We don't know which 25 players will be on the opening day roster for the New York Yankees. However, we do know who the 25 most important will be to their championship hopes. 25. Dan Giese - Giese was a pleasant surprise for the Yankees last year. His 2008 campaign (43.1 IP, 3.53 ERA) provided the Yankees with a competent long reliever / spot starter. At 32 years old, don't expect Giese to develop into anything more than a long reliever, but the Yankees have lacked bullpen depth the last few years and Giese may be able to provide that. 24. Brett Gardner - Gardner was handed the starting center field job last summer when Melky Cabrera started to flounder. The speedy, but light hitting Gardner (.228 AVG, 0 HR, 16 RBI, 18 R) wasn't too impressive in 2008, and if the Yankees have their way he'll likely be nothing more than a pinch runner. 23. Andrew Brackman - A first round pick in 2007, Brackman is coming off Tommy John surgery. Widely considered a blue chip pitching prospect, the 6'10" Brackman could make a Joba-like impact later on in the season. If the Yankees middle relief doesn't perform, expect Brackman to make an appearance after the All-Star break. He may be one of the reasons the Yankees are so comfortable putting Joba in the rotation. 22. Melky Cabrera - This is a make or break season for Melky as a Yankee. Last year was very disappointing (.249 AVG, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 42 R), and the Yankees may have missed their opportunity to trade Melky after 2007 when his value was at its highest. There were rumors that the Yankees would deal Melky to the Brewers for Mike Cameron, which never came to fruition. Melky is more talented than Brett Gardner and is more capable of playing center field than both Swisher and Damon. He still has an opportunity to get his Yankee career back on track, but he's running out of time. 21. Ian Kennedy - Kennedy was flat out terrible last year (39.2 IP, 8.17 ERA, 0-4 W-L, 27 K). He was counted on the be a starter and quickly showed he wasn't ready. He was so bad that it looked like he would never be able to deal with the pressure of pitching in New York. Right now the best the Yankees can hope for is a strong enough season in the minor leagues to make him attractive trade bait. On the positive side, his terrible performance led to the acquisitions of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. 20. Jose Molina - After Jorge Posada went down with an injury, Molina was counted on to be the starting catcher for a large portion of the season. He played fantastically on defense throwing out 44% of base stealers, but was still offensively challenged (.216 AVG, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 32 R). He'll be counted on to spell an aging Posada and keep him fresh for the latter stages of the season. 19. Jose Veras - The hard throwing Veras had a strong 2008 season (57.2 IP, 3.59 ERA, 10 HLD, 63 K). Girardi showed confidence in Veras and it paid off. At 28 years old, Veras should be only getting better and is going to be one of the arms the Yankees count on to get to Mariano Rivera. 18. Xavier Nady - Nady's combined 2008 (.305 AVG, 25 HR, 97 RBI, 76 R) was pretty impressive, but he was better in Pittsburgh then he was in New York. He finds himself in a battle for playing time right now, but Nady has started the last two seasons well, so expect him to get off to a good start. That could establish him as a starter early on. As the season goes on, he'll likely share time with Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui. 17. Nick Swisher - Acquired from the White Sox after a poor 2008 (.219 AVG, 24 HR, 69 RBI, 86 R), Swisher was originally slated to be the Yankees' new first baseman. The signing of Mark Teixeira has made him significantly less relevant, but his ability to play all three outfield positions plus first base means that he is certain to find his way on to the field. Matsui and Damon aren't getting any younger, so Swisher will be counted on at some point. Additionally, he may wind up being the everyday center fielder if no one else is up to the job. Remember back to 1998 when the Yankees acquired Scott Brosius? In 1997 with Oakland he hit .203, in 1998 he hit .300 and was the World Series MVP. The Yankees would be thrilled if they could get anything close to that out of Swisher. 16. Phil Hughes - Once the gem of the Yankees farm system, Hughes didn't come through in 2008 (34.0 IP, 0-4 W-L, 6.62 ERA, 23 K). After refusing to part with Hughes to acquire Johan Santana, the Yankees were quickly punished as Hughes imploded early on and prematurely ended his season due to injury. At only 22 years of age, Hughes has time to get back on track, but there is currently no room in the Yankees rotation. Injuries over the course of the season are to be expected so if Hughes can right the ship in the minors he may be back. There is less pressure on Hughes this year, which hopefully should help him work out his issues. 