Minor-league intrasquad game lineups
-
- March
- 23
Yes, here are the lineups for the minor-league intrasquad game. I may be legally insane:
SCRANTON
Justin Christian CF
Alberto Gonzalez SS
Juan Miranda DH
Matt Carson RF
Eric Duncan 3B
Wady Rufino 1B
James Cooper DH
Joe Muich C
Jason Rees LF
Chris Kunda 2B
Kei Igawa LHP
TRENTON
Ramiro Pena SS
Reegie Corona 2B
Austin Jackson CF
Jose Tabata DH
Collin Curtis LF
Cody Ehlers 1B
Chris Malec 3B
Kevin Russo DH
Matt Morris RF
Jose Molina C
Mike Mussina RHP
Notes: Yes, each lineup has two DHs. … They’re playing at Legends Field. … It’s going to a 12-inning game but I’ll be headed down to Bradenton once Moose is finished pitching.
UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: Igawa had fanned five of the first seven batters he has faced. If the Yankees were trying to win the Eastern League, he’d be the man. Mussina, meanwhile, has tossed 23 pitches in two scoreless innings.
UPDATE, 10:56 a.m.: Moose allowed a run in the fourth but has given up only two singles. The news of the day involves the K-Man. Igawa has a no-hitter through four innings and has struck out eight against one walk. He is not wearing sunglasses for those wondering. I keep waiting for him to tell “How you like me now?” at the press box.
UPDATE, 11:29 a.m.: Igawa was done after four innings and 55 pitches. The Moose was at 73 pitches after a 1-2-3 sixth inning. They just left him out there to keep pitching and he retired three hitters with 10 pitches.
Here’s his line: 7 3 1 1 1 4. 83 pitches / 62 strikes. I’m off to Bradenton!
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on Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 am by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
Thanks for this.
Lupica is a journalist wannabe. Better suited with attempts to write for a Wisconsin newspaper where he can get ample cheese with his whine.
http://enough-Lupica.com/index.htm
but if Moose AND Igawa are pitching well….who…who will the posters here complain about today?...
“but if Moose AND Igawa are pitching well….who…who will the posters here complain about today?…”
It’s ok, Karstens is starting later against the Pirates. I’m sure they’ll bitch about him.
Pete,
Igawa with shades? without shades?
I have to know… I have this down to science so far…
So far this spring…
Igawa with shades, 4.0IP 7H 6ER 4Ks 4BB 1HBP
Igawa without shades 5.0IP 7H 0ER 4K 3BB…
Now I know, theyre both not good lines… but the runs scoring definately follows a correlation of him seeing his spots… which hes not doing with the raybans…
Agent Kei needs to keep the shades off.. Spread the word.
This might be a stupid question but are there managers for these kind of games? In this game, Miley would be one but who would be the other?
The yankees have made remarkable strides in building up their farm system with pitching at the center of that initiative.
You look at their position players at AAA – there’s really not a lot of talent there. Miranda, Gonzalez, Gardner (eventually, and maybe Eric Duncan (if you still think he’s a prospect).
Other than that the position players at scranton are pretty bad. Other than Tabata and Jackson even AA isn’t very good.
That’s going to change over the next few years (charleston and Tampa have a lot of talent).
The pitching staff at AAA and AA will be very, very good. But as the players on the big league team age they’re going to have to figure out how to transition to the future without that much talent at the upper levels of the minors.
The only blue chip position player prospects above A ball are Tabata and Jackson.
Do you sign a Texeira, for instance or an Adam Dunn? Or do you think Shelley Duncan/ Betemit, etc. can fill in around the established, but aging players?
This year will answer a number of questions but it’ll be interesting to see what happens.
Just as we’re seeing this enormous transition in the starting rotation, we’re going to see the need for something similar on the field. But that’s going to be very difficult to do both because of the lack of talent in the upper minors and stature of players like Jeter and Posada.
