Today in The Journal News
-
- May
- 12
Yesterday’s rainout gave the Yankees a chance to look at some options in their rotation.
Derek Jeter, cleanup hitter? It would have happened. This notebook also has an A-Rod update.
Yanks-Rays tonight. But the biggest event of the day will be earlier when Alex Rodriguez has an MRI on his right quad strain. If he’s cleared to play, he could play rehab games Tuesday and Wednesday then be activated on Thursday.
If not, his schedule gets pushed back.
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on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 4:34 am by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
Let’s hope A-Rod can come back soon; the Rays are actually making me nervous. They’re playing some great ball right now, bouncing the Angels out of first last night.
At least the Sox lost.
It is now easy to see that Alex is our catalyst. Can’t wait to see him back mashing balls and making terrific plays at third.
Excellent thought Peter.
I think we’re gonna get Kei on Thursday..just my opinion. At this point, we need to minimize any national exposure to our national disaster. Pitching at The Trop would be part of the recipe.
Really hope that Alex gets a good report today and is cleared to play. I mean Derek might be a good clean-up hitter, but I think Alex is better suited for the spot!
I find it incredible that with all their problems and injuries the Yanks are only 4 games out. When they finally right the ship watch for them to go on a tear. I just hope Little Stein doesn’t make any stupid moves out of panic.
Read this on the post regarding the Yankees’ pick in this years draft:
Anyone have any information on if this is really will be the Yankees’ pick and if this is a good one?
Here’s the article link if anyone’s interested:
NY Post article
From Peter’s article today:
…”Igawa had been scheduled to face the Rays on Wednesday despite a horrific outing on Friday against the Tigers that saw him allow six runs on 11 hits in three innings. Igawa then said afterward that the result was “just a part of baseball.”
That comment raised a few eyebrows in the Yankees’ clubhouse.”"
Can you elaborate on that, Pete?
i say go with mccutchen on thursday for one start. it sends a message that whoever pitches best out of the aa and aaa pitchers, gets the spot start. kennedy’s one outing doesnt prove he’s ready to pitch like last year, let him keep working. we wont need #5 again until the 24th.
It’s a hopeful sign that there’s indecision with throwing Igawa out there again on Thursday.
Every Yankee board in existence is far and away against ever seeing Igawa pitching again in a Yankee uniform.
Cashman and Girardi are well aware of what fan responses are but it’s Igawa’s horrific numbers that should be the difference maker. Igawa’s statement of saying “it’s just part of baseball” is further testament of his lax attitude of looking to improve.
No further evidence is needed to realize his signing was a mistake. There’s no point in adding insult to injury by putting Igawa on a major league mound again.
Dan Giese or Chase Wright can’t possibly do worse. Either one will try their hardest rather than cave in to a meltdown that Igawa shows.
I think if they Yankees aren’t going to need a 5th starter again until late next week, why bring Kennedy up? He’s better off getting two starts in a regular rotation than one start and sitting for a week or so. I would think consistency is key.
DBacks looking to sign thier 2 aces:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/05/09/scoop.friday/index.html
isn’t it time for the Yankees to make a long-term offer thier ace?
Dbacks are about to sign webb and haren to mutli-year deals:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/05/09/scoop.friday/index.html
isnt it time for the yankees to give thier ace a multi-year deal. i understood wanting to wait and see how he came back after last PS and the answer is he’s come back better than ever.
PAY THE MAN!
JMO
May 12th, 2008 at 8:05 am
i say go with mccutchen on thursday for one start. it sends a message that whoever pitches best out of the aa and aaa pitchers, gets the spot start. kennedy’s one outing doesnt prove he’s ready to pitch like last year, let him keep working. we wont need #5 again until the 24th.
—————–
The prob with McCutcheon is that he’s not on the 40 man. They would have to make a roster move just to get him to pitch one game. His clock would also start because he got moved to the majors.
Can someone remind me why 4 man rotations are no longer a consideration?
” the Rays are actually making me nervous. ”
….That is one of the funniest sentences EVER !..The Rays ?…are they making you nervous in that they may finish within 15 games of the .500 mark this year ???
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…”Igawa had been scheduled to face the Rays on Wednesday despite a horrific outing on Friday against the Tigers that saw him allow six runs on 11 hits in three innings. Igawa then said afterward that the result was “just a part of baseball.”
That comment raised a few eyebrows in the Yankees’ clubhouse.””
.
Raised a few eyebrows means that reporters heard, ” Are you flippin’ kidding me ?…that guy stinks ! Man, Management really has its head up its keester to make us play behind THAT slug ! “……and those reporters decided to tone THAT down a little…
and to clarify, I mean the Rays will likely finish 20 games UNDER .500 this year….so 15 games UNDER .500 would make some of us nervous,,,,right ?
