Chamberlain lights out for Scranton
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jul 30, 2007 
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Joba Chamberlain made his bullpen debut today and it was impressive as he struck out the side in the seventh inning against Rochester.
13 pitches, 10 strikes, touched 99 with his heater.
By the way, it’s Ja-Buh, not Joe-Ba. Make sure you pronounce it right because he could be in pinstripes by the weekend.
Meanwhile, despite the unsourced and unconfirmed reports you may be seeing elsewhere, there is no deal yet for Eric Gagne. I’m not saying a deal isn’t out there to be made, but team officials say there is nothing done.
Lots of smoke, though.
17 hours or so left.
Someone needs to ask him if he likes the Jaba The Hutt nickname since he has undoubtedly been called that his whole life
Wait, you mean “Ja-Buh” like “Jabba the Hutt” from Return of the Jedi?! Too funny!!! (They could put up an image of Jabba on the big board and play some Star Wars music every time he comes out of the ‘pen at the Stadium!)
emobacca – You beat me to it, man!
Too bad, if you can’t trust a blogger reporting a trade who can we trust? Off the Facade is off the favorites list.
P.S. – All this talk of Chamberlain makes me think of Edwar…What’s going on with that poor guy now? I mean, I know they sent him back down to “find himself,” but is there any real chance we’ll ever see him back with the major league club? What does everyone think?
Chicago Dave if Edwar does well like he was at SWB he will be up 9-1…
He will get another chance he is 25 he has time….
As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I was at tonight’s game, and while Joba was definitely lights out and in the high 90s, it is important to note that he came in to start the inning. Not sure how they plan to use him if he is called up, but will be interesting to see in his Wednesday outing for SWB if the have him start the inning again, or bring him in for the middle of an inning with runners on.
No, it’s Joe-ba to me cuz everyone calling him Ja-buh annoys me. Also it looks like Boba as in Boba Fett.
B.t.w. if this kid is the real deal, I would be in tears of laughter if he/ someone made a tee with & his head in place of Boba’s standing next to his ship. Someone do it up & Peter post it on here lol.
Joba Fett: Strikeout Hunter
giambi 2 out of 5 tonight for tampa with 2 k’s.
I assume he will be up within a week or so….
there bench just got better………
Melky should not sit……
Since Joba is sort of, uh, fat, any comparison to or association with Jabba the Hutt might be seen as making fun, no? Let’s leave that to the Sawx fans.
Anybody know what kind of pitches Joba has in his repertoire?
Chicago Dave,
I am really angry at how Torre treated Edwar – he got such a raw deal. He worked his way to the majors after being cut twice and got treated like old meat. Just what the hell was the point of that? Torre just ruined him by letting him rot in the pen for 2 weeks and then cash sends him down after he gets bombed once (I’m sure at the behest of an exasperated Torre). Was that part of his “Development Plan”? Was that a milestone achieved? I hope Edwar realizes that the fans know he got completely screwed and we want him to get a fair shot. With all of the garbage that we trot out to the mound night after flicken night, you would think Torre could have found a way to get him some use. Now he is in the garbage next to Chase Wright and cardboard cutouts of Paul Quantrill, Tanyon Sturtze, and Tom Gordon.
(and to bring this back on topic) I don’t trust Torre with Joba – not one bit. I desperately want to see Joba, but I fear for his arm and psyche. I hope his mental makeup is as good as it is said to be – he’s gonna need it.
according to the Daily News, Joba broke the sound barrier warming up in the bull pen, shattering neighborhood windows and touching off car alarms within a mile radius. Wow. sounds like he had good stuff.
The Post is reporting, that after the game, Joba climbed on top of the flag poll and shouted, “I’M KING OF THE WORLD� Nice to see he has confidence.
LOL! Well good to hear about Jaba. He’s a beast! I cant believe this kid went from A to AA to AAA to the show in one year! Thats crazy. Anyway, good to hear.
As far as Gagne goes I hope he’s a Yankee but I still think its more important to get rid of Farnsworth than it is to get Gagne. If we can to both that would be clutch!
