Filling the Holes Internally.

Well first off I would like to say that this was a hell of a season for Yankee farm hands. Shelley Duncan turned out be a great bench player, Joba was lights out in the 8th, Ian Kennedy had three great starts, and Phil Hughes really came around towards the end of the season. Now on to the topic...

The Offense
The Yankees lose the most productive player in baseball with the departure of Alex Rodriguez and it will be not be easy to fill that void.

Options: Not many, our only legitimate in house replacement would be Wilson Betemit. He has tons of untapped potential but he never has lived up to that. Down on the farm there isn't much either. Eric Duncan has become a complete flop and our only hope is that Marcos Vechionacci turns into the stud that he is supposed to be(he is currently tearing up the Venezuelan Winter League).

First Base: This has been a real problem for the Yankees lately. With the constant platooning and player swapping it seems like a new face has been playing first every week.

Options: With Betemit occupying third base, the only in house option we have is Shelley Duncan. I think Duncan could put up pretty respectable numbers, say .250-.260 BA, .320+ OBP, .500 SLG. On the farm we have Juan Miranda who is currently mashing right hand pitching with a .379 BA in the AFL. Platooning him with Duncan might make for a pretty reliable offensive force coming from first base. Of course, you're sacrificing defense when playing these two.

Catcher: Just pray to god that Posada re-signs. PRAY!

Bullpen: Most likely the Yankees will let Vizciano walk for Draft picks so that leaves the bullpen down a man.

Options: Where do I begin? There are a TON of farm options. Edwar Ramirez, Mark Melancon, Ross Olhendorf, Humberto Sanchez, James Brent Cox, the list goes on. All of these guys have knockout secondary pitches and could definitely contribute to this team. There is no need for the Yanks to put Joba back in the pen. This could end up being one of the strongest parts of the team in 2008 if all of these guys live up to their potential.

Other than those things, this team is pretty solid. The starting rotation could wind up being the best in the league with Wang, Hughes, Kennedy, Chamberlin, and Pettitte. The offense will hurt a little without Rodriguez's bat but the yanks should be able score about 800 runs. Remember, pitching wins championships!