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Wasn't it just the other day that Brian Cashman said the team didn't need to trade for a bat?  Well he lied, because the Yankees have apparently traded for Eric Hinske. 

Hinske doesn't hit for much power these days, but he can play the corners in the infield and outfield.  He is also a lefty bat.  I suspect this means the Yankees will send Ramiro Pena back to the minors and let him play everyday.  That would leave a bench of Cabrera, Hinske, Ransom and Cervelli on most days.

The Yankees didn't give up much in the way of prospects.  Erickson is in A ball and I believe would need to be added to the 40-man at the end of this year or be subject to the Rule 5.  (Very, very doubtful they would have protcted him)  Fryer was acquired from the Brewers for Chase Wright and hasn't done much in Tampa.

UPDATE: Joel Sherman has a blog post up with some reasons for the deal and it sounds like Pena is going to the minors.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

As I write this it is 3-2 heading into the 7th.  Normally, I would wait until after the game, but Girardi is managining this like he is drunk, so I felt inclined to post now.

Question 1: Bottom of the fourth, two outs with a runner on third, 8th-place hitter up for the Mets.   Don't you walk him and face the pitcher? (He didn't)

Question 2: Bottom of the fifth Gardner on first with one out and Wang batting.  Don't you order Wang to take a pitch to let Gardner steal second before trying to bunt him over?  The worst case scenario isn't that Wang doesn't get the runner over, it's a double play which Wang bunted into.

Question 3: You pull Wang for Coke to face two lefties (eventhough Coke is better against righties) and then the Mets put in a righty.  Two outs in the inning and you go to bring Hughes in.  Absoultely fine with that, but why would you double switch?  Girardi brought Hughes in and put Damon into left, moved Cabrera to right and took Swisher out of the game.  What did that all accomplish?  It moved the pitchers spot from the 4th all the way to 6th.  So for two lousy lineup spots you lost a good hitter and cost yourself a bat on the bench?  If the Yankees go 1-2-3 in the 7th, the pitcher won't get up anyway and what are the chances Hughes is going to pitch more than 1-1/3?  You could then have led off the 8th with a pinch hitter anyway.  If the pitcher's spot comes up in the 7th you could alway pinch hit then.  Plus, if the Yankees do go 1-2-3, the pitcher's spot is going to come up in the 8th, just like it would have.

Maybe Joe is having an off night, but these decisions are weird.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok, so the Yankees have held the Mets to four hits and one run over 18 innings of baseball.  We can point to dominant pitching by Sabathia and Burnett, we can also point to the fact that the current Mets' lineup resembles a beer softball league squad.

And that is what makes tomorrow's start for Wang so interesting.  Here is a lineup in terrible shape and a pitcher struggling to regain his stuff.  I know Joe Girardi says that Wang is in the rotation for the long haul, but if he gets shelled tomorrow how do you justify that?  I'm not expecting Wang to dominate the Mets like Sabathia and Burnett have, but I would expect at least a quality start from Wang.  Anything less and I hope the Yankees reconsider keeping him in the rotation.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Xavier Nady is done for the year.  He is going to need Tommy John surgery and that means a minimum recovery of a year.

Now if the Yankees are searching for a righty bat, how about looking at Shelley Duncan again?  He has 21 homers in AAA this season and he can be added to the 40-man when Nady gets placed on the 60-day DL.  Duncan would provide a lot of pop off the bench and he can play both corners.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Anyone catch Michael Kay's home run call for A-Rod's homer last night?  

Yes, from a fact standpoint, A-Rod caught Reggie Jackson on the home run list last night.  But, don't we all agree that there is a huge asterisk next to A-Rod's home run total?

And why would the Yankees (via YES) promote this achievement?  I know they cannot simply ignore it, but Kay's home run call was over the top and there was delicious irony in the fact that he mentioned Rafael Palmeiro is next up on the list. 

The really interesting thing will be if Alex starts hitting those five "historic" home runs he gets money for in his new contract.  (Hitting #660, 714, 755 and tying and breaking the career record earn him $6 million a swing.)  You know the Yankees paid that money because they were expecting to make a bunch of money selling the bats, balls, cleats, etc., involved in those achievements.  But will anyone want that stuff now? 

I don't know, but I don't think we should be celebrating any of A-Rod's career achievements in light of what he has admitted to doing.  I certainly hope that YES will ditch that "Chasing History" grpahic they sometimes show with Alex.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kind of a weird week with Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both dying today and Ed McMahon the other day. 

It reminded me of an old baseball joke that involved Michael Jackson.  (You will need to be at least 30 to get it)

Question- What do Steve Sax and Michael Jackson have in common?

Answer- They both wear a glove on one hand for no apparent reason.   

You can dislike the man, but you cannot understate his impact on music.  He and Madonna were my generation's answer to Elvis.  Now one is gone and the other one was dating A-Rod.  

Anyway, RIP Michael.  RIP Farah. RIP Ed.   