If Igawa doesn’t define AAAA pitcher I don’t know who does.
dennis:
Not sure Igawa is even AAAA.
“How you like me now?”
Hilarious! Start making up the t-shirts!
Thanks Pete!
Maybe the guys over in Scranton will notice this and we can build up this guys trade value.
NOW so far this spring…
Igawa with shades, 4.0IP 7H 6ER 4Ks 4BB 1HBP
Igawa without shades 9.0IP 7H 0ER 12K 4BB…
I knew I was on to something here…
Shades or no shades, you just never know which Igawa is going to show up. He’s either bad or good with little in between. This guy must drive Cashman nuts. I say throw the glasses away though.
I don’t know about signing Texiera. What if Montero ends up at first? He can get to the majors quick because of his bat. I heard he has good hands and a good arm, it would be a waste to have him be a DH. Besides I rather a veteran be a DH then have a kid DH.
So I would buy time and go with a stop gap with S.Duncan at first and see how Montero progresses.
Derek – RETIRE 21!!!(please?)
Can it really be the shades? Please tell me it’s something less obvious. Guidry, Eiland, Torre, Girardi, whoever … they all see this guy pitching with shades on and having ugly outings. They alter his delivery but not one of these guys tells him to lose the sunglasses?
10.56 PM? It takes them twelve hours to play four innings?
Pete, you might be insane but at least you get paid for it!
Our DH position is likely set for the next 10 years. Matsui for the next 2…then Posada for 2…. after which ARod should be “ready” for the role.
Murph..
Not one. Dont mess with the ritualistic tendencies of an athlete, especially one who doesnt even speak your language.
But the proof is in the pudding my friend. Not only that, but they showed A-Rod’s walkoff against Baltimore last night on YES. Igawa started that game and gave up 5 runs in 3IP… had the shades on.
That game he came in against Boston and shut it down?
No shades.
I realllllly wish this wasnt this simple. But it is. And why Ive been so adamant in sharing…
“I don’t know about signing Texiera. What if Montero ends up at first?”
That’s the kind of tough issues you face when you’re trying to get younger and the majority of your good young players are in the low minors.
Can you really pass on Texeira? He’s on a hall of fame trajectory. He’s a terrific defensive player as well as a switch hitter, etc, etc.
What if Montero sticks at catcher? What if he flops (which most blue chip prospects in the low minors do)?
Just throwing it out there. This is all speculation for the future.
But looking at those AAA and AA lineups – its a stark contrast to the pitching talent.
Great stuff! You can’t get coverage like this anywhere else.
Um, no offense, but I really doubt the Yankees would be stupid enough not to notice this if it was really a problem. Maybe Kei Igawa can see his spots better without the shades, but the reason he’s struggling in the majors is because of location and mechanics. That’s definitely not the big issue.
Guve me a larger sample size, then I’ll believe it (maybe.)
*give
Happy Easter to all those who celebrate it!
Today is quite a day for couch potatoes. You have another day of terrific college hoops beginning at noon with Sienna.At 1PM there’s the Yanks and at 3PM Tiger’s attempt to keep his streak alive.
Here’s hoping the Easter Bunny has been good to Andy Pettitte and he’s ready to go on Thursday.
Glad that Mussina continues to pitch well.
Happy Easter to those celebrating.
Jaewon,
None taken… BUT… it is magical how this all unfolds and no one picked up on it or even mentioned it now isnt it???
Workin on that larger sample size for ya, only if you promise optimism. Deal?
If ensberg has a good year why don’t we let him be the 1st baseman next year?
Whether the shades have anything directly to do with Iggy-san’s ERA, they should just flat out forbid him to wear them and tell him it’s because he pitches better without them.
I’m just assuming a year’s worth of stats back this up. If they do, someone should check his Japanese stats with regard to this. A friend who’s a baseball fan in Japan he was inconsistent in Japan too.
