Gonzalez up, Jeter to DL?
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- April
- 9
Alberto Gonzalez is in Kansas City and is expected to be on the roster for tonight’s game. That would seem to indicate that Derek Jeter is headed for the disabled list.
The Attorney General played in 12 games last September and was 1 for 14. But he’s a solid glove.
More on this once we get in the clubhouse and get some info.
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on Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 3:49 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
The Reds released Mike Stanton! GO GET HIM!
I am excited to see Gonzalez. Give him the signal to steal.
Why don’t they just send Duncan down and use ‘berto until Derek’s back? Why lose him for two weeks, unless the injury’s worse than they said previously?
Pete,
You must do whatever you can to make that nickname - “The Attorny General” - stick. I love it. Put it in the newspaper every chance you get. I’m waiting for the “Alberto Gonzalez tortures the American League” t-shirts.
Discretion is the better part of valor.
maybe the injury’s worse than they expected. they’re not retarded–they’ll do what makes sense.
is gonzalez speedy? maybe he can be a spark on the bases
Too bad Betemit is awful and strikes out every other AB.
I predict: Derek to get Wally Pipped.
If they are bringing up Alberto Gonzalez you can almost assume that Jeter needs some significant time off. Optioning Duncan is a bad move, you want to keep those options for as long as you can as you never know how your roster is going to play out in the next few months. Not to mention the health of Giambi is always a question.
If Posada is hurt, then put him on the DL as well and bring up moeller. Sometimes guys get hurt and need time off, it happens.
Anybody know where Chad Moeller is these days?
AG will have to get on base before he can get the signal. You can’t steal first.
Motown Yankee Fan
I have seen Gonzalez hit, Jeter is in no threat of being Pipped
pete ! i like that! attorny general! not bad. whats the update on our 15 million dollar cather?
jay destro - you misunderstand options. A player doesn’t have a set number of times he can be sent down. A player has option YEARS. The Yankees can send Duncan down and back as many times as they see fit this year, and for the next, I think, two years. Personally that makes the most sense. Jeter on the DL, given the information out there, doesn’t make much sense. He really needs 15 days to heal from ‘nothing’?
Who’s got a refresher scouting report for the AG?
Motown - not funny
interesting, not unexpected.
it’s april - give the captain a chance to go back to sunny warm tampa and rehab and get himself completely healthy while you still have that luxury.
meanwhile, let the general get his shot - he looks like an exciting player that could make an impact, at least on defense and on the bases (assuming he ever gets on base, that is).
Wow, I didn’t expect Jeter’s injury to be that serious.
Gonzalez is a great glove, which should provide some relief from watching Betemit there…and if he can get a couple of hits and Jeter’s back after 15 days, I guess it wouldn’t be too bad.
Isn’t Moeller in Scranton?
YankeeDedel: why would you want the nickname of a criminal and discredited politician for one of our guys?
They called up Michael Mukasey?
I was just thinking that if we can track Moeller, we might be able to figure out Jorge’s status…
I am with Andrew here. Nothing I have read has led me to believe that they are putting Jeter on the DL. Girardi wanted to wait a couple of days, some say he could be back by the weekend. Perhaps they just dont want to a) see Betemit out there at short and b) have him be our only middle IF. Personally I think the media have jumped all over the Jeter quad strain because they are trying to get the juicy “will AROD play short and how will he do story.”
Alberto Gonzalez is not fast. He isn’t a SB threat.
He’s a good glove and, keeping with Yankee Tradition, Jeter’s injury is more serious than first reported.
As a rule, NEVER listen to Yankee injury reports. They are never accurate.
Personally, I hope they DL both Jeter and Posada and get them healthy.
Contrary to the belief of the chicken littles of the world, the Yankees can survive these next few weeks without both guys.
Especially, if 2-3 weeks in the Florida sun can get them healthy for the rest of the year.
George King from the post…
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04092008/sports/yankees/yanks_summon_gonzalez_for_shortstop_105762.htm
” As for Posada, Cashman didn’t have the results of yesterday’s MRI exam on the All-Star catcher’s right shoulder, but the GM said he didn’t believe the problem would land Posada on the disabled list for the first time.
“It sounds like it’s a day-to-day thing,” Cashman said. “It needs to get stronger. It’s my understanding talking to the trainers is that he needs four, five or six days of rest. He can do that in a backup manner. But we will wait to hear from the doctors. The good thing is that there is no pain.”
its April. Y take chances?
track Moeller? what are you going to do affix a GPS to his butt?