Raised a few eyebrows means that reporters heard, ” Are you flippin’ kidding me ?…that guy stinks ! Man, Management really has its head up its keester to make us play behind THAT slug ! “……and those reporters decided to tone THAT down a little…
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Simply put, Igawa is as good as he’ll ever get. Comforting thought, huh ?
Don,
True the Rays may finish 15-20 games under ( I personally think they have improved enough to finish closer to .500), but this team is playing well right now. They just swept a very good Angels team, and fortunately we have the back half of their rotation this time otherwise this series would make me “sweat” more. IF our guys sleep on them (which we have been known to do) they will do damage.
Hopefully Wang, Pettitte and co. will handle our business and our bats do some damage. Should be a good series.
It’s time for those dumb damned cowbells again at Tropicana. Since the Yankees last visit, they had a promotion night with a giveaway of 10,000 more. Also that loud mouthed goof hollering his fool head off.
The same as going to a Friday night high school basketball or football game.
UGH !!!!
Didn’t you hear? After the game he said he needed to work on striking people out. He is that dulisional that he thinks he did fine and needs to move on and work on different things. Never mind that he couldn’t get anyone out.
“” the Rays are actually making me nervous. ”
….That is one of the funniest sentences EVER !..The Rays ?…are they making you nervous in that they may finish within 15 games of the .500 mark this year ???”
The Rays were predicted to finish 89-73 by Baseball Prospectus’s PECOTA before the season started, banking on improving young hitters and a solid top 3 young pitchers (well, Garza hasn’t been solid thus far, but he should be down the line).
They swept Boston at home. They swept the Angels at home. They’re 21-16. I’d call that pretty damn solid. They ain’t pushovers anymore.
Phillips is pretty high on them. That should give the Rays some cause for concern.
“Can someone remind me why 4 man rotations are no longer a consideration?”
Because we’d prefer not to have Joba Chamberlain go the way of Sandy Koufax…out of the game by his 30th birthday.
I can’t find any analysis of the long-term health effects of the 4-man versus the 5-man. Guys apparently, in general, went less deep into games in a 4-man rotation. Obviously, there are outliers, so the fact that so-and-so threw 130 pitches in a start back in 1962 doesn’t disprove that statement. In general, they apparently didn’t go as deep. But, given more starts, they pitched more innings per season. What has been uncovered recently is that pitches-per-start for young pitchers correlates with injury.
If you kept young starters on a 90-100 pitch count, but in a four-man rotation, would their careers be just as healthy as if they were on a 100-110 pitch count in a five-man? I have no idea. But it’s certainly a risky choice, given how much pitching costs these days and how important for the team it is to keep your good, young starters healthy.
Just over 1/5th of the season, and the Rays have a good record, nowhere NEAR the end of the race, ALL….as this Marathon Season nears the very END and MANY of the yearly “rabbits” fade…count me as someone that will be SO not surprised when the mighty Rays fade off into the sunset….JMHO…
“why bring Kennedy up? He’s better off getting two starts in a regular rotation than one start and sitting for a week or so. I would think consistency is key.”
doreen -
i agree. i think a bad start by kennedy against the mets would be a disaster for kennedy emotionally and would really set him back. the yankees are obviously in a bit of a mess with the 5th starter position. there doesn’t seem to be any consensus on who to bring up from within the system.
with betemit having value to some teams and not being essential to the yankees, maybe spinning him off for a stop gap starting pitcher until joba is put in the rotation would be something to look at.
part of the problem is that no one except the yankees know when they plan to put joba in the rotation. it’s not a good situation, but we can be sure they’ll put someone out there. maybe someone will surprise like rasner has.
As for the Rays, their back end guys have begun to revert to (poor) form, and their pen is still bad. Their offense is pretty stocked, though, and Shields is a beast — especially at home. Kazmir’s had a bad start and a good start. He tends to be wild. Let’s hope that the Yanks wait him out, take their walks, keep the game close and get into the pen by the 6th inning. Wait…are they seeing Kazmir, even? What’re the projected matchups?
From BOlney’s blog:
“Kei Igawa threw 64 pitches Friday, and Detroit swung and missed only twice and mustered 11 hits in 19 at-bats against the left-hander, a mere .579 batting average. Heard this evaluation from one Yankees’ source: Igawa doesn’t have the raw stuff to pitch in the majors.”
.579 — yeah, we want him pitching again ASAP. If Cashman throws Igawa out there again, we know he’s blowing off games this year.
