Game 52: Yankees at Orioles
-
- May
- 27
YANKEES
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Giambi DH
Betemit 1B
Cano 2B
Molina C
Kennedy RHP
ORIOLES
Roberts 2B
Mora 3B
Markakis RF
Huff DH
Scott LF
Millar 1B
Hernandez C
Jones CF
Bynum SS
Burres LHP
Ian Kennedy (0-3, 7.27) vs. the Orioles hitters.
Brian Burres (4-4, 3.16) vs. the New York hitters.
Notes: Derek Jeter is 1 of his last 23. … A-Rod is 3 for 16 in the last four games with one RBI. … Hideki Matsui is 11 of 17 with 11 runs scored and five RBI in the last five games. He has gone from .297 to .331. … Melky Cabrera is 5 of 31 with two runs scored in the last nine games. If this keeps up, Brett Gardner could come knocking. … Chad Moeller is 4 for 12 with three RBI in his last three games. He was a nice pickup, especially considering the Nationals released him.
Back later with updates.
UPDATE, 6:02 p.m.: If you’re interested in the All-Star voting, here are the AL results so far.
Jeter leads the shortstops and A-Rod leads at third base. Cano is second at second (to Pedroia) and Matsui is in second among the DHs (to Ortiz).
If you’re getting caught up in the voting, you have way tooo much time on your hands.
UPDATE, 6:30 p.m.: Bad news for you readers in Trenton or Scranton. Jorge Posada will likely do all his rehab work in extended spring training. Joe Girardi said there were no plans for rehab games at any of the affiliates.
UPDATE, 7:21 p.m.: Here’s a revelation, Jason Giambi has been hitting the ball well lately. Maybe that will get him in the lineup tomorrow.
JORGE POSADA UPDATE
This from the AP: Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is set to take a big step in his rehabilitation program for a sore right shoulder Thursday when he is scheduled to resume throwing to the bases in an extended spring training game.
“We’ll see,†he said. “So far, so good.â€
Posada played catch in the outfield and threw to the bases during a pregame workout Tuesday before he caught six innings and went 3-for-6 with a double in his second extended spring game.
“Another step forward,†Posada said. “Get some at-bats, and now have a day off tomorrow and get ready to throw Thursday. It’s just a matter of getting ready to play games.â€
Four of Posada’s at-bats came against injured Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kris Benson, who has a strained groin. Posada went 2-for-4 with a double that went off the right-field fence.
UPDATE, 8:22 p.m.: So much for developing Ian Kennedy, I guess. Ross Ohlendorf now pitching.
Why doesn’t this team have a long reliever?
UPDATE, 8:39 p.m.: Ah, it turns out Ian Kennedy is injured. Slight strain in his right lat muscle.
No word on how long he’ll be out. But “slight” with the Yankees usually means “disabled list.”
Ladies and gentlemen, Joba Chamberlain. If he goes 50-55 tomorrow, he could start on June 3 and throw 80.
So much for the “What will we do with so many starters” problem. You never have too many starters.
UPDATE, 8:45 p.m.: Chase Ohlenforf does not seem to be the answer.
The good news is that “Sit In The Bleachers and get a Baseball Night” here at Camden Yards has been a huge success so far.
That’s nine home runs and we’re in the fifth inning.
UPDATE, 9:04 p.m.: And you thought Jose Reyes was the only New York shortstop who could get foolishly picked off second in a big spot.
UPDATE, 9:28 p.m.: This inning will be very telling for Edwar, one way or another. Big spot for him.
UPDATE, 9:31 p.m.: With Juan Miranda hurt and Jason Lane maybe on his way to the majors (or taking his out), the Yankees signed veteran Ben Broussard to a minor league contract Tuesday and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton. The 31-year-old Broussard hit .159 with three homers and eight RBI with Texas this season before he was designated for assignment May 8. Broussard started at first base for Scranton tonight and batted fourth.
UPDATE, 9:38 p.m.: They might as well give Wilson Betemit one of those fishing nets like the kids use at Yankee Stadium. His glove is useless at this point. The one thing Kevin Millar can’t do against the Yankees is run.
Still 8-8. This would really be a bad game to lose at this point. For either team.
UPDATE, 9:53 p.m.: You want the bad news or the bad news?
The rain is coming. The grounds crew is standing behind the tarp and the wind is whipping here at the ballpark. It’s going to start raining in any second. And nobody is waming up for the Yankees. This game is apparently in the hands of Krazy Kyle.
UPDATE, 9:56 p.m.: But wait, there is hope. Now warming for the Yankees, Mariano Rivera.
UPDATE, 9:59 p.m.: And now it’s raining.
UPDATE, 10 p.m.: Jeter can’t get a bunt down and earlier he got picked off second. Nice night for the Captain.
Meanwhile it’s so windy that Edwar has been sent to the clubhouse.
UPDATE, 10:06 p.m.: Rain delay. Joe Girardi is pretty mad. Maybe he’ll kick his hat again, that usually works.
UPDATE, 10:30 p.m.: The rain is starting to let up. There are a bunch of shirtless fat guys behind the Yankees dugout. (I’m still in the pressbox). It appears we will finish this game at some point this evening. I would imagine Mariano will pitch.
This is, I’m pretty sure, the seventh game this season that has either been suspended by or delayed by rain.
UPDATE, 10:39 p.m.: They’re pulling the tarp. I’ll let you know when the game is scheduled to start.
UPDATE, 10:42 p.m.: They’re playing Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash. Then followed that with Thriller by Michael Jackson. How insane is that?
Now it’s raining again.
UPDATE, 10:47 p.m.: Tarp back on the field.
UPDATE, 10:55 p.m.: Now they’re taking the tarp off the field. This is like watching a Three Stooges episode.
UPDATE, 11:02 p.m.: They just announced the game will start at 11:15 p.m.
UPDATE, 11:10 p.m.: Mariano will be pitching when the game resumes. Markakis, Huff and Scott due up for the Birds. Just a handful of folks left in the yard.
UPDATE, 11:49 p.m.: If they can’t score here they never will.
UPDATE, 11:50: p.m.: This is quite a game. A-Rod grounds into a double play fielder’s choice with the bases loaded then Matsui singles to center and Abreu scores from second.
Now do you burn Mo out for a few days or bring in Hawkins?
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why is a-rod slumping?!!!
here is a question how much of Melky’s 5-31 is due to the fact that we have been facing left handers and he has had to be batting from his weak side? I know early in the year he was hitting much better from the right side but maybe too many rh at bats and he becomes more exposed.
As much as I think we would all like to see Gardner he is a left handed bat and based on what Cashman said last week I dont think we will see him anytime soon for himto sit on the bench especially as he is a left bat
The Melkman had better stay right here, he was our best hitter the first couple months.
Betemit from the right side is a sure out, Why not shelly???
I don’t think they will dump Melky for Gardner. If they are willing to stick with Shelley, who clearly belongs down in AAA, they aren’t dumping Melky after everything he has accomplished these last two years.
Two posts after Pete chides commenters for declaring the Yankees done this early in the season, he’s doing the same with Melky. Pot, kettle. Kettle, pot.