Can you hear Derek sing it: “I don’t want to go to rehab, I say, no, no no!”
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Actually, with the offense not really producing and so many young and/or ground ball pitchers, the Yankees do need a defensive SS out there to help prevent runs from scoring and making it even more difficult for the offense and the pitchers.
I get the sense that there is no fooling around with injuries anymore. Last season, Damon should have been on the DL and it hurt the team to not put him there. So, I’d rather err on the side of caution, DL Jeter (and Posada), so they’re not short-handed and they don’t have Ensberg catching.
Motown
Didnt jeter wally pip fernandez in ‘95? or was it ‘96?
Jetes will be Hall of Famer… he isnt going anywhere
Jeter is a grinder. An injury to him will likely be more serious than he’ll let on; he’d play every day if he could.
However, better Jeter go on the DL now and we have a healthy Jeter for most of the season than a banged up Jeter for all of it.
What I’m most concerned about is that we’ll lose both Jeter’s and Posada’s bats; Jose hits well enough for a back-up, but Gonzalez leaves somethg to be desired.
Hopefully this AG isn’t a liar like the other AG!
Not to say Jeter is replaceable, by any means, but they have survived without him before. Losing Posada would be a blow too, but there’s no reason why they couldn’t survive that either. Just goes to show what an important/smart acquisition Molina was.
I hope Gonzalez remembers to catch the ball if it is hit to him and hit it when pitched to him.
You all will recall that the “real” Attorney General didn’t have a very good memory !
SJ44 is dead on… Yankee injury reports are always under reported by the team. they always give much diff answers and shorter timetables
Angel - couldn’t agree more with you about Molina
“why would you want the nickname of a criminal and discredited politician for one of our guys?”
Mike-I second that.
AG at short! Torture, pure, torture.
Doreen
LOL!!! An Amy WInehouse fan? I wouldn’t have guessed it!!
pat -
I know - I can’t believe it, either. My brother-in-law burned me a copy of her CD (shhhh!) and I LOVE it. She may be a mess, but I love her style and I love that she has a style (she doesn’t sound like all those other girl singers out there).
I think what this means more than anything is the total lack of confidence the team has with Betimit as SS. This despite them feeling coming out of Spring that he could fulfill that role.
I would not assume that Jeter is going on the DL quite yet.
Gonzalez didn’t have a great spring in the field, if I remember correctly. How’s he been doing in SWB?
Jay,
I never believe what they say about their injuries.
I go by the player reaction.
When Derek Jeter took himself out of the game, and didn’t say his typical “I’m ok” comment after the game, it tells me he is hurting.
He NEVER takes himself out of games.
Also, when the Yankees didn’t comment on the results of Jeter’s MRI results, it was further indication to me the injury is more than a “2-3 day” thing.
The final proof is Gonzalez being called up today.
I obviously don’t think its a season ending injury or anything like that.
I do think though, he’s out until May.
You can’t risk messing around with a quad injury because those are the type of injuries, if not handled properly, that can linger all season.
We all saw how limited Jeter was last year due to leg injuries.
I don’t want him back in the lineup until he is 100%. If its 2-3 weeks from now, so be it. Its a long season and Alberto Gonzalez, at least defensively, can get the job done.
not too well offensly. I think Gonzalez did have a couple of hits though. He is supposed to be a real good SS like Mr. Pete said.
We’re nearing the middle of the month and I recall A-Rod mentioning he may take a few days off when his wife has their baby. Are those plans changed with a pair of our stars out? On an extremely selfish level, I certainly hope so.
SJ
I thought the team did comment on the results of his MRI they said the MRI showed a strain of the quad not a tear.
Why not trade or cut Betimet then? Ensburg has a better glove on the corner infield possitions and doesnt strike out everytime up. Keep Gonzo on the roster for good. Its not like he’s tearing it up in the minors. We just need a good glove from our utility middle infielder. And dfa Betimet already.
The best free agent signing this year. Molina!
Maybe its best for Jeter and Posada to rest for a couple weeks. Their bats werent yet there and rest might do them good.
Can we fire the new conditioning coach yet?
Gayle,
Gotta tell ya, after watching Betemit at short yesterday, I don’t blame Girardi and Cashman for having little confidence in him! lol
He was awful yesterday.
He just isn’t a SS. That begs the legitimate question of, “why is he on the team”? But, that’s a question for another day.
As I said yesterday, you can’t “hide” your SS. He has to be able to make the plays.
