TwitterTime For A Shakeup
21 May 2012
Apologies for not posting recently. I’ve been “distracted’ by the Rangers first trip to the Conference Finals in 15 years and the fact that the Yankees are just not very good right now. In fact, Andy and I are thinking about registering the domain name “www.mediocrebaseball.com”. I kid, but wow has this season been a bummer so far.
I’ll be honest, things went downhill for me when Mariano got hurt. Without him, I have lost my favorite player. In fact, I can’t remember not having a favorite player actively playing since I started rooting for the Yankees. To wit:
1978-8/2/79: Munson, Nettles, Guidry
8/3/79-1983: Nettles+Guidry
1984-1988 Guidry+Mattingly
1988-1995 Mattingly
1996-1999 Bernie Williams
1999-2006 Bernie and Mariano
2006- now Mariano
And now I feel empty. I’ve been searching for a new favorite player for awhile, but I just haven’t found one. I can’t be a Jeter guy (though I do appreciate him) and I can’t find another guy I like enough. Granderson or Swisher could be the next one, but I am just not there yet with either of them. So, I find myself watching the games, but feeling somewhat empty.
But enough about me, the Yankees are 21-21 and clearly struggling. I give Girardi credit for dropping Tex to the 7th spot tonight, you can’t argue that it was a sensible move. But, the Yankees need to do something more. They need to shake up this club and there are only a few moves they can make that would make sense. Here are my ideas ranked from most-likely to least.
1- Release Freddy Garcia. Freddy has been better in the bullpen, but it’s a bad fit and he didn’t do himself any favors tonight. Cutting a guy who makes $4 million may show the lockeroom something.
2- Move A-Rod to the #2 spot in the lineup. Alex is getting on base and hitting for average, but he isn’t driving the ball. Moving him out of the meat of the order might wake him up and doing it by moving him “up” might protect his ego.
3- Keep Boone Logan away from the later innings unless a lefty is up. The platoon split isn’t as pronounced in 2012 as it has been in his career, but Logan is much, much better against lefties. Put him in against righties and trouble tends to follow.
4- Bench Russell Martin and put Chris Stewart in as the regular catcher. Martin has been MIA with the bat and somewhat MIA with the glove. (Freddy didn’t deserve that WP call tonight) Also, what has happened with Martin and Sabathia this year?
5- Fire a coach. Sure, it’s the Steinbrenner way, but he wasn’t always wrong when he did it.
6- Release Martin. This is an “In Case of Emergency” move, but if things keep going like this and Martin keeps going like this, it is worth remembering that his contract ends after this season.
How about you, any moves you would make?
May 22, 2012 @ 07:18:07
sorry to have pointed out the lack of posts, just kidding…but, since you’ve posted – thanks.
having no favorite on your favorite team is tough, I know from the current Sox.
I’ve been watching and waiting for the realization that Martin isn’t all he was made up to be. Had a terrible year last year too but yous Yankee fans were somewhat blinded by something there, I just don’t know what. I may help you out by this next statement but -when are you gonna open eyes and call out the load of crap Tex has been bringing? Last year’s HR smooth over his lousy hitting in general that has continued this year. Plus he remains one of the smuggest players ever.
The good news? Looks like the Rangers are going to another 7 game series…
May 22, 2012 @ 11:11:53
Bl
I always appreciate feedback in a constructive form and that is what you gave us. Thank you!
I don’t think Martin had a terrible year last year. He was about league average with the bat, which is good when you are a catcher, and very good defensively. This year he just looks lost out there.
And you have to help me out with Teixeira being smug. I just don’t see it. A-Rod is smug, but Teixeira strikes me as a quiet guy. The only thing I can knock him for his starting the trend of wearing goggles during clinching celebrations. Were there things he did in Atlanta?
May 22, 2012 @ 11:13:11
And while a seven game series may be good for hockey, it’s terrible for my demeanor!
May 22, 2012 @ 12:26:11
Martin and Stewart are both very good defensive catchers who handle the pitchers well. That’s really all you want from this position. Hitting is a bonus and Martin is starting to swing the bat a little better. Just platoon those guys.
I do like the A Rod move. He’s a very good hitter still and I like him in the two spot ahead of Cano.
I do think they need to make a major move. It’s not a panic move because this team is not some sleeping giant that’s going to wake up. They really do have a lot of flaws.
My moves:
1. Get rid of nonperforming veteran pitchers (like Garcia — and move Hughes to bullpen if necessary) and bring up Banuelos or others. They’ve got to learn to pitch in the majors eventually and take some lumps in the process; might as well be now.
2. Ibanez is a full time OF (despite bad fielding, he sure can hit) and Chavez gets a lot more ABs as DH.
3. A Rod hits second.
4. Play more smallball — scoring runs w/o homers by bunting or adjusting to the shift; moving runners over; stealing bases.
