Chamberlain allows run in Futures Game
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jul 08, 2007 
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Joba Chamberlain got a taste of the big time today as he played for the United States in the Futures Game and threw an inning in 7-2 loss to the World team in San Francisco.
Chamberlain allowed a run as he allowed a walk, a stolen base then an RBI single by Dodgers prospect Chin-Lung Hu. After Hu was caught stealing, Chamberlain had a strikeout and got the final batter to line out.
Joba is 3-1, 2.60 in five starts for Trenton and will head back there for now.
——
Thanks to the regulars who posted the lineups within the comments on Sunday. Much appreciated.
Some get-a-lifer impersonated several people including me. So I deleted all those posts. Why people choose to act so oddly is a mystery.
Anyway, I’ll check in here from time to time during the break. As part of our All-Star break coverage, my editors want to post a few polls so keep an eye out for those.
Enjoy the time away from the game and I’ll catch you Thursday from Tampa.
Watched Joba today, nice life on the fastball though he had difficulty commanding it in today’s game. He seemed a little too fired up to be out there. Impressive stuff though.
Pete, missed your updates today though you definitely deserve the day off once in awhile. Hope you have a great All-Star Break with your family and keep up the good work in the 2nd half.
Peter,
Post ya movie reviews. Enquiring minds wanna know!
Post some fresh “open threads” during the break, this will fill up by Monday nite. We gonna want to talk about HomeRun Derby, the All-Star Game, ARod hitting 70 dingers, CRod, “The Bronx is Burning,” the trading deadline, movies, music, the gawd awful heat, the undoubtly, upcomin’ blackout.
Check out this “Boo-Boo”:http://tinyurl.com/3bvtrl from ‘da Daily News.
is the futures game archived anywhere (milb.com)…?
Dr. that’s a good idea.
I see the loser pete impostor is still here.
Lol! Dr. Acula that is a boo boo and a big one.
I really don’t understand why someone would find this entertaining. Such a waste of time.
I don’t either. And fron Australia!! How the heck did he even find this blog?
Jen-
We’re here, we’re there, we’re everywhere!!
I snagged this screen cap from tonight’s news. Yankee Blue expands to the “Middle-East”:http://tinyurl.com/2gkcgo I love the NYPD hat she’s wearing.
After watching the highlights of the game, the more I see Arod mashing all over the place, the more I think he’s off to the west coast after the season. Angel-Rod perhaps? another $200 mil contract? I wish it weren’t so, but it’s going to be hard to dismiss the Boras factor.
peter –
Enjoy you’re break. Missed your commentary, though.
It is truly amazing, to see how juvenile some people can be.
Acula go back to the game thread as I responded to your photo very funny.
PS Boras was on CBS SUnday morning this morning a piece that Jeff greenfield did not sure if it is on the web yet but very interesting
You know I forgot I met both Scott Boras and Leigh Steinberg. Steinberg and my dad went to school together. I didn’t know this until I met him at a charity event for Troy Aikman. Scott was still with Leigh but when they separated it was something. they had an office together in Newport Beach,CA. I went to their office once as a kid and Mr. Steinberg was walking around barefoot. He looked like a slob but really friendly and didn’t act like an agent. Leigh also had some stuff going on with AOL at the time I believe that why my old man was there to discuss some business.
Pete — I’d skip Shrek 3, but I’d see the little rat movie. Thumbs up. Much better flick.
Have a terrific time with your family. I’m going to see mine in just two weeks. Gonna spend some time on the beach in San Diego. Can’t wait to get some Mexican food. They’re not big fans of that stuff in Taiwan.
Gayle,
Hey youngster, you have a sweet uncle.
I saw that cbs segment. Greenfield has been a disappointment for a long time. Money, Money, Money: wada hack. He would never do greed profile on hedge fund managers and CEOs shipping jobs overseas, because the sponsors would freak. And he should _walk the plank_ for referring to ‘da House as “ground zero.” What a maroon.
“I don’t either. And fron Australia!! How the heck did he even find this blog?”
Perhaps because contrary to popular belief the United States is NOT the center of the universe and there are lot of baseball fans in Australia? lol
Ugh, how embarrassing. Thankfully, we’re not all like that, Pete.
For those who didnt get a chance to see him….
Joba Chamberlain in the 2007 MLB Futures Game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuTBLXMe9mI
Random question, but it has been bugging me for a while..
*Does anyone know what Robinson Cano’s at-bat song is?*
It’s pretty catchy, but I never hear enough of it to be able to identify it..
Just to clarify, by “at-bat song”, I mean his entrance music..
Pete you should take the TV approach to the trolls, because all they really want is attention. On TV when a mental patient decides to run on the field they ignore his sorry a$$ and don’t show it. Just delete thier posts and dont even bother to mention it. after a while they’ll just give up.
Chamberlain looks good … looks real good! …looks like he has ENERGY & some SPUNK!
… thought the same of Clippard – lotsa energy and attitude… i love the way he seems to want to go after hitters head on…
and hughes?.. he seems extremely cocky, but in such a low key way. Suffice it to say that he doesn’t seem to doubt himself too much.
… our pitching is gonna be SICK!!! And if this trend keeps up – we’re going to be a feisty lil’ group!!
* * * * * * * *
back to Chamberlain …
..after the run scored, he recovered nicely. Didn’t look scared – had to like that.
and if you saw him pitch today, you would have seen him throw that 94-97mph fastball of his, which has a little movement to it … but he also threw, what looked like a nasty change-up that just bottomed out on the hitter at like 72mph .. now if he can master that change – and carry a 25 mph guessing game to the mound every 5th day – he’s going to be something LETHAL!!
* * * * * * * *
Anyway…
I still believe in this team.
You had to like what you saw this past week. We played aggressive baseball against two of the top 10 teams in the majors… and with the exception of jorge getting picked off second during saturday’s game, we have played a LOT MORE alert… the execution may have fallen apart from time to time, but at least the player’s heads seem to be in it.
… i still believe in this team…10 games is not insurmountable… i don’t care about 54-24… we’ll be there in the end.
* * * * *
one last thing… it might still be a ilttle too early to say this, but MAN – it seems like our player development scouting has improved DRAMATICALLY over the past few years!!!! (Igawa is international scouts, he don’t count!)
.. Keep up the good work fella’s!
LET’S GO YANKEES!!!
Hey guys check out Bernie Williams official website(google Bernie Williams), what the heck happened there?
Is it some sick joke?
As someone who is fortunate enough to cover Joba in Double-A Trenton, it was great to see him get an opportunity like this.