I still haven’t gotten my Gagne-Chamberlain question answered. My contention is that if Gagne is traded for, then there is no spot for Chamberlain. None. He won’t pitch the eighth, and Vizcaino and Proctor are going to pitch the seventh, because the manager trusts them too much to just dump them. I’m telling you guys, Joba is going to get Edwar-ed by Torre. My question is, why go after Gagne if Chamberlain can do the job. Not that the mph’s mean everything, but the guy hit 99 a few times tonight.
Edwar just needs to learn to locate his fastball. That is what he is working on. Expect to see him in the mix in the 2008 pen if he can do that. His change up is devastating but it’s not very useful if he can’t get a fastball over for a strike.
He’s 26 years old. He has time.
Now the prospect of tossing Joba in the 7th inning of games is exciting. If Vizcaino can keep it up we’ll essentially cut most games down to 6 innings.
tonyb – I also don’t think Torre is the right manager for the “kids.” Honestly, I think Girardi would be much better as far as that goes…though I don’t how Girardi would fare with the veteran players.
Anyway, Joe will be managing this team through at least the end of this season, so, you’re right, I hope Chamberlain has a tough mental makeup! He will definitely need it to deal with Joe’s rough handling!!!
Hey, what do you think the chances of Gagne being a Type A free agent are? Me thinks that that is one of the reasons why Cashman is willing to give up so much.
If Edwar was sent down after one bad outing, wouldn’t they do the same thing to Joba, or do you think they would have more patience with him?
Andy – because you can’t rely on a guy who has never pitched in the majors to hold down the setup role for your team in an extremely tight playoff race. Since the late innings are soo important, they could switch off Gagne and Joba in the 8th and switch off Vizcaino and Proctor in the 7th. This avoids having to put guys in back to back days because, lets face it, Clemens, Mussina, and the #5 guy can’t always be counted on to make it past 6. He might get Edwar-ed, but I prefer that to getting Proctor-ed. A lot of things will go right if Gagne comes along and Joba is effective.
chicago dave…i gotta agree on edwar. he got a raw deal.torre mismanaged hoim just like he did the rest of the pen the whole season. i really think edwar can help down the stretch. he will for sure b back when they expand the rosters, but it may be too late by then…
Andy Hawkins,
Proctor and/or Farnsworth will be traded before the deadline. Bruney getting sent down is also a possibility.
There will be room for both.
i was just watchin the baseball tonight and peter gammons was talkin about gange but said nuttin about him close to bein traded to yanks so looks like that report is false as for now
Andy
In regards to your question. I think that it would add depth to the bullpen and avoid the infamous Torre overuse of the pen. He could have Viz and Mo close out one night and Joba and Gagne the next. They would essentially share 8th and 9th inning duties. I think that works out for everyone. Remember that Gagne and Joba would only ne in the Yankees pen this year.
You know I’ve never heard of a young player complain about Torre. And don’t use the argument that not many young players have come up under Torre. Edwar’s debut seems similar to that of Melky Cabrera. He had a rough go of it, and then got sent back down. If Edwar is half as good as people here want him to be, he’ll definitely be back.
It will do Edwar more harm than good if he stays in the majors with a below average fastball and gets knocked around. He needs to work on his control, which he can do in the minors, since we have no time for him to “find himself” right now. I bet you that if he works on his fastball, and has a nice spring next year, he’ll be in the pen.
But hey I guess its just easier to say Torre ruined him, whatever makes you feel better I guess.
Joba Chamberlain is an elite arm. He was recently ranked by Baseball America as the 9th best prospect in all of baseball.
Given how fast he’s moving and showing how good he is he may be a top 5 prospect by the end of the year.
There is no comparison between Edwar (who I really like) and Joba.
Nor are the yankees going to treat them the same. Nor should they.
Torre seemed to do ok with managing Mariano, Pettite, Jeter, Posada, Soriano, Wang, Cano and Melky when they were developing.
Andy Hawkins:
Joba is not going to get “Edwar’d” by Torre. Edwar Ramirez is a reclamation project that worked out extremely well up to AAA. He still has the potential to be a good reliever, but Joba is a real-deal top of the line young arm. Unlike with Edwar, Torre will be TOLD not asked about a plan for Chamberlain. He will be monitored like an SAT proctor, and will be put to good use if he is able to pitch the way he has all season long.