AG can and Betemit cannot.
Curiously, although neither guy is as good a hitter as the players they are replacing, the Yankees actually become a MUCH better defensive team with AG and Molina in the lineup.
They now need the other guys to pick up the slack offensively.
If they can, they survive this (hopefully) brief injury bug.
SJ has it absolutely right (what else is new? :-P)
If someone like Jeter gives even a little hint that the injury might not be a day-to-day thing, it means something’s up. Same with Posada.
Ultimately, what’s important is not what they say, but how they say it.
Like, when Jeter hurt his pinky and was laughing about it, you could tell it wasn’t a big deal.
Has Jeter laughed about the quad at all? As far as I can tell, he hasn’t.
If you want to look at the real bright side of things, however consider this:
The injuries are no fun, but our pitching rotation and bullpen is (knock on wood) healthy. That alone one-ups us on last year.
How and when did Jorge get hurt?
Let’s hope for a lot of rain for the next month.
I am really getting tired of this team starting the season in a hole. It is fun to see the Yankees scrape and claw your way back into contention, but it also exhausting for the team, and I think it is a contributing factor in our early playoff exits that past few years.
I hope that the others can pick up the slack without Jorge and Jeter.
Pete A.: I heard you on XM earlier today. Nice job.
On the most positive of notes…My crystal ball is finally fixed and I have already seen Boston lose to Detroit tonight AND IPK pitch like a champ in the Yankees’ victory. I’ll leave you all to the details…
“Can we fire the new conditioning coach yet?”
SJ-I swear that didnt come from me! But while we’re on that topic. What do you think sj.
SJ–
I am with you when everyone was talking about the final roster moves in the Spring it was always thought that the reason Betemit was kept on the team instead of someone like Green or Ransom was because he could play all the infield positions.Guess what he proved last night that is not the case and on top of him not hitting worth a lick (no one really is at this point) the question will very soon need to be addressed why he is taking up a roster spot. The side where he does his best (left) we have plenty of those. His weaker side we have better options in my opinion.
Can we fire Mother Nature too?
Is it possible Betimit is sent down/ released/ traded as opposed to DJ getting DLd?
The Yanks have a major league third baseman in Morgan Ensberg. What would be the sin with moving probably the greatest shortstop of his generation, A Rod, over to short?
Whichever way the Yanks go, if they can win 18 or 19 of their first 33 having only 1 day off and all these injuries they will be in good shape.
Its not the S&C fault for these injuries.
The entire team came out of ST healthy. Especially true re: the pitchers……the most important area of the team.
When you play in winter weather, stuff like this happens.
Its not a coaching issue. They are weather related injuries.
Its why panic is dumb at this point. You just shut them down for as long as it takes to get them healthy.
With 154 games remaining, this isn’t exactly brain surgery.
I just think they took Betemit for his bat, and never thought Jeter would be gone for any stretch of games. When he gets in a game or two every now and again, his glove isn’t so much of a problem, but when he has to play for a week straight its a big issue. Green or AGon, either one will give a good glove and a crappy bat.
Don’t fool with Mother Nature, she’s a beyatch!
I would not object to DFA’ing Betemit, or trying to trade him first.
The problem with moving Arod is simple at this point.
He hasn’t taken a single groundball at short in 4 years.
If he had some work at short, that’s a different story.
However, without any work at short, its not easy to move a player over.
Several reasons why. First, he hasn’t worked on turning the DP with Cano.
Second, the throw from short (more sidearm) is different from the throw from third (more over the top).
That takes practice. Without it, you risk injuring the player.
For a couple of weeks, there is no reason why AG can’t do the job at SS. All he has to do is make the plays in the field. Nobody is expecting him to hit .300.
Its the reason why AG is in the organization. For situations like this.
Moving A-Rod also means you’d either have to move him back in a few weeks or have another Jeter/A-Rod controversy and have to find a place for Jeter…. Why move a guy out of a position it took time to get used to, just to get used to his old position again, then move him back to his new position, again………..
Makes no sense unless Jeter were out for a hell of a lot longer than a couple weeks.
i’m no scout, but was betemit really that bad at SS yesterday?
Is it not possible that the Yanks just want a backup infielder for two games until Jeter is back?! They can play option games with their young pitchers and have both Derek and Alberto on the roster.
I gotta say, I’m not overly worried about Jeter or Posada being out. Perhaps Molina and the Attorney General sure up the defense and make some plays Jetes and Po don’t. As long as they’ve got ARod, Abreu and Matsui swinging they should be alright…But if they can find a good left fielder and first baseman they’d really be in business.