Very humble young man, but very talented as well. Joba (not pronounced JOE-BAH like many people do, by the way…it’s JOB-AH) is a different pitcher than Phil Hughes — I think Chamberlain relies on his fastball more — but I’ll say this as well…he may better than him as well.
He’s been nothing short of dominant so far.
Global Warming- Ilove Matsui:
What’s the problem with it?
Mike Ashmore:
Checked out your site. Very nice. Got a couple of questions for you if you have the time.
When do you think Joba will be ready for the Bronx? Barring injury or trade, do you think he’ll be ready for the ’09 season?
Where does he rank compared to Horne, Kennedy and Marquez?
Where do you see Joba in most organizations, #1, 2 or 3?
And how do you rate him in terms of maturity and edge – is he as mentally tough as Hughes appears to be?
gianthinker -
Thanks for the link. Looks like Joba settled in after the hit – maybe he was a little amped. Who wouldn’t be?
Carson,
According to Wikipedia, Cano’s music is “Walk it Out” by DJ Unk. I don’t know how current or accurate they are, though.
“Entrance Music”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L.....ce_music#C
On the Joba clip, there was a bird on the field for a few seconds. The bird flies to fair territory in the infield and takes a few steps toward the foul line. Then, I swear, it flew OVER the foul line and continued walking. Superstitious pidgeon?????
Let me answer these the best I can…
–
When do you think Joba will be ready for the Bronx? Barring injury or trade, do you think he’ll be ready for the ‘09 season?
That’s a hard one to answer based on recent events. I (like everyone else) thought Hughes was phenomenal last year, but I would have liked to have seen him get a full season under his belt at Triple-A before making the big jump. I think what former Trenton manager Bill Masse had to say about building him up had a lot of credence, in that you can’t just expect a guy to go nine innings for you in the big leagues after being kept on a pitch count.
I believe that Joba has the stuff to pitch in the big leagues right now, and as I mentioned, you could make a pretty solid argument that he’s more developed as a pitcher than Hughes was when he was here. I think Joba relies more on his fastball compared to Phil, and although he’s got some serious cheddar, I wonder if he could some more time to fine tune his secondary stuff so that guys aren’t just sitting on his heat.
Where does he rank compared to Horne, Kennedy and Marquez?
Hmmm. In my opinion, Chamberlain is the most polished of the group, with Kennedy being the least polished, and Marquez and Horne somewhere inbetween. But each pitcher also has their own strong suit. Horne has a dirty curveball, for example.
I don’t think there’s any question that Joba has a higher ceiling than any of the pitchers mentioned based on what I’ve seen…and I think a lot of people might question that based on what they’ve read about Kennedy. The thing with him, is that he was “only” hitting the high 80′s on the gun in his Double-A debut against Kevin Mulvey. When you don’t have the 90′s heater like Joba has, your offspeed stuff needs to be really sharp, and I think Ian needs to work a little more on that before you can start putting him up in the Joba category.
I’d say Marquez and Horne are fairly even, with Marquez probably holding a slight edge in my mind — even though he’s the only pitcher on the staff with an ERA over 3.00
In fact, the Thunder’s pitching staff has the best ERA in all of minor league baseball.
Where do you see Joba in most organizations, #1, 2 or 3?
Right now, I’d say he’s a low range #1 guy, or a very solid #2. Again, I’d like to see him develop his secondary stuff a little more before I appoint him as a #1 guy. However, with that said, he said that he was very confident in his changeup after his last start, and that it was a pitch he feels confident shaking to if he needs to. That changeup is probably the most important pitch he’s got, even more so than the fastball, considering how off-balance it can keep hitters with the gas he has on the fastball.
And how do you rate him in terms of maturity and edge – is he as mentally tough as Hughes appears to be?
I think this is where he really shines. He is a VERY mature guy, not to mention kind and engaging as well. He actually introduced himself to me, not the other way around…trust me, it doesn’t usually work that way.
Hughes was the same way, he always had time for the media and never made you feel like you were bothering him. Both were very well-spoken, but I think Chamberlain usually offers some more philosophical answers…I don’t know if that’s the right way to put it, but he has a different, more methodical style of speaking than Hughes did, I think.
–
I hope that answered everything. To be honest, the Thunder are my secondary beat, so I’m probably not the best guy to be asking stuff…but I’m happy to answer anything the best I can as long as Peter’s all right with that — I don’t at all want to take away from what he’s doing.
Great info Mike thanks!!
Mike,
Terrific input. It makes missing Pete a little bit more tolerable. I feel like I know Joba 300% better than I did before your post. I particularly liked hearing that he’s kind. Wow, you never get that adjective applied to baseball players (or people, for that matter).
Joba is a really great story. i can’t wait for this guy to arrive.
Mike,
Thanks for the information. That’s the best scouting report I’ve heard on our AA staff.
FYI, here’s some analysis from ESPN’s Keith Law from the Futures game yesterday:
Top Five Pitchers
Just a note: The stadium gun at AT&T Park was high all day — by as much as 5 mph at times. Nobody hit 100, no matter what that scoreboard said.
1. Joba Chamberlain, RHP, New York Yankees: That’s JAH-buh. Get used to it, because as long as he stays healthy he’s coming quickly. Big, imposing guy with about as broad a set of shoulders as you’ll see on anything smaller than an elephant, and big league stuff — 92-96 mph fastball with an out-pitch 83-85 mph slider that had good tilt. His fastball command was so-so, but he really nails the slider. The one caveat is that his delivery isn’t great, with some length in the back, some effort required, and a weird finish in which he pulls his glove hand in hard, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the fastball command never got to the point where he can start in the majors. And I wouldn’t be surprised if his stuff is so good that it doesn’t matter.
Thanks guys. I have a Joba feature on the site…not one of my best pieces, but that might give you a little more insight on him. I know Kevin Kernan of the Post did a piece that detailed the plight of Joba’s father a lot more in-depth than I have room to do if anyone wanted to know more about that.
Again, I’m sure other people can answer those questions better than I can — I write for a weekly and I’m not in Trenton as much as I’d like to be — but I’ll do my best if anyone has anything else.
And don’t forget about Brett Smith or Jason Jones, either. With Smith specifically, he just tossed a five inning no-hitter. Although he had an astounding seven walks, you can’t overlook a performance earlier in the year where he threw seven no-hit innings before coming out of the game. He’s been very consistent, walks aside.
Just to touch on Keith Law’s analysis, all I’ll say is this…the guy utilizes his fastball a lot, and look at his strikeout totals. It’s hard for me to agree that his command is off. Also, Joba himself said after his last start that he felt like he had command of the fastball both in and out.
