Roger Clemens. A. Is the No 1 example of what staying in shape can do for an aging pitcher. The fastball remains in the mid-90s. Mid-season Cy Young favorite.
Mariano Rivera. A.The bullet-throwing closer remains the best at what he does. Asked to work more during the first half than last year, Rivera has responded.
Andy Pettitte. A. Work with Roger Clemens has him in best shape of career and has added zip to fastball. Right there with Clemens as team’s most effective pitcher.
Mike Stanton. A. When Yanks couldn’t find a suitable replacement for Jeff Nelson, Joe Torre increased Stanton’s workload. Stanton turned in his best half-season.
Jorge Posada. A. Nobody wonders anymore if Yanks made right decision moving switch-hitter to No. 1 catcher two years ago. Has developed into a top run producer.
Bernie Williams. A. In mid-May he was hitting .220 and wasn’t focused, due to dad’s death. Since June, has been team’s best player and reduced urgency to add bat to lineup.
Tino Martinez. B. A sizzling end to June and smoking start in July moved veteran first baseman up several notches. Has been on a home-run and RBI tear for last week.
Ramiro Mendoza. B. Started season on DL. After shoulder surgery last year Yanks weren’t sure how much work he could handle. Have used him long, short and as a starter.
Mike Mussina. B. Forget the contract. Forget the hype. Instead focus on the record. Through 17 starts, Mussina had 16 decisions; nine victories. ERA was in the mid-threes.
Luis Sojo. B. Plays so little, you figure him for a night school student who holds full-time job someplace else. Every time he’s called on he comes through.
Derek Jeter. C. Jeter started the season on the DL and admitted his timing at plate and in field wasn’t there early. Ended May batting .331 and started July at .289.
Scott Brosius. C. Bat’s back, though performance in clutch has been off. Most surprising was that the best third baseman in the AL had 16 errors at halfway mark.
Randy Choate. C. Second lefty reliever came down with terrible case of wildness in Boston. Has been great with runners in scoring position. Needs to cut down on walks.
Todd Greene. C. Was summoned from Triple-A after Joe Oliver didn’t pan out as Posada’s backup. Made instant contribution, driving in six runs in first two games.
Ted Lilly. C. Brass believes Lilly’s stuff is shade below Randy Keisler’s. However, if he can overcome wildness, he has a chance to be an effective big league pitcher.
Alfonso Soriano. C. Has moved from short to left to 2nd. Needs to be more selective and power hasn’t been there, though he has been between .265 and .280.
Shane Spencer. C. It took longer than he would have liked to make it back from major knee surgery. He has played very well defensively, but hitting has been spotty.
Paul O’Neill. D. Grades are driven by numbers, not effort and caring, so O’Neill is in the worst year of Yankee career. Run production down; was dropped from No. 3 hole.
Orlando Hernandez. F. Was being counted on as fourth ace but when he comes off DL (in August?) he’ll be looking for first win. Hope is he can help down stretch and October.
David Justice. F. Saved Yankee season a year ago, but this year has been one of the main reasons Bombers have been searching for another bat. Has been DL’d twice.
Randy Keisler. F. Failed early and ripped Yanks for sending him down. Brought back because there was nobody else. Has shown flashes that he can pitch in big leagues.
Chuck Knoblauch. F. Season that started with such promise appeared to be taking shape when he opened May batting .333. However, by July the average was around .250.
Joe Torre. A. May be doing best job of Yankee career. Spent most of the first half with at least three dead bats and bullpen that consisted of Stanton and Rivera.
Brian Cashman. A. Trading for Jay Witasick and Mark Wohlers upgraded bullpen. Signing Gerald Williams was a huge move and gives Joe Torre a deeper bench.