5. If you have any AAA position players doing remotely well bring one up to shake things up.
May 22, 2012 @ 12:47:43
Corey
You hit on a key problem, the utter lack of position prospects in the upper levels of the minors.
One guy who would be an interesting call up is Jack Cust. Truly a three outcomes hitter, but he has done it before in the majors. They could bring him up and make your Ibanez move to the outfield.
May 22, 2012 @ 13:11:51
OK, I can see dumping Garcia, but it really acheives nothing, someone needs to mop up in lost games, might as well be him. Looking forward, I can see Joba taking Freddie’s place on the 25 man. But that’s looking like August, the earliest.
A-Rod to two slot works.
Martin is on a terrible slope for his hiting, his bat has been in decline for years. Hopefully, he’s gone in 13.
ManBan is out with a bad elbow, Betances is as erratic as was “he who shall not be named” and Mitchell needs to keep pitching and growing.
The guy who is in *complete* denial right now is Teixeira. Big contract or not, someone needs to have a long, hard chat with that boy. Even his sound bites are awful now. Great glove, inflexible batting style. OK, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – sure. BUT IT’S BROKE RIGHT NOW MARKIE. so FIX IT.
This team has very little wiggle room in terms of possible moves. Big contracts, long durations, zero headroom in budget. We either make what we’ve got work or we skip this year and probably a few more to come. (sigh) At this point, I’d like to see a young team with some energy – getting Gardner and Robertson back will help the energy.
I could understand if the team were sucking down too many beers in the locker room, fighting bad gas from fried chicken or getting hurt on the back nine at the local links – but that’s not the case here.
May 22, 2012 @ 15:18:44
No need for apologies, Peter. We appreciate all that you and Andy do.
Observation: I hope Yankee fans are all still savoring that 2009 WS victory, because A-Rod’s contract, Tex’s contract and CCs contract (which isn’t an albatross yet) are going to be constraining the Yankees for a long time to come.
Platooning Martin and Stewart seems the way to go.
A-Rod batting second makes a lot of sense to me, too. He’s not providing the power to justify batting 3rd or 4th (or 5th) so it’s 2nd or somewhere else in the lineup, which he is not going to like.
I’d drop Freddie and let someone else do the mop-up work. Get some middling younger guy up here and let him get some MLB experience. Really, how much more damage could such a guy cause? It’s not like Freddy’s doing such a great job. While the younger guy might only have a tiny fraction of potential upside — how much is Freddy bringing at this point?
Ibanez in the OF on a regular basis? Really? I don’t think that is a sight Yankee fans want to see on an ongoing basis.
I personally don’t understand the love affair with Chavez. They need someone to keep the other guys on the DL company?
Sit the hitters down and introduce them to the concept of situational hitting. Please.
Have a special one-on-one conversation with Tex. It might go something like this:
First, we’re going to find out what the heck is chewing up your respiratory system and fix it. Send you to the right doctors. Get you the right medicine. Then give you the time to properly heal. Oh, I know we’ve been trying, but it hasn’t worked and quite frankly, you’re pretty much useless to us right now. So we need you to fully recover and then we can get you back in the lineup.
Next, we’re going to work on this “using-the-whole field” concept when batting left-handed. Look, you’ve acknowledged you were better at that before you were seduced by the short porch in Yankee Stadium. In your more lucid moments you’ve conceded that you need to get back to that approach. Here’s a thought: Let’s get started on this. Now. Because you have a lot of years and a of money on that contract of yours. And your buddy A-Rod can certainly fill you in on how miserable Yankee fans can make your life when they perceive that you are underperforming. You really haven’t heard anything yet in that regard. So what do you say you bear down and start working on getting back to the approach that got you the nice, big contract in the first place, hmmm?
BL — I don’t see Tex as smug. I see A-Rod as smug. I see Jeter as smug. I see Beckett as smug. Just my opinion.
Peter — favorite Yankees (since you’ve discussed this on both your websites now):
Late 70s-Early 80s: Munson, Guidry, Nettles
Mid 80s-Mid 90s: Mattingly
Mid 90s-Present: Martinez (until he first left), O’Neill (until he left), Rivera
No big shockers, there. I have to say that the 96-01 Yankees were a much more likable bunch than those of the late 70s. Not saying which group is better: I don’t know that the 96-01 Yankees could have come all the way back in ’78, and I am equally unsure that the late 70s Yankees could have won 4 World Series in 5 years from 96-00. But I found the latter group of players to be generally more likable, especially as people. Munson was irascible, Nettles and Lyle had a nasty streak, Rivers was flaky (and that’s being charitable). Jackson had an ego the size of an aircraft carrier. Sure they had Randolph, White, Guidry, but the 96-01 Yankees, even with their fair share of unpleasant characters, were overall a much more likable bunch.