In the meantime here’s a link to a Chamberlain story outlining his stuff:
http://mvn.com/mlb-yankees/200.....dominates/
It would be tough to see Horne go for Gagne. I really hope Cashman refrains from throwing Horne (or Kennedy) into any deal. Hopefully this whole business with the stats/roster page for the Trenton Yanks not listing a team next to Horne is simply because of a glitch or a promotion to SWB.
Woah,
Joba throws the fastball in the 95-97 range and as we have seen tonight he can 99 with it. He throws a plus slider and he features a developing change and curve, both of which can be major league offerings at times. The move to the ‘pen unfortunately will most likely not aid in the development of his change and curve, one of which he’ll need to be successful as a starter.
GuidryBall,
Desperate times call for desperate measures, as evidenced by Torre’s quote from last week about Joba: “We’ll make sure we don’t abuse him,” Torre said. “Not that we willfully abuse people, but you know, when panic sets in during a game, man, throw them all out there.”
The Yankees stand to lose millions of dollars if they don’t make the playoffs, and the pressure will be on big time. When Joba starts getting out after out in the bullpen, he will enter Torre’s dreaded ‘Circle of Trust’. Once that happens, they’ll ride him until he drops. It’s a corporate attitude – it’s just business.
StandingO’neill – Just a counterpoint to what you wrote…If we “don’t have time” for Edwar to find himself, how come we seem to have found oodles of time this year for Farnsworth, Bruney, Proctor, et al to “find themselves” out there on the mound, leading to all sorts of blown leads and blown games.
Also, I’m not saying Torre has irrevocably ruined Edwar, but do you really think it helps a pitcher to sit that long between appearances (as Edwar did)? Moreover, did the Yanks really give him a fair look before sending him down? I would say they didn’t, but that’s simply my opinion…
Forget Edwar Ramirez.
The Yankees should call up *Chris “GREAT” Britton.* I will never know what Cashmans problem is with Britton. Does he not see the writing on the wall?
AL East EXP. Big ARM. Good Minor league numbers.
At the very least this guy could replace Farnsworth and/or Bruney and not look back.
Light up a candle Cashman! Stop walking through the dark.
What’s going to happen to Texas, getting rid of its only players worth anything?
JABA-MANIA IS RUNNING WILD BROTHER!
tonyb
You’re right about this being business. That is precisely why Torre won’t be allowed to burn Joba. It’s bad business. This kid has the potential to be huge and Cashman knows it. Cashman will give Torre direct orders on the overuse of Joba. It can not and will not be permitted. Period.
Andrea -
This is an annual ritual with Texas…They KNOW they will always suck…They’re resigned to their fate! So, I don’t think they really worry about what will happen next…It’s just like that movie “Groundhog Day” – the same things just keep repeating themselves ad nauseum!!
Global Warming,
Chris Britton is currently injured. He has a strained abdominal muscle and was put on the DL on July 21.
I’d be surprised if Chris Britton ever pitches in the majors again for the Yanks. I think they’ll throw him in as filler in some trade sometime in the near future (not this year, but possibly next year) and then he’ll toil in obscurity and never be heard from again.
According to a friend of mine high up in the organization {{cough}} the yanks have a jet (Yankee One) sitting on the tarmac in Scranton ready to wisk Jabba to NYC, tomorrow afternoon.
There’s been some talk about Horne not being listed under the Trenton roster and that being speculation of him being traded.
Saw this from another poster over at pending pinstripes. He is on the Trenton roster:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....38;cid=567
Chicago Dave=
_Texas…They KNOW they will always suck…They’re resigned to their fate!_
I wonder, I wonder, Hmmm, I wonder who brought Texas such bad mojo, Hmmm. Must be someone who runs everything he touches into the ground.
Mike R,
I hope you are right, but that theory only works if Cashman has enough power to micromanage Torre.
If we don’t get Gagne, the 3 effective relievers are going to be Joba, Viz and Mo. Since our starters go 6 innings a night, they’re gonna be busy. That doesn’t bode well.
not a jet its the millennium falcon!
Frosted Flakes –
Methinks you were sneaking some political commentary onto this blog with your last post, no?
Wow, I have become a real cynic about Torre.