The Rays have some players who are playing really well lately. The thing is they are a pretty young team and the emotions that go along with that can cause a quick tailspin. Right now they have a lot of confidence.
Here’s hoping the Yankees can knock them back down to earth, though the Yankes haven’t had a lot of success against them over the past few years.
Arod returning isnt as big as Posada returning. We have enough big bats and so far have had solid defense at 3rd. Posada is the real loss right now. Arod’s loss was compensated.
Mon, May 12 @ Tampa … Pettitte (3-3)vs. Garza (1-1)
Tue, May 13 @ Tampa … Wang (6-1) vs. Jackson (2-3)
Wed, May 14 @ Tampa … Mussina (5-3)vs. Shields (4-2)
Thu, May 15 @ Tampa … TBD vs. Kazmir (1-1)
The Rays. The AL East equivalent to the Marlins. A thorn in the teams side all season but in the end they dont break .500 and miss the playoffs. Since the Yanks seem to always have trouble with the Rays (the last few seasons), nothing seems different to me, haha.
“with betemit having value to some teams and not being essential to the yankees,”
Can’t trade him while he’s on the DL. Given that spotting someone else for one start this week and another on the 26th buys Kennedy 4 more AAA starts or so, making a move for someone outside the organization would be kind of jumping the gun. Especially since that person would need to be here and ready to go by Friday at the latest in order to be of optimal utility.
“I can’t find any analysis of the long-term health effects of the 4-man versus the 5-man.”
no one knows what’s best. pitchers used to throw more in general in the old days. young pitchers have grown up on the 5 day rotation and on low pitch counts. it would be dangerous and irresponsible to try to change to a four man rotation with pitchers who have been brought up in a five man rotation.
nolan ryan was one who overlapped between the 4 and 5 man rotations. in spring training he used to throw almost twice as much in live batting sessions as the younger pitchers. he was used to the high pitch count. he had trained that way his whole life.
i don’t ever see it going back to a four man because of how long it would take to prepare pitchers for it.
“Here’s hoping the Yankees can knock them back down to earth, though the Yankes haven’t had a lot of success against them over the past few years.”
Yanks record since 2004 vs. TBD (not including this year)
46-28
In 2005 they had an 8-11 record vs. Tampa Bay. They had winning seasons against them in 04,06 and 07.
Because of yesterday’s rain out, the Yanks can just skip the #5 spot in their rotation this time around. Certainly Rasner is their #4 at this point. That new cutter he learned in the offseason, has made all the difference. He’s been a Godsend!
+
Igawa was claimed on waivers by San Diego last year, but pulled back. To think that SD would have absorbed his whole contract. Uggh. Try waiving him again and pray someone bites. He shouldn’t even be taking a AAA rotation spot (and thus blocking legit prospects). This last start was all about Cashman trying to justify a terrible signing; all the worse considering the alternative DiceK is now 6-0 with a low 2 era…
Sandy Koufax had arthritis (real bad) in his shoulder…that’s why he retired. They say; “You can smell the Heat (Hot Stuff) from the batters box”. The stuff they used on his arm was made for horses…hot as hell, I remember the stuff. How he could take that much of it , I sure don’t know. Just a bit of memory from the good old days, or not! 27/08.
“He shouldn’t even be taking a AAA rotation spot (and thus blocking legit prospects).”
Add Geise in there too. A journeyman is blocking McCutchen from being promoted.
“We have enough big bats and so far have had solid defense at 3rd.”
Soooooooo false. Betemit was proving to be a big bat (though lefty), but his defense was certainly spotty during the few days he was back. I think his bat compensated for his D (especially since Igawa was giving up rockets left and right anyhow), but ARod’s righty presence has been missed.
“Mon, May 12 @ Tampa … Pettitte (3-3)vs. Garza (1-1)
Tue, May 13 @ Tampa … Wang (6-1) vs. Jackson (2-3)
Wed, May 14 @ Tampa … Mussina (5-3)vs. Shields (4-2)
Thu, May 15 @ Tampa … TBD vs. Kazmir (1-1)”
Boo. Missing Sonnanstine. This series could really go either way…if the Rays pitchers are on, they’ll all be tight. But, Jackson’s been plagued with inconsistency and who knows what Garza will bring to the plate. Kazmir’s also been known to throw a lot of pitches and miss off the plate, so that could be good as well. Or, they could all be dominant. They have the stuff.
giambi’s stats last week-.385 2hr 6rbi 1.544ops….ya he’s worthless…..NOT…I agree with Law…Posada was a bigger loss, he’s like a second captain on the team
“Add Geise in there too. A journeyman is blocking McCutchen from being promoted.”
