New York Yankees May 'Kudos & Wet Willies'

The calendar has turned to June. Let's look at how the New York Yankees did in May, and which players were up and down. The Yankees as a team had a mediocre 15-14 record in May. Let's take a closer look, 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style.

Kudos to ...

• Mark Teixeira: The slugging first baseman hit 10 home runs and drove in 22 runs during the month. Teixeira, a slow starter throughout his career, already has 16 home runs.
• Derek Jeter: Only .274 for the month, but he is pointed in the right direction. Drove in more runs than he did in May, hit for a higher average, and had a better slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
• Brett Gardner: Rebounded from a .188 April to hit .301 in May. Gardner is still getting thrown out too often stealing bases (10-for-16 on the season), but he is hitting and defending.
• Curtis Granderson: Ten home runs and 26 RBI in May. The Grandy Man can in 2011 as he is showing why the Yankees let Johnny Damon go and traded Austin Jackson to get him.
• Bartolo Colon: Finished the month with his first complete game and shutout since 2006. Has been a revelation.
• Ivan Nova: A 3-1 record with a 3.90 ERA in six May starts. Not bad, even if there were a couple of shaky outings in there.
• Joba Chamberlain: A 2.08 ERA over 12 relief appearances.
• David Robertson: May have surpassed Chamberlain in importance to the bullpen. A 0.75 ERA over 13 games. Amazingly, Robertson has consistently been throwing the ball 84-95 mph, something he has never done in the past.
• Luis Ayala: A 0.82 ERA over nine games, a total of 11 innings. It was a stunner when this guy made the roster, but he is making the most of his chance.
• Hector Noesi: The rookie right-hander has pitched 9.1 innings over three major-league appearances and has surrendered just one run, a 0.96 ERA. Not a bad way to break into the big leagues.
• Lance Pendleton: Pitched in four games and did not allow a run. Has now made seven appearances this season without allowing a run. The rookie reliever must think the big leagues are easy.

Wet Willies to ...

• Russell Martin: After a torrid first month, the Yankee catcher hit just .200 in May with three home runs and seven RBI. Of course, manager Joe Girardi has to take some of the blame since he barely gave Martin any time off while normal backup catcher Francisco Cervelli was on the disabled list.
• Nick Swisher: A .200 batting average with just two home runs and eight RBI for the month. He is hitting only .213 for the season, and it's time to worry about him.
• Jorge Posada: A .219 batting average in May with no home runs and four RBI, one well-publicized and entirely unprofessional egotistical fit and a dwindling role on the Yankee roster. You have to begin to wonder if Posada makes it to the end of the season as a Yankee.