Joba with Trenton:
6/12 vs. CON — 5.0 IP, 3H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 9K
6/17 vs. REA — 6.0 IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 8K
6/22 vs. ERIE — 5.2 IP, 5H, 5R, 5ER, 1HR, 3BB, 9K
6/28 vs. ALT — 5.0 IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 4BB, 10K
7/3 vs. HAR — 6.0 IP, 4H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 12K
That’s a WHIP of 1.12, and only one bad outing out of five. He averages 1.73 K’s PER INNING, and has had only one inning (against Reading) in which he hasn’t had a strikeout.
Of his twelve strikeouts against Harrisburg, five were of the looking variety.
I really hope the Yankees don’t trade any of these kids. It is exciting to finally really hear that we have some gems in our farm.
By the way: Speaking of entrance music: I was at the game yesterday, and when Abreu came up to lead off the 5th inning, the song played was, and I’m NOT joking, “Toxic” by Britney Spears. That sure seemed strange to me….
1. yankees 1st half report card : D- . if not for a-rod where would this team be ? i’ll tell ya , last place and 10 games under .500 . 210 mill for nada .
2. i love these young arms in the farm . i could see a rotation of wang , hughes and a few rookies for the ’09 season . abreu will be gone for ’08 with melky in rf and damon in cf .
3. what to do with a-rod ? extention ? let him walk ? he’s on pace to have one of the greatest single seasons in the new era , maybe the best in the new era . maybe the best ever .
Thanks for posting the youtube clip, I missed it live. I’m impressed with Joba’s build, last I heard he was an overweight hick from Nebraska. Now he looks like a body builder, looks like the conditioning coach got something right. As far as comparisons to Hughes last year, he better be ahead, he went to college so has pitched longer. I would not surprise me if Joba is the first call up in 08.
While we are talking about prospects, the Daily news on Sunday wrote a great article on Betances pitching for Staten Island. Some feel he is the best pitching prospect in the Yankees system, but he is young and “raw” still. ETA 2010.
Chris,
A D is really an unfair grade, and taking out A Rod’s contribution is bs, we’re paying him right? His contributions count. Take away the rookies that have had to pitch due to injuries and the team would be a B. See how silly that sounds.
As for A Rod, after the season we extend him, hopefully he will like it here so much he’ll want to stay. I say offer $5M more for the next 3 years and 4 years $30 after that. That committment of $135M hopefully would placate Boras.
What is wrong with Bernies website?? Am I missing something??
http://www.berniewilliams.com/
It works fine, from where I am sitting…check again…
Looks fine to me…
What are you talking about Global Warming-I love Matsui???
Mike Ashmore:
Wow, Mike. Thanks! Great stuff.
Re: ARod
I don’t think Boras is a factor here. If ARod wants to stay a Yankee, he will, no matter what Boras wants. This isn’t a player looking for his first payday, it’s a much different situation.
Look what happened with Matsusaka – he had no intention of returning to Japan, which killed Boras’ leverage. He ended up signing for much less than what Boras publicly stated he wanted.
If ARod walks, it’s for his own reasons, not the wishes of Scott Boras.
Jeff NJ, he actually hasn’t pitched longer than Hughes. Joba has only pitched for four years. It was mentioned in an article in the paper. He pitched one year in HS and the rest in college. Hughes on the other hand has pitched four years in HS. Obviously didn’t go to college. So I guess you can say they have equal amount of experience in terms of pitching.
I agree, Enoch.
So many people label Scott Boras as the Devil, but the guy is just looking out for his clients and wants to make a lot of money.
Who doesn’t?
The people who hate him for his alleged “greed” are the same people who would jump at the opportunity to be represented by Boras if they were playing ball.
Ultimately, A-Rod will do what he wants — not what Boras wants.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07.....pQ26nV9gGA
great article from the new york times about trenton staff
injury report …
dougie m. is due back the first week of august – yesnetwork.com
pil of the future is due back in the beginning of august he made a rehab yesterday and will make a 2-4 more . – ken singleton during sundays broadcast
giambi had his boot off but no status and no eta for his return – m. kay
yankees looking into euribiel duraza who played firstbase with the a’s and d’backs and is now playing in mexico . durazo hasnt layed in the bigs since ’05 . cashman denied rumors and said andy phillips has filled in nicely .
i see the yanks either picking up a 7th or 8th inning relief pitcher and/or a firstbaseman . accoding to brian cashman – no prospect on his priortiy list will be traded .
Durazo is another Phelps.I like both players but if you had one and waived him youre not gonna like the other.
Mike,
I had read that Kennedy was hitting 94 on the gun in some of his recent starts. Also, isn’t Kennedy considered a very polished pitcher? I mean he was considered the most polished guy in the ’06 draft as far as I know. As far as Joba, I listen to the Thunder games, so I might not be an expert on this, but it does seem as though he goes through stretches where he doesn’t control the fastball very well. He can’t throw his slider for a strike(most pitchers can’t) so fastball command will be important for him in the majors.
All-star lineups are out.
Ichiro, Jeter, Big Papi, Alex, Vlad, Ordonez, Rodriquez, Polanco, Haren.
Natty,
Thanks for the link. Nice to read as much as possible about these guys. Now, I live about 40 minutes from Trenton. I better get down there fast before they’re all promoted!
Re: “entrance musics.”
EVERY team, basically, has someone coming out to “This is Why I’m Hot.” And is Dough Mirabelli kidding with “Live Like You Were Dying?” He comes out to a country ballad.
I kind of like that Scott Rolen comes out to “Rollin’.” Sometimes those fellas are clever.
Anyone seen the SportsCenter commercial with Big Papi? Some talking head brings his family to meet David and he spits on his gloves before shaking hands with the parents. Hi-lar-i-ous.
mel–I’ve seen that one. Even funnier is the one with him and Jorge and the Red Sox mascot.
Andrea,
Yeah, that one is great. I liked this one because Papi’s routine is just one of the grossest things in sports and apparently Yankee fans aren’t the only ones who are repulsed. Not far behind is Kyle sticking his whole palm in his mouth.
Wow. Dan Patrick leaving ESPN Radio.
“Durazo is another Phelps.I like both players but if you had one and waived him youre not gonna like the other.”
i see what you mean, but Durazo is a MUCH better hitter than Phelps when healthy.
Durazo would be a nice pickup if the DH slot is open.
Kennedy is as polished as a minor league pitcher could be. He’s been compared to Mussina. Not the 2007 version either.
