Few Holes in This Yankees Juggernaut

In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down each of the playoff teams from a scouting perspective.

Despite their great number of strengths, no team is without their holes and the Yankees are no different. The Yankees have tightened up their defense in the last year to match up more favorably against fundamentals-oriented teams like the Angels, but that has not changed the pace they like to play at. Pace is not an often discussed factor in baseball, but a team like the Yankees thrives on controlling the pace of the action and using its steady, methodical approach to win ballgames.

While their potent offense may typically be the reason for their long games, it is the rhythm of the Yankee starting staff that will need to be disrupted. If pitchers of the caliber of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte are given breathing room, they will only be more difficult to handle.

Rhythm and pace are one set of things, but how do you stop the New York lineup? The Yankees offer up a unique dilemma for opposing pitchers. If you nibble and stay away, they will sit, wait and wear down your staff until they can blow the game open. But, with a lineup full of explosive bats to face, pounding the zone with fastballs could also lead to an early night in the showers for any pitcher. What it will take is a pitcher who can throw strikes with his secondary pitches early in the count and can pitch backwards when necessary.

Some of the pitchers to have success against New York's lineup in the last two months include John Danks, Brett Tomko, Junichi Tazawa, Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, Joe Saunders, and Paul Byrd. What do most of these individuals have in common? They were able to establish a well-spotted secondary pitch early in the count and throw consistent strikes. This is obviously a successful strategy against any club, but it is a near necessity to survive against the Yankees.

Matchups To Watch

As touched on earlier, the pitchers that have slowed the Yankee bats of late seem to have one particular thing in common. They were able to pitch backwards, and fall into no particular pattern early in the count. As electrifying as they can be, it will be fascinating to see fastball-happy hurlers Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson lock horns with the Yankees if the Tigers can beat out the Twins in the one-game playoff Tuesday. They use their fastballs liberally, to say the least, and for good reason, but it has typically been the pitchers with an unpredictable pitch mix that have given the Yankees their problems.

X-Factors

Alfredo Aceves: Especially if the Yankees advance beyond the first round, a game will likely arise where Aceves will become pivotal to a Yankee victory. Aceves can thrive against lefties and righties, and give New York innings out of the pen they may desperately need. A valuable bullpen arm, Aceves may still be flying under the radar, but his 91-93 mph moving fastball coupled with three quality secondary pitches give the Yankees an arm with starter stuff working out of a variety of roles in the 'pen.

• Scouting Perspective: You'll know early in the outing if Aceves is on. He likes to mix his pitches right out of the gate, and if he's spotting his 12-6 curveball, he likely has that good feel for his pitches right away. His stuff is underrated, but he has an uncanny sense for reading bats and staying out of patterns.

Melky Cabrera: Within a galaxy of superstars, there is Cabrera somewhere near the bottom of not just the lineup, but also the priority list when teams prepare to face the Yankees. But there is one simple fact that cannot be overlooked about him: Melky Cabrera hits good pitching. His slashing style is not always pleasing to the eye, but the way he lets the ball track deep in the zone translates well against pitchers with late action and lively stuff. He's developed into a far more patient hitter this year and is slowly learning to pick his spots to drive the ball and hit more off his back leg. Look for Cabrera to play a potentially big offensive role in the playoffs. His compact, contact-conscious swing plays well in a playoff atmosphere where the home run ball can become scarce.

• Scouting Perspective: Cabrera's holes seemed to have filled up in a hurry in 2009. Once susceptible to the breaking ball down and in as a left-handed hitter, he now drives the pitch and has forced pitchers to respect him on the inner half and pitch more to his strengths on the outer half of the plate. Your best bet to put him away is still up and in, and his possible first-round matchup against the Tigers' Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson could be a big test. Make no mistake, this is a fundamentally improved hitter, who, while not a potent threat, can handle pitches in all four quadrants of the zone and adjust to changing speeds.

Joba Chamberlain: No breakdown of the New York Yankees can be complete without a look at Chamberlain. So, why might Joba end up being so significant for New York being that he may not even be part of the rotation? In his latest and first relief outing this season, the fastball velocity and the bite on the slider was on the rise. Running the fastball up to 96 mph and bringing the slider at 87-89, it will be fascinating to see how his stuff translate as he moves back into one-inning stints. Assuming they elect to slide Chamberlain back in to a bullpen role in the first round, his stuff may be peaking at the right time, and we may see the dominant version of Joba we saw in 2007.

• Scouting Perspective: Joba's keys to success are rather uncomplicated. Many point to his issues of tempo and that is valid, but he has had battles with his delivery as well. He has struggled on and off to iron out a pause in his it, and he needs to continue to be aggressive with his finish over his front leg to generate his velocity and tight slider spin. Keep an eye on the finish in Chamberlain's delivery; if he's getting his front leg over early, you'll see that good velocity that has come and gone this year, and more importantly, he'll be able to get his fastball to the inside corner to lefties without it leaking back over the plate.

David Robertson: There may be no bigger X-factor to the Yankees' post-season success than Robertson. He fills a key role in the seventh inning that few teams can fill. In the playoffs, where deep counts and high pitch counts become even more a part of the game, he becomes a dangerous weapon.

• Scouting Perspective: Out of college, Robertson was known for his power arm and strikeout stuff, and despite minor-league success, some Yankee fans wondered where his power stuff had gone. Whatever the case may have been, Robertson has seen his velocity spike in recent months, often up to 95 mph. His newfound velocity, and plus, late-breaking, overhand curveball have made him one of the toughest pitchers to put bat on ball against in the American League. Keep an eye on Robertson's silky smooth delivery; it is that methodical delivery and outstanding extension on his finish toward the plate that make his 91-95 mph play like an upper-90s fastball.

Frankie Piliere spent the last three seasons working as a scout, most recently in the professional scouting department for the Texas Rangers in 2009. He now serves as the National Baseball Analyst here at FanHouse.