The New York Yankees finished with the best record in the American League during the regular season as they were 97-65, which had them six games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. The season ended with a thud in the playoffs, so overall it was a disappointing year for the Yankees as they consider it a failure when they don’t win the World Series. Here is a look at the things that stood out to be in the regular season about the Yankees:

TEAM MVP: 30-year old lefty swinging CF Curtis Granderson was the MVP of the Yankees in 2011. He played in 156 games for the Yankees in 2011 and he was 153 for 583 (.262 avg, .916 OPS) with 136 runs scored, 41 homers, 119 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Granderson led the majors in runs scored and the A.L. in RBIs in 2011. He also walked 85 times and whiffed 169 times in 2011.

BEST PITCHER: 41-year old righty closer Mariano Rivera became Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in saves in 2011. He pitched in 64 games (0 starts) for the Yankees in 2011 and he was 4-0 with 44 saves, a 1.91 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. He only gave up 47 hits in 61 1/3 innings while whiffing 60 batters and walking only 8.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 26-year old righty reliever David Robertson worked in 70 games (0 starts) for the Yankees in 2011 and he was 4-0 with 1 save, a 1.08 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He only gave up 40 hits while whiffing 100 batters in only 66 2/3 innings in 2011!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: 25-year old righty starting pitcher Phil Hughes was counted on to be the Yankees’ #2 starter in 2011. He couldn’t handle the job as he had a “dead arm” at the outset of the 2011 season. Hughes pitched in 17 games (14 starts) for the Yankees in 2011 and he was 5-5 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. He gave up 84 hits while only whiffing 47 batters in 74 2/3 innings in 2011 and those are lousy numbers for a guy with an arm like he has.