I’m not worried about Joba getting the Edwar treatment, because he has much better stuff and doesn’t walk many batters. He’s get regular work. That being said. Joe will not be allowed to manage him with free rein. I’m certain they will have a plan with him, and the FO and minor staff will be involved in formulating it.
I know Torre’s burns through Proctor’s and Quantrill’s and Sturtze’s, but how hard are guys like that to replace, really? RH middle relievers are the most plentiful player available. What we need is a reliable set-up guy. That is tougher to fill. But, Bruney, Proctor and Farnsworth could give way to three other guys next year, and we would never notice the difference. (Or, hopefully we would, as they would perform better.)
scientific proof.
{{Sheepish grim}} he-he-he
As far as a “this season” fix, why not try to get Al Reyes? He’d be great. Experience, CONTROL. Gagne could spontaneously combust at any second. Too risky.
Here’s my final random thought for the evening…Couldn’t the Yanks have tried to pry Joakim Soria from the Royals? That would have been a sweet move…
That Torre quote was said in jest. He was laughing at the end of an interview in Tampa. Unfortunately, people are trying to present it as a real quote to further their own anti-Torre agendas.
Meanwhile, I trust whoever wrote there was a jet waiting for Joba was kidding. Scranton is two hours from New York. They drive back and forth.
If Edwar is so damn great, he would have thrown the ball over the plate. He is not a major leaguer. At least not yet. I dont care how long you are out of games, you have bullpen sessions and what not to get the ball over the plate. He had to throw strikes and he didnt, period. We don’t have time to let him find himself up in the majors. I dont want to find out he’s another Farnsworth.
Pete,
Thanks for clarifying that Torre quote. NoMass just went to town with it and it just took off from there. They have a great site but do they ever dislike Torre.
Then I stand corrected.
Hry guys Jason Stark just posted this about Scott Proctor at 11:40 Pm
The Dodgers need bullpen help like Lindsay Lohan needs a personal prison mug-shot artist. And Proctor looks like their best bet at this point. The Dodgers’ second-half bullpen ERA has swelled to 5.61. And if you subtract closer Takashi Saito, setup man Jonathan Broxton and a cameo relief appearance by Derek Lowe, that figure explodes to 7.17. So after coming up short on Dotel, the Dodgers — as first reported by our cohort, Buster Olney — have turned their attention to the Yankees. Proctor has definitely shown signs of wear and tear from pitching more innings (156 2/3) than any relief pitcher in baseball since opening day 2006. But the Dodgers clearly think that with less abuse, he can get back to being the guy who was Joe Torre’s most trusted setup man down the stretch last season. The Yankees, meanwhile, are set to call up one of their most highly regarded young dominators, Joba Chamberlain, to replace Proctor in the bullpen. And they’ll get the multi-talented Wilson Betemit from the Dodgers to serve as first-base protection now and a potential third-base replacement for Alex Rodriguez next year. The Yankees preferred to deal away Kyle Farnsworth, but had very few takers. The Tigers expressed mild interest, but indications are that the Yankees decided it made no sense to trade Farnsworth to out a team they could wind up fighting for the wild card or facing in the playoffs.
my trade deadline prediction:
no one here is going to get any work done tomorrow.
i was at this game tonite, he made these hitters look flat out foolish
If you want to see a little bit of Chamberlain pitching check out this Trenton news station. They have some Thunder highlights and a profile on joba.
http://www.wzbntv25.com/WZBN_N.....layer.html
In four years from now ( or less ), baseball industry people will be talking about the Yankees’ Trio of Hughes, Chamberlain, & Kennedy the way they used to talk about the A’s trio of Maulder, Hudson & Zito in the early 2000′s….The makeup will be different as neither of the A’s pitchers were considered power type arms…..Kennedy is the one that will known for his imbecable control and is going to surprise many…Cannot be considered a sleeper, but doesn’t gat the ink right now……For the older guys in the group, think Jim ” Catfish Hunter “…Very smart pitcher with pinpoint control……
Hopefully, the trade for Gagne is Marquez and Clippard. If there has to be a C prospect, I wonder who that prospect will be. Hell, I’d throw in Sean Henn.
On a different note, the 2008 All-Star Game logo will be unveiled today at the Stadium.