From the tone of what A-Rod said about moving to short he does not want to move there - he would do it if asked though.
I think he’s a 3b now and has embraced it - just me.
saucy, yeah, I think so… I might be judging on one or two botched plays, but he missed some key plays, including one should be DP that I remember was definitely costly.
Yep. Nothing really wrong with the yankee offense when playing in Florida temperatures for 6 weeks.
I once worked in Florida for 4 weeks during March. I came home when I lived in ND to temps in the 30s-40s after it. My weak ankle (from having torn ligaments when I broke it years earlier) started acting up and giving me grief (almost like it was newly torn) like I couldn’t believe.
I find it hard to believe that Jeter will be out to mid-May. I bet he’s back before the end of the month.
You know, this makes me wonder what the b log was like when all the pitchers were hurt last year…
If we get out of April at a .500 pace, we’ll be in excellent shape, even if no one sees it that way.
Just as long as the Yankees win on Saturday. It’s my birthday and I’ll be there and I don’t think I could stomach a loss.
The Devils lost once on my birthday when they played the Islanders when I turned 12 and that was awful. Stupid Islanders.
The Yankees, though, they usually win
Doreen
Alberto Gonzalez’ stats for this Spring
5 for 24 .208 16 Games 2 RBIs 1 SO
3 Errors in 14 Games in the field.
Doreen! That is absolutely hysterical!
Betemit is not going to be DFAd.
SaucY: He was awful.
EDIT: My previous post seems to have gone missing.
If the Yankees tread .500 in April we’re in fine shape. Just as long as they win on Saturday. It’s my birthday and I’ve got tickets.
If our offense is so good, we should be able to survive this bump, right? I’m not worried. I like the challenge for this team, too.
I’m actually just tired of seeing Betemit get these AB’s at 1st. Let’s get Shelley and Morgan into a game one of these days…
I wish we had a guy from the Compton area of Los Angeles that we could call up.
SJ44,
I understand your point. ARod has played 5 games at short since signing with the Yanks. The last time being in 2005. I don’t think it would take A Rod too long to adjust. After all, he’s played over 1,200 games as a shorstop and he’s a fabulous athlete.
I agree with going with Gonzalez as a short term solution. But if it goes 21 days and they stick with Gonzalez then it doesn’t even make sense to have Ensberg on the roster.
We already have Betemit and A Rod as 3rd basemen and Giambi, Betemit and Duncan on first. Ensberg only has played first base 3 ganes in his career. The Yanks could go the other way and keep both Ensberg and Gonzalez, but then Betemit is expendable.
Wow… Stunning stuff here.
You’d have to assume it’s Jeter to the DL. Will Posada be next?
And BTW for those who say we should be able to survive this, this is what I’m saying:
We are losing our #2 and #3 offensive players on the team. That makes life very difficult, and asks a ton of your replacement level players,
Utility–I never understood the fuss over his fielding. He looked VERY nervous in the field both last year and in ST. He bobbles everything.
I’m more troubled by Jorge’s mystery ailment than Jeter’s quad. (I hope he doesn’t strain it further in Tampa. Lots of, ahem, strenuous activities down there).
Jorge said he had this since the spring. Walks and singles were turning into doubles yesterday.
I’m surprised that the AG was brought up before CM.
Baseball-addiction–our #2 and #3 offensive players? Really? Posada? Besides last year, what has he done to make himself a #3 offensive player? Not Abreu and his 101 RBIs? Cano with his .306 BA and 97 RBIs? Matsui with his 103 RBIs?
at least this likely gets hot hitting Melky up a spot or two in the order… cmon optimists!
One bright spot…Wang should benefit from Gonzalez being at SS.
Bob–I don’t think I saw him field a ball cleanly in any major league or ST innings. How is he better than Jeter?
Elizabeth
I agree with ya.
panic in the intarweb as Yankee fans scream first then think later
Elizabeth:
I’m going on mostly what I’ve heard, that he is very good defensively. I guess we’ll find out.
jay–would you expect anything less?
We’re going to be fine. It’s APRIL. Have we learned nothing from last year?
lets remember when matsui and sheffield went out almost the whole season and everyone screamed gloom and doom
calm, breath. worry more about making your car payment.
I’m not seeing that much panic on this thread - more discussion of options.
