Fantasy Baseball Preview: The Yankees

Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.

Meet the ...
Funhouse. Formerly the straight arrow clubhouse where fun wasn't allowed -- even though it did find a way to seep in there from time to time -- now the Yankees are taking trips to pool halls instead of practice. Plus, do you see CC and Joba in this picture? They are having the time of their lives. The Yankees are now just here to have fun. Seriously, just ask the Steinbrenner family. They don't even care about wins, for real.

The Breakout
Yeah, there's going to be a player on the Yankees who is flying under the proverbial radar. Fat chance. I was gonna go with Joba, but his ADP is just insane. He's being picked before Jon Lester, Dice-K, Carlos Zambrano, and Yovani Gallardo. C'mon, now. That's bust-range.

I thought about Cano, but he's done way more in the big leagues than he ever did in the minors. It's perfectly rational to argue that his ceiling was 2006.

The one person I'd take a look at in AL-only leagues is Nick Swisher. The problem is that there is no guaranteed playing time. In fact, the Yanks could ship him to Pittsburgh at any moment.

In Swisher, you have a 29 year-old who is coming off a disastrous first season away from Oakland. It's been two seasons since he hit 35 homers and drove home 95 runs, but that season showed his power potential. The new Yankee Stadium should be an easier venue in which to hit the ball out of the park than in Oakland, and the lineup around him would likely supply many more RBI and run scoring opportunities. I'd definitely roll the dice in AL-only leagues that he comes away with semi-regular playing time and has a bounce-back season.

The Bust
I've already let Jeter and Sabathia have it elsewhere in the draft kit, but -- in the process of doing so -- I've neglected A.J. Burnett. Burnett has only managed more than 30 starts twice in the past six seasons, and both were coincidentally (cough, cough) contract years. The stars really aligned for the 31 year-old in 2008, as he put together his worst ERA and WHIP in a season of more than 15 starts, yet managed to win 18 games -- mightily impressing the old guard of fans. He also struck out 231 batters, which fantasy owners love. You know who really padded his stat-line, by the way? The Yankees. He had a 1.64 ERA and 43 punchouts in 38 1/3 innings. That's not overly relevant here, except to note that he won't have the Yankees offense to bully anymore.

Anyway, I'm not expecting Burnett to make more than 30 starts. Even if he does, you are paying for his Ks and wins from last year while ignoring his ERA and WHIP. There is too much evidence in favor of him letting down fantasy owners this season to justify his 19th ADP amongst starting pitchers. He's going in front of the same guys I mentioned with Joba. I'll pass, and recommend you do the same.

The Lineup
1. Johnny Damon, LF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Jorge Posada, C
6. Hideki Matsui / Nick Swisher, DH
7. Xavier Nady, RF
8. Robinson Cano, 2B
9. Brett Gardner, CF

Gardner has a fight with Melky Cabrera for the center-field job, but I think the Yanks have really soured on Cabrera. They also have the option of making their defense even worse than it already is by playing either Damon or Swisher in center, a move which would obviously maximize offense. I'd honestly be tempted if I was Joe Girardi. Your defense is already bad, so how could you pass on the opportunity to have Cano your 9-hole? That is just sick.

The Rotation
1. CC Sabathia
2. Chien-Ming Wang
3. AJ Burnett
4. Andy Pettitte
5. Joba Chamberlain

The Bullpen
CL - Mariano Rivera
SU - Damaso Marte

The Skinny
• All joking and snarkiness aside, I actually like the Yankees. I swear, I do. They are my wife's favorite team, and there's more than a few items of Yankee paraphernalia around the house (obviously dwindled by the massive amount of Cubs stuff, but you get the idea). The issue you find in fantasy baseball, though, is that Yankee players suffer from inflated perceived value more than any other team. It's just that aura that surrounds the Bronx Bombers. The mystique, if you will. Well, that doesn't help in fantasy baseball. Paul O'Neill wasn't a great fantasy player, and Scott Brosious was pretty sub-par. It just doesn't translate.

• I'm very interested to see how Teixeira deals with the New York spotlight. I like him as a member of the elite echelon at first base, but there's a chance he busts. Someone like Lance Berkman is much safer.

• Posada is someone who could house great value, which is surprising. He's going 11th out of all catchers, sitting behind Matt Wieters, who isn't even going to start the season in the majors. I know Jorgie is getting up there in years, but he's got enough left to provide you with some pop behind the plate.

• Damon has actually become underrated in fantasy, due to being overshadowed in the Bronx. He's going to give you more than 15 jacks, about 70 RBI, steal more than 25 bases, and score more than 100 runs. Last year he hit .303. He's got a few years left in his prime, so he's a good category filler as your second or third outfielder.