At least he’s doing well. And he’s just holding Horne’s spot. I figure they don’t want to jump McCutchen up just to have to send him back down in a couple weeks.
I can only assume that they’re keeping Giese in the rotation because they’re considering him for a swingman role. Otherwise it doesn’t make a lot of sense
“all the worse considering the alternative DiceK is now 6-0 with a low 2 era”
The two are totally unrelated. No matter what you want to think, getting Igawa was in no way a response to Matsuzaka. It was essentially buying a guy who was 27, lefty and had dominated AAA-level competition for years. Whether they didn’t realize that the up-in-the-zone issue would be such a problem, or didn’t know that he lived up there, or thought that he would learn to change his approach, I dunno. But…They looked at him as a long-term acquisition to be a middle-to-back of the rotation starter. That’s it.
Agreed that the Igawa signing had nothing to do with Matsuzaka. I’ve always been under the belief that it had more to do with the fact that we didn’t think we could get Pettitte and din’t want to head into the year without and lefty in the rotation and no realistic lefty option in the minors.
If Igawa has to pitch another, I’d put him on Friday. It’s not a game that really counts, being only an interleague side show.
” . . . no realistic lefty option in the minors”
This was true then and is true now and it makes me scratch my head. Tie this together with the story referenced above that the Yanks are looking at a big right-hander from Vandy is confusing to me.
Are there no left-handed pitchers in the world worthy of or available to wear pinstripes? It doesn’t seem to me like it makes sense to not take a flyer on 2 or 3 lefties every draft to see if something good comes out of it. With the next stadium having the same dimensions as the current Yankee stadium this seems like a no-brainer.
“Because of yesterday’s rain out, the Yanks can just skip the #5 spot in their rotation this time around.”
.
and exactly how do you figure ?
.
Andy can’t pitch today AND Friday ( which would be HIS turn again, if we don’t put a #5 starter that day after Rasner pitches on Thursday with regular rest )…..The smart move is to put Giese on Thursday against the mighty Rays (LOL)…then let Rasner go against that Mets at the stadium, but if you let Rasner go on Thursday on regular rest and throw Giese on Friday, that is not a huge difference, IMHO.
” If Igawa has to pitch another, I’d put him on Friday. It’s not a game that really counts, being only an interleague side show. ”
.
dude, thanks for the heads up…so THIS YEAR….MLB is going to not count the interleague games in the actual standings, huh ?…I can’t believe I missed that 2008 rule change !
http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s6i35224
.
now remember, this is a joke, not real….but still very funny !
there are a bunch of LHPs in this draft, question is are they worth the risk
Anthony Gose has electric stuff, but is more of a supplemental pick
Michael Montgomery is another one but he’s a H.S. arm
Eric Hosmer HS arm a comparison for him would be potential LH Michal Owings and throws gas in the mid 90’s
Tim Murphy but he he tops out in the low 90’s, his attribute command
there are alot of LHPs my guess is people are jumping to conclusions the Yankees sent a scout and head doctor to keep pressing thier option no one is etched in stone not even Brett Jacobson
You’re crazy if you think Posada is a bigger loss than
A-Rod. Sure missing Jorge is huge, but Molina is actually a better defensive catcher than Posada. He handles the staff better, has a better arm, he’s just better behind the plate. Of course, Jorge has a much better bat. Also, we miss Jorge’s leadership, but he’s been around the team quite a bit since he was hurt.
By losing A-Rod we’re losing both defensively and offensively. A-Rod batting 4th just makes everybody batting around him that much better. I think people forget that this guy is one of the most potent offensive players of all time. Our offense is really going to take off once
A-Rod is back and starts to hit.
“He [Molina] handles the staff better…”
Really?
“dude, thanks for the heads up…so THIS YEAR….MLB is going to not count the interleague games in the actual standings, huh ?…I can’t believe I missed that 2008 rule change !”
The game won’t count as much as a game within the Eastern Division or the AL. It’s a valid point.
Mark Alan
May 12th, 2008 at 10:30 am
If Igawa has to pitch another, I’d put him on Friday. It’s not a game that really counts, being only an interleague side show.
************************************************************
Wrong. All wins and losses of 162 games count in the standings when the season is finished.
btw another guy I forgot to mention Austin Wright from Conant HS, Schaumburg, Ill.
he has supplemental pick or 2nd - 3rd rounder written all over him
Austin Wright
“He [Molina] handles the staff better…”
“Really?”
Yes he does.
Personally I think MLB needs to address and reconfigure the strike zone. Hitters seem to have a very large advantage. Back in the day, a pitch didn’t get high until it got elbow and sometime letter high. Today it seems belt high mostly.