Posada is important to the Yankee lineup because he gives it depth and he is a switch hitting power bat. Calling Posada the 2nd or 3rd best offensive player in the Yankee lineup isn’t a stretch. And please don’t use RsBI to argue a players worth.
Anyone want to take a crack at the lineup?
Damon-LF
Cabrera-CF
Abreu-RF
Rodriguez-3B
Giambi-1B
Matsui-DH
Cano-2B
Molina-C
Gonzales-SS
Gonzales lately has improved his hitting. He’s a very good defensive short stop, just needs to get over the big league jitters. As far as the Yankees lying about injuries, please get over yourself; EVERY team lies about injuries, football teams being the absolute worst, making up names for things as the trainer holds court for 20 minutes going through the assorted list to “keep the media informed.”
Don”t make it out to be a Yankee thing, bud.
Optimists UNITE !…The Yankees are going on a 7 game winning streak starting TONIGHT….during which, they will average over 7 runs a game…..Who is with me ???
Is it certain we’re bringing up Gonzalez to start, and not to play behind Betemit?
Bryan Hoch from mlb.com just published the article “Yanks Like Betemit in Jeter’s Place,” in which Wilson talks about being more mobile this year:
“Though the utility man made four starts at shortstop after joining the Yankees in July, he felt too big and bulky for the position, sporting a body type better suited for corner-infield duty.
“Last year, I was 235 pounds; now, I’m 220,” Betemit said.”
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080408&content_id=2504667&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy
mel: Probably because Molina is a very capable back up, and Shelley could probably catch if Molina got hurt (devious face)
Dave–I didn’t say anything about worth. I was ranking hitters. I would say that Abreu and Cano are both better hitters than Posada.
Happy Birthday Rebecca and we’ll (of course) be rooting for a win. Give it to them Saux fans! lol
I just scratch my head about Morgan Ensberg’s role on this team if he isn’t going the get a chance for extended time at his natural position.
I think A Rod would adapt nicely, and that may be a real consideration by the Yanks braintrust for not moving him to short. It could affect the chemistry on the team if A Rod started making plays that Derek hasn’t been making. It’s a distraction the team would rather not deal with. If that’s not the reason, then I can’t understand why they wouldnt have Ensberg on 3rd.
Mel, here’s my guess:
Damon-LF
Cano-2B
Abreu-RF
Rodriguez-3B
Giambi-1B
Matsui-DH
Betemit-SS
Molina-C
Cabrera-CF
Don Vito
DAMN I hate when they make me work!
Just got to today’s posts, at least the ones two blogs ago! Regarding your post to me -
DEAL!!
On my way to the dreaded night meeting. Hope they keep it short enough that I get to watch the pregame.
Later.
So is Trisha still singing her Siren song to lure you to your deaths, or will you, like Odysseus fill your ears with beeswax to avoid that fate?
Gammons on kay
I’ll give you Abreu (I’m a big fan of his) but no way is Cano a better hitter than Posada. Posada can actually take a walk.
Don Vito - just saw your post above. I’m with you! I also expect the Detroit team to realize the season has started and drive the Sox into the ground!
GO DETROIT!
GO YANKEES!
Go me.
i am, don vito.
mel, that lineup looks good, although we all know by now that i think abreu’s also a decent option for the second spot.
look at this lineup - the yankees have great hitters from 1-7, 8’s not too shabby, and 9’s the only real black hole. for a few days/weeks, we are less-than-video-game. not a reason to throw yourself onto the tracks.
i’m leaving work now (a miracle!). talk to you all during/after the game.
Anybody know how the weather is in KC?
TROLL ALERT! TROLL ALERT!
“PK” is a trash talking SUX fan. He takes any and every opportunity to trash the Yankees. As is our policy with all trolls, please ignore.
Rebecca,
lol. Shelley’s versatile, but that’s stretching it a little. He’s so big that even squatting he’d block the ump’s view.
Yankees win tonight 9-2 !!! Book it, Dano !!!
Color me surprise that the NBA has a lot of HGH users.
saucY,
You’re probably right. They’ll give Betemit some more burn at SS, unless he needs a break. He was our only offense yesterday, too.
Ladies and Gentlemen. Given the panicked reaction of the Siren Trisha, is it just possible that she is the one to be avoided?
Guard your boats!
PK must be a Homer
Is AG that good with the glove? I’ve read about it over and over but I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, though that has been in limited action late last year and this spring. He seems to boot the routine play once in awhile and more than the average shortstop. I hope they play him everyday so we can see what he has. If he plays well, he may not go back down to Scranton and Betemit may be on his way out.