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Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Casey Fossum has decided to leave Scranton and become a free agent.  I am not suggesting that Fossum was going to come back to the AL East and dominate, but wouldn't he have been a better choice than Brett Tomko?

I never get how the Yankees make these decisions, but they seem good at signing players to fortify the minor league teams, but lousy at using them to help the major league teams.  A few years ago they had Carlos Pena in the minors for most of the season but never promoted him (whoops!).  How many more appearances by Tomko do we have to see before they turn to someone else?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So here we are almost at the All-Star Break and we have two guys who make up an imperfect fit in center.

Melky Cabrera has a great arm, is prone to long slumps and doesn't get on base enough. 

Brett Gardner can cover tons of ground, run like the wind, but he has no power.

If there was someway to platoon the two of them it would be great, but neither guy has proven the ability to hit lefties over their career.  

So, let's play to the two guys' strengths.  Gardner can run and Melky has some pop, so how about using Garnder in center when the Yankees are on the road and Melky in center when they are at home?   

Consider Melky's home/away splits: At home Melky is hitting .284/.346/.491 on the road he is .278/.329/.354.  Would it be fair to say he is enjoying the bandbox that is the new place?

Consider Gardner's home/away splits: .296/.397/.407 at home and on the road he is .275/.330/.400

So, Brett outhits Melky away from the Bronx and Melky outhits Brett in the Bronx.   Boil it down to OPS and it becomes even clearer Melky (.837 at home/.683 on the road) vs. Gardner (.804 home/.730 road)

So, why not take advantage of that difference and make it formal?  Or, let Gardner play center all the time?  (Don't see that happening)   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Phil Hughes became a reliever back at the start of June.  Since then, he has pitched a total of 8.2 innings out of the pen.  So, the Yankees have basically wasted one of the best arms in their organization and now it is unreasonable to expect him to be able to start again without building up his arm.

The Yankees have a tough balancing act with Hughes in 2009.  Clearly, he is going to be a starter at some point, but the Yankees would be wasting him in Scranton right now.  So, the goal for 2009 with Hughes should be utilizing him to help win now while getting him enough innings to be a part of the rotation in 2010.  

Hughes has about 63 innings under his belt in 2009, the Yankees need to get him up well past 100 this year to safely use him as a starter next year.  That's where the Joba Rules come in and the Yankees need to think back to 2007, when they took a power starter and made him a reliever.

To refresh your memory, the rules were Joba could pitch one or two innings, but he was not allowed back-to-back appearances and he got a day of rest for every inning he pitched.  So, use him for one inning and he was off the next day.  Use him for two and he got two days of rest.  Over the last 50 games of the season, Joba pitched 24 innings.

Putting in the Joba rules for Hughes would hopefully make Girardi actually use him.  Hughes should be pitching everyother day at this point because he is good and he needs the innings.  Use those rules until August, about the same time in games that the Yankees did with Joba.  (Remember at the end of September 2007, the rules changed and Joba was allowed to be used as needed)  The Yankees could then enter the stretch with Hughes deployed like Joba in the 2007 playoffs (without the midges) or Mariano in 1996.

Either that or get him back to Scranton and pitching every fifth day.  Having him sit idle in the bullpen is just a waste of an asset.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok, so Brett Tomko isn't that good.  Not a shock to anyone outside of the Yankees' organization.  Will today's performance make the Yankees realize that Tomko isn't helping?  I have no clue, but just in case it does, how about this move?

DFA Tomko and promote Kei Igawa from the minors.  

I know, I know, Igawa is a HUGE mistake.  The Yankees threw money after him to counter the Red Sox Matsuzaka move and it blew up in their faces. They spent $26 million to win the posting and then signed the guy to a five-year/$4-million deal.  Let's face it, at this point that money is a sunk cost.

And that is why the Yankees should promote Igawa to the majors.  Is Igawa better than Tomko?  I don't know for sure, but I think he might be.  Brett Tomko is signed to a minor-league deal.  Igawa is signed to a deal where he is going to collect another $8 million from the team after this season.  If you think both pitchers have the same ability doesn't it make sense to try the guy who you are paying the bigger salary to?  Maybe Igawa comes up and surprises everyone by getting outs.  In that case you can try and trade him and get some of that $8 million back.  More likely, he struggles and you need to get him back to the minors. That would mean passing him though waivers and I would bet not a single team would take on that $8 million obligation. 

So, what's the downside?  I guess it is you lose Tomko.  You certainly won't lose Igawa and maybe you catch lightning in a bottle.  Aaron Small, Shawn Chacon, it has happened before.  It isn't likely, but why not try it again?

BTW- June 25th is a big day for the Yankees.  It is the day that Cody Ransom is eligible to come off the DL and I would bet anything that it will mean the end of Berroa's tenure in pinstripes. It's sad it has come to this, but getting Ransom back is a big plus for this team.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees are saying it is tightness in his bicep and he is day-to-day, but seeing CC Sabathia get taken out in the second inning is very concerning. Since he got his footing near the end of April, Sabathia has been great.  Now the Yankees have to hold their breath. 