And why not take a shot on Durazo? The bench could use anything resembling a productive power bat. Because there is nothing on that bench in regards to power. It is terrible.
mel–Sidney Ponson does the same thing Farns does, but somehow it’s more disgusting. Ponson is one of the more revolting people in baseball. He’s just such a grease ball. Then when he slobbers all over the ball, I kind of just want to vomit.
ESPN does some great commercials.
Anyone know Jorge Posada’s walk up music? It’s not the song listed at Wikipedia. The current song is reggaeton, just don’t know the name. Thanks.
mel, what did Dan Patrick say about his leaving? I personally can’t listen to his dribble. I prefer NY talk, but at least I can tolerate Mike and Mike. Hopefully they’ll replace him with an upgrade.
He’s talking to Reggie Miller right now, he said he began to take working at ESPN for granted (read: rut). Doesn’t know where he’s going, but knows where he’s been.
I give him credit, he’s leaving when he’s on top. I think it’s really that he’s become such a personality that there are just bigger things waiting for him. He’s gotten bigger than ESPN. Gasp! ESPN is not the big enchilada.
Hard to upgrade, he’s very smooth, just the total opposite of the “I hate life Colin Cowherd.” Patrick’s my favorite ESPN personality, even though his son is a total Red Sox fan/Yankee hater.
THE ONLY REASON i would get durazo is because he would be cheap .
Given the current rise of the Tigers, especially with their pitching, can one of you compare the potentials of Chamberlain, Kennedy, Hughes, etc. to guys like Nate Robertson, Verlander, Bonderman?
you cant compare robertson , verlander and bonderman to prospects . apples and oranges
E.B.E.
Based on what I have seen/heard/read about Joba, Ian and Hughes, I would say that they compare favorably to the Tigers pitchers you name (although Detroit has recently brought up stud Andrew Miller from the minors who has a much higher ceiling than Nate Robertson).
I would say that Chamberlain and Verlander have some similarities as they both feature big fastballs and nasty off-speed stuff (Joba’s out pitch is a slider).
Hughes and Bonderman are also similar as they both command an above-average fastball well, have multiple pitches (Hughes with two big curves and a change) and understand how to set up hitters.
Robertson and Kennedy don’t really compare as Nate isn’t all that young and Ian profiles more as someone with great command who has a more cerebral approach to pitching (scouts say to think young Mussina with a little less hop on his fastball).
That being said, all of the Tigers pitchers have proved that they can compete and excell at the big league level, which the Yankees young guns have not. Phil Franchise was well on his way before injuries derailed him and Joba looks to be on the fast track after getting some werious hype recently.
Mike Ashmore:
Thanks for your well informed insight on Joba Chamberlain and other prospects. There’s nothing not to like with a Yankee rotation of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and more in the not too distant future. The levels below Trenton have some prospects with high upside and Trenton will be a stop for them on the way to the Bronx.
The days of relying on free agent marquee names at high salaries are slowing down. Development of players has taken center stage.
I wish we could fast forward to 09′. Well at least in Yankee land..
Durazo doesn’t have a good glove, has been a DH more than a 1b, and is a lefty hitter, which they do not need more of. They need a righty bat.
Levels below Trenton:
Daniel McCutcheon, starter at Tampa
Charlie Robertson reliever at Tampa (just brought up from Charleston).
Dellin Betances, at Staten Island.
thanks for the insight, rbizzler.
Your welcome E.B.E.
Like I said it tough to actually compare the Yankees kids to the Tigers as Bonerman, et al have done it on the major league level, but there is nothing that points to Hughes and Joba (to a lesser extent Kennedy and Horne) not being able to have big time success with the big club.
As Mike S. noted, there is also Dellin developing in short season ball too. He could turn out to be the best of all of these guys. Who knows, but it will be fun finding out.
arod on YES/FAN with Chris Russo now if anyone interested
Gayle:
Thanks so much! I am going through Yankee withdrawal! I just realized you can listen to WFAN online. Stupid Europe not having Yankee games. I just realized though–England a lot of times yanks the ESPN feed, so maybe I’ll be able to go in a pub and see the Derby.
I bet they will show it on channel 5 an some ungodly hour in the middle of the night.
For those that missed it here are the highlights/comments:
Feels like he has been in a good place all year worked hard in the offseason and that the late inning HR early bought him some time.
When asked about the opt out he said that there are other players on the team as well as the manager who are in the same situatin with thir contracts and it would be selfish of him to discuss his contract when the team is 10 games out and they have a lot of work to do. I PREDICT THAT YOU WILL SEE THIS LINE OR HEAR IT OFTEN AS TO ME AT LEAST VERY WELL PR DRIVEN AND THOUHGHT OUT.
On the tabloids he said for the first 3 years it was hard for him to deal with it but this year he finally decided to put the off the field stuff in it’s own little box
Loves playing in new York.
Says kevin Long is a GREAT hitting coach and the best secret in baseball.
I also unfortunately do not have access to a TV here. I am staying in a uni dorm and they don’t believe in personal TVs. There is a TV lounge somewhere, but I doubt the other random folks in the buildling will care about baseball
Pete – Any word on how Humberto Sanchez is coming along? I didn’t hear exactly what he had done, all I heard was some sort of elbow operation. Does that mean it was a Tommy John surgery?
Says kevin Long is a GREAT hitting coach and the best secret in baseball.
Interesting, was he asked a question about him or was it just a statement.
The young arms the Yankees have are tremendous. However, comparing the Yankee prospects right now to the young Tiger pitchers isn’t a level playing field because of the considerable success the tigers arms have already had at the majors. You can’t take that away from them. Conversely, the tigers guys are also older and more advanced in their careers and that’s why they have the experience. We’ll see. They Yankees have three guys in Hughes, Chamberlain and Betances who have enormous potential. The guy they drafted this year Andrew Brackman (if he’s healthy) might have similar potential (a big if given he’s not signed and had arm trouble).
Other than King Felix it’s difficult to put any young pitcher in Verlander’s class in terms of stuff. He’s just a freak of nature. It’s not just his top speed but his stamina. The idea that someone could be throwing consistently 97mph + in the 7th inning on is remarkable. He hit 102 in the 9th inning of his no hitter! Just mind boggling.
Overall, the Tigers, even more than the Red Sox, are the team the yankees may need to worry about and compete against over the next 5 years. Dombrowski has turned them into the model franchise for all of baseball. He’s taken the same philosophy as Cashman has about paying for talent, especially young arms, at draft time instead of as free agents. He’s the one who used that approach earlier and more effectively than just about anyone. He’s a great talent evaluator and as long as he’s running the tigers and the owner stays committed the Tigers are going to be a difficult to deal with.
