Yankees seek deal with seventh rounder
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Kyle Higashioka, the California high school catcher taken in the seventh round last week, has told the Yankees it will take $500,000 to get him to sign and pass on a scholarship to California.
Higashioka was the first player they took on the second day of the draft, so you have to assume Damon Oppenheimer knew in advance what it would take to sign him.
Scouting reports on Higashioka say he’s a good defensive catcher with a chance to hit for power once he gets some coaching.
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on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 1:29 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
good luck kyle!
from perfect game:
Kyle Higashioka is a 2008 C with a 6′1”, 190 lb. frame from Huntington Beach, CA who attends Edison HS. Strong, mature build. Very aggressive hitter, power potential, simple approach, swing can get long at times, dangerous hitter with ceiling. High energy catcher, quick release, quick feet. Plays very hard, has fun. Top level tools. Excellent student
I want Chris Smith news, But Kyle will probably be signed.
I don’t see how this doesn’t get done.
ps – Rotoworld sez Morgan Ensberg released
Pete,
I saw thaqt Jeff Pentland the Seattle hitting coach was fired yesterday. The more I looked at this it appeared to be a classless move by the Mariners. I know we do not see behind the scenes but the man is 3000 miles away from Seattle in Toronto. They fly home after a 12:30 game on Wednesday. Isn’t it customary to wait unitl the team gets home to make a change? Especially if they are only 2 1/2 days from getting home after a long road trip…
-dennis
Yikes, if the Yankees give 500k to this guys, whats it say about guys like Cervelli, Montero, etc.
next will be Bedard to Philly just watch…
Yikes, if the Yankees give 500k to this guys, whats it say about guys like Cervelli, Montero, etc.
Montero recieved more than Kyle is being offered.
Matt, it says nothing
sunny615-
Ah farewell Morgan, we hardly knew you.
I wonder if this opens up a spot in on the 40 man roster..
Maybe a prelude to a callup or something.
Plus Montero will move to first eventually. At least that is what I heard.
Dman it already opened up a spot the day the DFA’d him
gayle -
Oh great. Clearly I missed that hah.
“next will be Bedard to Philly just watch…”
i dont think theyd do it, personally. but i think thatd be a great move for both teams. Mariners can start to rebuild from the prospects they moved to get Bedard in the first place, and the Phillies get another front of rotation LHP to pair with Cole Hamels.
wow… can you imagine Hamels and Bedard in the same rotation?
Phillies essentially have their major pieces locked in for 2009 anyway, so whoever they move wont cause a large enough dent that they couldnt replace them over time…
id hope to see it just knowing it would all but assuredly bury the mets in 2008 for good.
Plus Montero will move to first eventually. At least that is what I heard.
No he won’t. Read up on his improvement in that position.
It would be nice to sign him, but I’m sure the Yanks have their ceiling. If they like him as much as Romine, they’ll pay him. If not, he’ll go to Cal.
I am actually more surprised that no one took a flyer on him. I mean yes he didnt show much but it certainly says a lot when there a teams that could use a back up 3rd/1b *can you say METS) and they didnt go for him
Catching talent is in short supply in pro ball… give the kid the $$$. The Yanks also drafted a very good catching prospect in the 30th round, but he’s likely to attend the University of Florida.
“No he won’t. Read up on his improvement in that position.”
improvement is nice and all, but he’s got at least 2, maybe 3, years to go. a lot can happen in that time frame to think a position change will be inevitable.
they’ll keep him there until they absolutely have to move him, but you cant say right now that Montero will definately be a catcher when he’s called up. just cant.
All I am saying is that if you have not seen B. Gardner play.. you have no idea what you are in for. Think about the threat Mick “the quick” was on the bases. What about Rickey Henderson on the bases? This team has not had speed speed in so long, and all these 1 run games we cannot win? Well people, when you got someone like that on the bases it literally is a whole new ballgame!
Melky is not learning to be a Major League hitter, either he is reluctant to here feedback from Kevin Long, or Long is not doing his job.. How many years now has Melky (and other yankees) been showing impatience at the plate???
C’mon already.. Jeter makes himself look foolish when he swings at the first pitch too, but Jeter has a proven track record. Melky? What does he have? Hope for the future.. THE FUTURE IS NOW and there doesn’t appear to be any hope left!