Thankfully, tomorrow is a day off because the bullpen is going to be used a lot tonight and Wang is pitching on Tuesday.  It should be a fun week! 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I read this piece by Jon Heyman and it made me really question what Joe Girardi was doing.  We know A-Rod had hip surgery and we know it was said when he came back that he would need to be given time off.  Yet, for the first 38 games back he was put into the lineup every day.  And 35-of-38 of those games had him at third and not even at DH. 

In June Alex couldn't do anything with the bat, but it took until this weekend for the Yankees to do something and that only happened after the team's exexutives ordered it.  What exactly is Girardi thinking here?  Why does it take the owner, GM and other executives to tell Girardi what everyone can plainly see?

I don't get it at all. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Daisuke Matsuzaka was so bad Friday night I thought he might be trying to be bad in order to get his release.  It was that terrible.  His first inning was a joke and to his credit, he pitched well in the 2nd and 3rd only to give it up again in the 4th and 5th.  After further evaluation, I think Matsuzaka wants to be here and pitch well, he is just struggling.

With John Smoltz here, ready and willing, the Red Sox can go with a 6-man rotation.  A 6-man rotation risks extra stress on the bullpen and certainly will annoy any starter with incentives based on innings pitched, strikeouts, etc.  More importantly a 6-man rotation just doesn't make sense.

I'm hoping the Matsuzaka accepts either a minor league assignment (he has to give the ok per his contract) and/or a DL rehab assignment.  That will give management time to evaluate Smoltz and Matsuzaka at the same time.

With Brad Penny showing some serious pop on his fastball, he has apparently become the top pitching trade target of teams in need.  The good news is that the Red Sox have this supposed glut of pitching, but if Matsuzaka can't figure it out, perhaps not.  Let's not forget Clay Buchholz.  He and Michael Bowden are knocking on Boston's door and will probably start to get wordy in their respective desires to get a promotion.

A good problem to have...right?  Right.

BTW, notice David Ortiz's move from 6th to 5th in the order the past 2 games?  Slight, yes, but a sign of improved confidence from Tito?  Yes.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

You just can't lose that series. What I saw on the field these past few nights is a team that took its opponent lightly and got its ass kicked because of that.  Seriously, did the Yankees look ready to play any of these games?  (Yes, I give them some excuse for today's game since it started five+ hours late, but Washington didn't seem to have a problem.)

So far in June the Yankees are 8-8. Would it shock you to know that coming into tonight the bullpen had a 2.91 ERA for the month?  You can't blame the pen.  Starting pitching, lack of hitting, take your pick they both have victimized this team. 

Now, it's on to the NL parks with nine games.  Considering the level of the competition, they should win a bunch of them.  But, as we just learned, records mean little when the teams meet on the field.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

We have another name off the list of players who tested positive for steroids in 2003 like A-Rod and it is...drumroll...SAMMY SOSA!  Yeah, who would have thunk it?  Well only 102 more names to go off that list.  Who will be next?  Stay tuned to the next edition of "Who Else Can Disgrace Baseball!!"

Ok, on to Yankees news.  In something I would call a minor shock, the Yankees DFA'ed Veras to activate Bruney which means they kept Tomko.  I know Veras has been bad, but isn't he better than Tomko?  Doesn't he have more value?  I don't get it at all.

Anyway, three with the Nats, three they should sweep.  We shall see.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

For those of you worried the Red Sox would have to shell out $16mm a year to re-sign Jason Bay, relax, he isn't going to hit .400 this year.  I predict a 4 year, $44mm deal sometime before the end of the year.

I don't know about you, but I thoroughly enjoy Dennis Eckersley as an analyst.  He is blunt, raw and very funny.  I appreciate his every-fan approach, something the Red Sox tried with billionaire Jack Welch (perhaps sub-billionaire given GE stock over the past year) a few years back.  Eck says what's on his mind.  He is far more open to letting you know when a Red Sox has not done the right thing.  Surely this kind of candor will catch up with him as the players might start giving him heat, but until he is named the everyday analyst, I suspect he'll get away with his honesty.

More than anything, Eck just cracks me up.

I wonder if when Jerry Remy is ready to return NESN will consider a 3-man booth or a rotation of sorts?  I like Eck in the booth.

Without getting too excited, David Ortiz has been showing a bit more of late.  He is hitting .289/.372/.579 over his past 12 games, but what I like most is that every ball he has hit, including outs, have been hit hard.

With Jed Lowrie semi-close to returning, I think Nick Green will hold the SS position until Lowrie returns.  As for Julio Lugo, I expect a release (or a swap of cruddy salaries with another team).  The Red Sox have not properly addressed the SS position since, well, quite a few years.  Lugo has been creaming the ball of late, but that won't last, right?