They drafted Verlander in 2004, Andrew Miller in 2006 and Rick Porcello this year. If they’re able to sign Porcello they’ll have acquired arguably the best pitching prospects available in 3 of the last 4 years while having success at the big league level. In addition, they got Verlander and Miller up to the majors within a year after they were drafted. That’s phenomenal productivity. And in the year they didn’t draft the best pitcher they got Cameron Maybin, the best position player in the 2005 draft (again by paying over slot). Maybin might be the 2nd best position prospect in all of baseball behind Justin Upton.
Facing a staff of Verlander, Bonderman and Miller in a 5 or 7 game playoff series is going to be a real challenge. Facing Verlander 3 times in a 7 game series is not good. Last year when the Yankees got to him in the playoffs verlander was a year out of college and had a dead arm. That’s not going to happen again.
Whatever happens this year at the majors, the yankees can’t abandon their current philosophy on player development. They have to challenge what the Tigers (and Red Sox and Angels to a lesser extent) are doing. They’re not going to get arms of the Verlander, Bonderman, Miller caliber on the free agent market. It’s not going to happen.
This is why people calling for Cashman to get fired should think hard about that. They hire a new GM and it wouldn’t be surprising if that new guy comes in and concludes I have to win now and scraps the entire farm system approach.
Mike he brought his name up when asked about how he feels at the plate. Chris then said once his named was mentioned that he seemed to really credit this guy worked with him over the winter brought him to Miami etc etc and then Arod said what he said.
Mike asked”Interesting, was he asked a question about him or was it just a statement.”
I think the general consensus that the Yankees need a righty bat is not as important as people say. I agree having a solid bat at 1st would be a plus, but a lefty would be fine as well. In fact since Giambi went down and was basically replaced with a switch hitter in Melky, adding a lefty just puts us back where we were.
Let’s not forget, A Rod is a special player, most righties struggle with death valley in left center. That being said, I am still not in favor of a Helton deal or to be honest any major deal right now. I just wanted to set the record straight on the righty-lefty bat need.
My point about Durazo/Phelps is that neither plays a passable 1b.In fact we HAD Durazo a year or 2 ago in AAA and didnt bring him up then(we also had Carlos Pena)
Gayle,
Thanks for the synopsis on A-Rod. I agree. Sounds like a very well thought out answer to the inevitable question. It’s a good one.
I’m hopeful he’s going to stay, but realistic to know that anything can happen.
I’ve heard people say he will stay because he doesn’t want his legacy to be that of a ballplayer who simply chased the money; however, I’ve heard A-Rod say if he wasn’t a baseball player, he’d love to be on “The Street” – an investment banker or such. So, it may follow that he truly is interested in amassing as much money as he can. Time will tell.
CB, good points, one area of disagreement, although a new GM may be more willing to deal some of the ML studs, its unlikely a new GM would scrap the whole farm system approach to win now. Too much expectation for the young guns to get away with a quick fix.
15 minutes or so until Hughes takes the mound for Class A Tampa.
Good point on Durazo being in the system last year and the Yanks not bringing him up.
As for the TJ surgery,
Humberto Sanchez, J.B. Cox and Mark Melancon are all recovering from it.
Mike
Christian Garcia also had TJ surgery. Tim Norton had season-ending shoulder surgery and Jose Veras had elbow surgery.
On a more positive note, Ross Ohlendorf had another GCL rehab start. He’s supposed to be returning to the Scranton rotation next week
Finally, Philip Hughes is pitching his first rehab start at Tampa (FSL) right now (7:05 PM)
With any luck, maybe someone will let Pete know how it went
And speaking of Tampa, I’ll be in the area for a week, starting Thursday. I’ll get to one of the D-Ray games on the weekend. Hopefully I’ll catch a Tampa Yankees game next week to get a look at Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata.
There’s obviously been a great deal of discussion here about Torre and the hitting coach Kevin Long. Accountability has been brought up a lot, especially for Kevin Long with people saying he should be fired because of the poor performance of the offense.
People who feel that Torre and/ or Long should be fired should listen to A-Rod’s interview on WFAN Today (posted on the FAN site).
AROD on Kevin Long:
“I love him. He’s unbelievable… I’m telling you… The best kept secret in baseball. Kevin Long.”
On Torre:
Joes is very special. He wears so many hats people don’t know about…He’s a great baseball man. He’s a great leader for New York and in many ways being Yankee manager is like being President of the United States… It’s so hard to have that job… I marvel at the way he’s able to handle it.”
Now I guess people could argue that this is AROD just being a fake, saying what he thinks people want to hear, etc. but that’s not at all what the interview sounded like. He sounded 100% earnest and the whole Arod acting as a fake thing hasn’t seemed to be much of an issue since spring training.
Torre’s future and Long’s are up for discussion and debate but it’s really worth listening to what ARod had to say.
Yankee21, I hope you’re right about the next GM if Cashman get fired but I have my doubts (which I hope I’m wrong about because I’m afraid Cash will get fired).
It was very difficult for Cashman to consolidate power in the organization and that was after working for the Yankees his entire career, being a Steinbrenner favorite, and overseeing multiple world series and pennant winners. It’s unlikely next GM will not be granted the same level of power unless by some miracle Stick Michael comes back (don’t think Mark Newman would be given that level of power even after 19 yrs with the organization). Given that, there’s a good chance that if Cash goes the organization gets split up again and the idiots in Tampa come out of the woodwork again. This would be the worst outcome possible. It was that bizarre split organizational structure and those incompetent “advisors” surrounding Steinbreener who ignored player development and oversaw what was likely the worst drafts in all of baseball. It took years for Steinbrenner to trust Cashman with the whole organization. The lesson either George or Hank or whoever takes away from this may be to go back to the way things were before. I don’t see them just giving over carte blanche to an outsider and beside Stick and I don’t think there’s an insider who they’ll look at in those terms.
Also, whoever takes over will look at what happenned to Cashman and will conclude that what got Cash fired was trying to rebuild and win at the same time. This year Casch gambled that he could restock and still win with an older, but talent laden team. He’s losing that bet. The next guy to take over isn’t going to pick rebuilding over winning now. That won’t be his mandate. His mandate will be now and everyone in baseball will know it. You think it would be expensive to get Texeira now wait until we hit the off season after if the yankees don’t make the playoffs and cash gets fired. Even Jon Daniels might wind up taking advantage of that situation.
