2010 Yankees Roster: Mine vs. Actual

I recently read this post and it got me thinking about how I would put together the 2010 Yankees roster. Note that the *s mean the players definitely will be on the active roster when the season starts.

Pitching Rotation:

1. CC Sabathia*

2. A.J. Burnett*

3. Andy Pettitte*

4. Javier Vazquez*

5. Phil Hughes

Bullpen:

CL Mariano Rivera*

SU Joba Chamberlain

MRP David Robertson*

LHP Damaso Marte*

LRP Alfredo Aceves

LRP/MRP/SU Chan Ho Park*

Starting Lineup:

1. SS Derek Jeter*

2. DH Nick Johnson*

3. 1B Mark Teixeira*

4. 3B Alex Rodriguez*

5. 2B Robinson Cano*

6. C Jorge Posada*

7. CF Curtis Granderson*

8. RF Nick Swisher*

9. LF Brett Gardner*

Bench:

IF Ramiro Pena*

C Francisco Cervelli*

OF Randy Winn*

1B Juan Miranda

OF Greg Golson

Notes:

• I decided to go with an extra person on the bench (Golson, who is a speed-demon and solid outfielder) rather then an extra arm in the bullpen (Melancon would be my next pick) because of the flexibility of Chan Ho Park. He can eat up innings, pitch dominant set-up relief, or anything in between. I also felt more comfortable having a dedicated pinch-runner (Golson) and a pinch-hitter (Miranda, who I badly want to see in the majors on a regular basis).
• I don't really want to get into the whole Hughes/Joba thing, but I will give my 2 cents. After seeing Joba and Hughes in both roles, it seems like Joba is better in the bullpen, and, while he certainly was better in the pen than as a starter, Hughes is a more polished starter, with more then a fastball-slider combination. We saw it last year during the playoffs. Hughes began to struggle in the 8th inning, so Girardi instead handed the ball to Joba who took up his beast-mentality. So, to be clear: In the future, I see Phil Hughes as a Rick Porcello-type pitcher, and Joba Chamberlain as the heir to Mariano Rivera as the Yankees' closer.
• Some people have been talking about putting Granderson in left and Gardner in center, which does seem like a good idea to me. Joe Girardi called Gardner "one of the best defensive centerfielders in the game." On the other hand, people have been doubting Granderson defensively for years (despite this play) and his production resembles that of a corner-outfielder. That being said however, the reason Gardner's not in center is because he could very easily fall into a slump and have to be replaced. The Yankees do not want to see a Marcus Thames or a Jamie Hoffman rooming around in center field and are just going to stick with the security that Granderson brings. Besides, it can't hurt to have a centerfielder that hits 30 homeruns.