NY Yankees: Why the Yankees Are Still Very Much in Danger in AL East

NY Yankees Sit Atop AL East, But They're Nowhere Near Safe at This Point

The New York Yankees are in a position that many around baseball didn't see them in at this point in the year: first place in the AL East. Thanks to the struggles of longtime nemeses the Boston Red Sox, the Bronx Bombers are 16-9, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL East. 

But, just because they hold the early lead, don't think for a second that the division race is over; if anything, it's just getting started. 

For one thing, we're just beginning the second month of baseball this season. For another, while the Yankees hold a lead, the AL East race is wide open. Fifth-place Boston is just five games out of first, and have won 10 of 15 since their 2-10 start. The Blue Jays, Rays and Orioles have all looked great at points in the early-going, and none of them (except maybe Baltimore) figure to be going anywhere. 

But, it's not just the competition New York needs to worry about; there are some issues on their own roster that need to be addressed.

The offense is working just fine; the Yankees rank sixth in the league in runs scored and first in slugging percentage, and haven't showed any signs of slowing. Even with Derek Jeter still struggling to find his groove, most of the other Yanks have been raking, including notorious slow starter Mark Teixiera. 

Must Read: 20 Statistical Oddities from the 2011 MLB Season So Far. 

But, there are some lingering issues in the rotation that have yet to be addressed. CC Sabathia has been his usual lights-out self this season, while A.J. Burnett looks much improved. But, after them, things get messy in a big hurry. Phil Hughes is hurt (and pitched terribly before he got hurt), Ivan Nova can't be trusted to pitch reliably, and anyone who thinks Bartolo Colon can keep up his strong form thus far for more than another couple of weeks is kidding themselves. This team is thin in the rotation, and while the bullpen is improved, they're hardly untouchable. 

Rafael Soriano has looked eminently hittable, and while Mariano Rivera is his usual dominant self, the rest of the bullpen doesn't inspire much fear. Joba Chamberlain's velocity is down, David Robertson hasn't had his second turn through the league, and it remains to be seen how long they can all hold the rotation together. 

The fact is, the Red Sox are coming on, and the rest of the division's planning on sticking around, too. 

New York's not in trouble yet, but with the issues they still have in the rotation, they're hardly sitting as pretty as their early lead would suggest. They should be seen as the division favorites (especially given Boston's woes), but the Yanks aren't shoe-ins by any stretch. They've got a long road ahead of them, and unless they find more starting pitching, I don't know if they've got enough to take the division crown.

Luján Fernández Charli Baltimore Denise Richards Jennifer Sky Samantha Mathis