2007 NY Yankees : Relief Pitching

It begins and ends with Mariano Rivera. Mo is the cornerstone and he seems to be solid as ever based on last season. The bits get dicier from that point as Bruney becomes the second most important reliever because like Rivera he is lights out when he is on his game. Bruney can freeze hitters and he may become the 8th inning preference for Torre despite Farnsworth whose bad back has him on the great when available list. The Yankees have a lot of save opportunities and late inning holds too so there is a need for three pitchers to cover the 8th inning or slide to the 9th when Mo is on his rest days and Proctor is the the third guy. Proctor stepped up last season and has now taken the swing man role of middle/late. This makes the Yankee bullpen deep and flexible and resistant to overwork. They have two guys to handle the middle inning Vizcaino and the lefty Meyers or TBA or Britton obtained from Baltimore. The Yankess have a little depth too: Jose Veras came on strong once he figured out his spots for his fastball and he can contribute this year along with TJ Beam. All in all a deep and flexible group and a team strength.