Woah – Proctor-ed? LOL. None of us is really working tomorrow, that’s for sure. Ok, while I would prefer Farnsworhtless for Betemit, I just don’t get the infatuation with Betemit. He strikes out more than he get’s hits, and gets caught stealing more than he steals bases. While he does have some pop in his bat, he doesn’t hit for average. To me he’s not even overall as good or as versitile as Cairo, whom I don’t want to see released or DFA’d to make room. I don’t trade a bullpen arm for a utility player makes sense, unless he’s Mark Loretta or someone on his level.
I think the Yanks missed out on Salty. Maybe they figure they have 2 years or so to find a replacement for Posada, and maybe they are right. Texas won’t be able to afford him then anyway.
As far as the bullpen is concerned, Joe values experience. He’s always kept the majority of his relievers as veterans, and won’t change now. That, more than anything, leads me to believe that while Farnsy may be gone (thank God!), he’s not going to allow a bullpen with 3 rookies: Joba, Henn, and Karstens. Instead, it’ll be Rivera, Proctor, Vizcaino, Villone (L), Henn (L) and Karstens. Myers and Bruney may be traded w/Farnsworth to Texas for Gagne, then Myers spun off to an NL team who needs a situational lefty they haven’t seen in some time. That way the Yanks could save their prospects, while still giving Texas live (cough here) arms.
I really think a bullpen headlined by Joba, Viz, Gagne, and Mo would be great. Torre doesn’t have to use the same guy every day – it gives the team options, depth, and the ability to keep guys fresh.
I wasn’t a big believer for most of the season – but the Yanks are in it.. Joba (considering teams won’t see him much) has a chance to have KRod type impact if the Bombers get to October.
And if Hughes blossoms – I believe he will (1 ER in 5 rehab starts!)… he could be like Jaret Wright circa 1997… when Wright went from AA Akron to GM 7 and was considered one of the best young pitchers.
Phil of the Future and Joba the Hutt…. the saviors
a few things first of all Edwar Ramirex was screwed by Joe Torre management of the pen, he simply forgot about him and didn’t trust him enough and waited 2 weeks to use him, when Edwar returned he did what any pitcher would have done if not used for a long period of time, he plainly had no feel, think about this we had to see garbage pitchers like Farnsy and Myers give us headaches during that time.
second Proctor or Farnsy for Betemit I’d do hand stands to get that done.
third the NYTimes article for tomorrow said Cashman has also made Alan Horne untouchable in deadline talks. So add Horne to Kennedy,Joba, Hughes
fourth Chris Britton had an abdominal injury, he will be back tomorrow.
“…the Yankees decided it made no sense to trade Farnsworth to out a team they could wind up fighting for the wild card or facing in the playoffs.”
This dont make sense to me.
If we are behind in some playoff games in the late innings, wouldn’t it be great if the opposing team brought in Farnsy?
Heck, he would finally do something to earn that Yankee money!
Tano just pray it’s a bluff so they can get a team to think hmmm maybe Farnsworth is worth some prospects, we have to squeeze it but be smart on this too.
Sorry, but I gotta disagree with all the Torre haters.
I dont care how long you sit on the bench in the bullpen. If you aspire to being a major league pitcher, you get the damn ball over the damn plate. If you can’t do it, then you should go back down and figure out how.
Seems pretty clear to me that Torre is outside the “circle of trust” of a lot of fans. Edwar was in. Therefore, Edwar fails, it must be Torre’s fault. BS.
The more I think about it the more I get excited about this trade. IF it happens and if it is Marquez and Clippard and not Horne or Kennedy then I’m all for it.
Imagine if we scrape into the post season (more likely with Joba, Viz and Gagne setting up) then we will be really lights out.
Wang, Pettitte, Clemens and Hughes starting (sorry Muss) with the best pen in baseball mopping up. Add our great linup to that (and the lack of quality lefty pitching on most playoff contenders). I’m excited. Not bad for what is basically a transition season.
Now if we can just pull off that Farnsworth for Pujols deal I’ve been thinking about…..
BTW Pat M, add Wang to your list as well!!
