Yankees grades at the break

1B MARK TEIXEIRA

Teixeira altered his offseason and spring training routines in the hopes of avoiding his usual slow starts. His average isn't where he'd like it to be, .244, but it would be hard to complain about his home run (25) and RBI (65) totals. His work in the field again is Gold Glove-caliber.

GRADE: B+

2B ROBINSON CANO

Not quite as productive as he was last year (Cano was hitting .336 at the All-Star break last year), but nothing wrong with his numbers (.296, 15 homers, 57 RBIs). Already has six errors -- he committed three all of last season -- but still dazzles in the field.

GRADE: B+

SS DEREK JETER

The first half seems to have provided an answer to one of the most-asked questions of the offseason: Was 2010 an aberration or the start of an inevitable offensive slide for the future Hall of Famer? But Jeter's 3,000th hit during a 5-for-5 day Saturday showed he still is capable of big moments.

GRADE: C

3B ALEX RODRIGUEZ

Had a productive first half (.295, 13 homers, 52 RBIs) despite a still-active streak of 85 at-bats without a homer. The third baseman, who turns 36 on July 27, had successful knee surgery Monday and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

GRADE: B

LF BRETT GARDNER

Recovered from a slow start -- he was hitting .188 at the end of April -- and looked good in the leadoff spot during Jeter's DL stint. But for a player with his speed, he doesn't bunt or run the bases as well as he should. Has been good in the field and has an underrated arm.

Grade: B-

CF CURTIS

GRANDERSON

Tied for first on team in home runs (25), is second in RBIs (63) and leads the majors in runs scored (79) as this season has been a continuation of his hot final six weeks of 2010. Doesn't always take the best routes to fly balls but more times than not tracks them down.

GRADE: A

RF NICK SWISHER

Ended May hitting just .213 and was far more frustrated than he showed outwardly. Has steadily improved since and is hitting .302 (39-for-129) with eight homers and 30 RBIs in his last 38 games. Has been solid in the field.

GRADE: C+

C RUSSELL MARTIN

Has cooled significantly since a torrid start but still has 10 home runs, double his total from an injury-shortened 2010. Most important, the catcher meshed with most of the staff, A.J. Burnett in particular.

GRADE: B-

DH JORGE POSADA

Was hitting .169 entering June and there was discussion about how much longer the Yankees could exist with a 39-year-old DH producing so little. But the proud Posada hit .382 in June, the fourth-highest average in the majors in the month, quieting talk of his being done.

GRADE: C-

INF EDUARDO NUÑEZ

The 23-year-old provided a burst filling in for the injured Jeter, going 20-for-59 (.339), including 7-for-8 in the first two games of the second Subway Series. In the field? Eh.

GRADE: B-

ROTATION

CC SABATHIA

Joe Girardi knows what he'll get from Sabathia each time he takes the mound. After Sunday's game against the Rays, Sabathia is 13-4 with a 2.72 ERA and once again appears to be a strong Cy Young candidate.

GRADE: A

A.J. BURNETT

Whether it's been his relationship with new pitching coach Larry Rothschild and/or new catcher Russell Martin -- or neither of those things -- the 34-year-old has been fairly steady this season, a word not often associated with Burnett. Has pitched second-most innings on team (1191/3) behind Sabathia (1452/3).

GRADE: B

BARTOLO COLON

Last start aside, the argument can be made that Colon, 38, was the co-MVP of the staff the first half, going 6-4 with a 3.20 ERA. If he holds up physically -- he did have one DL stint in the first half -- and continues the same level of production, it will relieve much of the pressure on GM Brian Cashman to bring in rotation help. Grade: A

FREDDY GARCIA

His comeback season has been overshadowed somewhat by Colon's, but the 34-year-old has been outstanding (7-6, 3.13), regularly keeping the opposition off balance with five pitches he usually can throw where he wants.

GRADE: A-

IVAN NOVA

The 24-year-old showed a lot of promise filling in for Phil Hughes, going 8-4 with a 4.12 ERA. The Yankees would have been in trouble without his contributions. GRADE: B

PHIL HUGHES

His first start after coming off the DL was OK, two runs allowed in five innings, though what was most significant was that his fastball velocity, which was in the high 80s in his first three starts in April, was back in the low 90s.

GRADE: Incomplete.

RELIEVERS

MARIANO RIVERA

The ageless one still is the best at what he does, though his sore right triceps muscle bears watching in the second half.

GRADE: A

DAVID ROBERTSON

Robertson was a late addition to the All-Star team after finishing the first half 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA. He and Rivera have allowed the bullpen to overcome the injuries to Rafael Soriano and Joba Chamberlain.

GRADE: A+

MANAGER

JOE GIRARDI'Steams typically are fresh at end of seasons, particularly the bullpens, something he doesn't get enough credit for. He can't control injuries; Yanks have had their share but have stayed at or near first place. Is popular in clubhouse, though he strongly hinted he should have handled the Jorge-Posada-batting-ninth drama differently.

GRADE: B