Cashman has made a lot of mistakes but the mistakes he’s made have mostly been with money. As Yankee GM that’s not a bad risk because that’s the asset he had to work with. There was little young talent and that forced him to take big risks with financial resources many of which didn’t work out. It’s still a lot better than taking risks with talent, especially young talent.
Cash has also made a lot of good moves and the way he’s built up the organization from what it was three years ago is just astonishing. Amazing and he should be given a tremendous amount of credit for that. He’s very respected in baseball and if he gets axed the next GM will not take the same patient approach. This is what Mark Shapiro, the terrific GM of the Indians had to say about Cash in the NY Times today:
“He recognized a few years ago the need to fortify his system and has taken advantage of every opportunity possible to infuse talent into it,� Cleveland Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro said.
“The system is now one of the stronger ones in the minor leagues, and at some point, as those players become major-league-ready, the Yankees will have the most deadly combination of depth of young talent combined with elite payroll resources at the major league level.�
So the pitching rotation of: Wang, Pettite, Clemens, Mussina and Hughes does not look so bad, as long as Andy’s slump was just a “flash in the pan” and Moose can stay consistent AND try to keep his YAP SHUT about anything OTHER than HIS OWN ACCOUNTABILITY about his pitching. I would still like to see the Yankees grab a strong 1B, but I agree that it is NOT NEEDED in order for the 2nd half to be strong.
ARod’s FAN interview
you can listen to it “here”:http://tinyurl.com/34oarm
All the talk about TJ surgery made me wonder:
Has Tommy John ever participated in Ole Timers Day ??
Hughes 1st inning…from milb.com 2Ks nice, a little rust as far as the control…to be expected.
Anthony Hatch walks.
Carlo Cota grounds into a force out, pitcher Phil Hughes to shortstop Reegie Corona. Anthony Hatch out at 2nd. Carlo Cota to 1st.
With Kyle Phillips batting, Carlo Cota steals (5) 2nd base.
Kyle Phillips walks.
Josh Kreuzer called out on strikes.
Eric Nielsen reaches on fielding error by third baseman Marcos Vechionacci. Carlo Cota scores. Kyle Phillips to 2nd.
Cory Patton strikes out swinging.
Hughes pitching for Tampa now.
He walked the 1st batter… The error occured on the second batter… DP ball? Runner out at second but then the error… That runner then stole 2nd… Hughes walked the 3rd hitter… Whiffed the cleanup batter… The next hitter grounded out… Hughes fanned the final batter. NOt sure how runner scored though. Either way… UNearned run.
Got this off another site.
Thanks, Mike
The boxscore link:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....a_tbyafa_1
Will be interesting to read about how Hughes looks
I guess you’d expect him to be limited by pitch count. Maybe 50 today, then slowly ramped up as he progresses.
No errors if the force out. Can’t assume a DP.
I imagine Phil is all AMPTED up, chomping at the bit, dying to rejoin the show.
Thanks for posting the “real stats”
Good to read that he seems to be pitching well.
You think its hot in NYC, it’s a SWAMP in Tampa. Humidity 66% Temp index *102°*
fly out… K… ground out…
2 IP, 0 hits, 3 Ks… 2 BBs.
Austin Jackson singles, Tabata doubles, and Gonzalez drives him in
Jackson is raking since his promotion. Tabata’s power has surged lately – maybe his wrist is finally OK
Hughes – 2nd inning a shutout – one more K
Oh just great, Jen!! ~ you just jinxed his NO-no
Actually DR you did. I didn’t mention it just posted it.
jennifer….thanks for the update….is there somewhere we can watch the game either on DirecTV or online ???
The A-rod interview did not reveal too much but still good anyway. But something tells me that if A-rod had done this same exact interview in 2006 people would have said he was being phony and speaking politically. This year with the season he’s having he gives the same blah answers and now everybody’s like he’s being real and geunine…boy what a difference a year makes.
I tried to find a place to listen but had no luck
I’m getting an update from
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....8;did=milb
Just getting home from work now. Can’t blog in at the office PC…
1. I couldn’t agree more about Cash and what he’s done about the WHOLE organization, not just the big team, though that’s obviously the most important driver of revenue. However, it won’t generate that same revenue stream if the minors don’t serve as a steady pipeline of young talent. The low-cost angle doesn’t hurt here, either, because that frees up dollars to go after that missing piece on the free agent market.
I would much rather have a steady stream of young pitching talent. Chasing after guys who are free agents is very risky, and not just because of the terms of the long-term deals that they all want. (Who can blame them for going for the bucks?) By the time that they become free agents, they are older and have a lot of miles on those arms. That plays a big role in why they frequently don’t succeed as hoped. Look at Zito. He is singlehandedly destroying the notion of the NL as the easier league for aging pitchers to go to. (Maybe Pedro Martinez is a better pitcher than we thought – though,again, it was injuries in an older pitcher doing him in.) I don’t think that Carlos Zambrano, Santana, or Sabathia are going to come any cheaper. Will they stay healthy for the seven or so years that they will be looking for? You going to bet your organization’s health, and your own job security on it? I wonder how Brian Sabean is feeling everytime Zito gets bombed. Same for JP Ricciardi and AJ Burnett. That’s why having a slew of young arms that you control for years, to pick and choose since most of them don’t make it, is the way to go. And if some don’t make it, you don’t have to explain to your owner why you wasted zillions of his dollars. Will Boston be crowing over Dice-K in another year or two? How many miles does his arm have on it? Your guess is as good as mine.
2. Re: those who are overseas. I don’t know I would handle it. I’m a big fan, and following baseball and the Yanks is a daily ritual for me. I’m lost in the winter.
The wife and I are going on an Alaskan cruise for 10 days in early September. They’ll either be out of it, in which case I can use the trip to get over the disapointment, or they’ll be in the thick of it, in which case I’ll go crazy looking for Sports Center.
thanks !!!
Looks like Hughes is done after 2 innings
Kontos is in
My guess – he must have hit his pitch count, and that must have been about 45 or 50 pitches
Think first spring training start here…
It didn’t take a genius to figure out Zito was a dumb signing. Look at his K/BB last year. Its pretty bad. He doesn’t even get a ton of GB’s like Wang so he gives up HR’s. He’s not a great pitcher and definitely not worth anything even close to what he got
Hughes odne after only 2.??!! Hope he’s okay.
I can’t wait for him to return
Hughes pulled after the 2nd inning. Probably on a 3 IP or 50 pitch limit.