15. D?maso Marte - Marte was very good for the Pirates (46.2 IP, 3.47 ERA, 47 K), but was disappointing for the Yankees (18.1 IP, 5.40 ERA, 24 K). Marte possesses the ability to be the rare left-handed reliever that is effective against both righties and lefties. He'll be essential to the Yankees' bullpen and inevitably will have critical show downs with David Ortiz. 14. Hideki Matsui - Matsui's season was cut short due to injury (337 AB, .294 AVG, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 43 R) and he may be relegated to DH-duty in 2009. In his six season with the Yankees, Matsui has had 4 100-RBI seasons. Given the rest of the Yankees lineup, he'll have the opportunity to accumulate similar numbers this year. Also, Matsui has come up with big hits for the Yankees in post-seasons past. The Yankees team has a lot of unproven post-season performers so it will be important to have Matsui in the lineup if the Yankees are playing in October. 13. Andy Pettitte - Pettitte nearly left the Yankees for another team this offseason in free agency, but that other team never materialized so Pettitte is back. Pettitte struggled through 2008 (204 IP, 14-14 W-L, 4.54 ERA, 158 K). Those number are not so awful, but Pettitte faded down the stretch (79 IP, 4-7 W-L, 5.35 ERA, 67 K after the All-Star break). This was particularly disturbing considering Pettitte is typically stronger as the season progresses. At times it looked like Pettitte had lost his passion to play, but nevertheless he did contribute 200+ innings. Pettitte's postseason success and ability to eat up innings make him an important contributor to the Yankees effort. 12. Robinson Cano - Cano found himself in Girardi's doghouse several times throughout the 2008 season for an apparent lack of effort and focus. Cano has been at the center of trade rumors this off-season and as he gets more expensive he could go the route of Alfonso Soriano. Cano's production was down last year (.271 AVG, 14 HR, 72 RBI, 70 R), but was still respectable. Cano will likely hit 7th or 8th in this lineup so there won't be very much pressure, but there will be opportunities to produce runs. When teams get production out of the bottom third of their lineup it can take their offense from good to dominant. 11. Johnny Damon - Damon was one of the few players who played well in 2008 (.303 AVG, 17 HR, 71 RBI, 95 R). The middle of the lineup is going to be potent so Damon's ability to get on base will be key. The Yankees may try Damon in center field sometimes this season, but it is unlikely he'll be able to regain his form as a high-level centerfielder. In left-field, however, he is still a very capable defender. If Damon can duplicate his .375 OBP from 2008 expect well over 100 runs this season. 10. Edwar Ramirez - Ramirez will likely be counted on to be the Yankees 8th inning pitcher. Last season Ramirez showed promise (55.1 IP, 3.90 ERA, 5 HLD, 63 K) and was even dominant at times, including a streak where he retired over 30 batters without yielding a hit. Ramirez hasn't been consistent enough to be fully deserving of the 8th inning role, but he certainly has the stuff to be effective. Since the Yankees have made the decision that Joba is a starter, it is critical that someone steps up and into this role. Ramirez seems most likely to pull it off. 9. AJ Burnett - One of the Yankees' major off-season acquisitions, Burnett will be counted on to duplicate his 2008 campaign (221.1 IP, 18-10 W-L, 4.07 ERA, 231 K). Burnett has always had the stuff to be a dominant starter, but injuries have muddled his career. He had only pitched over 175 inning twice prior to last season and in both cases he got injured the next season. Either way, at least the Yankees won't have to face Burnett who had a 1.64 ERA against the Bombers in five starts. 8. Joba Chamberlain - It's hard to evaluate Joba in 2008 (100.1 IP, 4-3 W-L, 2.60 ERA, 19 HLD, 118 K) because he spent a third of the season in the bullpen, a third in the rotation, and a third on the disabled list. Joba's two biggest concerns are his control and injury problems. When he pitches, he can't be hit as evidenced by his 87 hits yielded in 100.1 innings. He gets himself into trouble with walks and high pitch counts. It's time the Yankees stop coddling him and let him loose. At some point he will have to pitch through arm discomfort and develop the stamina to make it through the season. The debate will go on about whether Joba is better as a starter or reliever, but for now he is a starter and if he stays healthy he can be dominant for the next 10 years. If the Yankees make the post-season we may see Joba back in the bullpen if everyone else stays healthy. 7. Jorge Posada - After a career year in 2007, Posada broke down in 2008 and only had 168 at-bats. Posada has been a key cog in the Yankees lineup and critical to managing the pitching staff over the last 10 seasons. He is one of the few Yankees that they cannot replace. Despite a strong effort by Jose Molina, the loss of Posada was felt by both the Yankees' lineup and pitching staff. I don't expect that Posada will be able to catch 140 games this year, but if he can give them 120 and be healthy at the end of the year it will greatly increase the Yankees' chances. Unfortunately, most catchers tend to fade rapidly at the end of their career. Hopefully, Posada still has something left in the tank because his experience is currently irreplaceable. 