I don’t like Betemit either, but Shelley has had a ton of chances the last week or so and besides the 3-Run HR, he hasn’t done much. You sent down Alberto Gonzalez so Betemit could return, so you might as well make use of him.
Betemit in place of Melky? and playing first base? Ouch. (they’re both switch hitters so why don’t give Damon a break against the lefty?).
The “bad” outfield with flyball pitcher Kennedy. Let’s all pray for Matsui in LF.
hope im wrong but i see betamit striking out at least twice tonight.
CM ,
I don’t think Pete was claiming Melky is washed up. He just gave a stat and remarked about how Melky can’t continue playing that way for the rest of the season. If Melky is still hitting .161 (5/31=.161) in the next couple months or so, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gardner gets a call-up.
Betemit isnt great….but his bat from what ive seen is no worse than shelleys….and his defense is in most situations better…..betemit can atleast get a runner in scoring position by putting the ball in play…....shelley whiffs a whole lot.
I dont get all the hatred towards Mr. Wilson…..hes better than Ensberg and Duncan (Duncan does have the energy and occassional power however).....but I do like Alberto.
“I don’t think Pete was claiming Melky is washed up. He just gave a stat and remarked about how Melky can’t continue playing that way for the rest of the season. If Melky is still hitting .161 (5/31=.161) in the next couple months or so, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gardner gets a call-up.”
The only problem is, you could say that about half our lineup. That said, I feel good baout tonight.
And the Melkman.
He delivers. Or so I’ve heard.
Ah, Kennedy-Burres part 2
So it feels like that the Yankees have been facing a lot of lefties lately; which leads me to wonder, what’s the ratio of lefty starters in the league?
baout = about
Damn dyslexic typing.
Melky has a tough stretch for nine games and suddenly someone is threatening to take his job? Wow. Melky continues to get no respect. Giambi and Cano spent the first six weeks of the season doing next to nothing, but there was never any thought about them losing their jobs. Why Melky gets so little respect in New York is beyond me. . .maybe he needs to grow a mustache to entice those sportswriters. . .
j- im more concerend with damon in center then matzuie in left
One more thing, Jeter is 1 for his last 21. I guess that means Alberto Gonzales could come a knocking if he keeps that up. . .(sarcasm)
I’ve been pleased with Moeller as well, he is decent behind the plate and has looked pretty sharp with the bat for his last few outings. As for Betemit, let’s give him a shot. Duncan wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire and we still have Giambi’s bat in the line-up. I’d also like to see Kennedy build upon the progress he made last week. I think getting himself out of trouble those few times have (hopefully) built up his confidence in his ability.
its a good lineup. i don’t mind betemit at 1B – just PLEASE don’t put him back at 3B. And I’m a little skeptical at Matsui in OF. His fielding skills seem to be decreasing at rapid pace.
Cashman said last week on a radio interview he wouldnt call for Gardner to join the MLB roster unless it was for full time duty, because the organization still views him as a potential everyday OF and they want him to continue to get regular ABs rather than sit on the bench, like Alberto was just doing.
I’m not for or against Melky really, but if our starting CF continues to hit under .200 thru the middle of June, something has to give no matter how well he hit in April.
Gardner hasnt been lighting it up, but he has continued to produce an OBP over .390 while stealing bases, albeit not as effectively as you’d hope.
Cathy – Matsui did throw a runner out at home over the weekend. So his D isn’t so bad. He’s not as speedy as Damon, but the arm is much better.
Why is A-rod slumping? For $25M a year, he should NEVER slump! He should ALWAYS deliver the big hit! Otherwise, you gotta throw money at the Giambis and Damons and Abreus of the world. A-Rod should be hitting .400 and have 25 homers by now, despite his time on the DL. What is the MATTER with him???
giambi’s dh’ing alot lately. i wonder if he’s banged up.
please tell me Bet is batting from the left side
why is Morgan Ensberg still on this roster and please do not tell me Lane deserves a shot his splits stinks in AVG and OBP %.
Damon in CF ????? OUCH !!!
This calls for at least 2 cutoff men for anything not caught.
betemit can certainly bat from the left side if he wants, but burres is a lefty.
someone in one of the earlier threads asked about all star voting update.here you go. Time for Yankee fans to stuff some ballot boxesif they want to see more Yankees – although not sure there are many out there who really deserve the spot at this point
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080526&content_id=2775189&vkey=allstar2008&fext=.jsp
Damon is in CF ! oh god HOW DID I MISS THAT
excellent question about ensberg, if they’re gonna use betemit vs. lefties, what is the reason for keeping ensberg?
oops posted wrong link this is the actual vote totals etc
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080526&content_id=2775189&vkey=allstar2008&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb#ballotResults
Good move benching Melky for a day, he needed a day off in the worst way.
The Yankees get useful players off the Nationals scrap heap (Rasner, Moeller), shouldn’t it work the other way? Jim Bowden is not a good GM. He makes some good moves but a LOT of bad ones. With a team like the Nats there is very little room for error.
gayle,
lol. I thought I was the only one waiting for the real Yankees to show up before I voted. I’ll do my full share before the deadline, though.
Brandon,
Here’s a funny vid link for you. #2 is better than #1.
N-joy.
http://lakers-fan.com/?page_id=3
The Nationals also released Rasner.
“This calls for at least 2 cutoff men for anything not caught.”
You think red sox would let us borrow Manny for a day?
WTF ?
Betimit blows. Putting damon in cf is insane. he can’t throw ANYBODY out. Runners will take second automatically.
I’d get rid of Betemit, Ensberg, Hawkins and retool that bench and add a long man. Someone with speed on the bench wouldn’t hurt either. That means you Gardner.
Package Betemit with some prospects to Pittsburgh and get a lefty and Mientzciewismwitz back to play 1b and be a def replacement.
mel,
Whadya think? 2-2 going back to L.A.? Its all about Ginobli.
GO RED WINGS!!
The early line shows Betemit with 2 K’s and Damon with one runner allowed to score due to a weak throw from CF.
Both at 7 to 5 odds.
Can someone please tell me Bronson Arroyo did for Mike F. What is his fasination with him? He has a 6 era in the NL CENTRAL!!
No amount of ballot stuffing is going to erase leads around 200,000 votes. The Red Sox fans will keep voting for their own, as will all the Yankee haters who just want to annoy us. Don’t be surprised if Lowell ends up beating out A-Rod. Freaking fan voting…
Plus they have the manager, who’s taking Papelbon and Matsuzaka guaranteed. He’ll probably take another of his starters, maybe Beckett, maybe Lester, maybe both. Anyone else? He’ll be nice and give us Rivera. 7+ to 3. With 5 to 2 starters.
Nice All Star game for the Stadium’s last year.
jennifer he probably hasnt seen him pitch in a few years and still thinks he is the same pitcher who was with the Red Sox back in the day. Also it is actually a name that he knows
Hatteberg, anyone? he’s been DFA by the Reds since his role was limited and his position was taken by the rookie, Joey Votto. I would take his defense over Giambi’s. Hatteberg could still hit.
