29-year old switch hitting Nick Swisher will be the starting RF for the Yankees in 2010. Swisher played in 150 games for the Yankees last season in which he was 124 of 498 (.249 avg, .869 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 29 homers and 82 RBIs. Swisher looks at a lot of pitches as he walked 97 times last season but he also whiffed 126 times so how good is his eye really? Swisher had 5 errors in 130 games in RF last season in which he showed average range. Swisher only had 2 assists while in RF showing a pretty weak throwing arm. The Yankees need Swisher to be more consistent with the bat as he was very up and down last year.

35-year old switch hitting Randy Winn will likely replace Swisher defensively quite a bit in 2010. Winn played in 104 error-free games in RF last season while showing good range. He also had 3 assists while in RF as his arm is stronger than Swisher’s.

24-year old righty swinging Greg Golson could also get some P.T. in RF for the Yankees in 2010 but he will likely start the year in AAA. Golson played in 1 game for the Rangers last season and he was 0 for 1 with a whiff. Golson also played in 123 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 118 of 457 (.258 avg, .642 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 2 homers, 40 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: B

28-year old lefty swinging Curtis Granderson will be the new starting CF for the New York Yankees in 2010. His power swing is perfect for the confines of the new Yankee Stadium which favors lefty swinging power hitters. Granderson played in 160 games for the Tigers last season in which he was 157 of 631 (.249 avg, .780 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 30 homers, 71 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Granderson has a career batting average of .272 with a .828 OPS in 674 games in the majors so the Yankees expect him to rebound in 2010. Granderson had 3 errors in 160 games in CF last season while showing slightly above average range. He also had 4 assists in CF showing a fairly decent throwing arm.

26-year old lefty swinging Brett Gardner will get most of his playing time in LF in 2010 but if something happens to Granderson or he needs a day off, Gardner could fill in. Gardner had 2 errors in 99 games in CF for the Yankees last season while showing above average range. He also had 3 assists showing off a pretty good throwing arm from CF last year.

35-year old switch hitting Randy Winn could also get some P.T. in CF in 2010 but he will likely get most of his playing time in LF and RF for the Yanks this year. Winn played in 22 error-free games in CF last season while showing poor range. He also had 1 assist while playing in CF last year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: B+

26-year old lefty swinging Brett Gardner will likely get the call against all righty starting pitchers with either 35-year old switch hitting Randy Winn or 33-year old righty swinging Marcus Thames starting against lefty starters in left field for the Yankees in 2010. Gardner played in 108 games for the Yankees last season in which he was 67 of 248 (.270 avg, .724 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 3 homers, 23 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. Gardner should be a great left fielder defensively as he was a above average CF and he is by far the fastest baserunner on the team so look for him to approach 30 steals for the Yankees in 2010.

35-year old switch hitting Randy Winn played in 149 games for the Giants last season in which he was 141 of 538 (.262 avg, .671 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 2 homers, 51 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. The Yankees expect him to hit better in 2010 as he has a career batting average of .286 with a .762 OPS in 1,601 major league games. Winn didn’t make any errors in 54 games in LF last season while showing good range. If Gardner were to struggle in 2010, Winn could bump him for the starting job in LF.

33-year old righty swinging Marcus Thames would be the perfect platoon partner for Brett Gardner as he pounds lefty pitching. Thames played in 87 games for the Tigers last season and he was 65 of 258 (.252 avg, .777 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 13 homers and 36 RBIs. Thames didn’t make any errors in 20 games in LF last season while showing poor range.

25-year old righty swinging Jamie Hoffman is the Yankees’ #30 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. The Yankees snagged Hoffman in the Rule 5 Draft from the Dodgers so they have to keep him on the 25-man roster all year in 2010 or offer him back for half price. Hoffman played in 14 games for the Dodgers last season in which he was 4 of 22 (.182 avg, .576 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. He also played in 97 games in AA+AAA ball last season in which he was 104 of 358 (.291 avg, .856 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 10 homers, 64 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Hoffman didn’t play any games in LF for the Dodgers last season but he’s a more than capable defender there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LF IN 2010: C+

The Yankees have inked 29-year old righty reliever/starter John Van Benschoten to a minor league deal. He pitched in 22 games (13 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 2-8 with a 6.35 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. Van Benschoten last pitched in the majors in 2008 with the Pirates. He has pitched in 26 games (19 starts) in his major league career and he is 2-13 with a 9.20 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP. Van Benschoten is one of the only pitchers on the planet who would have a terrible record with the Yankees as he is one of the worst pitchers I have ever seen. They better hope they don’t need him in 2010.

The Yankees have designated 28-year old righty reliever Edwar Ramirez for assignment to make room on the roster for recently signed reliever Chan Ho Park. Ramirez pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Yanks last season and he was 0-0 with a 5.73 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP. In three years with the Yankees, Ramirez has pitched in 96 games (0 starts) in which he is 6-2 with 2 saves, a 5.22 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. The Yankees won’t miss Ramirez even if another team claims him on waivers as they have a lot of relievers who are better than he is.

UPDATE: The Yankees have traded Edwar Ramirez to the Rangers for cash considerations.