A Fateful Year for the New York Yankees

The end of the 2012 season came abruptly for the New York Yankees. The team that had just spent the summer of 2012 rolling through the regular season came up short of their ultimate goal of winning the World Series. The Yankees hung tough throughout most of the postseason. They managed to squeak by the Baltimore Orioles and set themselves up for a return engagement with the Detroit Tigers, the same team that had ousted them from the postseason the year before. Despite having a year to reload for this match-up however, the Yankees still fell short and they were swept by the Tigers.

The catastrophic defeat in the American League Championship Series prompted a lot of soul searching for the Yankees. The way they lost the series was humbling, with almost every player in the lineup posting a batting line well below their average. Heading into the 2012-2013 off-season, the Yankees had two clear goals. First, was to reload yet again in the hopes that they could find more success for the 2013 season. It was a goal they managed to meet to some degree as the team re-signed marquee free agents Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, and Ichiro among others. The second goal of the off-season was to stay away from any major long-term contracts that could potentially tie their hands for the next few seasons. The franchise that never seemed to care about money was now growing weary of its exorbitant player payroll. A budget was set for the off-season and for the most part, the Yankees have succeeded in securing top-flight talent for significantly less dollars.

The 2013 season promises to be a very meaningful one in Yankee land. The team features a roster full of players who are 30 years old and above, an age range that is not exactly ideal for a sport predicated upon athleticism and endurance. Despite the age however, this team still boasts a roster as talented as any in the Majors. The pitching staff being led by CC Sabathia is poised to have another big year, for as long as its members stay healthy. The bullpen part of that staff also figures to get a boost from the returning Mariano Rivera, fresh off an injury that robbed him of his playing time back in 2012. The lineup may have been weakened to some degree but it still has perennial MVP candidate Robinson Cano in the middle of it along with the returning Derek Jeter who is also coming off a major injury he sustained back in October.

The early forecast for the Yankees in 2013 is for the team to still remain competitive despite its collective age. The team still has talent on its side, and in the baseball world, talent can take a team very far. Also working in the team’s favor is the fact that more age equals more experience. That is an important team quality to have especially for the pennant races. The success of this year’s edition of the Yankees hinges on how well they parlay that experience and talent into wins on the field.

You can still catch the New York Yankees in action when they go against the Atlanta Braves during their Spring training. New York Yankees tickets are available at Ticket Broker.