Hitters basically sit and wait on near perfect pitches. I don’t believe today they are taught to guard the plate and well they should. Edge of plate pitches to often,mo, go to the hitter and shouldn’t. Hitters should have to take that close call and act on it. they shouldn’t have the luxury of waiting for near perfect pitch. The pitch commonly known as a good pitch should be swung on or the call should go to the pitcher. I hate to see anyone walk on a good pitch. jmho
““He [Molina] handles the staff better…”
“Really?”
Yes he does.”
It’s amazing that the Yankees have averaged 95 wins for the past 10 years considering how horrible a game caller Posada is.
“Yes he does.”
Brandon:
Please explain.
Dan Giese (if brought up) will not impede the progress of any pitcher in the organization.
He realizes that he would be a short term solution and was invited to spring training for a reason.
Igawa is no solution whatsoever and has proven that fact.
Losing Jorge and Alex were both big losses.
Molina has played well defensively so where Jorge is really missed is for his bat. Jorge’s righty power bat can not be replaced by the make-up of this team right now.
Alex in a line-up just makes a pitcher change his focus even if it isn’t him who gets the hit. I remember reading Kevin Long saying in an article pitchers tend to add a few miles an hour to their fastball for Alex. To me that speaks to the amount of efort an opposing pitcher has to exert when he is in the line-up compared to when he isn’t. That alone has to be better for the guys who hit around him and for the Yankees in the later innings of the game.
Watching Betemit the other night made me miss his glove too.
“It’s amazing that the Yankees have averaged 95 wins for the past 10 years considering how horrible a game caller Posada is.”
And especially considering - and I read it here so often - all the pitching blunders Cashman has made over that same period and thus the poor pitching that Posada has had to work with (mild sarcasm).
Brandon -
Thanks for the heads up on those lefties, do you mind forwarding that list to Cashman?
It just makes too much sense to do so that means it probably won’t happen.
I love Molinas arm. I love the snap play to first, seems he does that atleast once in a game. I’ve never seen him miss that by much. Molina is terrific in his role. lucky we have him. to compare him to Po other than armstrength is ridiculous.
TKinDC it’s not Cashman it’s Oppenheimer who makes the draft choice, Cashman can overrule him if the arm is that nasty, Andrew Brackman was an example of that , Cashman really really liked his upside despite the upcoming TJS Opp picked him on his ceiling of stuff alone, it may pay in the long run plus he fell to us because of Scott Boras.
“there are a bunch of LHPs in this draft, question is are they worth the risk”
Part of the issue is that everyone wants lefties, so it’s harder to get a good one down where the Yanks usually get to pick. OBVIOUSLY if there is a lefty and a righty available that are equally interesting (both have upside and downside that kinda balance out), you take the lefty. But, do you take a lefty that’s less promising than a righty, just because he’s a lefty? That’s not so clear-cut. I mean, if there’s a Brackman and a really promising but raw HS lefty available at the same time, which do you take? A righty that could be a dominant start in three years, or a lefty that probably won’t sniff AAA for four years?
Thing with Brandon’s list is that the Yanks would probably have to overdraft to get one of those guys. Take a supplemental-type lefty in the first round or some such. That’s tough to want to do.
“Wrong. All wins and losses of 162 games count in the standings when the season is finished.”
What am I missing? Yes all games technically “count” but all wins are not created equal.
As I see it, intradivisional games change divisional standings by a whole game, whereas a game between the Yankees and an extradivisional rival only cause the Yankees a half game change against divisional rivals. The playoff picture starts at the divisional level and then goes to the League level for the wild card. So, wins within the division are more valuable than wins in extradivisional AL games, and wins in extradivisional AL games are more important than wins in interleague play. No?
I’m not bashing Posada, I’m just saying the only reason that Molina is in the big leagues is because of the tools he brings to the game behind the plate. He calls a good game, frames pitchers better than Jorge, has a better arm, etc.
If you think we’ve lost anything defensively with Molina behind the plate instead of Posada, that’s just not right. Posada, while improved defensively over the years, is known as an offensive catcher.
Those balls that were smoked past Betemit the other night, while hit hard I’m sure A-Rod makes a play on at least one of those and maybe a few others.
“Brandon:
Please explain.”
he calls an agressive games, he keeps hitters guessing a perfect example is when he started sitting inside to RH and LH hitters forcing the staff to follow Girardi’s method of pitching inside. In Anaheim Molina was known for his framing and run stopping arm, he also blocks balls better and blocks the plate, Jorge’s framing ability is no where near Jose’s and Molina’s arm is better and more accurate, on top of that is his ability to stay w/ a pitch sequence, frame inside and low, high and tight, low and away he also reads the batter better it’s things you will notice as the season gets old.