And Horne, and then McAllister and Betances, and……
And we will have the best pitching in baseball for the next 10 years. We might have to move one of them for a lefty though. Still not bad.
Tano Edwar Ramirez throws a change up a feel pitch so now on top of that he had 12 days not throwing , WTF is he suppose to do put in a game w/o work, did you forget what happened to Mariano when they went 6 days w/o using him last yr. ?
fact is Edwar goes back down to AAA and continues to get K’s (0.61 ERA)
Brian M,
How about Johan Santana, a FA after the 08 season. A rotation of Santana, Wang, Hughes, Joba and Kennedy/Horne would be soo sick for 2009.
Good point Brian!
Wang, Henn, Chamberlain, Kennedy, Horne and Betances. Sounds like a law firm. And that’s just Tier 1. Tier 2 consists of Sanchez, Marquez, Wright, Clippard, McAllister, Ohlendorf and Jackson. I don’t even know if there’s a Tier 3. To me it means that at least 1/2 of them get traded for position players. Sanchez, when he recovers from Tommy John surgery, has a chance to be a candidate for the closer of the future for the team, though he will have competition from others. Damn, there’s some talent here – finally!
Yeah I should have included the Wang-Man, seeing that he’s become the ace……The point I was hoping to illustrate is that these three Freshmen will all come up together……And there that could, with great upside……And that’s just the first wave……
The Yankees also were in discussions with the Dodgers about a trade of righthander Scott Proctor for infielder Wilson Betemit. A major-league source indicated that a deal was 50-50.
( same article )
I like Betemit. I hope he does become a Yankee. He would help tremedous by keeping A-Rod, Jeter, and Cano fresh. He could play first against righties or give Phillips a breather too.
I like the transition to the youthful roster. I hope Pettite finishes the year on a high so he can pick up his option. If that happens, hopefully we can trade Mussina. So that way, we’ll have Wang, Pettite, Hughes, Chamberlain, and Kennedy for next year.
E-ROC check back the last few days posts and you’ll find 101 reasons why it is absolutley impossible to trade Mussina.
Top reason being he will never let it happen.
2nd reason – no way we start 3 rookies in a rotation as the 1st plan. Maybe if someone goes down hurt, but never by design. Ever.
I would trade Betemit for Proctor in a heartbeat.
Proctor is what he is. His command won’t get better and you might as well move him while his value is decent. Betemit has had his struggles this year but he is better than his AVG dictates. He’s 25/26 and has great power for an infielder. What amazes me most about him is his high OBP despite his AVG. If his avg was around 270-280 he’d have an OBP of 400+.
Improves the bench tenfold and just in case A-Rod leaves next year he can take the 3B position and fly with it.
Trading Proctor for Betimet would be a buying low and selling high. Perfect.
Dontfirecash
Santana would be nice but I doubt it’ll happen. I know we have money to spend and with Giambi, Pavano, Farnsworth and possibly Abreu all coming off the books at once, we’re gonna reallocate some of it. I dunno, I just dont see Cashman getting tied into too many $100m+ deals. That is what signing Santana would require, and we’d have such good pitching already. I doubt he’d take the risk. Plus I think ‘Sota will resign him! New stadium to fill and Hunter wont be back. Mind you we’d have a new stadium too so maybe Cash would stump up.
Was thinking about those deals ending in 08. Same as Cashman. If we dont win a world series by then, he might not be resigned. It would be tragic if his pitching prospects were all maturing into a rotation of 5 aces, and $50m per season was coming off the books and he didnt get to stick around to enjoy it. Easy job for the next guy in. Money to burn and the best rotation in the AL. Tabata would be breaking through as well. And the new stadium boosting revenue massively. Good times ahead, hope he is there to reap rewards.
Brian M–It was wishful thinking. It doesn’t hurt to dream big. I don’t think Mussina will be better than he is right now next year. It could be worse. Having three rookies in the rotation isn’t a bad thing when you have two veterans leading the rotation like Wang and Pettite.
Joba and Gagne setting up Mo.
Nasty threesome in the late innings. Not to mention Vizcaino who has been great lately.