Maybe being told there’s a connection will give him more confidence, or better mechanics, or good karma, or the eagle eye, or better fashion sense (or something remotely tangible) when he pitches and he’ll do better. Frankly, he may still suck. But he couldn’t get any worse.
Anyways, I’ve worn those kinds of shades when bicycling or roller blading and they do cut down glare significantly. But they’re way too dark to really see what you’re trying to see. At least for roller balding you can hardly distinguish a harmless shadow, a simple discoloration in the asphalt, or pothole (open or patched) until you’re right on top of it. They’re all just dark patches until it’s too late. Blading with them felt kind of dangerous, especially when flying down hills at warp speed, so I switched to clear shades just to keep the bugs out of my eyes. Sun can be harsh at times, but seeing more clearly is still better.
How do they effect vision/perception when pitching in a stadium on a sunny day? I really have no idea but it’s worth the pitching coaches giving it a little thought. Maybe one of the coaches can wear the shades, pitch BP and give an assessment from his own experience. It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t like it.
Again, Iggy may still be terminally inconsistent, but for all the buckage they have invested in him it’s worth giving it a shot.
Another side note… I’m the biggest critic of this trend.. Obviously, being a realist, I would think someone would have mentioned this before. And OBVIOUSLY the major issue lies with his mechanics and location, but location and missing spots is the same thing.
Listen, Ill be the first to laugh this off and say coinkydink and toss it at the FIRST opportunity either Igawa or some mega-statboy proves me wrong. So far neither have happened. So this is my story and im stickin with it.
Go Tiger! What an athlete…
igggggggggyyyy
he needs to wear the shades though b/c without them he’s even uglier looking than karstens, and that’s saying something. but hey if he’s really actually actually seriously truthfully good without them, i can deal. in fact maybe it’s his face w/out the sunglasses that keeps the hitters off the ball. They probably have to keep their eyes closed.
If Montero is going to get to the majors it will be because of his bat IMO. Right now his bat is ahead of his catching. We all know it takes a while for catching prospects to develop. So he’s going to be kept in he minors for who knows how long because he not major league ready for a catcher, but his bat is?
I don’t think so, I believe if he continues to hit at every level he’s at despite his catching deficiencies he’s going to get to the majors fast.
I would make the move right now if were the Yankees. Put him at first.
**be good w/out them
Rant,
Well put. And thanks for the perspective on the shades… I agree, spotting a pothole 30 feet in front of you and a 3 foot by 3 foot imaginary box 60 feet 6 inches away are both equally and understandably difficult.
Pete(the poster, not the blogger),
That was the joke that started this whole theory of mine… Man is ugly as sin, but I’ll take it if he can shut it down.
Im glad this is all actually starting to get noticed. Greg Cohen I hope youre listening haha.
Derek – If you’re wearing those on a really bright day and you come across a pothole in the shadows cast by a tree, especially where the road’s been patched a few times, you’re totally screwed. No way you can make it out among all the dark patches. You might as well take a belt sander to your kneecaps. Without the shades at least you can make out what to avoid.
I’m convinced the shades can’t make you see better on the mound. Worse? I don’t know. But I’m sure it can’t make an improvement.
Position players have always worn shades or flip-ups in the field, but how many pitchers have ever done well wearing shades? Did Sandy Koufax ever wear shades in a game?
Deal
Re; Tex….If he wants to be a Yankee, you sign him.
You don’t pass on him because of a Single A Catcher, who may be a future first baseman.
Tex doesn’t upset a youth movement since he’s under 30.
You sign him and hope Montero is what we think he is in two years.
You can always find a place for his bat. Switch hitting under 30 year old first baseman with power and a gold glove, don’t grow on trees.
Texiera and Yu Darvish would be two great off season signs by the Yanks. We will have mucho money coming off the books this season (and after next season) so a good time to spend. But, for sure, I would go for Tex and Darvish (at least as we ending a new cathedral).