The Red Sox drafted a familiar name last week selecting Michael Yastrzemski with the 1098 pick in the 2009 amateur draft.  Carl's grandson was taken out of St. John's Prep (Danvers, MA).  He has committed to Skidmore College, er, wait, Vanderbilt University, so the Red Sox have a somewhat slim chance of landing him (ok Michael, here's $10,000 from us, the Red Sox, or a full-ride to Vanderbilt worth 4 x $37,005 annual tuition, room and board and a good education equaling $148,020.  Your call).

The Red Sox badly need some power to percolate through the minor leagues.  AAA Pawtucket Red Sox Aaron Bates is making a name for himself with his new low/no-kick stance and Lars Anderson at AA Portland could be a late season helper, but there is no definitive power hitter just waiting to break through.

Lastly, the Red Sox face a decision with John Smoltz set to return this Thursday.  A NESN interview suggested he was ok with one more AAA start, but beyond that the Red Sox have to either decide who to send to the bullpen (Beckett, Wakefield, Matsuzaka, Penny or Lester) or they need to trade someone.

Most feel Penny is the odd man out as he really doesn't represent a long-term commitment and doesn't figure into the Red Sox long-term plans.

Until David Ortiz can convince Red Sox brass that he is all better, I bet we might be see a 6-man rotation for a few weeks.

At home at Fenway for a stretch starting Tuesday.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

I was beginning to wonder if a Yankees' starter could pitch into the late innings, thank you AJ for reminding me it was possible.  Now, AJ almost blew up in the third and he was helped by a bad call on that punchout of Alex Cora, but overall you have to like the start. 

The thing that bothers me is how different the offense looked today compared to yesterday.  Maybe it's just me, but didn't it look like the Yankees had early dinner plans yesterday the way they kept swinging?  And today they looked locked in and ready to play.  Why the difference?

But, they won and they won the series (thanks Luis Castillo)  With three at home against Washington coming up, they need to take advantage of that scheduling and start a win streak before they play nine-straight in NL parks.

AJ Burnett's suspension hearing is tomorrow.  He is scheduled to start Saturday, but wouldn't be able to make that start if the suspension is not reduced.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I can't ever think of a win like that.  I mean seriously, a dropped popup?  Kudos to Mark Teixeira for busting it from first on the play.  Luis Castillo, it's simple, TWO HANDS!  Youth coaches everywhere should show that play as a great example of what to do and what not to do.

As for the game it showed us once again that the Yankees have an awful bullpen.  Now, let's leave Phil Hughes out of this discussion, we won't know what his role is until Wang pitches on Wednesday.  But, for the remaining six guys we can review each one.

Start with Brett Tomko, a guy who should really be DFA'ed today.  Tomko had an ERA over 6 last year and an ERA well over 5 the year before that.  He is 36 and while I have no idea how he pitched so well in spring and at AAA earlier this year, I am certain he won't do it again.  The Yankees need a guy in the pen who can eat up innings, Tomko isn't that guy.  Let's dump him and bring up Casey Fossum.  Fossum is not going to contribute much, but he can give them innings and he is lefthanded.  Maybe you catch lightning in a bottle with him, maybe you don't- what's the harm in trying?

Jose Veras- Believe it or not, Veras looks a little better recently.  I wouldn't give him much room, but let's send him out there a few more times and see what happens.

David Robertson- Robertson keeps striking guys out and I hope the Yankees give him a chance to pitch some meaningful innings in the pen sometime soon.

Aceves- Let's face it, he flunked his first test in a big spot.  But, that doesn't mean he shouldn't get more chances.  The guy reminds me a lot of El Duque, inventing as he goes along.  He clearly belongs on the staff, it's just a matter of finding out what his best role is.

Coke- Phil has his ups and his downs.  One thing he does not appear to be is a lefty specialist.  For his career, Coke has been tougher on righties (.526 OPS) than lefties (.665 OPS)  Now the samples are small, but I think Joe Girardi needs to stop brining him in automatically to face a tough lefty. 

Rivera- It is clear that something is bothering Mo.  Somedays he is dominant, somedays he is bad.  Perhaps it is the shoulder surgery, maybe it is the fact he is 39, I don't know, but the Yankees need a backup plan and they are only going to find it on the trade market.  They have time, this doesn't need to be done today, but they are going to need to get someone like Street or Qualls- closers on teams that aren't very good and then they need to hope.  They need to hope that Mo becomes Mo again and they can use that closer for the 8th inning instead of the 9th.  

Bruney's return will defintiely help the pen.  Using Aceves and Robertson in big spots should help it, but they will need some more help as well.

One other note, actually two.  When the Yankees put Garnder in center and use Swisher and Melky in the OF, why not put Melky in right and Swisher in left?  Melky has the better arm.  And, Melky has hit the skids, .647OPS the last 28 days.  Why not give Gardner a shot in center and see if he can do something?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

There was a great SNL spoof on Bill Gates a long time ago and in it he starts talking in binary.  I always think of that skit when I hear about John Henry.  It amazes me that the Red Sox owner doesn't take more crap for his desire to only interact with the world from behind a computer.