Brandon - of course, if the Tigers were nice enough to let Rick Porcello fall to us, the Brackman issue could have been avoided
“But, do you take a lefty that’s less promising than a righty, just because he’s a lefty?”
At this point, when every promising arm in the organization seems to be connected to a pitcher’s right shoulder; YES!
Murphydog
You are not missing anything. Winning an intradivisional game is more important because it hurts the record of an intradivisional opponent. Intraleague wins are the next most important since they damage the record of a potential wild card opponent. Interleague wins count least since they only increase your win total and do nothing to hurt an opponent who may be vying for the same playoff spot your are vying for.
So, a win is not a win. They are different.
Bad Scooter Alex makes one play at 3B in that Detroit game the rest would have had the same result, I think whozat explained how horrible Igawa pitched and on purpose.
“Brandon - of course, if the Tigers were nice enough to let Rick Porcello fall to us, the Brackman issue could have been avoided”
well ofcourse
btw another guy I forgot to mention Austin Wright from Conant HS, Schaumburg, Ill.
he has supplemental pick or 2nd - 3rd rounder written all over him
Austin Wright
.
not to be picky…but Conant HS is in Hoffman Estates, IL ( I would know, as I graduated from that High School ) …
.
I believe you have to try to get the best player, regardless of his rt or lt arm. If you have a crystal ball or you are so loaded you can gamble on left and right, you’re lucky. Gotta go with the best player available in the long run, the odds are better.
“Thing with Brandon’s list is that the Yanks would probably have to overdraft to get one of those guys. Take a supplemental-type lefty in the first round or some such. That’s tough to want to do.”
Whozat this is so true, I mean the best LHPs are Brian Matusz and Brett DeVall, really highly doubt they fall at all, I understand Jacobson has a ceiling and may be the more smart pick but that’s why they scout them, Opp. has to notice LHP is essential and a high ceiling kid could pay in the future, but who knows it depends if they believe his stuff can translate to the MILB level before the MLB.
I’m pretty sure the Post article is right about the Yankees’ interest in Brett Jacobsen, but he isn’t viewed in most circles as a first-rounder. He’s more of a low supplemental to second round guy. The Yanks are better off letting him fall a bit before picking him. No need to pull a Jeremy Brown just because they like a guy.
Vito everywhere I checked it said Schaumburg, Ill. but thanks for the info I’m not from there so I gotta take your word for it.
OK….if our record is 100-62….or 99-63,,,,which record gives us the better chance of both winning the division AND having the best record in the AL ?
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Now after you think THAT stupid question over,,,riddle me this…..if the 99-63 record is a result of us putting Igawa on the mound one more time to get the snot knocked out of him by the Mets,,,does the loss actually not hurt us when all is said and done ?
.
We already threw one game away by trotting out that slug…throwing another one away is the same as forfeiting the first 2 games of the season….starting 0-2 and saying….” oh well, no big deal..there are lots of games left…those 2 games really weren’t that important “……don’t be SILLY, ALL !!!
http://www.conantcougars.com/
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go COUGARS !!!
http://www.conantcougars.com/sports/baseball/varsity_roster.htm
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Austin Wright…. Senior…. P/IF/OF
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I’ll bet he just lives in Schaumburg and goes to Conant. I lived in Hanover Park and went to Conant. ( ah, the bus system of the suburban Chicago school districts ! )
I’m posting just to keep Don Vito from a world record 5 consecutive posts.
We tease b/c we love
LHP Michael Montgomery of Hart HS in Valencia, CA,
LHP Michael Montgomery
he has conflicting reports on his fastball on PG it saids “His fastball topped at 87 mph with much more there” other sites have him at mid 90’s
Don Vito
I lived in Streamwood from 1980-1988. But I was just a little one than, than I moved to Naperville and only lived there two years.
I just saw Romo singing at the Cubs game yesterday.
Holy bad job batman
For some reason I’d like to see Igawa get another shot.
Anthony Gose is a special kid in this upcoming MLB draft, 18 in August, his bat is projected to a Juan Pierre, Corey Patterson w/ more power,he ran the 60 yard in 6.5 secs and his OF arm is immensely impressive not to mention he is an exciting OF by scouts account, but get this he threw off the mound at 95 mph. If that doesn’t say supplemental pick IDK what does.
“For some reason I’d like to see Igawa get another shot.”
Cinco De Mayo was last week man.
“For some reason I’d like to see Igawa get another shot.”
If it’s another shot with another team..I’m all for it.
GO TO MLB.COM and VOTE for all our YANKEES in the ALL STAR GAME this year.