6. Chien-Ming Wang - Wang's fluke injury was the back-breaker for the Yankees last year. The pitching staff had already fallen apart due to the ineptitude of Hughes and Kennedy. Wang was going strong (95 IP in 15 starts, 8-2 W-L, 4.07 ERA, 54 K) and was the clear ace of the staff. Wang is capable of pitching 200 innings and winning 20 games and he will be relied upon to deliver both this year. 5. Mark Teixeira - The switch hitting Teixeira fits into any lineup. He hits for both average and power, while playing an excellent first base. If Teixeira can duplicate his 2008 campaign (.308 AVG, 33 HR, 121 RBI, 102 R) the biggest beneficiaries will be Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Jeter will score considerably more runs and Rodriguez will have a lot more RBI opportunities. The Yankees' offense was surprisingly weak last year in large part because they lacked a true number 3 hitter. If they plug Teixeira into that slot, expect a considerable increase in run production. 4. Mariano Rivera - Rivera was dominant as usual in 2008 (70.2 IP, 1.40 ERA, 39 SV, 77 K). It would be easy to underrate Rivera's importance to the Yankees because he has been so good for so long. For Yankees fans it is probably hard to imagine what it is like to root for a team without a closer. Then again, they need not look back past the Yankees' World Series defeat in 2001 and ALCS collapse in 2004 to see how important closers are to a team's success. One day Rivera will not be the closer for the New York Yankees, but that day is not today and he still appears to be going strong. 3. Derek Jeter - The captain had a down season in 2008 (.300 AVG, 11 HR, 69 RBI, 88 R). There were rumors that he was beat up for much of the season, but at 34 that is to be expected. Is Jeter on the downside of his career? It's possible, but he's only two seasons removed from a season where he hit .343 and one removed from a season where he hit .322. Jeter has baseball savvy so even as his skills diminish he will still be an effective player. With the improvements to the lineup, he'll be in position to produce runs. Maybe more important than his on-field production will be his ability to lead in the clubhouse. The Yankees of the late 90s were noted for their strong chemistry, which has been missing lately. With all the steroid allegations going on distractions will be as great as ever, and it will be critical for Jeter to help Girardi keep the house in order. 2. CC Sabathia - The 161 million dollar man has been dubbed the ace the Yankees have been lacking over the last 10 years. There will be a lot of weight on Sabathia's shoulders and he will be expected to duplicate his phenomenal 2008 (253 IP, 17-10 W-L, 2.70 ERA, 251 K). There are concerns that last season's workload may have an effect on Sabathia this year and that he will not be comfortable in New York under the microscope induced by a $161 million contract. The 6'7", 300 pound left-hander certainly has the frame to handle the workload and the Yankees have a ton of talent that should help relieve some of the pressure. When push comes to shove, Sabathia has always provided his team with great effort and I expect more of the same in 2008. Although expensive, he was a needed acquisition after the Yankees passed on Johan Santana last off-season. If he can deliver, it's hard to imagine the Yankees not making it back to the post-season. 1. Alex Rodriguez - As if there wasn't enough pressure on Alex Rodriguez the steroid scandal has turned up the heat even higher. Rodriguez put up fantastic numbers by anyone's standards (.302 AVG, 35 HR, 103 RBI, 104 R), except those standards reserved for A-Rod. In years past it was said that A-Rod would be judged on his performance in the post-season and winning a World Series. This year there is an added criteria for success. Can he deal with the constant media frenzy when it is believed his psyche is already fragile? The best player in baseball cheated himself out of the possibility of being the best player in the history of the sport. His legacy in some sense will always be tarnished. Although he'll never be able to fix everything, a World Series title will greatly enhance his legacy and get the New York media and fans off his back. His ability to deal with the distractions and pressure will be critical to his performance and the Yankees are counting on him to be the dominant offensive force we are all used to seeing. As important as his season is to the Yankees' hopes at winning a championship, it may be even more important to his place in baseball history. To read more NY Sports from Rich Cea check out his blog at SubwaySports.blogspot.com