So, it should not have surprised me that Henry has a Twitter account.  What did surprise me is that he decided to take a shot at Mark Teixeira last night with it.  It seems Henry sent the following Twitter last night after the Red Sox finished off the Yankees- "The MT curse?" 

Can you imagine the howls we would be hearing from Boston if one of the Steinbrenner boys had done something like that to a Red Sox?  But apart from that, what exactly is Henry thinking here?  Does he expect Mark Teixeira to laugh this off?  If so, I think he is going to be disappointed. 

Henry is certainly allowed to say whatever he wants, but this seems like a silly one to me.  Why would you rile up a player who is going to be your opponent for the next eight years?  We shall see how this plays out, but I imagine Tex will be on a mission to prove Henry wrong.  That's ok by me.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok Yankees' fans, is there a team you hate more than the Red Sox?  I didn't think so.

Is there a team you want to beat more than the Red Sox?  I didn't think so.  

Does it make you crazy that the Yankees are 0-8 against the Red Sox this year?  I thought so.

Do you think the Yankees are doomed this year?....Ah, now we have something to talk about.

I don't care how big a Yankees' fan you are, if I asked you which team is better right now, you would answer Boston.  Now, does that really matter? 

Here's what I know.  The Yankees cannot beat the Red Sox right now.  I have no idea if that will change in the upcoming months, but if the playoffs started today and both teams were in them, I would pick Boston 10-out-of-10.  

But, they don't start today, they start in four months and a lot can happen between then and now.  Most importantly, if the Yankees are three games better than Boston and the rest of the AL East from this day forward, they make the playoffs.  That may sound stupid, but that is truly the reality of all of this.  The Yankees have 102 games left and 10 of them are against Boston.  If they lose all of those games against Boston and win their remaining games at the same percentage they have this year against everyone else, they win 95 games.  I think that makes the playoffs. 

Sure, I don't feel good about facing Boston in the playoffs, but that only happens if we reach the ALCS.  If we get to that point, I am more than willing to roll the dice on everything.   Let's not give up on the pennant just yet. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, it's pretty obvious the Yankees have a problem with Chien-Ming Wang.  The guy can't throw strikes very often and when he does, he gets pounded.  The question is, what do you do about it? 

Wang's next scheduled turn would be Monday which is an off-day.  I would take advantage of that break in the schedule to move everyone else in the rotation up a day.  So, Sabathia pitches Tuesday (on normal rest) Joba Wednesday (ditto) until they need a 5th starter again on Saturday in Florida.  You send him down to Tampa until then and have him throw there and pitch a game against minor leaguers on Monday (his regular turn).  If he bombs again in 10 days, then he is out of the rotation for good.

Now some would pull him now, which I completely understand.  Some would say pitch him on Tuesday against the Nationals.  But seriously, does Wang beating the Nationals tell you anything?  They are pathetic and he should dominate them.  I suppose you could turn that argument on its head and say that Wang losing to the Nationals would tell you a ton, but I say just wait until the 20th and see what happens in Florida.

One other thing, since he was recalled Dave Robertson has pitched five innings and allowed two walks and two hits while striking out six.  I am not suggesting you hand him the 8th inning, but this is a guy who should be given a chance to pitch in some bigger moments.  He didn't get it done against Cleveland, but give him a shot.  Seeing him warming up in the 1st and 2nd today shows you had badly the Yankees didn't want to go to Hughes early and if that is the case, they need someone who is going to eat up innings on this staff. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Wang- Strike one, try it, learn it love it.

Swisher- that's two bad plays in two innings.

Apparently our long reliever is now Robertson who has been up in both Red Sox innings.     

This could be the type of game where I need to go for a long walk by the fifth inning.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Well the Yankees did what I asked and selected two hitters with their first two picks.  The first, Slade Heathcott, has been described as a "boom or bust" pick by Baseball America.  The second, J.R. Murphy, is an interesting pick because he is a catcher and that is the one position the Yankees have a lot of depth in. 

Heathcott is described as a "five-tool" player who has had some tough off the field issues with some family members behaving badly.  He grew up a Red Sox fan, which is interesting because he hails from Texarkana, Texas- a little bit outside of New England.  (Great town Texarkana, great song too.)   He plans to attend LSU if he doesn't sign with the Yankees.  Some scouts project him as a reach for the first round, which means to me the Yankees probably have a deal with him to sign already.

The Murphy pick makes little sense until you hear that he is a likely candidate to get moved from catcher to third or the corner.  He is said to have a very good bat which would be a nice addition to the system.

I will recap more of the draft when it finishes, but the Day 2 reports I am reading is that the Yankees are taking guy who may be hard to sign.  That translates into English as-"they are taking guys who will cost a lot of money to sign"- exactly the approach they should be taking. 