Jenn. did he go there again
SoS,
LOL. Like I said earlier, it’s too crazy to call. Check out the video link I gave Brandon. It’s all up to the “Machine”.
“Package Betemit with some prospects to Pittsburgh and get a lefty and Mientzciewismwitz back to play 1b and be a def replacement.”
this is just genius not only do we give Pitt. prospects but we send them a better batter and take back a defender who can’t hit. Atleast Bet from the left side drives in runs
On paper, we look like we have a tough matchup with IPK vs. their guy….time for the offense to break OUT and give us another 10 spot !!
I’m a little skeptical at Matsui in OF. His fielding skills seem to be decreasing at rapid pace.——————————————————-
Matsui DHes most of the time. It’s not like riding a bike; You can’t expect him to play superb defense.
Not only did Pete mention how badly Melky was doing, but he also mentioned Jeter’s slump in the same stat-update. I think he was just stating the facts.
Nobody is going to replace Jeter, Giambi, or Cano, whereas Melky has Austin Jackson, Jose Tabata, and Brett Gardner who could theoretically take his job (granted, they’re a few years away).
Betemit isn’t going anywhere. Cashman loves him. He’s his pet project. He’s what we got for a decent set up guy?? Uggh.
mel,
Couldnt watch more than 20 sec. Its all about the big 3 and getting into the paint.
hey thanks for showing me how to alter my name. Hope its not too drastic? Who am i kidding. Yes i do.
not that im in favor of that trade, but id still like to have mientkiewicz even though he cant hit. he’d go in on d when we’re winning and using our all RH bullpen.
Why shouldn’t the Sox get multiple All Stars? Thats one of the perks of winning a title isn’t it??
Vlad is 3rd for OF!!!???!!!
all star voting has become a JOKE
Im all for trying Hattaberg out. Cant be worse than the options we have. Werent some of us looking to trade for him recently?
jennifer: Well, Arroyo is having a sucky season, but the NL Central isn’t exactly a light hitting division. The Brewers are the worst in the NL Central, runs per game-wise…at 4.39.
The Yankees generate 4.37 runs a game.
In other words, the worst offense in the NL Central would still slide in at 8th in the AL.
For that matter, the NL Central also does house the Cubs, who lead MLB in offense at 5.71 runs per game.
Which leads to…
Is it a matter of inferior pitching, superior hitting, or a combination of both that is behind the higher run production in the NL?
Having a 1b on the roster who could actually field the position wouldn’t be a bad thing now would it????
Ok, time for some Russ’ tidbits on they Yanks…First, they are in last place. $209 million payroll and last place, has this ever happened before? Second, Kennedy is pitching tonight, so far this season when he pitches, Yanks have 0% chance of winning, so chalk up a loss tonight. Third, folks, quit getting giddy on the Yanks 5 game winning streak. Three of those were against Seattle, the worst team in the league. Fourth, the Red Sox have beaten KC four times as many times this seasaon as the Yankees. Fifth, I believe the Red Sox have been out on the west coas twice, have the Yankees? Yanks usually only win 25% on the west coast. When you add all these factors in, that is why the Yanks will win about 80-82 games this year. I haven’t even mentioned, Igawa, Hughes, Hawkins, etc. or that the Yanks are “in the easiest part of their schedule”.
alot of us have pointed to not having a glove man behind giambi as cash’s worst roster mistake this season.
It has happened Russ. Last yr. They were in last at this time.
How many wins did they end up with??
Brett Gardner should be promoted. He’s got a .280 avg and almost .400 obp. Melky is too streaky…Yanks should light a fire under him. Gardner can run too, which the Yankees could use to manufacture runs. With Gardner in the majors, Austin Jackson (a long-term solution) could be promoted and would take the next step in his development.
Already…everybody listen up!
Apparently the Yankees “usually” only win about 25% of their games on the West Coast…somebody call Cashman and tell him to forfeit the games. The players wont be as jetlagged from flying cross country and the Yankees will come across as eco-friendly for saving the fuel required to fly cross-country.
thanks russ.
Brandon (supporting “Alex being Alex”) (J.Santana HR allowed count: 11 ) May 27th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
“Package Betemit with some prospects to Pittsburgh and get a lefty and Mientzciewismwitz back to play 1b and be a def replacement.â€
this is just genius not only do we give Pitt. prospects but we send them a better batter and take back a defender who can’t hit. Atleast Bet from the left side drives in runs
Brandon is the same guy who was advocating Aaron Boone to solve our problems about 3 hrs ago. So take it with a grain of salt.
Don’t worry. Russ is the guy whos first in line for playoff tickets in September.
“Package Betemit with some prospects to Pittsburgh and get a lefty and Mientzciewismwitz back to play 1b and be a def replacement.â€
this is just genius not only do we give Pitt. prospects but we send them a better batter and take back a defender who can’t hit. Atleast Bet from the left side drives in runs
So, having a shutdown lefty in the pen like Grabow or Marte isn’t worth Betemit?? You serious? Where does Betemit PLAY on this team??
I think having a good lefty outweighs the value of Betemit hitting 5 homers every 50 at bats and striking out every other trip.
“Having a 1b on the roster who could actually field the position wouldn’t be a bad thing now would it????”
believe it or not a 1B who can’t hit is actually worse for us. Betemit can play 1B, he just is average at 3B and SS.
Betemit for Proctor was a total steal. We got a versatile player who mashes against the majority pitching type(righties) and can play multiple positions
Proctor has a 5.4 era in 24 IP this season and has given up 6 HRs.
Torre burned him out and it was a complete steal for Cashman to get an actual player for him when it was obvious he was gonna be burned out.
I’d rather see the Attorney General on the team. At least he can play SS and 2b and run.
“Betemit isn’t going anywhere. Cashman loves him. He’s his pet project. He’s what we got for a decent set up guy?? Uggh.”
The above referenced decent set-up guy is pitching to a 5.25 era. Scott Proctor for Betemit is essentially a push IMO
Russ please go on a permanent vacation, loser….
Why would Yanks give anyone up for Doug when they had him and let him go? We don’t need another player to complain about anyway and that’s what he would be.
“So, having a shutdown lefty in the pen like Grabow or Marte isn’t worth Betemit?? You serious? Where does Betemit PLAY on this team??
I think having a good lefty outweighs the value of Betemit hitting 5 homers every 50 at bats and striking out every other trip.”
wakeup the Pirates are not giving us Grabow or Marte for Betemit and who do you want to package w/ Bet, the first thing they ask is Tabata or Jackson, none of those 2 in anyway should be traded for a Marte or Grabow. So where are we getting at ? Who ?
“Betemit isn’t going anywhere. Cashman loves him. He’s his pet project. He’s what we got for a decent set up guy?? Uggh.”
Scott Proctor? He of the 1.41 WHIP and averages about 4.5 walks per nine?
Betemit cannot play SS. Someone didn’t watch spring training games. Hence why they promoted Gonzalez when Jeter went down. He is the 3rd 1b on the roster who can’t run and strikes out every other trip to the plate. What value does he have??