How about this- all of the talk about rushing Joba to the Bronx may be (partially) designed to get Texas to lower their asking price. If it appears that we have a viable internal option for a power arm reliever, then maybe we increase our leverage during negotiations ? Giving up T Clip + Karstens or Marquez would be a steep price to pay. 2 ML ready (or near ready) arms for what may be a 2-3mos rental ?
I would love to see Farnsworthless traded, but Proctor kept. Mo-Gagne-Vizciano-Joba-Proctor-Myers/Villone/Bruney- would be a nice pen down the stretch and into October.
“I think the Yanks missed out on Salty. Maybe they figure they have 2 years or so to find a replacement for Posada, and maybe they are right. ”
uhh, the Braves got a 27 year old gold glove all-star first baseman for Salty.
how did the Yankees “miss out”?
the only comparable player on the Yankees is Chien Ming Wang. would you trade Wang for Salty?
this isn’t really directed at you per se, but some yankee fans just think they can have whatever player they want, despite the reality of the situation.
again, i wasn’t really directing that at your innocuous comment, but i keep reading this over and over about Saltalamacchia from yankee fans. the Braves had a very valuable trade chip that they held onto for 2 years until they got the right player.
no one “missed out”, it just wasn’t a match.
“I dont care how long you sit on the bench in the bullpen. If you aspire to being a major league pitcher, you get the damn ball over the damn plate. If you can’t do it, then you should go back down and figure out how.”
and yet, even Mariano Rivera, the greatest reliever of all time struggles when he is underused.
explain that.
Tony B said:
“I am really angry at how Torre treated Edwar – he got such a raw deal. He worked his way to the majors after being cut twice and got treated like old meat. Just what the hell was the point of that? Torre just ruined him by letting him rot in the pen for 2 weeks and then cash sends him down after he gets bombed once (I’m sure at the behest of an exasperated Torre). Was that part of his “Development Planâ€?? Was that a milestone achieved? I hope Edwar realizes that the fans know he got completely screwed and we want him to get a fair shot.”
I share your frustration. In fact I predicted this would happen to Edwar, not being used for a long time, getting hammered, than getting sent down. The guy was used to pitching every couple of nights than gets sidelined for two weeks. It really is no surprise he got bombed IMO.
Rivera has shown that this kind of vacation can be disastrous to the best relief pitcher of all time, let alone a young upstart. I find it amazing that we are so hot on gagne and relief pitching, yet we don’t give in house excellence a fair and balanced tryout.
Torre as our manager, is not only responsible for not using young talent, but for cashman, in part, trading it away over the years for the ‘veteran’ player.
I think of all his faults, of which there are many, Torre’s lack of trust in youth is despicable.
BJ
What good young players did Cashman trade away for vets?
OK…forgive my ignorance…WHO IS SALTY ?
Saltalamacchia, uber offensive catacher prospect from Atlanta who was being blocked by Brian McCann in Atlanta.
I should also point out that according to the reports Joba did not ‘touch 99′, every fastball he threw was 99, and 2 were 100+.
Unless you are in Torres’ circle of trust…you don’t get a chance. Ramierz was just the latest. Britton was treated the same. He can and has done it but lack of work DOSN’T help in keeping sharp. I do see him back in the majors and maybe not on the tip of everyones tongue but will be a good addition to any team that will let him pitch…
Two things:
1.) To get Saltalamacchia, the Yanks certainly would have had to give up one of the three — or four, if you’re a huge Horne fan — pitchers. It’s so hard to find a switch-hitting catcher who really can drive the ball, I might have given them Kennedy. Salty is that good.
2.) Where did the Chris Britton fan club come from? He is a nice arm, not a great one. He has done a great job in Triple-A, but Proctor would have dominated Triple-A.
I hear the Proctor-for-Betemit deal is done. True?
hmmm, my comment on the Yankees missing out is entirely subjective. If the Braves had accepted say Farnsworth/Proctor, Myers and say Sanchez for example for Salty, thereby filling needs in their bullpen plus a prospect with an upside, some of the comments may have been that the Braves filled their need, and the Yankees looked ahead to their future. That too would have been a fit. Fits are subjective buddy. No one can predict the future. Had Farnsworth been a 10-5 pitcher with a 2.00 ERA each year, we’d be hailing Cashman for having the forsight and taking the risk, but it didn’t work out that way. Who knew?