2nd inning 1-2-3. Lineout, K, Groundout.
2 IP, NO hits, 1 run (unearned) 2 walks (ok, rusty) and 3 Ks.
i saw that hughes was finished after two….was wondering if he was ok and keeping my fingers crossed
CB,
I have similar concerns about/if Cash were fired. I believe in his approach, although it’s a risky approach with a win-now team like NYY.
The Yankees at the highest level appear to be in a lot of turmoil, with George no longer being George and the departure of his chosen successfor, whose name escapes me, so no obvious power above Cash that would put Cash out in the street.
This is why although I’m worried Cash will be fired, I doubt it will happen because there is no obvious identified follow-on.
This is also the reason why I think Torre has not been fired yet- who within the organization has the power and the willingness to make such a PR controversial move?
I’m very nervous that he was pulled after 2. Hope it was just pitch count.
As for Tabata, he doesn’t turn 19 until next month.
Nice about Phil. If we remember that last start, that’s 8 1/3 consecutive hitless innings.
He’s only 19!! I feel like i’ve been hearing about him for YEARS!!
The only guy i`d rather have as GM than Cashman is Gene Michael or me
Yeah bring back STICK!!
sounds like a nice play for Jose. he’s got quite the arm.
Eric Nielsen doubles (27) on a fly ball to right fielder Jose Tabata. Josh Kreuzer out at home on the throw, right fielder Jose Tabata to second baseman Kevin Russo to catcher Francisco Cervelli.
Anyone watching the homerun derby??
Counting crows?? thats sooooo 90′s.
According to him, Tabata is 19. but who knows, he could be 29 !
I wished they’d show the players. I like seeing the little kids there.
I believe Cash is a Gene Michael protege. Gene himself is about 70, so I doubt he’s going to be up for another go around as GM. Besides, I remember reading that Cash is actually liked by the Steinbrenner family. If so, and with George aging, it would seem that his position is secure, despite the failings SO FAR this year (I have a hard time giving up).
It’s kinda stupid that they are making the players run in from the outfield.
What color are the AL unis? They look like hot pink.
Orange. I guess they are using the giants colors.
Bonds should be dpoing this thing. I hate him but he should be doing this thing
everything is fine….everybody take a deep breath…Jennifer…Call Tampa and make sure, though ! (wink)
If I had a pipeline I would!! LOL
me too jennifer, i think its cool to see the guys there with there kids and a lot of them are video taping it too. those would be some cool videos to see
I want to see if Jorge brought his son!!
my pick ryan howard or pujols i can see the future
“Durazo doesn’t have a good glove, has been a DH more than a 1b, and is a lefty hitter, which they do not need more of. They need a righty bat.”
Durazo career: .281/.381/.487
Damon career: .288/.352/.432
both are lefties. if Damon isn’t playing CF and there is a much better hitter available for nothing, it seems like a no brainer to me.
they don’t “need” a righty if they are replacing Damon at DH.
“My point about Durazo/Phelps is that neither plays a passable 1b.In fact we HAD Durazo a year or 2 ago in AAA and didnt bring him up then(we also had Carlos Pena)”
i understand your point.
but the Yankees’ DH is currently hitting .245/.339/.344.
he COULD be the DH.
all of this is predicated on Durazo being healthy, which i am skeptical of. also, i am still skeptical that he has even been SIGNED by the Yankees as i have seen nothing official.
Durazo never came up last year b/c he was never really healthy. he got released and signed with the Rangers (?), they never brought him up either.
According to HMMM (get a real name, will you?)’s posts, he knows NADA about defense, considering his advocation of Phelps and now Durazo.
So, with Damon (2 years left on his deal), Giambi (when he gets off the DL, and with 1 year left on his deal), Durazo (who you want) and Matsui (couple of years left) you want 4 guys who all hit lefty and who are all suited for LF (Matsui/Damon) or DH (Durazo/Giambi).
Smart. Real smart.
“According to HMMM (get a real name, will you?)’s posts, he knows NADA about defense, considering his advocation of Phelps and now Durazo.”
OK….how many times do i have to say Durazo would be the DH? DH = Designated Hitter. in the American League you are allowed to have what is called a “Designated Hitter” that bats in the pitcher’s place. they do not have to play the field.
it happened about 30 years ago. check it out.
“So, with Damon (2 years left on his deal), Giambi (when he gets off the DL, and with 1 year left on his deal), Durazo (who you want) and Matsui (couple of years left) you want 4 guys who all hit lefty and who are all suited for LF (Matsui/Damon) or DH (Durazo/Giambi).”
dude, we are talking about a 2 month stopgap here.
Durazo would be picked up for NOTHING to inject some offense.
no one wants to sign him long-term. he’s playing in MEXICO. you pick him up and if he does nothing, cut him loose.
Giambi is out for the near future. Matsui is playing LF this season, what does he have to do with anything? and Damon isn’t helping the team this year. he can go on the DL until he gets better or fill in in CF or 1B.
IF Giambi comes back, you can cut Durazo loose.
and it IS smart.
Durazo has been a better hitter over his career than Derek Jeter. what, we can’t use a guy like that?
Joe From Long Island,
I couldn’t agree more. I think many Yankee fans are just fatigued and fed up with the annual free agent hunt. I want nothing, absolutely nothing to do with Zambrano.
Even a guy like Santana as exceptional and great as he is (on a run like vintage Pedro) he’d theoretically be wonderful but I’m not that enthusiastic. People keep saying he’ll be in his prime. He’ll be in his prime for 3 years but he’s definitely going to get at least 7 yrs/ 150 million, at minimum probably more (8yrs/180?). So yes you’ll get him for from age 29-33 but then you’ll also get him when he’s 35-38. And it’s really unlikely he’ll be healthy for all of those years. Sabathia is much less attractive than Santana. He’s clearly the inferior pitcher (though that’s not a real knock give how dominant santana is) but his body is the real worry. I don’t see him aging well and he’ll also get 7 yrs plus.
Mike from NYY – Yes, the Zito signing was stupid and it wasn’t that hard to see (awful periperals, deteriorating stuff). But that’s the amazing thing about the free agent market – it happens year in and year out and it’s not just a few GM’s who fall into it. It’s the majority of them who do and the ones who don’t seem largely to be above the insanity only because of hard budget constraints. Brian Sabean isn’t a stupid guy as we know from what he did for the Yankees.