Someone enlighten me. The Pro-Betemit people are really grasping at straws here.
Melky is too streaky so we need to promote a rookie from the minors?
Interesting approach.
Betemit can play a decent SS. 2B is his weakest position. One spring training doesn’t negate a career.
“wakeup the Pirates are not giving us Grabow or Marte for Betemit and who do you want to package w/ Bet, the first thing they ask is Tabata or Jackson, none of those 2 in anyway should be traded for a Marte or Grabow. So where are we getting at ? Who ?”
Who knows who they ask for. I’m not a GM. Packaging Betemit and a pitcher or two or whoever would help this team now wouldn’t it? And you think the pitchers would like having Doug M at 1b???
I’m sorry if anyone thinks Betemit is good but you are out of your minds.
Montclair answer my question first
The problem with Gonzalez being able to play 2nd and SS is that we already have pretty good guy (at least I think they are good) who play that position so basically he wits on the bench on the off chance that one of them gets hurt or we are blowing out a team so he gets the late innings rather than be in Scranton where he can play every day and if god forbid anything happens to one of those two guys we have someone who is fresh and ready to go rather than someone who has been sitting the pine pretty much.
Hmm, looking a bit further into the lists, the NL averages 4.6 runs a game, while the AL averages 4.4; the NL has a bigger gap between ceiling (Cubs at 5.71) and floor (Padres at 3.5). Also, the NL has 3 teams noticably below 4 runs a game (with the Nats highest among them at 3.85). The AL has the Royals at 3.55 and the Blue Jays at 3.92. The AL also has a few around 4 runs a game, then several more teams bunched up in the mid 4’s. The NL on the other hand, seems to climb up, then plateau a bit around the high 4’s. Interesting…
—-
Pittsburgh’s asking price will be higher than you’d like, Montclair. Unless you wouldn’t mind sending over a Tabata or Austin Jackson for Marte.
Wow- a line-up with the greatest possible amount of production as oppossed to obsession with leftie-rightie match-ups. Hooray!
Give up on the Shelley Duncan obsession- yes, he hit lots of home runs in AAA, but so did Henlsey Muelens. Betemit has more speed and is better defensively. Plus, I think he can hit .134 just as easily as Duncan can.
Melky needs a day off and hasn’t been hitting- how many more times do you want to see rallies dies at the bottom of the line-up?
Only thing I would protest is Molina in there- Moehler is the hot bat. But Molina did have that sweet double this weekend.
Betemit is so good at SS that they promoted Gonzalez after 2 days of watching Betemit play SS. That is what they think of him. that he couldn’t even play 6 games at the position. And he’s the UTL guy???
Please. Spare me. Spin him now while he has trade value.
Melky is awesome in center. He has bailed out the Yankee’s pitchers on a number of instances. I wonder… Does Melky have to stop hitting when Cano is seeing the ball well?
“believe it or not a 1B who can’t hit is actually worse for us. Betemit can play 1B, he just is average at 3B and SS.”
I agree, in fact I think that Betemit would be an above average fielding 1B given enough playing time. Frankly I’d much rather have a guy at first who can hit rather than a guy at first who can field. If Giambi continues improving I’d be okay with him at first for the rest of the season. I think Betemit could fullfill the role of late inning replacement at first.
plus Gonzo needs playing time and has no pop in his bat, he is either a single or double, not a run producer.
imo we already have a 1b who can hit (giambi) but we dont have one who can play 1b. having both would be the way to go. if we had one, he could go in for the 7th, 8th and 9th innings 3-5 days per week when we are winning. we already have duncan and betamit to p/h so it would be very beneficial to have someone who can play defense at 1b (in ensberg’s spot)
i know I’m biased, but doesn’s Melky add more through his defense/arm and servicable bat than Damon? Except that Damon makes $13 million thorugh 09.
Don’t think anyone is in love with Betemit but Minky is not the answer to the Yanks problems.
Torre used to take half the Yanks’ roster.
Right now the RS have legitimate all-stars in Youkilis, Pedroia, Manny, Ortiz and Varitek, plus Papelbon and Matsuzaka. Lowell could slide in on last year’s WS performance. Yanks have Rivera. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
How do you know that Pittsburgh will ask for Austin Jackson for Marte? If they do you hang up and move on to another team and you find a lefty. What’s so hard about it? Huntington in Pitts isn’t Bowden or Chuckie LeMarr. Give him some credit for sense.
Gardner isn’t an upgrade over Melky, he’s not even an equal to Melky. The guy has 5-6 bad games and people want to run him out of town. The only way Gardner gets called up is if there is an injury.
I was watching “first and ten” on ESPN and its amazing how clueless Skip Bayless is, calling the Yankees moving Joba to the rotation “an act of desperation”. How guys like this get their own shows is beyond me.
I’ve been listening to people hype McCutchen for the last few months and I just don’t see what the fuss is all about. Can he really start in the majors? Is his stuff good enough?
In my opinion, the impact starters in our system are guys like Betances (even though he got shelled yesterday), Heredia, Aceves, and Brackman. The problem is that none of these guys are close to being ready. Impact bullpen arms are more plentiful and closer to being ready (Robertson, Cox, Melancon, Sanchez).
I’m going to get killed for saying this….. if Giambi has a decent year I think you have to consider bringing him back on a one-year deal if he’ll take it. Pay the buyout and sign him to a reasonable deal. That’s much better than throwing 140MM at Texiera in my opinion. Its short term and gives us another year to develop the position players in the system. And Giambi’s an OBP machine. As bad as he’s looked his stats are above average for 1st baseman. And he doesn’t even play every day. A Texiera deal will only hurt the team long term. Its deals like that that make the roster inflexible like it is now. Its why we can’t trade 3/4 of the roster. No one wants the bloated salaries and dead weight.
The only guy I’d try and trade is Damon. He has a year and a half left on his deal. 13MM is obviously more than he’s worth, but his salary is not that insane when you look at some of the other contracts out there. Then you bring up Gardner, get faster, better defensively, and get younger. But you don’t bring him up to replace Melky. That’s just silly.
“O Dog
May 27th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Betemit isn’t going anywhere. Cashman loves him. He’s his pet project. He’s what we got for a decent set up guy?? Uggh.”
If Scott Proctor qualifies as a decent set-up guy, then the Yanks bullpen is better than I thought! This year Proctor has a 1.41 WHIP and a 5.25 ERA. And he’s given up 6 HRs! By way of comparison, Farnsworthy is 1.50/7 and Hawkins is 1.31/6.08/2. All in the same neighborhood.
As someone said earlier, if the opponent is starting a lefty, you’re not playing Shelley, and you don’t use Ensberg, there is no reason for Ensberg to be on the roster. Betemit is not a good right-hand batter. At all. When A Rod was out, by the end, Girardi was playing the Attorney General against lefties. Ensberg literally has no role. It’s a wasted roster spot. I think Cash and Girardi have to get on the same page on Ensberg and something has to give (either Girardi plays him in situations like tonight, or Cash DFAs him).