Damon Oppenheimer said they rate Chris Smith’s power a 60 on thier scale
“In the past has Wang lengthened his stride when throwing a 4-seam fastball and then shortened it again for his sinker? ”
patrick-
that’s the question. it has to be one stride length for all his pitches and it has to be the short one because the sinker only sinks with a short stride. wang’s stride length was the first thing neil allen changed when he showed wang the sinker grip. as i said before the arm slot was already there.
i think wang tends to go back to his old stride length when he throws a lot of pitches besides the sinker which makes his sinker not sink so much.
the sink on wang’s sinker hasn’t been there. it goes without saying he’s got to get it back to be good.
eiland’ s first job is to get the sinker sinking again. once that’s done he can try to get wang throwing the four seamer and the slider with the sinker stride.
but the sinker comes first.
for him it’s all about stride length because the arm slot is natural.
I was under the impression that $500,000 was not a whole lot in the grand scheme of things to offer a draft signee, but what do I know.
I feel bad for Ensberg. I mean, he worked his bum off and all…
“they’ll keep him there until they absolutely have to move him, but you cant say right now that Montero will definately be a catcher when he’s called up. just cant.”
Yeah but you also can’t assume he will be moved to first base like Web was doing.
Damon Oppenheimer said they rate Chris Smith’s power a 60 on thier scale
Wow thats pretty impressive. When I watched a video of him that you posted he also seemed very athletic and quick.
Brandon,
Regarding Brett Gardner, in previous threads today you have mentioned that he is rule 5 eligible after this season. I thought that would be after 5 years of service. I believe he was drafted in 2005 – wouldn’t that make him eligible after the 2009 season? Could you explain how that works? Thanks.
Oh and Brandon..
Andy Pet: ERA: 4.99 HR 10
Santana ERA: 3.08 HR !2
do I need to say more?
Fleas,
How is that a valid comparison? One pitches in the NL, where he can pitch to pitchers, and one pitches in a league with a DH.
One is tied up for 6 years at 138 million and the other is done after this year?
BTW, how has the Santana acquisition transformed the Mets?
The future isn’t NOW. That’s why the Mets are a mess.
The future is in the future and it really has no impact on what the Yankees do this year.
BTW, the problem with the Yankees is not lacking tablesetters. Its driving in runs.
Gardner does not help them in that regard.
oppenhiemer chat is a bit of a snoozer, one sentence answers without any depth.
“No he won’t. Read up on his improvement in that position.â€
Moving Montero to 1B has more to do with his size – he’s 6′4″ – and concern for how playing catcher long-term would wear on him given he’s so big..
“BTW, the problem with the Yankees is not lacking tablesetters. Its driving in runs.
Gardner does not help them in that regard.”
So would you rather have Duncan or Gardner on the team?
Anyone have an update on Hughes?
Gardner also happens to be left-handed, which Cashman himself indicated was a reason that the Yankees were not making his promotion to the major-league roster a priority.
SJ44.
Have a great time at the CWS.
Please see my post above re:Seattle hitting coach. Have you seen, read, or heard of why they would do this on the road with 2 1/2 days left in a road trip? It appears on the surface to be in haste..
-dennis
The only thing I could think of the Yanks keeping Shelley, and this is a stretch because he doesn’t belong here is if they feel keep him through the weekend in Houston because Girardi thinks he could get a pinch hit homer when the pitchers spot comes up.
SJ44,
Well, my post to Brandon was in regards to the fact that he keeps in his header when posts .. santanas HR count. It was not meant to be anything scientific. Just a pure fact, like Brandon likes to post.
“BTW, the problem with the Yankees is not lacking tablesetters. Its driving in runs.
Gardner does not help them in that regard.”
How would Gardner not help them in manufacturing runs? Please.. I Know you have seen him play too and I also know that just because when I see him play he takes 2nd effortlessly and third the same.. but that does not mean I expect him to walk/single and get to third on his legs every time.. it just means that its another missine piece this team has lacked for a long time.. young speed speed on the bases..
“Why would a platoon work? Melky’s weaker side is his right side. That defeats the purpose of a platoon.
The issue then becomes, would Gardner be effective as a bench player? He’s played everyday his entire career.
That’s a tough change for a young player.