What is going on here? Can someone please explain?
mel: LMAO! You’re probably right about that…
Saucy, Mel- I think they bat Matsui 5th behind A-Rod. Hes swinging the bat a lot better than Giambi right now
happy bday Rebecca (mine is Friday
)
smilineyes: Going on with what?
Rebecca - these troll warnings.
Thank you for responding
rb15,
Yeah, I thought about Abreu there, but he’s entrenched in the 3 hole and he & Alex have a symbiotic relationship. And he’s on fire now.
Dave–good point. He’s going to be phenomenal very soon, though. Matsui takes his walks, though, and I’m not sure he’s not a better hitter than Posada, albeit not being a SH. Posada’s more consistent, though. Matsui’s streaky.
Boston Dave is finally turning 21 !
I am for losing the attorney general tag, given former AG Gonzales’ track record on torture and dishonesty surrounding the firing of U.S. attorneys.
This is pretty interesting, I thought. I went to the SWB site to try and look up AG’s fielding for this season (short as it is) for SWB; he is not on their roster any longer. Corey Ransom is listed as SS.
So, I went to the Yankees site and checked their roster. Lo and behold, Mr. Gonzalez is in cyberlimbo — he is not listed on the major league team’s roster; and Derek Jeter is still listed and not on the DL yet. Nor is Posada on the DL yet. I guess they have a couple of hours before game time before they have to do anything?
So, I couldn’t find current (this season) fielding stats for AG.
DurhamYankee - your probably right
Doreen—from what we’ve been told, someone would be optioned back down rather than DLing Jeter or Posada.
smilineyes
“PK” is a twisted freak who is spinning out of control. He’s a Sux fan who is a devious whack job. Just take my word for it. Okay? The policy here is to ignore trolls. I’m telling you it’s a troll. That’s what it’s all about. He never got over me turning down his invitation to meet him for a game and has been stalking me ever since. Hell hath no fury like a Sux fan who trashes the Yankees and tries to play big man in front of his friends at your expense but courts you behind the scenes and gets turned down.
Nothing further need be said. He’s the enemy.
smilineyes: Ignore them.
completely unrelated I just got into med school!!!!
Okay. found the stats on Gonzalez. He’s made 1 error so far in 5 games. He’s batting .154; 5 so’s and 1 bb in 13 abs.
But last season he made 10 errors in 106 games. I don’t know how to judge that, but it sounds average to me. So, why does he get such good press?
Thanks for that information, Elizabeth.
I remember when Melky was supposed to be a good fielder, and when he was brought up for a Boston series, he totally stunk defensively. Now, I know Melky is a good fielder and we’ve all seen it with our own eyes. As for Alberto Gonzalez, I’m going to trust the experts on this one and assume that his glove is as advertised.
defense matters,
Congratulations! That’s a huge achievement.
defense matters: Well done! Where did you get in?
Chad Jennings raves about AG’s glove — says he makes a play or two a week that are unbelievable. That said, he does appear to be nervous when he plays on the big stage. I’d love to see him play for ten days, hit .250, and make a big play or two, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can do it in the majors.
Drive 4-5
I think it’s an important distinction to say that ARod has play 8 innings in 5 games for the Yankees, the last time being in 2005.
trisha–you need to let it go. You’re honestly only making it worse.
My lineup prediction:
Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Abreu RF (look at the speed in the top 3; that’s alternately awesome and worrisome for the bottom of the order, which is what makes me think they MAY not go this route, but we’ll see…)
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Cano 2B (I prefer him batting 7th, but they seem enamored)
Giambi 1B
Molina C
Gonzalez SS (Having 4 speedy runners in a row may not be the best idea, so they may flip-flop the bottom two, but I like it this way).
The best case scenario is to see AG take full advantage of the time given to him both at SS and contribution with the bat.
This would take Betemit out of the equation altogether and it’s DFA for him.
AG primarily plays SS but has worked out and been used at 2nd and 3rd base during the past 2 springs.
Ensberg is the 1st and 3rd base option which completely covers the utility infield situation along with Shelley at 1st base and the corner OF positions.
Rebecca -
Happy Birthday!
Defense Matters -
Congratulations!
DLev -
Well, Jeter makes spectacular plays and yet gets pretty low scores from a lot of people on his overall defense. (I am not getting into that argument, just stating what’s been printed especially lately).