Betemit is so good at SS that they promoted Gonzalez after 2 days of watching Betemit play SS. That is what they think of him. that he couldn’t even play 6 games at the position. And he’s the UTL guy???
I say keep Betemit, get rid of Ensberg, call up Gonzalez. In my opinion Gonzalez will never be more than a backup for the Yanks (he will never replace Jeter or Cano hes just not good enough). If thats the case (which is up for debate) then he won’t be damaged by getting less play time. I could make the same argument for Gardner but I think he could actually become a regular on this team in the future. In my opinion the best bench we could assemble is Betemit, Molina, Gardner, Gonzalez. For the sake of Gardner’s development I’d keep him in AAA though and maybe keep Duncan for the time being.
I’d rather have Minky on the roster at this point than Betemit. What point does Betemit serve? He cant play SS and hes slow and he strikes out all the time. At least Minky can play Gold Glove caliber defense at 1b.
Betemit has less purpose on this roster than Ensberg.
i hop the red sox nation keeps stuffing the ballot box. who caaaares?!?
I’d much rather have arod and Jetes relaxing, healing and blowing off steam to prepare for a busy final 3 1/2 months of the season. Let manny, ortiz, lowell and company deal with the hoopla and BS.
Gardner doesn’t hit enough to play everyday. The guy has no power. As a 4th outfielder. Fine.
Regarding the last thread which is now gone dry of comments, I agree with giving Edwar Ramirez a shot in the 8th until he proves otherwise.
I personally don’t agree with handing the 8th to one pitcher at this point in the Yankees season. Not with this team and this specific bullpen. The hot hand should get the 8th, and as of now in my opinion it’s Ramirez.
My main problem with the pen as of right now is Kyle Farnsworth, and not just because I cringe every time he gets the ball.
Farnsworth almost dictates his rules; no back-to-back games and no multi-inning appearances. That limits a lot of flexibility for the bullpen. Not only that, but he’s Kyle Farnsworth, not Mariano Rivera, or even J.J. Putz for that matter. He shouldn’t be able to dictate his terms the way he pitches.
With Joba transitioning we are essentially down a reliever. If Farnsworth pitches one day, he can’t go the next, and then we are down 2 guys. Say Joba starts soon (without sending down another starter) and throws a lot of pitches and only gets through 5 innings. Are we supposed to burn out Ohlendorf and Ramirez in June/July just so Farnsworth can ride the pine for a day? I’d much rather see Chris Britton or Jeff Karstens in the pen with their flexibility than Farnsworth.
His uncontrollable fastball and dicey slider are nothing more than deadweight loss at this point. Signed for the 8th inning, proven to be unable to do it, time to move on, for flexibility’s sake.
At least Hawkins can eat up 2 garbage innings at a time.
Jeter, Giambi, Matsui, A-rod, Rivera, and Wang are all in the mix for the allstar game.
Which also doesn’t matter and is not any kind of indication that anything has fallen.
Pedroia is a legit allstar? With his 95 OPS+??? or is it his average defense that puts him over the top?
Cano should be an allstar based on his defense alone compared to Pedroia.
Is it too much to ask for a win tonight?
“Jeter, Giambi, Matsui, A-rod, Rivera, and Wang are all in the mix for the allstar game.”
Wang is the only one who deserves it. Maybe Matsui.
How can you defend Betemit? What has he shown since last July? A few bombs? The guy is a tease. Take it from someone that watched him all the time in LA. He teases you with size and power and he is a total dud. That guarantees he hits a homer tonight.
I don’t get bent out of shape over all star voting. I just don’t care too much.
Yes, 162 games is a long season but at some point the Yankees have to take on the reasoning that wins in April and May count as much as wins in August and September.
Short of calling this a giveway game, a lineup like this would never be used in late September if the standings showed a differential of 1 or 2 games.
“Is it too much to ask for a win tonight?”
Vs Burress and his Cy Young performances vs us? It might be.
“Right now the RS have legitimate all-stars in Youkilis, Pedroia, Manny, Ortiz and Varitek, plus Papelbon and Matsuzaka.”
Pedroia – .728 OPS
Manny – .866 OPS
Ortiz – .835 OPS
Youk – .918 OPS
Varitek – .844 OPS
Giambi is having a better season than Ortiz and Matsui is having a better season than Manny. The only guys on that list you mention that deserve an all-star bid are Youkilis and Papelbon.
Betemit will K three times.
“Pedroia – .728 OPS
Manny – .866 OPS
Ortiz – .835 OPS
Youk – .918 OPS
Varitek – .844 OPS
Giambi is having a better season than Ortiz and Matsui is having a better season than Manny. The only guys on that list you mention that deserve an all-star bid are Youkilis and Papelbon.”
So OPS is the only factor in deciding All star votes now??
“Cano should be an allstar based on his defense alone compared to Pedroia.”
The media starts blushing when they get to witness Pedroia dive needlessly (like a balding boy in the sandlot) for balls that Cano would effortlessly glide to…
but Cano is the one that gets ripped because apparently his gliding appears to be too “nonchalant”. maybe Cano should start rolling around on the field after ground balls as well.
“Wang is the only one who deserves it. Maybe Matsui.”
It doesn’t matter who deserves it. Right now, the Red Sox are winning almost every position. We cannot have an All Star Game at the Stadium where most of the spots are taken by Red Sox. Vote for all Yankee players whether they are hitting .300 or not!!
Who are you going to put in over Jeter at short stop? Sucktastic though he may be, he is still at the top of the SS’s in the AL. Michael Young has a .20 point higher OPS, but its still under 800! SS is a disaster in the AL this year.
Giambi is 2nd in the league at 1st.
Matsui is 2nd!!! in the league at DH. yes, he even beats ORTIZ. only Milton Bradley is better(who by the way the Yankees would have signed if Torre didn’t refuse to play him).
A-rod is great, all star!
To all those pining for Doug Mientkiewicz, consider his 2008 stats:
.207 BA/.316 OBP/.305 Slugging
His defense at first is not worth having yet another guy on the roster who can’t hit.
“So OPS is the only factor in deciding All star votes now??”
I don’t believe anyone ever said that. He was responding to another poster saying all those guys were legitimate all-stars.
“Cano should be an allstar based on his defense alone compared to Pedroia.”
..I love Cano, but you can’t be serious. Cano had a miserable start to the season offensively, and although he has a great glove, is he making unbelievable plays that warrant him an All-Star Spot?
Pedroia
What is the All-star criteria?!!? IS IT POPULARITY?
Who should the true all-stars be?!?
Some combination of offense and defense?! (yes)
Red Sox are winning on name recognition, they don’t necessarily deserve to be an allstar
“Giambi is having a better season than Ortiz and Matsui is having a better season than Manny.”
Ortiz: 2471240.355.479
Giambi: 230924.387.508
You should get your facts right before you say absurd things like that. 16 more RBI’s is ridiculous.
Pedroia has a 700 ops
Cano has a 600 ops
Cano is way better on defense
Pedroia is the size of a roomba
I was using hyperbole to make a point about Pedroia’s abilities, but it would not be inconceivable for Cano to make it over Pedroia.
