Your 2007 New York Yankees

Straight from Peter Abrahams' Blog, here is the 25-man roster for the New York Yankees (after recent roster cuts):

Infielders (7)
Miguel Cairo
Robinson Cano
Jason Giambi
Derek Jeter
Doug Mientkiewicz
Josh Phelps
Alex Rodriguez

Outfielders (4)
Bobby Abreu
Melky Cabrera
Johnny Damon
Hideki Matsui

Catchers (2)
Wil Nieves
Jorge Posada

Starting pitchers (5)
LHP Kei Igawa
RHP Mike Mussina
RHP Carl Pavano
LHP Andy Pettitte
RHP Darrell Rasner

Relief pitchers (7)
RHP Brian Bruney
RHP Kyle Farnsworth
LHP Sean Henn
LHP Mike Myers
RHP Scott Proctor
RHP Mariano Rivera
RHP Luis Vizcaino

Manager
Joe Torre

Coaches
Larry Bowa
Ron Guidry
Joe Kerrigan
Kevin Long
Don Mattingly
Rich Monteleone
Tony Pena
Rob Thomson

The guys in bold are players that were fighting for a spot on the roster; they weren't a lock going into spring training. Here is a little bit about their competition this spring:

Josh Phelps - fighting for a spot to platoon with Doug Meintkiewicz at first base, Phelps had a dominating spring at the plate. Andy Phillips, his challenger, missed the first part of spring training for personal reasons, but when he came back he just wasn't hitting well enough to make the cut. Phillips was believed to have the upper hand because of his major league experience with the Yankees last season and his superior defense. Since there is a platoon at first, there is no need to have two players with superior defensive capabilities and inferior offensive capabilities. Switching between Doug and Phelps gives Joe Torre options.

Wil Nieves - Wil missed some time due to a minor injury while the Yankees got to have a better look at Todd Pratt, the other man being considered for the backup catch role. Pratt just simply didnt impress. He was older and was kept around because he has experience and offers good, friendly advise to the pitchers. In my opinion, offensively, he is a Giambi/Ortiz who just doesn't have the power/plate discipline. Once he gets on, the bases are clogged. Since neither Wil or Todd are uber players, Wil was just simply "the other guy."

Darrell Rasner - was competing for a spot with Jeff Karstens. Karstens was solid the whole spring until everything fell apart in his last outing. Karstens got knocked around and was taken out early, complaining of pain in his arm. Luckily, it was nothing serious and Karstens could be back at it challenging for the 5th spot on the roster in no time. However, the fifth roster spot is no longer available if Wang, Pettitte, and Pavano are healthy and Igawa is pitching effectively. In that case, they would be competing for a long-relief role in the bullpen. Clemens and Hughes are other possibilites for the fifth spot (though not early in the season for either). Rasner, also dominant this spring, got knocked around big time in his last start.

Bruney and Henn - out of the pool of pitching talent that the Yankees now have, Bruney and Henn were the most impressive. Bruney was strong in his short time with the Yankees last season, pitching with a lot of fire. Henn is a good story, outpitching Ron Villone who was superb early last season then fell off the face of the earth due to Torre fatigue. Britton, acquired in the Jared Wright trade, was another consideration going into spring training but his weight issues and ineffective pitching lost him the spot. If Bruney and Henn can pitch up to their expectations, the bullpen will be superhuman.

Ladies and Gentlemen, YOUR 2007 NEW YORK YANKEES!