5 Players The Yankees Need To Step Up In 2nd Half

The New York Yankees enter the second half of the 2010 MLB season with the best record in the league. Not to much to complain about other than the inconsistent bullpen.

Throughout the first half the Yankees received the usual production from players like CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Jorge Posda. They also got some surprise performances from guys like Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner.

Robinson Cano is having an MVP type season so far and the Yankees will surely hope he can continue his excellent play.

Despite the performances from these players, the Yankees are not quite a complete team yet. We have not seen the lineup or the pitching staff reach it’s full potential.

Here are five players I feel need to step up in the second half:

1. Mark Teixeira – The first baseman was getting hot with the bat as the first half ended. Hopefully the four days off for the all-star break won’t cool him off. The Yankees need Teixeira to be the Teixeira we all know.

2. Curtis Granderson – The centerfielder the Yankees acquired by giving up their top prospect has not lived up to the hype. He missed some time due to injury and has shown glimpses of what he can do. I was expecting a big season from Granderson in Yankees Stadium. If he can put it together, Grandy would lengthen the Yankees lineup.

3. Joba Chamberlain – The eight inning is no longer a confident time for the Yankees and their fans. Joba has not been anywhere near the dominant pitcher we saw a couple years ago. It looks like the fire in his eyes is gone. We need Chamberlain to step up and shut down opponents late in games and bridge the gap to Mariano Rivera.

4. David Robertson – The bullpen has been a disaster of late and Robertson who had a very bad early part to the season had slowly started to improve. Opponents are hitting him though and that’s a bad sign. The bullpen needs Robertson, especially since it appears Alfredo Aceves is not going to return this season.

5. A.J. Burnett – The righty has had an up and down season on the moudn. We have been lucky that Pettitte, Javier Vazquez, and Phil Hughes have been pitching well. I don’t know that we can expect the same production from all these pitchers in the second half. A successful Burnett would go a long way to solidifying the Yankees rotation.

Obviously there are other things that need to happen for the Yankees to have a monster second half. It would be nice to see Jeter up his average a bit, A-Rod to find his power stroke, and have Swish and Gardner continue their excellent play.

You never know what will happen. That’s why baseball is such an amazing game. The Yankees may make a move or two in the next two weeks before the trade deadline, but the five players I mentioned are guys I think really need to step up. If they do, the Yankees to pull away a bit.