The point I was trying to make was that this roster should have a good lefty reliever and a great defensive 1b.
I’d take Minky over Betemit anyday of the week. And I’d beg for a Marte or a Grabow.
It is flat out ridiculous that a 225$ mill payroll doesn’t have a lefty or a real 1b on it.
For all the knocks against Betemit, watch him be the star of the game tonight.
JB: RBIs are not an indicator of player ability
Mitch- Id rather have a gold glove first baseman that cant hit than a Wilson Betemit than cant hit or field.
“Ortiz: 247 12 40 .355 .479
Giambi: 230 9 24 .387 .508
You should get your facts right before you say absurd things like that. 16 more RBI’s is ridiculous.”
You do realize that RBI are based upon people getting on base ahead of you right?
mitch, you put mientkiewicz in ensberg’s place and this is a much better team. it doesnt matter if he never hits, he doesnt start, he just finishes.
with our all rh bp, other teams are stacking thier LH hitters and keeping a lh bat on the bench to face our bullpen. to have doug there in place of giambi late in games is a big plus. and all you lose is ensberg off the roster to do it.
Thank you Mitch a beautiful .621 OPS
and vs LHP .083/.154/.083 and an OPS of .237 yeh great guy to choose, I for the life of me can not understand why people call for this guy.
“Pedroia is the size of a roomba”
This is hilarious.
“Pedroia is the size of a roomba”
this made today’s comments worth reading
thanks!
“Let manny, ortiz, lowell and company deal with the hoopla and BS.”
Because they’ve never dealt with hoopla and BS well before? Two of them dealt with a 3-0 playoff series deficit, the other one dealt with two 3-1 deficits. All lead to championships.
The fact is the ASG is a fans thing and right now the Sox are the Champs and are in 1st place and their manager picks the reserves.
Get used to seeing Varitek, Peds, Dice K on the team.
Pete,
Bringing up Brett Gardiner as a replacement for Melky is just silly. He is a lefty hiting outfielder with no power. The Yankees need another left-handed hitter?
Please!
“with our all rh bp, other teams are stacking thier LH hitters and keeping a lh bat on the bench to face our bullpen.”
Has this been a problem that has plagued the Yankees this year? I’m talking about not having a LH reliever in the pen?
I don’t feel like lookign it up but I’m pretty sure that it’s not a major problem.
Edwar Ramirez can pitch to lefties if that’s the case. His change up is death to left handers.
“You do realize that RBI are based upon people getting on base ahead of you right?”
I forgot that Giambi hits behind Damon, Jeter, Abreu, A-Rod, and Matsui.
How dare I forget that.
We had a lefty. His name was Billy Traber. Great lefty stats last season and this spring training. Then he bombed.
Beyond that, who would want to trade a good lefty?
Right now, a good bat has far greater priority for a position player, as the offense is the largest weakness. As SJ pointed out, if you take out the games against the Mariners, the offense drops to below 4 runs a game. No pitching staff can make up for that (see: Cleveland).
The handedness of a pitcher doesn’t matter, so long as they can get out the side they are brought in to get a out.
I’d rather have a righty who dominates lefties than Mike Myers.
When has Giambi made a bad play in late innings that cost the Yanks the game this year? Minky is left handed and wouldn’t platoon with Giambi. How is he going to help this team with his Left hand bat and Mendoza numbers?
personally i couldnt care less who’s on the all star team. i have less interest in that game than in the average 1st week of ST game. i take a 3 day hiatus from baseball during the break.
” RBIs are not an indicator of player ability”
that’s sabermetric cliche ad dogma, and open to debate.
well no offense hornblower but Melky has been struggling from the right and left side, mostly the right and incase you missed it Gardner is killing LHP in AAA and showing power.
Not having a good lefty in the pen is a big problem. Do people forget how valuable Mike Stanton was?? A lefty who was great to both right and left hand batters. It should have been a priority this off season. Especially in a division with Ortiz and Crawford and Pena and Markakis etc.
I’m pretty sure 100% of knowledgeable baseball fans would take Ortiz over Giambi without even thinking on it for 2 seconds.
Here’s the problem with Betemit.
For him to have any actual trade value he needs to start smoking the ball. But, if he starts smoking the ball and giving this team serious offensive production, he has too much value to this team and they won’t trade him.
He’s clearly not a defensive specialist. Teams will want him for his bat and if his bat starts to come through, the Yankees will want to keep him.
And let’s stop the ludicrous cries for the return for Dougie M. The guy can’t hit. Not a lick. Unless he’s a bench player who comes in the late innings to play for Giambi, he has no value to this team. We should trade nothing for him, unless you can trick the Pirates into taking Igawa or Damon’s contract for him.
The Pirates are playing him at 3b for crying out loud. He’s still not hitting his weight over there.
As for Melky, I think he come out so hot we all thought we were seeing the beginnings of a 25-30HR CF with great defense.
He still very well might be that, but the pace he began the season at had to level off a bit.
The thing that I can’t understand is Cashman actually tried to address getting RH hitters who could handle LH pitching this season. He knew it was a weakness and in the pre-season I definitely thought the addition of Ensberg and Shelley were going to make us a dominant lineup against lefties.
I can’t put it on Cashman in that respect because he did the job and found RH guys who should have prevented this against lefties.
Shelley really needs to start producing. I’m not sure why Ensberg is still on the team. He’s not even Arod insurance since when Arod was out, he barely played.
I wonder if Ensberg survives because they’re afraid another team grabs him off waivers and he starts raking for them? I just don’t see the point in having him when they have ceased using him vs. lefties for a few weeks now.
you missed the point. i wasnt saying we need a lh rp. i was saying that since we have an all-rh pen it makes sense to have a good glove man at 1b for late-game situations.
as far as his bat, i couldnt care if a late-game defensive replacement ever gets a hit. its assumed that we’re winning when he goes in and if we lose the lead, you ph for him.
Men on opps:
Ortiz – 117
Giambi – 84
They have the same amount of RBI’s from the bases being cleared.
Giambi also has half as many chances with RISP
“I forgot that Giambi hits behind Damon, Jeter, Abreu, A-Rod, and Matsui.
How dare I forget that.”
You do realize that they aren’t getting on base as much this year as they have in the past. You also realize that ARod missed nearly half of the games this year.
You keep trying through. Eventually something you throw at the wall will stick.
Giambi is making less outs and hitting the ball with more authority than Ortiz. Two things that matter a lot in my opinion.
Also I believe the original comparison was between Matsui and Ortiz since Matsui has been DH’ing a lot.
Matsui is having a FAR better season than Ortiz.
“”Because they’ve never dealt with hoopla and BS well before? Two of them dealt with a 3-0 playoff series deficit, the other one dealt with two 3-1 deficits. All lead to championships.””
that’s exactly my point, let them work the overtime for the break. I’d much rather have our boys rest up and focus on the second half rather than answer the same stupid questions and photo ops. As much as you would love your sawx to be in the all star game i would bet they they’d rather spend a couple of days by the pool or making sweet sweet love to their lady loves.
c’mon get serious, I got excited for the all star game when I was 13 only because we never had a chance to see Righetti pitch to strawberry or Dwight pitch to mattingly. But now with interleague who cares? it’s forgettable pomp and fluff.