May 22, 2012 @ 15:45:51
Sounds like there are few options for bringing up pitchers, but if they are healthy I’d just as soon bring at least one up even if he is stinking up AAA. They’ve got to learn in the majors.
I suppose we got to hope the present team gets healthy and wins enough games to slink into the wildcard slot. The team’s not great, but it’s not hopelessly bad either.
May 22, 2012 @ 15:51:09
I’m unfamiliar with Tex’s respiratory issues, what’s going on?
As far as his smuggness, it likely is that smirk/stupid smile he has. The man has woman’s lips for goodness sake. Nothing he did in Atlanta specifically except spurn the city he played college ball in. At the time the Sox struck out on him and the Yankees landed him I thought it was a good move for the Yankees although the money and years were not. Despite winning one WS with him I am not sure the move in it’s entirety was a good one for the Yankees. If he doesn’t find a way to reverse the decline he will become a good fielding Rob Deer (insert Dave Kingman if you prefer) in the not too distant future.
May 22, 2012 @ 16:31:52
BL – In lay terms, Tex has “reactive ariways disease” (a type of asthma), which means his lungs can struggle or spasm when he’s active. Normally, that’s very easily controlled – except those rare times when you develop something as simple as a chest cold that lingers – then it’s more liked “kicked in the nuts” syndrome, cause you bascially can’t breathe efficiently enough to compete. He now coughs not to clear his bronchial passages (that’s productive), he coughs because he’s in spasm (that’s destructive).
The kinds of drugs they give you for this are not fun to experience … and it’s tricky to find ones that won’t cause him to fail an MLB drug test … so he’s coughing and unable to breathe and weakened with drugs – but other than that (LOL) he’s fine, except at the plate.
BYW, it can easily take six months for this problem to subside.
May 22, 2012 @ 17:26:15
airways – not ariways. Need to get my fingers foxed, er fixed.
May 22, 2012 @ 17:53:34
Mitchell
I think Greg makes the case for dropping Garcia better than I did. Why not get someone young in there?
And I think lack of energy is a good diagnosis for what is wrong with this team. They are reminding me a lot of the 2005 club right now. Robinson Cano came up and injected some lift into the team. Not sure who can now. (Though Gardner will help as you point out)
Love the end of your post. Very nicely done.
May 22, 2012 @ 17:58:04
Greg
Thanks! And I am a little shocked by your selection of Tino. Not that I didn’t like Tino, but I also hated the fact that he was replacing Donnie Baseball. It was the right move, but I hated it.
I think you are right about the mid-90′s Yankees. Lots of “good” guys on those clubs. The 70′s Yankees were a dysfunctional unit led by the ultimate ringmaster GMS. I have to think that the difference in 1970′s George and 1990′s George played a part in the mid-90′s Yankees demeanor as did the enormous difference between Billy Martin and Joe Torre.
May 22, 2012 @ 18:00:45
BL
You always make me laugh. Something tells me you wouldn’t have minded if he spurned the city he played college ball in to be a Red Sox.
You’re right about the Kingman comparison, though that could be an insult to Kingman at this point. .667 OPS, it’s ugly right now. However, I think a lot of this has to do with the respiratory infection and if they can somehow clear that up, he will hit. Though Mitchell’s post about it doesn’t make me optimistic.
May 22, 2012 @ 18:37:34
Mitchell,
Thanks for the great post — very informative. I had no idea how serious the situation was, nor how long it could take to recover from it (nor how nasty the drugs could treat you). I thought he’d gotten a really bad cold or something that maybe triggered bronchitis and it was just lingering.
BL,
I thought the Yankees grossly overpaid for A-Rod, CC and Tex when they signed their contracts. It’s not just the Yankees, of course — Fielder, Pujols, A-Gon — those are all crazy contracts.
Peter,
I understand your perspective, but I thought the deal was a big win for the Yankees from the beginning, even before I knew how good Nelson would be. And Tino was a good guy. That was a truly great deal for the Yankees. And while I certainly agree that the difference between and is huge, and had a meaningful effect on the two respective likeability of the two teams, I was referring to the players themselves. There were a lot of likeable guys on those late 90s Yankees, not as many on the late 70s Yankees. The latter team had more childish egos, players who exhibited boorish behavior etc. The NY sportswriters have been complaining since the late 90s that these Yankees have been boring, corporate, bland. Those guys in the late 70s were not boring, corporate or bland. They made the sportswriters’ jobs easy — heck, they spoiled them. I am reminded of an incident when some young woman asked them to autograph her derriere and they happily obliged. There was a bit of a stink about that. One can only imagine how much press the 72-74 Oakland A’s would have gotten had they played in New York. Great team, gargantuan egos, manically dysfunctional. But damn, they could play.
