Thoughts On The First Week

Before I get into my thoughts, let me preface this by saying yes, I realize it's only been a few games and yes, I know there's a lot of baseball to be played.  It's just my take on what I've seen so far, not what I expect moving forward.

- I didn't have high hopes for him at all, but I'm very impressed with what I've seen from Russell Martin so far.  He's been solid behind the plate, has done a good job of handling the pitching staff, hasn't shown any signs of wear and tear from catching every day, and has shown the ability at the plate that had him looking like Joe Mauer Jr. a few years ago.

- CC has had 2 outings, one that was good not great and the other that was damn great.  He didn't appear very happy with his performance in either.  That's a good sign.

- Jeter hasn't looked really good or really bad at the plate with his new swing mechanics, but I certainly hope the rumors about him abandoning his new step  aren't true.  Jeter needs to be smart enough to realize that he needs to stick with the new approach to be successful.  If he starts getting back to the big stride, pitchers are going to eat him up with the fastball like last year.

- He has slowed down a bit over the last couple games, but Teix is still having a huge April by his standards.  He could never get a hit for the rest of the month and his numbers would still look better than they did the last couple years.

- The Horse hasn't put up the numbers that Teix has, but he has continued to look locked in and well balanced at the plate.  The off-day and rainout have also helped Joe to be able to keep him rested without taking him out of the lineup.  Score!

- Poor Freddy Garcia.  Everybody said he shouldn't have gotten the 5th starter spot over Colon and now the Yankees seem intent on having him pitch as little as possible.  That isn't going to do him and his nothing stuff any favors, but for his sake he better look halfway decent when he finally does take the mound or he won't be around very long.

- Stop taking so many strikes, Brett!  Swing the damn bat!!

- Even though I didn't see it, I liked what I saw from Nova in his first start.  If he continues to hone that slider/cutter hybrid and use it consistently, he could be better than people expected this year.  I still don't think he gets enough respect from scouts because he isn't as flashy as the Killer Bs.

- With the way Ayala and Boone Logan have pitched, at what point do we start praying that Feliciano isn't going to be shut down for the year?  And if he is, at what point is it OK to start sending FedEx packages full of dog shit to Citi Field?

- Mo's line so far:  4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 4-4 SV.  What else is new?  The guy simply isn't human.

- Overall, there was a lot to like about the opening week of the year.  Even though everybody isn't quite locked in, the offense has looked patient and done a good job of scoring runs both with the long ball and with small ball.  Once Grandy and Cano really get going they are going to be tough to squeak by through the heart of this order.  And if Phil can find some velocity, the rotation could be better than people expect.  I'd rather they be 5-1 right now, but I'll take 4-2.