If AG is the same, makes spectacular plays, but is only so-so on the average plays, I ask again, why does he get overall high grades and such good press? I haven’t seen him except for spring training, so I am sincerely asking. I don’t know.
got into Thomas Jefferson in Philly.
an added bonus of Philadelphia is I well have plenty of people backing me up when I rag on the Mets
How can people be pulling for Ensberg over Betemit when we’ve barely seen Ensberg play? It’s not like his spring was amazing…
Ok Elizabeth:
Jeter and Posada were 2 and 3 in EqR, and were 2 and 4 in EqA on the Yankees in 2007.
In 2007 The Yankees VORP leaders:
A Rod
Posada
Jeter
I’ll go back in time to 2006:
Jeter and A Rod are 1 and 2… Jorge is 6th. But 2 of the 3 guys ahead of Jorge? Damon and Giambi… And those guys have fallen off.
So yes, you are losing your 2 of your top 4 maybe top 3 players.
JG–Ensberg is a proven commodity, though. When the Yankees have such depth of talent in their farm system, why would they need to keep a “maybe” util infielder?
How can that really be argued. It isn’t going to be the end of the world, they’ll survive just fine, but it isn’t just no big deal. It’s going to hurt them offensively. As long as it’s short term, it wont be a big deal.
tonights lineup as follows as per Ed Price
Damon dh, Cano 2b, Abreu rf, Rodriguez 3b, Matsui lf, Giambi 1b, Molina c, Cabrera cf, Gonzalez ss, Kennedy p.
Defense Matters:
Congrats!
I’m with those who’s not impressed by the AG (although if Chad says differently, I’ll take his word for it). But I saw him the beginning of spring training the last two years and I remember an error, but not any great plays. Small sample, recall bias, etc, but I hope he’s a lot better than I remember him.
This is a smart move - Girardi is actually doing things where Torre often waited too long.
Oh, I don’t like Robbie hitting 2nd. I like the speed combo of Melky and Alberto at the bottom, though. And WHY is Damon DHing?
Rebecca,
Happy Birthday! Hope you get a Yankees win for a birthday present.
The yankees have won the past few years with guys like Aaron Guile, Andy Phillips, Terrence Long and Miguel Cairo starting games for them. They’ve gotten by like that, sometimes for extended periods of time. The key is the pitching. If they pitch well they’ll win. They haven’t been hitting so far this season, but they’ll get going. They still have 6-7 quality bats in the starting lineup each night even without Jeter and Posada. They can still score plenty of runs if some of these guys can get going. If they pitch decently they will do enough to tread water while Jeter and Posada are out.
Ensberg may have proven himself a successful hitter in previous years, but he hasn’t proven much of anyting offensively since his shoulder injury. Outside of that, he hasn’t had the chance to prove himself to be a good 1st baseman.
I’m not knocking Ensberg. I liked the pickup. He has upside. I’m just saying, you can’t just throw away Betemit and assume that Ensberg is going to be a better 1st or 3rd baseman.
SJ -
Correction 1 - Nobody expects AG to hit .300 except the chicken littles of the blog. They will quickly forget he’s a AAA/backup guy BECAUSE he’s not as good as Jeter. Maybe they won’t be forgetting, they’ll just be pointing it out in their relentless, blatant and tiresome manner.
Correction 2 - We all saw Jeter take himself out of a couple games. One time, he landed face-first in the second row behind third base against Boston, and had to go back to the clubhouse to put on some make-up so his face would look pretty instead of bruised because he’s too self obsessed about his looks. It’s not like he dove off the upper deck or something spectacular like that. The other time he claimed he separated his shoulder but everyone watching the game saw his arm had NOT fallen off (as Scott Proctor’s arm once did) and it was clearly still attached to his body. There was no blood. Can’t you see what a limp wristed wuss the guy is!?!?!?! He’s too old and too soft!!!!! Overrated!!! He’s just like Pavano!!!! A waste I tell ya!!!! The season’s as good as over!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait for his contract to expire so the team can free up money and spend spend spend on whoever the whining blog posters want!!!!!
Ahem …. sorry … uhh … some whining chicken little took over my body and channeled their paranoia through my keyboard. I’ll try to get a leash on it.
The team will be fine.
They are not going to DFA Betemit - they are “enamored” with him as well. Cano looked absolutely lost yesterday at the plate - look for him to turn it around soon enough, I’m sure. Funny how the start of the real season seemed to slap this team in the face oh-so-slightly.
