistent hurler. Garcia has posted a 7-7 record to go with a 4.92 ERA and 77 strikeouts. He may not pitch in the post-season, but Garcia has had a solid year for the Bombers and has helped them a lot as their fifth starter.