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Magical, yes. Invincible? No. That's the lesson we learned about the Yankees in 2001 as they came up just two outs shy of their fourth consecutive World Series title. Luck and karma aside, this team has done everything right for more than half a decade now, so losing Game 7, while heartbreaking, wasn't devastating for the Yankees. Perhaps more devastating was their mediocre display in front of the largest of national audiences. There are chinks in the armor here, and while the Yankees have the talent, know-how and funds to overcome those weaknesses, it's clear that for the first time in several years the team is going to need to retool.
Best Pitcher: This is a really hard call to make. Roger Clemens was at one time 20-1, a record no other pitcher has ever attained. But by the numbers, Mike Mussina was just as dominant. In fact, the numbers are strikingly similar:
IP H BB K W-L ERA Run Supp
Mussina 228.2 202 42 214 17-11 3.15 4.5
Clemens 220.1 205 72 213 20-3 3.51 6.6
The only major differences were that Mussina showcased better control, and Clemens got more run support, which led to more wins. We'll call that a tie, and in this case, tie goes to a third pitcher. Mariano Rivera is the most important piece of this superb staff. His lapse in Game 7 notwithstanding, Rivera made it basically automatic for the Yankees late in the game this year, posting a career-best 50 saves in 57 opportunities. He's the best closer in baseball, and the most irreplaceable member of the staff.
Best position player: How valuable was Tino Martinez this year? Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams continue to shine, and both are incredible players, but without Martinez batting behind them, this team would not have made it so far in 2001. Tino picked up the slack for a lineup which seemed to lose some of their power punch this season. Williams drove in 27 fewer runs this season than he did in 2000; Paul O'Neill's RBI total fell by 30. David Justice was plagued by inconsistency and hit just 18 homers after hitting 41 last year. He also struck out a horrific nine times in 12 World Series at-bats. Into this production vacuum stepped Martinez, whose production was strong and consistent all season long. He came back from a sub-par season with 34 homers and 113 RBI, both team highs. In six seasons with the Yankees, he drove in 100 runs five times, 91 runs the other season. The Yanks should really look into re-signing the free agent, because replacing his production is bound to be an expensive, Jason Giambi-level endeavor.
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Postseason swoon
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Team BA
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reg. season
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postseason
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Total
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.267
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.224
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W/RISP
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.255
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.228
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Inn. 1-6
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.270
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.218
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Runs/Gm
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5.0
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3.4
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Grading The Manager: At one point during the Fox broadcast of Game 4, one of those annoying instant polls popped up on the bottom of the screen. It was after Tim McCarver mentioned that Joe Torre and Brian Cashman's contracts were officially up as of 12:01, Nov. 1, which was just an hour away. The poll asked: "Should the Yankees bring back Joe Torre?" Hmm... intriguing question. That's a toughie. Let's see, three straight titles, four in six years. Generally considered the finest manager of the finest franchise in baseball. Come on! What, is the Torre plan just not working? Fact is, even the stingiest of armchair managers would have to admit that Torre pushed all the right buttons in Game 7 and the entire World Series. That they didn't win was a result of their anemic offense, not their coaching. Torre gets an A, easily.
Most Improved: He went from prospect with a bright future (emphasis on the word "future"), to sudden everyday player at second base, to playoff hero, to within two outs of World Series hero. That's the kind of season it was for Alfonso Soriano. Everybody knew he had the skills to be a great player one day, but few would have predicted it would happen so soon. Soriano hit 18 homers and stole 43 bases in his rookie season, after looking unprepared in two abbreviated stints the previous two years. His defense ranged from miraculous to dicey, but he's athletic enough and smart enough to improve. As for his offense, the sky appears to be the limit; few doubt that Soriano could be a 30-40 guy for years to come.
Biggest Weakness: Offense appeared to be the weakness in the playoffs, but that was just an ill-timed slump. No team with Williams, Jeter, O'Neill, Martinez, Soriano, and Jorge Posada in the lineup is a weak-hitting team. But let's get back to that fielding thing... the Yanks bordered on atrocious in the field in the World Series, and while it didn't directly cost them the title, it certainly didn't help, either. The team made 16 errors in the postseason, including eight in the World Series. Jeter often makes plays that border on miraculous, which is to his credit, but just as often he struggles with the more routine plays. Chuck Knoblauch didn't embarrass himself in left field, but he's no Barry Bonds out their either. Perhaps worst of all was Jorge Posada, who may be an elite offensive catcher, but simply lags defensively. 11 errors and 18 passed balls are too much by far, and he threw out fewer than 30 percent of opposing base runners; opponents stole more bases against the Yankees this year than against all but two other major league teams.
Gaining Momentum: As if this team wasn't loaded enough out of the 'pen, lefty Randy Choate made nice strides during the season and looks like an additional solid arm out of the Yankees bullpen. He was nearly unhittable in the first half of the season, holding opponents to a .141 average in 20 games, and he didn't allow a home run in 48 1/3 innings this season.
Kicked Off The Island: Just as much of a question as "How good will the 2002 Yankees be?" is "How recognizable will they be?" Since these are the Yankees, you can rest assured that there will be major free-agent additions during this offseason. The team will lose five players to free agency, and don't appear inclined to re-sign any of them. That brings up some major questions, since team chemistry has been such a major part of their success in the past six seasons. The Yanks surely will miss Scott Brosius in the clubhouse and also his postseason production, but the fact remains that he's an average-hitting third baseman at best, and the team will be able to replace his bat. They'll probably not miss Knoblauch quite as much, given his metamorphasis in four seasons in New York from one of the league's best players to an average offensive player who can't throw from second to first. It's hard to know how the retirement of the ever-underrated O'Neill will be felt; he was never a terror at the plate, but in nine seasons in New York he's been perhaps the most consistent run-producer on the team. The one guy the team won't be able to replace easily is Martinez. Nick Johnson certainly deserves a shot, but with so much change, giving up on the most vital cog in the lineup is difficult to stomach.
Bill Konigsberg is an assistant editor at ESPN.com.
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