How great would it be to see jeter, a-rod, cano, posada, abreu, matsui, and even melky out there to say goodbye to the stadium.
VOTE UP TO 25 times.
Melky is the only one right now worthy of my vote and Alex when he returns
Jennifer –
I lived in Naperville for 2 years, too! Moved to New Jersey to Naperville for husband’s job assignment of 2 years, and then back to NJ. Naperville is full of people who are only there for a few years. Great, great place, though and a big part of me wishes we could have stayed.
All Cashman needs to hear is what chanting comes out of Section 39 if Igawa’s name is announced over the PA system at the Stadium anymore.
seriously don’t know how Afterman is still here after Igawa’s purchase, IDK why the hell he was even called up, IDK why he hasn’t been released yet.
All of you guys discounting the Rays are going to look foolish. Who cares if they finish the season X games below .500. We are facing them RIGHT NOW. They are hot as hell on offense, and have the pitching to go with it.
Who said their bullpen is lousy?? They have 4 guys with an ERA under 2 sitting in the bullpen.
Can the same be said for the Yankees?
If it gets late in the game and the Rays have a lead, it will be tough for our offense to come back. Sad to say but the Yankees can’t reliably string together runs at the moment. We need to strike early and get the ball to Ohlendorf, Joba, and Mo to insure any kind of victory.
Eddie from the Bronx(nutty WFAN caller)-go to hell
gargoyle
May 12th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
“For some reason I’d like to see Igawa get another shot.”
I couldn’t agree more. Why not give him several more shots when the Yankees play the Red Sox!
Doreen
Wow what a small world!! While I was young, I loved the house we had, it was a split level. Great town though, and great downtown.
“Eddie from the Bronx(nutty WFAN caller)-go to hell”
he’s the biggest NY Giants hater I hear on WFAN
this year he couldn’t even man up after we won the Super Bowl
Eddie just called in and still couldn’t give the Giants any credit. Blah!
Let’s go Tampa Bay Rays!
Brandon, I’m not trying to pick a fight with you, honest. I agree that Molina seems to be a better defensive catcher, no question. He blocks better, he throws better and maybe he frames better.
My problem is with the contention that Molina calls a better game. If, as you suggest, pitching inside is Girardi’s method (presumably with Eiland’s support), how does that lead to the conclusions that a) sitting inside is attributable to Molina’s better game calling skills or that b) Po did not enforce Girardi’s method - Posada’s missed so many games already it’s hard to recall what he was doing this year.
I’m also not sure about the suggestion that Molina reads batters better. I’m willing to concede you might be right, but how can you clearly attribute that to Molina? Isn’t it just as reasonable to presume that hitter failure (swings and misses or chasing bad pitches) is a result of the new pitching approach authored by Girardi and Eiland that more consistently calls for working both sides of the plate?
Maybe a truer insight might come from comparing Po and Molina’s “catcher’s batting average against” or “catcher’s OBP against” with the same pitchers?
pete- any update on arods MRI
It’s ridiculous to even consider another start by Igawa. I know that fans are often too quick to throw someone under a truck, but this time it is justified. Anybody but Igawa, please!
From this morning’s Rob Neyer blog:
http://www.bugsandcranks.com/new-york-yankees/not-the-yankee-way-phooey/
Jennifer –
I loved the downtown. They have a bookstore, Anderson’s, that we still go online to get their book recommendations.
Huge “town” though! Three high schools Naperville North, Central and South, and all pretty high populations. And yet it felt like a small town. I also loved all the old Victorian homes in central Naperville. And everything was a 5-10, and no more than 20 minute drive.
Where I live now, the closest I am to anything except a supermarket is 20 minutes!
I also loved driving into Chicago, and I got a kick out of my kids (9 and 11 at the time) asking me where the bridges and tunnels were!
Brandon
Give it up on the Afterman thing. Her involvement in the Igawa signing did not involve player evaluation.
Rishi - great article. Thanks for the link.
No one thinks Igawa is worth anything at this point. Listened to XM this morning, and pretty much it comes down to the Yankees invested so much money in this guy that they have no choice but to keep giving him chances. At some point though, the chances have to stop coming, because he costs them games. Each loss is one less win accummulated toward a division or wild card title. (I know, how obvious can I be?)
But the thing is, he doesn’t ever show improvement where it counts. In the pen, at AAA, he’s seemingly made progress. But in a game, an effective part of an inning here and there just isn’t enough to build on. I could see if he could pitch a very effective 3 innings, say, keeping his pitches low in the zone for the most part, and maybe upon tiring, revert to his “normal.” But that’s not what I see. I see someone who struggles pitch to pitch, and who clearly is not able to change his pitching to accommodate this league.