More after the game.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here is a study on the new stadium and home runs that says that 20 of the 105 home runs hit so far this year would not have been out of the old place.  They confirm what my eyes have been telling me, rightfield is closer and the wall is shorter.  Now, that accounts for 20 home runs, but 85 is still a ton. The highest number give up by the old place in the last four seasons was 73, still over 16% below the current total. 

So, I would guess there is something else going on.  I know the study says there is no definitive wind pattern, but I think there are two factors that may be influincing things.  First, the old place is still standing, right behind the new place.  Second, the new place has open concourses.  Perhpas the wind whips around the old place and gets pushed into the new one?  Perhaps the open concourses allow more of the wind to reach the field than at the old place?  I am not smart enough to know, but the frutrating thing is you can't really be sure what you have until the old place is completely gone. 

That won't happen until much later this year.  So, you can look forward to a lot of offense in the Bronx this summer.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Let's not overanalyze this one, the Yankees never had a chance thanks to their starting pitcher.  The one thing to spend a little time on is the pitcher was AJ Burnett, mythical slayer of the AL East.  Well since he dominated Tampa back in April, where has that guy been? 

All the cream pies in the universe don't mean a thing unless you get some wins and right now Burnett is 4-3 with a 4.89 ERA.  This is the guy I was worried about getting.  The guy with the great stuff, but inability to apply it.  I could still be woefully wrong on this, and I certainly hope I am.  But right now, AJ isn't worth much.

Tomorrow night we get Chien-Ming Wang thrown into Fenway.  Does anyone else feel bad about our chances? I guess the one good thing in all of this is that if CC does his job on Thursday the Yankees leave Boston tied for first.  That's really all that matters right now.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

MLB is holding the 2009 Amateur Draft tonight, starting at 6pm.  Rounds 1-3 will be held tonight.  The Red Sox have 3 picks today, 28, 77 and 107 overall.

Peter mentioned his desire for the Yankees to add position players in this year's draft.  The Red Sox have done a decent job of in recent years with drafting, but the one missing ingredient is the classic slugger.  Lars Anderson at AA Portland might be that player, but he has been slow out of the gate and hasn't shown his power yet in 2009.

Sure Kevin Youkilis (a Duquette pick) has developed more power than any of use would have imagined, but his power seems to be in the mid-20 home run range.  The Red Sox did take Matt LaPorta 2 years ago, but couldn't sign him.

It'll be interesting to see where they go and if any of the players taken in the 2009 draft have the chance to be helpful in the next 24 months to the big league club.

MLB.com and the MLB Network will televise the draft offering us insight we've never previously had access to.  The fact remains, however, that because the MLB draft covers so many players from so many different places, very few people, including hardcore baseball fans, really knows much about the inner workings of the draft and the potential draftees involved.  We all know Stephen Strasburg will go first overall, but beyond that, we don't know much and once you get past the first 5 picks or so, there is a good chance you won't recognize the players being taken.

That said, local media outlets give you decent exposure to the Red Sox minor league teams (The Boston Globe has a weekly minor league report as an example).

As for the Red Sox team, tonight marks the start of another Yankees vs. Red Sox match-up.  The Red Sox are struggling with their defense and much has been made about Julio Lugo's lack of range at shortstop.  Also, with David Ortiz still struggling overall (he is hitting .300/.333/.500 over his last 5 games), there is talk about what can be done to boost the offense.

My take is that the Red Sox will make due at shortstop until Jed Lowrie is back (3-4 weeks) and if Ortiz doesn't come around, they will address that issue closer to the trade deadline.  They might package Brad Penny and a prospect sooner than that of course because with John Smoltz one start away from being ready, the Red Sox have a starting pitching logjam.  But we know a glut of pitching has a tendency of fixing itself (a trip to the DL by Matsuzaka, a hang-nail to Tim Wakefield and suddenly the Red Sox are calling up Charlie Zink as an emergency starter).

For a look at the Red Sox first round picks over the years, take a look at this feature by Baseball-Reference.com.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Let's face it, the MLB draft is pretty boring.  Unlike the NBA or NFL drafts there is almost no chance you will see the first player selected by your team show up in the bigs next season.  That doesn't mean it isn't important, the Yankees would be in a much different place if they had done a better job with drafting these past few years. 

Now, before you rip me about Joba and Hughes and those guys, consider the makeup of the current 25-man roster.  The Yankees drafted Mo, Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Joba, Hughes, Gardner and Robertson.  Basically, they had some great drafts in the early 90's and some good ones in the middle of this decade.  Other than that, player development has not been a strength.

That could and should change.  The Yankees have more money than everyone and should use that to scout and sign players in the draft that other teams won't gamble on.  They did this well a few years ago with Austin Jackson, a guy they grabbed in the 8th round and paid a lot of money to so that he would skip college and a basketball scholarship at Georgia Tech.  

