Yanks Need To Return Jeter To The Leadoff Spot

With every game being so crucial to the Yankees divisional hopes, it is now time for Joe Torre to flip-flop Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter in the Yankee batting order. If you have been following the Yankees all year long, you surely noticed by now that Damon is not the man to be batting leadoff for this team. For whatever reason ( I still contend he's playing hurt) Johnny has become a very anemic hitter. It seems all he's doing is hitting pop ups and weak grounders to the right side. With his on base percentage (.341) being 60 points less than Jeter's, this should be a "no-brainer" move for Torre. By moving Jeter up to the leadoff spot, the Yankees will have a better chance of scoring in the first innings of games. This season, the Yankees have been having lots of trouble grabbing an early lead, and Damon's poor offensive year at the top of the order is the reason for it.

Batting behind Jeter may actually help Damon snap out of his slump. With Jeter being on base 40% of the time, Damon will have a chance to sacrifice Jeter over to second for Bobby Abreu or Alex Rodriguez to pick up. Torre could also use the hit-and-run more which will open more holes in the infield for Johnny to poke one through. I know Joe loves Derek in the second spot, but the Yankees are a better team with the Captain leading off.

Speaking of Damon, the Yankees shouldn't even consider taking Melky Cabrera out of centerfield in favor of Johnny. Cabrera's strong and accurate arm has stopped the "first-to-third" merry-go-round which had become a staple for the opposition for the last few years of Bernie Williams' career, and the first year and a half of Damon's Yankee tenure.

During the Yankees early season struggles, one of the factors that was over-looked was the poor start by Hideki Matsui. Uncharacteristically, Matsui wasn't hitting for a high average, and was failing to drive in runs. Well, that has all changed in July. "Godzilla" is back to form as he's hitting .313 (.389 OBP), with 5 homers and 9 RBI early on this month. The reason for Matsui's resurgence? Maybe his wrist, which he broke last May, is finally back to its pre-injury state. Whatever the reason, the Yankees finally have some protection behind A-Rod in the order.

Kei Igawa's days as a Yankee starter, are on life support. With Phil Hughes just a few weeks away from a return to the rotation, Igawa will get one or two more starts and then be sent down to the minors or used out of the pen. When he starts, Igawa seems to get by the first few innings, then the hitters figure him out and it's bombs away. To prove this point, here is the breakdown on Igawa so far this year:

In his initial 1-15 pitches, hitters are batting .240 against Kei. He's still fine when he throws the 16th - 30th pitch (.219). Once Igawa gets by 30 pitches, he loses it. Hitters facing Kei's 31st-45th pitch are hitting .333, and those who face his 46-60th pitch are batting .290. If you watch his outings, you know these numbers don't lie. At best, the only way  Igawa can help the Yanks this year may be as a mop up man out of the pen or lefty specialist.

Besides moving Jeter up to the first spot in the order, Torre must make another key move, and that is anoint Luis Vizcaino as his eighth inning bridge man. Joe has give Kyle Farnsworth numerous chances, but the hard throwing right hander just hasn't got the job done. Vizcaino has earned the right to hand the ball over to Mariano and Joe should let him do just that.

Remember last season when we all thought David Ortiz was an unbelievable clutch hitter late in games? Remember when Alex Rodriguez was chastised for not doing what Ortiz does? Well, how fast things change.  In the close and late stat this year, Ortiz is hitting .205, with 0 homers, and 1 RBI. A-Rod is batting .333, with 5 homers, and 16 RBI. Sometimes you just got to love stats.

If no one has noticed, the Yankees are averaging 51,806 fans per game so far this season. If the Yankees do what  I believe they can do ( a late season charge past Boston) this average will sure go higher. Yes, business is booming in the Bronx.

The Tradition and Comeback Continues at www.yankeetradition.com