newjerseynewsroom.com

BY FRANK VERDE

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

FRANKIE SAYS

There’s a different feel to the 2012 New York Yankees. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera are still here and productive when healthy, but something under the surface has changed.

The big three are no longer the most indispensable Bronx Bombers, maybe haven’t been for quite a while. But it’s never been more clearer than now.

This is Robinson Cano’s team. To a lesser degree, it’s Curtis Granderson’s team. And it’s been C.C. Sabathia’s team for a few years now.

Jeter is 37 and coming off a year that started off so poorly that some questioned if the Yankees’ captain had reached the end of the line. A-Rod is 36 and coming off an injury-plagued season that limited him to 99 games. Rivera is 42 and has strongly hinted that this will be his final season.

Fortunately for the Yankees, there are other numbers that speak louder.

Cano and Granderson enter 2012 as legitimate Most Valuable Player candidates. Last season, Cano batted .302 with 28 home runs and 118 runs batted in. Granderson was .262 with 41 home runs and 119 RBI. Sabathia is one of the favorites to win the Cy Young award. He was 19-8 last season with 230 strikeouts and a 3.00 earned run average.

Last year’s Yankees won the American League East with 97 victories, the most in the American League. They finished six games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, seven in front of the Red Sox.

This edition of the Bronx Bombers are capable of duplicating this feat if they stay healthy. It’s the Rays who figure to give the Yankees a run for their money in the toughest division in baseball. And Tampa Bay is expected to be better this year with the addition of Rookie of the Year candidate Matt Moore to their starting rotation and the return of Carlos Pena to their lineup.

The Red Sox, who finished a game behind the Rays last season, appear to have taken a step back. Even with Bobby Valentine, a solid upgrade over Terry Francona at manager, Boston should be hard-pressed to hold off the hard-charging Blue Jays for third place.

It’s still a toug division, and it pays to be deep in pitching. Especially if one of your bullpen guys falls down the stairs (David Robertson) and another tears up his ankle on the trampoline (Joba Chamberlain).

Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Freddie Garcia fill in behind Sabathia, making for a capable, if not outstanding, starting rotation. Being able to add Michael Pineda and Andy Pettitte later on is a luxury most teams do not have. The bullpen, with Rafael Soriano and Robertson backing up Rivera, is solid as usual.

If the Yankees are able to hold off the Rays this year, first baseman Mark Teixeira will have to be better. Teixeira’s power numbers were outstanding in 2011, when he clubbed 39 home runs and drove in 111 runs, but he only hit .248. He needs to pick up his average at least another 20 points.

I’ve always been a fan of Brett Gardner and what he brings to the Yankees’ lineup, but I’m not sure how much New York is going to get from Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez and Russell Martin.

My prediction is that the Yankees will win 94 games and make the postseason again, but this time as a wild card. I like the Rays to win the East, with New York meeting the two-time defending champion Texas Rangers in a one-game wildcard playoff.

If true, I can’t think of a much better way to start the 2012 American League playoffs.

See more of Frank Verde’s sports blogs at www.frankverde.blogspot.com.