All,
I strongly agree with the need to bring up some younger guys to inject some energy. I was thinking that just the other days. These guys look a too comfortable, and listless. They need a jolt.
May 22, 2012 @ 18:42:21
Sorry, my post got butched. I think I confused the HTML engine.
Let me try the mangled sentence again:
And while I certainly agree that the difference between 70s GMS+Billy and 90s GMS+Torre and is huge, and had a meaningful effect on the two respective likeability of the two teams, I was referring to the players themselves.
May 22, 2012 @ 19:33:06
Greg
No doubt it was a great baseball move. I meant I hated the fact that I wouldn’t see #23 at first anymore. When he hit .417 in the ’95 playoffs, I wanted to see him back with the Yankees. I still can’t believe he only got to play in one playoff series.
May 22, 2012 @ 22:08:07
Greg’s point is this:
“I’d drop Freddie and let someone else do the mop-up work. Get some middling younger guy up here and let him get some MLB experience. Really, how much more damage could such a guy cause? It’s not like Freddy’s doing such a great job. While the younger guy might only have a tiny fraction of potential upside — how much is Freddy bringing at this point?”
Absolutely true in all aspects – but I would bring up another point – about money.
Freddie is under contract so if we let him go, we eat his contract, which is $4MM. I don’t know the precise terms nor how it would work if they released him outright, but I suspect we would be on the hook for the remainder of the $4MM, his new team pays the league minimum – and we then have to pomote someone and, ostensibly pay THEM the league minimum. Seems like Freddie is a sunk cost, might as well get some value out of those dollars.
And, to change the topic completely: Hughes is showing an ability to be a decent back end starter now – sending him to the bullpen and replacing him with someone in AAA – who we don’t even have right now – won’t work as I see things.
May 23, 2012 @ 07:25:12
Peter – initially I would have thought the Sox hit a HR if they had acquired Tex. If his career path were the same as it has gone I would be a harsh critic and perhaps ready to run him out of town by now.
Would he have ended up being described by me as “smug”? I’m not sure, but as everybody knows, you tend to look at your team’s players differently than other team’s players.
May 23, 2012 @ 08:29:39
Mitchell
The money is a fair point. The Yankees would be on the hook for the remainder of his deal minus the major league minimum (if another team signed him)
May 23, 2012 @ 08:33:15
BL
The guy hit 39 home runs last year. He hasn’t been a problem until right now and I believe his struggles are more about an inability to breathe than an inability to hit.
Now, if I am wrong, then this contract is a disaster. But, he is only 32.
It actually reminds me of 2004 when Jeter was hitting under .200 late in May and everyone thought he was finished. Don’t get the shovels yet.
May 23, 2012 @ 09:34:13
2012 $22.5
2013 $22.5
2014 $22.5
2015 $22.5
2016 $22.5
Rob Deer in ’92 hit 32 HR and hit .247 and took home $2m, how times have changed.
I think Tex has absolutely been seduced by the short porch. Not saying there are shovels out yet but like the point made earlier on these monster deals (pujols, Arod, Tex, Agon, Fielder), they aren’t rational in any way you look at it.
May 23, 2012 @ 10:34:46
Yup, it’s a lot of money, but it is also the going rate unfortunately.
What I liked about the Tex deal at the time was the fact he was 28. (Same thing as Adrien Gonzalez) I think betting on a player to stay productive into his mid-30′s is a pretty good risk. That’s what I didn’t like about the Pujols and A-Rod deals. They were already too old when they were signed.
(And I didn’t mind the Prince Fielder move because of his age, but I thought the Tigers were nuts as they already had a firstbaseman)
May 23, 2012 @ 11:03:30
but the tigers have the ability to put one to DH down the road too
May 24, 2012 @ 14:13:23
Re favorite Yankees, I have a pretty good pedigree:
1965-68: Mantle
1969-79: White
1980: Guidry
1981-88: Winfield
1989-95: Mattingly
1996-06: Williams
2007-12: Jeter
May 24, 2012 @ 18:47:20
That’s a good list Corey. I think Roy White was one of the most underrated guys to ever play for the Yankees.
May 24, 2012 @ 20:10:00
when I think of Roy White, I think of quiet, unspectacular. Looking at his career stats, relative to teammates at the time he was good on many anemic teams in the early 70′s. There is a baseball card, from 1974 that is my mental image of him, I probably had lots of “doubles” of that card as a kid : http://1974topps-pennantfever.blogspot.com/2011/04/135-roy-white.html
May 24, 2012 @ 22:57:55
BL
That’s a great card.
White had the same OPS+ for his career as Cecil Cooper, Mike Greenwell, Chili Davis and Jorge Posada to name a few. Watching him out in left with his #6 jersey on is one of my earlier Yankee memories.