Posada played catch in the outfield and threw to the bases during a pregame workout Tuesday before he caught six innings and went 3-for-6 with a double in his second extended spring game.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3414337
Randy:
RBIs require your team to be participating for them to happen, not counting home runs.
I don’t think there is much debate in that fact. A great player can play on a crappy team and not be able to get as many RBIs, or be required to put in a super human effort to reach as many RBIs as a merely good player on a great team
If you really think that Betemit is the answer on the bench and for 1b then I can’t really argue with you because it’s pointless. They brought him in to be the UTL infielder. Not to be the defensive 1b. He has proven he can’t be a SS-2b.
I’d just like someone on the roster who could play 1b and give the pitchers some confidence.
good point jerkface, I agree.
hey I’m not for not trading Betemit but give me a legit option, Bill Hall in Milwaukee is a perfect option, he’s getting disgruntled in Mil, they benched him for Russell Branyan and told him it’s because they need a LHB, he kills LHP pitching and gets up for big games especially rival games, that is an option I would understand, But Dougie M. aka “eyechart” please.
Jerkface May 27th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Men on opps:
Ortiz – 117
Giambi – 84
They have the same amount of RBI’s from the bases being cleared.
Giambi also has half as many chances with RISP
You think Giambi is better than Ortiz????
I’ve heard it all.
Speaking of the all star game. Maybe Abreu should go back to the homerun derby this year. It could possibly do the reverse effect on him and all of a sudden. We’ll have a 40 homerun right fielder. Cant hurt.
90% of this blog wanted Giambi cut last week and now he’s better than Ortiz?
Milwaukee could be sellers soon so you may see Hall on the market along with Sheets and most of their bullpen.
11-4 Yankees tonight and we are BACK in BIZZ !!!
Why are people making the argument: “The Yanks are better with Minky than Betemit” as if those are the two options?
The fact that Betemit is not what any contender should want getting major ABs at first does not suddenly make Minky into a player that a team with zero offense on the bench should want on its roster. And to give up a young player to boot!
So, I reject the “these are my two options” premise.
it seems that everyone here wants texiera next season (although somebody above stood up for bringing big g back) but there may be other options. apparently, the phils are not happy paying howard huge money and there is some specialation that milwaukee might be willing to part with fielder. i havent seen enough of fielder to know his worth, but howard is a stud although there is concern about him setting a new K record.
any thoughts?
I’d love this team to get Bill Hall.
“When has Giambi made a bad play in late innings that cost the Yanks the game this year?”
Actually, he HAS hurt the team a couple times late in games with defensive miscues. I don’t think you could hang a game on him, necessarily, but he’s definitely given up a few extra outs late in games.
burress gets lit up tonight
Still 6 weeks to go but Francona couldn’t keep a straight face justifying any of his starters for an all star appearance over 6 other AL pitchers. Papelbon is the only Sox pitcher who deserves consideration.
Wonder if Manny will show up this year? Gold Glovers usually do.
Bill Hall in 2008:
.220/.292/.418 9 HR, 22 RBI.
Career games at first: zero.
Or, in other words, a Giambi without the OBP, who won’t be a natural fielding the position. Pass.
For the people who dont care about the all star game.
THIS TIME IT MATTERS!! REALLY! I dont care if the whole red sox team is out there. As long as we get the win. The Yankees will have the home field advantage in the W.S.
For the first and only time. I will be rooting for the sox.
Have you fellas watched Betemit at the plate this yr???
Awful doesn’t begin to describe it. I know hes been banged up but man. His approach is terrible. And he’s position less unless you think hes a 1b.
As far as this season goes, Giambi does get on base at a better rate than Ortiz does (and higher slugging than Ortiz, for that matter)
What’s the case for 2008 Ortiz being better than 2008 Giambi? The RBI difference loses significance given that Ortiz has had more chances to build up RBIs than Giambi has (...which points back to the whole our offense is struggling idea :P).
If the idea of Giambi being better than Ortiz seems so preposterous, then I hope that there is a solid case for Ortiz being equal or better.
Aside: Matsui is kicking most of the AL’s rear
montclair,
I mentioned Sheets earlier. I wouldnt mind getting him for half of the year as long as it doesnt cost us much. Worth taking the risk for.
Now that Giambi is better than Ortiz. Can we trade his sorry rear and dump his salary on someone else?
NO TEXIERA
NO TEXIERA
NO TEXIERA
“the phils are not happy paying howard huge money and there is some specialation that milwaukee might be willing to part with fielder. i havent seen enough of fielder to know his worth, but howard is a stud although there is concern about him setting a new K record.
any thoughts?”
If I had a choice between Howard and Fielder I’d take Fielder. Fielder is younger and just as much of a monster with the bat.
However if either one of them went on the trading block Milwaukee and Philly would want both minor league and major league talent back in my opinion.
So for me the question is would I trade Cano or Hughes plus assorted minor leaguers for Fielder or Howard. For Howard my answer is no, for Fielder I might think about it.
“90% of this blog wanted Giambi cut last week and now he’s better than Ortiz?”
yup because he kept hitting into that stupid shift w/ runners on base, lately he’s shown life BTW no one is saying he will be better than Ortiz this season but right now they aren’t that far off, Giambi in 9 games less and 68 less ABs actually matches Ortiz quite well, and you can’t assume RBI totals, that has more to do w/ Damon and Jetes who you need to remember weren’t getting on much this season until recently.
Ortiz
.247/.355/.479… 12 HR 40 RBI
Giambi
.230/.387/.508… 9 HR 24 RBI
“Milwaukee could be sellers soon so you may see Hall on the market along with Sheets and most of their bullpen.”
I’d only want Hall or LaPorta from them nothing else. Sheets is an injury risk and not worth prospects, if Betemit plus a relief pitcher can land NYY Bill Hall you do it.
i never advocated minky in betamits spot, i said give him ensberg’s spot .
ham fighter: On the other hand, if Milwaukee decides to keep Fielder, that could free up LaPorta for a trade; from what I read here, he’s make a rather tantalizing 1st basemen
“Bill Hall in 2008:
.220/.292/.418 9 HR, 22 RBI.
Career games at first: zero.
Or, in other words, a Giambi without the OBP, who won’t be a natural fielding the position. Pass.”
Bill Hall vs LHP .409/.490/.705 and an OPS of 1.195
played 2B, SS, 3B, CF..that usually means you can play 1B
feel like passing now
I’m pretty sure 100% of knowledgeable baseball fans would take Ortiz over Giambi without even thinking on it for 2 seconds.
90% of this blog wanted Giambi cut last week and now he’s better than Ortiz?
100%..90%.. nice made up statistics guys.