This year many people have said one of the big mistakes the Yankees made was passing on Carols Beltran. Yes that’s true when he hits 44 HR last year but how has he been this season? Ask Met fans what they think about him right now. If he was playing for the yankees he’d be in the dog house just up the street from Abreu.
n line with that there’s been a lot of buzz about he big three outfielders in this years market and which of hunter, jones or ichiro will be with the yankees next year. We need one of them because Damon’s washed up the argument goes. That’s fine but when they signed Damon it was widely supported and most commentators thought it was a strong signing because they got him for 4yrs not the 7 boras was telling everyone damon was going to get. Imagine if they’d signed damon for 7 years? But unfortunately the market’s gone nuts again and I don’t know if any of those three would even take a 4 year contract (even ichiro at his age might get 5 yrs from the mariners). We signed Damon at age 32 to a four year contract. In year two the contract looks like a disaster to many people. How to fix it? Get Hunter, etc. But Hunter is 32 also. Damon was never on the DL – hardly true about hunter. Ichiro 34 and Jones is already losing range in CF. If you sign any of them (just as when they signed damon or any other guy long term) you have to live with the risk. You can’t go back and say it was a waste of money, bad move, etc.
This year has been disappointing. Unless move aggressively for a short term fixes there’s a decent probability next year may be disappointing. That’s not to say in any way they can’t win. It’s just that it’s an open question, particularly with the staff boston has assembled and the wild card competition from the detroit, cleveland, chicago. We’ve gotten used to looking at the regular season as an assumption – of course they’ll win. But we’ve seen the short term fix will win you the division but not the world series.
hmmm….
you are nuts.
Better than Jeter. For one thing, comparing SS to 1b/dh is like comparing apples and oranges. Are you a troll, or do just have a baseball IQ lower than Mariano’s career ERA?
Now that you have lost any credibility you had….
For 2 months….forget it. You rebuild. The Yanks don’t need any more 33 year olds who are one-dimensional—and for what, so they can hit 85-87 wins, which wouldn’t be nearly enough???
Durazo DHs? Yeah, Damon plays where….and don’t say CF with that arm.
But aren’t you the same guy who was going to put him in RF so runners could go 1st to 3rd on him all day and night long????
Like I said, no credibility.
Either a troll, or a baseball IQ of NADA.
Oh yeah…they still have Mientkiewicz coming back…another lefty for you….
Sigh.
“Better than Jeter. For one thing, comparing SS to 1b/dh is like comparing apples and oranges. Are you a troll, or do just have a baseball IQ lower than Mariano’s career ERA?”
man, did i ever say he was a better PLAYER than Jeter? no way would i ever say that. because that would be nuts. but you keep putting words in my mouth.
i said, when healthy, better “hitter”. and he’s not really a better hitter, b/c durability DOES count, but i was just trying to prove a point.
Jeter: career OPS – .852 OPS+ 123
Durazo: career OPS – .868 OPS+ 125
i’m starting to think you can’t read.
do you really think i don’t understand the difference between a SS and a 1Bman?
my point was that if there was a guy out there futzing around in the Mexican league who was a hitter ROUGHLY equal to Jeter, but he was lefthanded, and had to DH, but was available for FREE, do you think the Yankees should pass on that??
“But aren’t you the same guy who was going to put him in RF so runners could go 1st to 3rd on him all day and night long????”
find where i said this. you can’t, b/c you made it up.
you’re the troll b/c all you are doing is making stuff up to try to win an argument.
since you won’t argue honestly, i’m done with you.
no.
“For 2 months….forget it. You rebuild. The Yanks don’t need any more 33 year olds who are one-dimensional—-and for what, so they can hit 85-87 wins, which wouldn’t be nearly enough???”
this is beyond retarded.
Durazo wouldn’t cost ANYTHING.
so you would just pass it up b/c you want to “rebuild”.
you have given up on the season? that’s fine. but that doesn’t mean the Yankees should.
i don’t get it.
you pick him up and see what happens for a few weeks.
how is picking up a guy for free hindering any rebuilding?
“Oh yeah…they still have Mientkiewicz coming back…another lefty for you….”
ok, but he’s not here yet.
you don’t get it. the yankees need every single win they can get.
if DHing Durazo and benching Damon for the next month gets them 1-2 extra wins, it was worth it.
why? b/c it didn’t cost anything.
it’s called adding marginal wins and it’s something the yankees have been pretty good at doing the last 2 years with guys like Bruney, Guiel, Small, etc.
pick ‘em up, see what happens, cut them loose if they stop performing.
hmmm,
Although I agree it wouldn’t cost but a song to sign a Durazo type, I’d like to give S.Duncan or some other goon in the minor leagues a crack at the DH slot. If after 2 weeks they can’t cut it, move forward on a Durazo, and give him some hacks in the DH slot, it sure as hell can’t hurt.
Yankees have what, 3 guys on the bench each game,none of which has a shred of power (Cairo, Thompson, Nieves) they need another freaking bat. The Yankees need to reduce reliever headcount, pick up a stick on the cheap and start and start making up ground.
What teams needs 8 relievers??
“Although I agree it wouldn’t cost but a song to sign a Durazo type, I’d like to give S.Duncan or some other goon in the minor leagues a crack at the DH slot. If after 2 weeks they can’t cut it, move forward on a Durazo, and give him some hacks in the DH slot, it sure as hell can’t hurt.”
sure, i think a similar argument applies to Shelley Duncan.
Damon isn’t contributing anything at DH right now. call up Duncan and see if he is a marginal upgrade for a couple of weeks.
i would probably say Durazo is a better bet to perform b/c he’s raked in the majors before, but the same principal applies.
the yankees roster is pretty much set for about 22-23 out of 25 spots. all the yankees can really do is to tinker around the edges to try to steal an extra win here or there.
if that means sending Damon to the DL for a few weeks and letting Durazo or Duncan get some hacks, its worth a shot.
there are 3 weeks until the trade deadline. these next weeks are CRUCIAL and will determine if the season is indeed over or not. it most likely is, but crazier stuff HAS happened.
why should we just send up the white flag in July?? that’s nuts.
Damon should have hit the DL back in late April, and that is on Torre/Cashman. He is far more valuable to the team at 95-100% then hogging a roster spot and contributing at 60%.
Granted, I can understand the Yankees hesitancy given the lack of pop at the higher levels of the minor leagues, but surely there has got to be a guy that can fill in for 10-15 games, right?? S.Duncan, E.Duncan, the man in the moon whoever!! Just find some player to hit 20-30 points above their weight and at least give them a fighting chance.
Just to respond to the Kennedy comment, I’d like to see some improvement in his secondary pitches before saying he’s as polished as everyone claims him to be…