Position Analysis - Corner Infield

The best player in baseball lives 10 feet east of the third base bag. But no one wants to admit it. Even in a down year, Alex Rodriguez hit 36 home runs and drove in 121 runs. But a second consecutive abysmal postseason showing has Yankee fans and critics alike hounding him to be perfect.

Rodriguez will be the subject of many talk shows this year because of the clause in his contract which allows him to opt out of the last three years of his contract if he chooses. Rodriguez says he wants to stay in New York and the Yankees say they want him. There's no third baseman I'd rather have than Rodriguez and hope that he'll play out the contract and maybe re-sign after it's done. But for this year, he'll be in Pinstripes. It's my opinion that he'll bounce back strong and have another MVP-caliber season, perhaps even his best season ever. He has a long swing and quick hands. He expands the zone with runners on base and especially when they're in scoring position. He is an exceptional baserunner with great instincts and has 40 stolen base potential. He struggled on defense last year, but has good hands and charges ball well. His footwork needs serious attention, but he won't be a 20-error player again.

Doug Mientikiewicz was the Yankees second biggest free agent addition behind Andy Pettitte. Mientkiewicz doesn't offer much on offense, but he will improve the infield defense tremendously. He is one of the best in the business in the field and will provide a small margin of error for the Yankee infielders. He's a very smooth fielder with soft hands and excellent footwork. He has a fluid swing and thrives on pitches middle-up. More of a line drive hitter, he gets into slumps when he tries to pull the ball for power.

Either Josh Phelps or Andy Phillips will make the team as the right side of the first base platoon. (Although I believe the Yankees should let Mientkiewicz play first full time and bring Bernie back as a reserve outfielder/DH for one more season. Mientkiewicz's splits (.286/.274) aren't extreme enough to warrant the need to platoon him. But, the Yankees believe otherwise and I haven't won 26 world championships. Phillips impressed briefly last season before falling off after losing at bats. He killed lefties in the minor leagues, but hit just .195 against them last year (.186 career), furthering my point about trashing the platoon idea.

Phelps had a nice rookie campaign in 2003, but drastically fell off after that. He's been working his way back through the minor league systems of Toronto, Cleveland and Tampa Bay before being taken by the Yankees in the Rule V draft. If he doesn't stay on the roster all year, he has to offered back to Baltimore for $25,000. He's a career .300 RISP hitter with power potential. But it's been a few years since he had a good run in the majors. His defense is a little questionable, which again, confuses me on the whole platoon idea.

Moving Giambi to DH opened up options for the Yankees and I think they've chosen the wrong one. Unless Josh Phelps has an outstanding spring, Mientkiewicz should become the everyday starter at first. He's a better hitter and a much better defender than any of the others.