We don’t know if he can play off the bench. Its probably why he’s not in the majors right now.”
I wouldn’t want a strictly lefty/righty platoon even though Gardner has been better against lefties this season. I would just want to split time between Gardner and Melky regardless of what pitcher is starting the game. Both guys have different strengths, Gardner as a part time player could help the team. When Gardner isn’t playing he can pinch run, steal bases, get a bunt down, replace Damon or Abreu on defense. Those are all tasks Duncan can’t perform.
Obviously Gardner is not the answer to fixing the team, I’m not arguing that. However the bench is a problem and Gardner would go a long way to improving it.
SJ44-
Well Gardner may not help with getting those RISP to actually cross the plate, but he does have the ability to get into scoring position himself.
Assume he plays somewhere around what he has shown in AAA.
He gets on base at about a .400 clip. And hes stolen 25 or so bases.
So he gets on first, steals to second, and theres another RISP chance for the Yankees. Logically the more chances, the better probability of one scoring.
Obvouisly I’m reaching, but isn’t that what we do when talking about prospects. =]
fleas it’ll keep growing too
Patrick,
Its not that simple. Its not a Duncan or Gardner equation given the current roster makeup of the team.
Would I rather have him rot on the bench in NY or playing everyday in AAA? I’d rather have him playing everyday in AAA.
It would be different if the roster was configured differently or if he was a RH hitter. That would insure he would get playing time.
I don’t want to see the kid get called up and not have a role on the team. That doesn’t help anybody.
SJ44,
Ichiro *had* a chance to wear pinstripes.. that was a big mistake not to go get him, now I was not privy to what was thrown around to make that happen.. however.. Ichiro, Man.
I was certain that was going to happen. I wanted Ichiro more than Santana, Can you imagine how bad I wanted him? *grins
Saw someone mentioned the CWS?
What are the best places to go when you aren’t at the games in Omaha? I am going to the CWS for the first time? Any help would be great!
SJ44,
“I don’t want to see the kid get called up and not have a role on the team. That doesn’t help anybody.”
I 100% agree with you there.
Melky for Ichiro?
Brandon,
Yes as it will for all other pitchers this year.
“Melky for Ichiro?”
This was a joke, by the way. Don’t jump all over me, now.
David,
“Melky for Ichiro?”
Haha, no don’t start saying that here! I was referring to a “Possible deal” before Ichiro re-signed with Seattle.. it was talked about..
I wonder if Nabisco knows that “Betcha Bite A Chip” is not always a good thing when there are far too many chips in the cookie.. which is how I feel about the Yankees right now. I’d settle with a cookie well rounded!
Dman,
You can’t take AAA stats and project them to the major league level. That doesn’t always work.
The Yankees are getting on base. Their problem is driving in runs.
Gardner may be able to get on base. But, if nobody can drive him in, how does he help?
I wish the roster was configured differently so he would be able to have a viable role on the team.
However, when you have three guys, Giambi, Matsui, and Damon (earning a combined 47 million dollars this year) who, because of age, injury prevention, etc, share DH duties a few days a week, I don’t see where he gets enough AB’s to be sharp.
Kids like Gardner need to play everyday. If not, as we have seen with Duncan, they begin to press, chase balls out of the zone, and get all messed up.
Its not easy to play off the bench in the big leagues. Its why mostly veterans fill those roles. Its one spot on a roster where experience matters, IMO.
For young players, especially in their first go around in the majors? Very, very tough.
Mhe PHD:
Go look up the heights and weights of major league catchers.
Mauer: 6′5 220
V-mart: 6′2 180
Posada: 6′2 190
Varitek 6′2 210
Big catchers can play.
SJ44,
Why would Gardner not play CF everyday? Who is stopping him.. Melky?
“Would I rather have him rot on the bench in NY or playing everyday in AAA? I’d rather have him playing everyday in AAA.
It would be different if the roster was configured differently or if he was a RH hitter. That would insure he would get playing time.
I don’t want to see the kid get called up and not have a role on the team. That doesn’t help anybody.”
Thats why every argument I’ve made about Gardner has been contingent on him platooning in CF with Melky. That way you see what Gardner can offer the team, give some competition for Melky, and you get the bonus of having a guy like Gardner on the bench.