Go look at the real statistics, they show Giambi has a higher SLG and a higher OBP than Ortiz. Both of those stats are more important than RBI’s or BA. And surprisingly enough, according to the hardball times, Giambi is only a slightly worse fielder than the beloved Kevin Youkilis. .667 vs .689 RZR
hamfighter,
I want a first baseman that can hit and play D. Like Tino and Donny. Im not sure if Howard or Fielder fit the bill(havnt seen much of them on D).I am not on the Tex bandwaggon. 2 reasons. He allways starts off slow and we will be in to him for at least 6 years. If anyone else knows someone we can trade for that can do both things. I would like to know.
Giambi is having a statistically better season than Ortiz.
Its not outlandish.
Also we’re talking about the FREAKING ALL STAR GAME.
Giambi, based on stats, is more worthy of the All-star game than Ortiz.
Its not hard.
Would I want Ortiz on my team over Giambi? Of course! If I had room at DH i’d take him in a heart beat. He is a younger and has good power and discipline, despite not being able to play the field without being hurt and being a gigantic whiner about everything that goes on.
I’d only want Hall or LaPorta from them nothing else. Sheets is an injury risk and not worth prospects, if Betemit plus a relief pitcher can land NYY Bill Hall you do it.
I’d want Ryan Braun
“howard is a stud although there is concern about him setting a new K record.
any thoughts?”
We have enough one dimensional players.
We need a better fielder at 1B, with Pop.
Only Texeira meets that criteria among the players you mentioned.
miggs,
I agree with the NO TEX. But for the first time. I have to disagree about signing Giambi for 1 more year. I am counting down the months,days,hours till we are through with this mess. I dont care if he has a great year. Same goes for Moose. Fool me once.
BBFan I doubt Hal wants to payout more than 80 million through revenue sharing like daddy Steinbrenner did. It actually ends up fielding thier competition.
“I’d want Ryan Braun ”
can I get Jessica Alba and Vida Guerra w/ that.
It outrages me when people want Melky traded or sent down to AAA because of this “mini-slump.” Are you kidding me? Melky Cabrera WAS our offense in April, I am disappointed in you, Peter.
“RBIs require your team to be participating for them to happen, not counting home runs.
I don’t think there is much debate in that fact.”
take this with some sense of humor.
some players are more clutch than others.
being around ortiz forced bill james to admit he was wrong about clutch play existing. some players are better at knocking in runs than others.even james had to admit it.
what you mean is there is not much debate in sabermetric circles.
in other circles rbis are an important factor in judging a hitter.
Cash could totally get Braun for Wilson Betemit, Chase Wright, Kei Igawa and Jeff Marquez. How could the Brewers turn down a deal for 3 major league ready pitchers and a slugging 3B?
One day you got people here saying Wang is better than Beckett. The next? Giambi better than Ortiz. Can’t wait for tomorrow where I read Melky is better than Ellsbury.
“One day you got people here saying Wang is better than Beckett. The next? Giambi better than Ortiz. Can’t wait for tomorrow where I read Melky is better than Ellsbury.”
no one is saying he will be better than Ortiz this season but right now they aren’t that far off, Giambi in 9 games less and 68 less ABs actually matches Ortiz quite well, and you can’t assume RBI totals, that has more to do w/ Damon and Jetes who you need to remember weren’t getting on much this season until recently.
Ortiz
.247/.355/.479… 12 HR 40 RBI
Giambi
.230/.387/.508… 9 HR 24 RBI
I want to trade Melky, Kennedy, Gonzalez for an unhappy Ichiro
“100%..90%.. nice made up statistics guys. Go look at the real statistics, they show Giambi has a higher SLG and a higher OBP than Ortiz. Both of those stats are more important than RBI’s or BA. And surprisingly enough, according to the hardball times, Giambi is only a slightly worse fielder than the beloved Kevin Youkilis. .667 vs .689 RZR”
Patrick:
I said 100% of knowledgeable fans would take Ortiz over Giambi. How is that made up numbers?
Who here wants Giambi over Ortiz? Prove my 100% wrong.
If there is a circle of people who judge players on RBIs, I don’t want to be a part of it.
Jorge Cantu once had 100 RBIs. He is also not very good.
Patrick they extended his contract, basically “franchised” him
Where was Giambi when A-Rod was hurt?? What did he bat?? He couldn’t crack .200. So he has a good 5 games vs Baltimore and Seattle and now hes having a better season that Ortiz??
Ortiz has played all yr and has his team in 1st place.
ok I’ll be back later, lets keep this thing going
WAKE THE F… UP !
Because scoring runs and driving runs in aren’t a part of the game, Jerkface.
Sometimes you can be blinded by the stats to forget that this game is about WHO SCORES MORE RUNS.
The All-Star voting and game. two words WHO CARES
No way Francona doesn’t take Dice-K (8-0, 2.40), even with all those walks. And last I looked, Pedroia was second in the league in hits. Varitek’s a rock. Intangibles count.
I’ve seen enough of Ortiz the past 4 years to know that clutch is real and that “presence” in a lineup means something for everyone in that lineup. Example of that? Us this year with A-Rod.
Giambi was Ortiz 8 years ago. Now he is a shell of his former self who if he didn’t make 20 mill a yr wouldn’t be on this team right now.
“Who here wants Giambi over Ortiz? Prove my 100% wrong.”
The fans who cant stand any ex red sox players on our team. Damon,Clemens,that lefty in the pen that sucked. NO MORE RED SOX RETREADS. Keep in mind, thats coming from someone who hates Giambi. Manny at dh. Maybe.
Booo @ Damon in CF, I know this would never happen, but I’d seriously rather see Abreu there. At least he’s got an arm and Johnny could play left and just run over and grab anything near the wall. ha
As for I Want My WB, I agree Shelley hasn’t been doing much so ya gotta at least give Bet a chance. Strange that they wouldn’t wait for tomorrow to give him that chance against a righty though, but maybe he is indeed batting LH, that would be interesting! Maybe he hit Burress last year…lord knows no one else really has! Hopefully that will change tonight what with him facing the same lineup 2 starts in a row.
“Ortiz has played all yr and has his team in 1st place.”
2 things wrong with this statement
1) sorry to break the news, but the rays are in 1st
2) Ortiz sucked in April too. Do you even watch your team?
“Ortiz has played all yr and has his team in 1st place.”
Ortiz plays for the Rays?
“One day you got people here saying Wang is better than Beckett. The next? Giambi better than Ortiz. Can’t wait for tomorrow where I read Melky is better than Ellsbury.”
Yeah, and it’s a good thing we got that “Jeter is better than Lugo” nonsense cleared up long ago. Hate to go through that old argument again. Only thing worse is “Rivera is better than Papelbon.” And don’t get me started on that “Pettitte is better than Masterson” tripe.
THE MIGHTY RED SOX who will win 173 games without needing a second wind.
Really, the only difference between Giambi and Ortiz that matters is that Giambi stopped using the steroids.
“Who here wants Giambi over Ortiz? Prove my 100% wrong.” _ If your talking first base then you go with Giambi. DH you take Godzilla, Next question.
chase wright is on the dl, so thats not happening anytime soon.
btw-horne finished his extende