“Melky is the only one right now worthy of my vote and Alex when he returns”
Give Godzilla some All-Star love (#2 in avg) and if you think that Jeter shouldn’t be out there for the last all-star game in Yankee Stadium you should have your fan-card pulled!!!
Wow they have 3 high schools now! When I lived there it was two!
I lived in the midwest till I was 12, so driving around NYC is all I know. All the tunnels and bridges, although I hate it!!
Thanks for the link Rishi. Good read.
“Brandon
Give it up on the Afterman thing. Her involvement in the Igawa signing did not involve player evaluation”
her job title consists of Analyzing player tendacies, signing free agents, tracking major league player movement, arbitration, negotiating contracts and budgeting… she is suppose to be a future GM in MLB and took the credit for Hideki Matsui how is it that she hasn’t made one peep about Kei Igawa and her contract is also done after this year.
“Give Godzilla some All-Star love (#2 in avg) and if you think that Jeter shouldn’t be out there for the last all-star game in Yankee Stadium you should have your fan-card pulled!!!”
excuse me ? I give you Matsui, don’t test my fan card if I choose not to put Jetes I’m sure he has alot of votes going his way anyway.
it’s difficult to imagine that anyone actually watching and scouting igawa would think he’d be good in the major leagues. his stats in japan though tell a different story. his numbers weren’t that much off from matsuzaka.
we’ll never know how the thought process went. i suspect the yankees looked more at stats rather than actual scouting , but no one is saying how they made the decision. the question now is what to do with him.
short of getting what they could from a japanese team, i would pitch his butt off at the A ball level ( so he’s not impacting doube or triple a players).
i would just wear him out with high pitch counts and innings and see if being pitched the way he was in japan would help him get his command back.
the yankees have other things to worry about.i suspect igawa is just going to be buried in the minors as a continuous project like karsay and pavano were because of injuries .
Not to question anyone’s fan card, but if not Jeter, then who for AL SS. Let us not forget that Tito is managing this team. We don’t want him choosing if Jeter goes or not.
w/ that said he will get my vote if he out produces the other SS options, in no way will I be a homer in my decision .308/.340/.398
I believe Igawa leds the Japanese leagues in strikeouts a couple of times. At the very least once. Even despite that the Yankees thought of him as nothing more than a back of the rotation starter. So they certainly accounted for him not having the same success, it just has been far far worse than expected.
Brandon (supporting…)
I applaud your purist instincts with regard to the All-Star voting. I used to be the same way. But the way the game is run and the purpose of the game are different now. It’s a fan-oriented game - it’s a popularity contest where the starters are the fan favorites. How else do you explain every fan being entitled to 25 votes (per e-mail address)?
So, now I vote for my favorite players (Yankees) rather than who actually deserves to be there. Most of the time it doesn’t bother my conscience because most of the time the Yankees players are right up there among the best in the league. This year, I will admit, causes a bit of a conundrum.
Plus, in my opinion, the ballots are available far too early, especially if votes are counted electronically (basically immediate results). So, again, if it were anything more than the “Fan Favorites Game” the ballots would be distributed in mid-June, when statistics have more or less stabilized and people have had as much of a chance as they want to see who’s playing best.
So, again, I do applaud your approach, but if “everyone else” is simply voting for their home guys regardless of performance, then I feel I should do the same.
I understand that Doreen but it’s my decision on which way to use my vote, I can’t stand for the homer vote, just looking at the SS #’s right now Jetes is a shoe in but it also makes me do a double take. It’s amazing how horrible the AL SS race is compared to the NL. .308/.340/.398 is the top in the AL. Could anyone imagine if Alex would have stayed a SS or if Rollins and Ramirez stayed in the AL ? the closest guy to Jetes is Micheal Young and Erick Aybar.
Im in the trade Igawa for a bat boy catagory. But keep in mind that Igawa e.r.a. was just a half run higher than dice k. The only other option we had that year was to get Ted Lilly. It would have cost more and he was older with some past injuries. I dont blame the Yankees for getting kei. I do though blame them for continuing to run him out there.
TKinDC ….you STOPPED me from getting a record ? I don’t think I can forgive you !
),,,,then graduated SIU - Carbondale in 1987.
jennifer….( OK, I am gonna date myself…) My family moved us to Streamwood in 1968 then moved to Hanover Park in 1969, stayed there until 1982 when I graduated from Conant High School ( in HOFFMAN ESTATES !!!
.
I love Chicago and the suburbs. My 2 teams are the Yankees and the Cubs and I dare say that I won’t be surprised if I ever see them play in a World Series in my lifetime !
ever = never ( oops )
Brandon -
Absolutely your decision.