Brian Cashman has said it is a priority to develop young players, I hope he proves it tomorrow by drafting a hitter instead of a pitcher in the first round.  Look at the Yankees' rotation for the forseeable future.  Sabathia is here for six more seasons, Burnett for four more, Wang is under team control for two more, Joba at least four more.  That leaves one rotation spot open between now and 2012 and that is probably going to Hughes, who is under team control for four more years.

In the bullpen, Brian Bruney isn't a free agent until 2012.  Robertson and Melancon will be under team control for at least five more years.  Ian Kennedy is the same and we haven't talked about guys like Veras, Brackman, Coke or Ramirez yet.  I know you can never say you have enough pitching, but the Yankees have a lot of it and they have hardly any position players who are legitimate prospects.

Austin Jackson could be in center in 2010.  Montero and Romine seem on their way to the Bronx as catchers sometime around 2011-2012.  Other than that, who are the positional players to get excited about?  You really don't have much.

Contrast that against a lineup with five players well into their 30's. The Yankees have done a good job of getting younger this season with the subtraction of Abreu and Giambi and the additions of Swisher and Teixeira.  They will have another opportunity to inject youth after this season when Matsui and Damon become free agents.  And it isn't just about changing the starters, consider the predicament the Yankees were in this year when A-Rod got hurt.  The Yankees need younger players with potential in the upper levels of the minors desperately.

So, I respectfully ask Brian Cashman and the assembled draft experts to select a batter tomorrow in the first round.  Go crazy and follow it up with another one in the second.  We need all the help we can get.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Quite a difference 24 hours made.  Saturday, Mariano was awful.  Sunday he was awesome.  Sadly, I think everytime he struggles it will bring the "he's done" people to the forefront and we will have to listen to the arguments.  Who knows, they might be right at some point Mariano will truly be done.  I just hope we never have to see it.  My dream is Mariano walking off the mound after closing out the 2010 World Series and calling it quits right there. 

These next four games will be very interesting to watch.  The Yankees may be on pace to win 96 games, but they need to stand up to their division rivals.  3-9 against Tampa and Boston isn't going to cut it, can the Yankees start to reverse that trend between now and Friday?  We will find out. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

I found it interesting this week that Rodney Harrison was hired by NBC to become part of their "Football Night In America" galaxy of stars. (BTW- do we really need 12 guys to tell us what is going on during halftime?  It's a separate issue, but how about cutting back instead of adding NBC?)

Andy and I have both commented on the difference in treatment that baseball and football get over PED use and this is a great example.  Harrison was suspended for HGH use by the NFL and now he is going to be a high-profile analyst for the sport he cheated in.  Can you imagine Sosa, McGwire, Bonds or Clemens getting that gig in baseball?  Has anyone heard from Palmeiro since he got suspended?  And, Harrison was only suspended in 2007, so his offense is "fresher".  

If you have read this site before you know that I think Bud Selig is a joke and the whole drug policy is terribly inadequate, but baseball takes way too many lumps for it all.  There is no excusing the cheating, but can't the blame be spread more evenly? 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So let me get this straight.  A.J. Burnett throws at a Ranger to protect his teammate and gets suspended for six games.  Vincente Padilla starts the whole thing by hitting Mark Teixeira twice and he only gets a fine?

How is this fair?  Now, I agree that Burnett should be suspended.  Everyone knows you can't throw up and in and get away with it, but Padilla clearly intended to drill Teixeira and he did it twice.  If you suspend one, you have to suspend the other in my mind.

On a separate note, don't get too attached to the idea of watching baseball from the Bronx tonight.  The forecast is grim to say the least.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was a very special day for me because today was the day I took my five-year old daughter to her first Yankee game. The memories flooded back as she strained to see the Stadium out the window of the subway, just as I remember doing as a kid. 

But, I could see that there would be some differences from the way my first game went immediately. On the way to the Bronx I had promised her a hat.  So, when we went to the store she picked out a shiny Yankee hat, totally pink. 

As she ate her hotdog she asked me who my favorite player was. I told her Mariano Rivera and she thought a minute.  Then she pointed at the field and said, "that's my favorite".  Unclear on who she meant, I started saying names.  "A-Rod" I asked, hoping the answer would be no.  "Not him came the reply" "Ramiro Pena," I asked trying to figure out how I would explain that her favorite player wasn't going to play very often.  "No, him" came the insistent shout which could be translated as "Dad, smarten up and look where I am pointing."  It then became clear to me that she was pointing towards first and so I said, "Mark Teixeira?" and a smile came to my face as she said yes and I reflected on the symmetry of the moment.  Her favorite player wears #25 and plays a great firstbase, mine wore #23 and did the same. 

There were some questions that made me laugh like "Why did they paint those yellow poles yellow?  Why didn't they paint them pink?"  

There was the joy in seeing a young fan take in the whole experience and walk away from it wanting more.