Like I said yesterday, if we can stay over .500 for the month of April, we’ll be good to go. Robbie’s bat will pick up when the weather gets warmer, too, so that will be a boost.
still no word on who’s spot AG took?
elizabeth. I couldn’t make it worse. But I wanted to make sure people knew it was a troll. I think I’ve done that. I’ve seen others announce when trolls are here. I did the same thing. I was really responding to smilineyes question about it.
I won’t elaborate on it (the reason the person is a troll) anymore. If I feel the need to announce I troll is here, I will.
Thanks.
I also am not thrilled about Cano batting 2nd, but who is going to fill that spot? I think a #2 should be able to draw a walk, and we all know that’s not Cano’s forte.
Maybe I should go back to my old name.
Nah.
why can’t i post?
Rishi–no word. I’ve been refreshing the roster page on the website and there’s no change.
I think i read an article today that said girardi like Cano in the 2 spot, and wouldn’t hesitate to put him there if jeter spends an extended time out of the lineup.
Damon (LF)
Cano (2b)
Abreu (rf)
A-rod (3b)
matsui (DH)
Giambi 1b
cabrera (cf)
Molina (c)
betemit/gonzales (ss)
If theres any Jets fans left out there, Kerry Rhodes signed a 5 year deal for 34M/20m guaranteed…
Ansky - Did Ranting Guy come back? - take your meds
I don’t think you’ll see the Yankees trying to sideline Betemit. They courted the guy for a while and finally got him. Betemit doesn’t bother me. I think he’s a pretty good player. We’re spoiled having All Stars at just about every position. Utility players don’t tend to be that.
hmmm - well I have to head out - will be keeping up on the cell phone tonight and hope to have lots of positive/happy posts to read through in the morning
Jimmy -
I had to clear the tubes on the whiner topic, sorry. Too much build-up.
rishi
Count on it.
Rebecca,I thought we had the same birthday this saturday? Or are you the exception and get 2 in a year?
I’m surpised by people thinking Jeter and Posada on the DL will ruin the Yankees.
Jeter won’t hit to double plays and no we don’t need 60 rbi’s to make this team hit good.And who knew Posada at 36 was ever gonna get injured.Glad we gave him 4 year deal.
I think that Girardi likes having Cabrera at the bottom to turn the order over. Is it me, or is Molina one of the more consistent bats?
Wherever he puts these guys they’re going to respond. Moving Cano around early & often is good for him. He’s going to be the movable part and this is part of his development.
If Gonzalez can hit .250 with only a few Ks, Betemit should be GONE. So basically, Alberto, all you have to do is put the ball in play and make a few nice plays on defense.
Ansky - understood.
trisha–the problem is, you need your utility players to NOT be a liability. At this point, he is. He looked fantastic at the plate the first two weeks he was here, and then he devolved into the strikeout machine we now know. Good utility players are a rare breed. Luis Sojo was one. Randy Velarde was another (even pre-roids). He was an clutch as anyone, and he could handle the glove. Betemit plays sloppily at all the positions, and he never puts the ball in play. What you ask from your utility players are productive at-bats and the ability to fill in at multiple positions. No one’s asking him to be an all-star, but we’d like him to hit .250+ and give us productive quality at-bats and a solid glove, especially up the middle.
Cairo!
Miggy!
Jimmy,
haha, great minds and all that.
Gonzalez hitting .250 in the majors is a very big IF. He’s not here for offense. He’s going to be here because he’s a more solid defensive ss for a semi-long term stretch (week or more) than Betemit.
All i’v heard for the last couple years is that Alberto is the slickest fielding infielder that we had in the minors. I even read it in one of the minor league blogs late last year. I myself have seen him make a couple of spectacular plays taking over short last september. O.k. one. Diving to his left. As someone stated earlier. If he can hit around .250. He should be there rather than Betimet.
If i to pick between Ensburg and Betimet it would be Ensburg. He atleast has had success in the bigs and has been an all-star no long ago. Betimet is not even in Cairo’s league. I cant believe i would ever say that. He can only hit left handed(STILL K’S ALOT DOING IT). Too slow for middle infield.
Its all good though. We will score enough runs to win. I would rather have a couple position players hurt than our starters were last year.
Posada will probably have to go on DL since he can’t throw, as we don’t need any more DH types. Hopefully Jeter recovers soon. Yankees getting few runs because Damon and Jeter are not getting on base, and Abreu, A-Rod and Matsui are only ones batting decently. If Jeter goes on DL, put A-Rod at SS and Ensberg at third-won’t happen though!