Thanks Ellie for giving your Dad a day he will never forget and I can't wait until we go again.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

In a fascinating move, the Yankees have pulled Phil Hughes from the rotation and reinserted Chien-Ming Wang. 

Now it doesn't shock me that Wang is back, what shocks me is that Hughes is being moved to the pen and not sent to AAA to keep starting.  Hughes has thrown 53 innings this year and only threw about 70 last season.  If he is going to be a starter in his career, he needs to build up those innings.  Plus, is there any indication that Hughes can do this?  

I know he pitched brilliantly in relief in the 2007 playoffs, but that was one game.  It seems to me the Yankees are asking a lot of a kid who is still getting comfortable in the majors.  Even Joba got to relieve in the minors before getting thrust into the bullpen in New York.  Will we have a set of "Hughes Rules" to look forward to now?  

I know the counter argument is that you put your best pitchers on the team and use them in the roles you need.  The Yankees are certainly doing that.  I just hope they don't screw up the long term future of Hughes by doing so.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

I see from the comments that many of you shared my frustration with the pitching choices made Sunday, I totally agree but in the big picture, a 5-2 trip is nothing to complain about. 

Monday's win felt especially good as I feel like I am rolling a big rock up an endless hill with the Joba should be a starter argument.  I agree that the bullpen needs fixing, but think about how Hughes started this road trip and Joba ended it.  Imagine that every five days, wow.

And while we discuss the bullpen, how about Mariano's play to end the game?  That guy is an amazing athlete.

In other team news, the Yankees had bad news from Tampa.  Both Molina and Nady suffered setbacks in their rehab.  Molina's setback doesn't bother me that much.  From what I have seen of Cervelli, I think he is almost as good defensively as Molina and better with the bat.  Nady does concern me.  

I know Swisher played hitting star tonight, but in May he hit .150/.311/.275.  He's obviously not that bad, but it would be nice to have an alternative for when he is slumping.  And, Melky had a solid May, but it was nowhere near as good as his April and while I would take a season of .777 OPS from him, I don't trust him to keep piling up the numbers.  And speaking of center, did you happen to notice that Brett Gardner put up a .955 OPS in May?  

So, first day of June, first place by a game.  Doesn't mean much, but as Joe Girardi rightly said, "it's better than not being in first". 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The more I watch, the more I am starting to wonder if the David Ortiz of yesterday is gone.  Gone is the feeling of excitement, confidence.  Instead I worry, dreading each at bat.  "At least make a hard out" I tell myself.

The man who hit 232 home runs in 7 seasons has been reduced to a warning-track power, bottom of the order hitter.  Some of the local sports personalities say they can sense him coming around, it's just a matter of time.  Well, I'm starting to doubt he can turn it around.

It is such a disappointing feeling too as Ortiz was so often the source of late-inning heroics and helped fuel the Red Sox offense in this decade.  He was as important if not more so than Manny Ramirez (save the jokes).

Now the Red Sox find themselves with an aging/declining slugger hitting 6th, and soon to be on the bench.  Sad to be sure, but a major impact on the line-up.  Theo Epstein needs to figure out his options and pull the trigger on a power bat.  The current regime has yet to draft a power hitter that has contributed in the major leagues (Hanley Ramirez was a Duquette pick...just ask Dan Duquette) and they are paying for it now.

The Boston.com ran a feature today on the "10 players the Red Sox should consider" and boy were some Red Sox fans way off base.  Just how could 29.8% (as of 9:40pm, 6/1/09) think Victor Martinez is a better option than Adrian Gonzalez (27.9%)?  Please, come on now.

Victor is a fine hitter, but he is/was a catcher and has logged many miles at age 30.  Gonzalez on the other hand is just 27 and entering his prime.  He already has 20 home runs this season (Victor has 5) and won this thing called the "gold glove" at 1st base in 2008.  No offense to Mike Lowell, but imagine Gonzalez hitting 3rd playing 1st base with Kevin Youkilis playing 3b and Lowell at DH.  Youkilis could spell Gonzalez and take an occasional day off in the field to play DH.  A wonderful solution.  Wonderful because I thought of it.  Me alone.

Here's the problem:  While it is easy to say Gonzalez is the best player of Boston.com's top 10 list, he is likely to be one of the most difficult to pry away from San Diego.  Can you say Clay Buchholz and Lars Anderson?

My preference, based on impact and ease of acquisition, would be Adam Dunn.  Yes he strikes out more than I did at high school dances, but he can hit the bomb and wouldn't have to touch anything resembling a glove while in Boston.  And at 2 years and $20mm, he isn't cheap, he sure isn't a longterm commitment.  His current team, the Washington Nationals are not contending this year and could use an ETF of handy Red Sox minor leaguers for the years ahead.

The fact I've written this much on David Ortiz's replacement is an indication of where my thoughts are on the subject.  Big Papi, please turn it around so we (read: me) can put this discussion to bed and go back to the way things were.  I like things much more when you were hitting.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)