I see why people want righties on the bench but I don’t agree with the necessity. This team does not lack good hitters. Do you think Damon, Abreu, Matsui, Giambi or Cano (when hes hitting like Cano) will be pulled for an inferior righty pinch hitter? Thats why I believe the bench should consist of guys that fulfill other roles such as good defense, good baserunning, speed, ability to get down a bunt, etc. Guys like Gardner and Gonzalez are just what we need on the bench. I’m not concerned about Gonzalez getting a lot of playtime because I don’t think he has the potential to be much better than he is right now. Gardner on the other hand I want getting consistent at-bats.
In my opinion Gardner can improve the Yankees right now (again, I’m not saying hes the answer to all our woes). If that is the case, he should be called up.
I don’t believe Gardner and Melky should be platooned, but Gardner has over a 1.000 OPS vs Lefties in AAA, just saying.
Im assuming, Gardner will be called up when Moeller gets sent down or released. what ever happens w. his DFA
More heights
Saltalamacchia – 6′4″
SJ44-
Well no of course minor legaue stats don’t always carry over. It’s up to the team to evelauate and see if they think they can help…
That said, take a look a Jacoby’s AAA numbers last year, and Gardners this year (click on my name, see my last post).
They are very comparable. Jacoby was called up from AA during the season then played about 20 more games in AAA before being called up, but he provided a spark to that team, even not playing every day. He wasn’t the best player, not by far. But he got on base and he made things happen.
I’m clearly not saying that Brett is Jacoby, I’m just pointing out that their stats and talents would seem to be similar.
I agree that letting him sit on the bench for days is a terrible idea.
But what if playing him, even in a platoon setting, had the chance to spark the rest of the Yankees offense?
He’s not Jay Bruce, and I know he’s not going to be hitting .450 like him. But he gets extra base hits, he turns singles into doubles, he gets on base and by all accounts hes a gamer.
Stupid thing cut off the rest of my list because I used a bracket to make an arrow!
Go to the play index at BR, search for catchers this season and sort by Height.
You’ll be surprised.
The Yanks really like Kyle’s bat. They gave Weems 450,000 last year and he was taken a little later. This should be no problem.
Someone might pick up Ensberg. He didn’t really see any playing time with us.
Take the money Kyle H would have gotten and use it to try and sign Chris Dwyer and Garrison Lassiter instead.
Randy 1 – just a quick comment on your views on Wang’s disappearing sinker:
Last summer, a “new” Wang dominated Boston and struck out ten batters with an expanded arsenal of pitches. He had a key, bases-loaded K of Youkilis where he threw a 3-2 slider. I was shocked that he didn’t go to the sinker.
Nonetheless, I wondered if his success was a result of the quality of the pitches, or the total reversal in pitch usage, and selection.
Having said that, I’ve played a few sports, usually badly, in my life. But you usually find something you can do well enough to get by. For instance, in golf, I used to be able to draw the ball naturally. But then I’d try to “shape” shots, fading irons into right hole locations.
I never got very good at the new stuff, and I started to lose the feel for what I could do (draw it).
A long-winded way of saying that, it’s nice to have new toys, whether it’s a fade or an expanded pitch selection. But you can easily misplace those aspects of your game for which you HAD muscle memory.
And, there’s more room for second-guessing yourself, and out-thinking yourself, when you start to “experiment.”
There are few Pedros, with those long fingers and intuitive ability to work the baseball. Most players should “dance with who they brung.”
There is no evidence Gardner can help the Yankees now. You may believe it, but that’s doesn’t make it a fact.
By turning Cabrera into a platoon player, you are assuming Gardner can outhit Cabrera from the left side. We don’t know that for sure. That’s a huge guess right now.
You are also assuming Gardner is a better defensive OF than Cabrera. I’ve seen Brett play a number of times. He’s not better defensively in CF than Melky.
By having Melky play from his weaker side, it weakens the lineup and holds Cabrera back from improving.
Melky is only 23 years old and he’s been successful at the major league level. He’s not a finished product. Brett Gardner has had ZERO success at the major level to date.
Brett Gardner is not a better player than Melky right now. He’s not. He’s faster. That’s it.
The game is more than just raw speed.
I would say Robinson Cano right now is a bigger problem for the Yankees than Melky Cabrera.
Cano is in his fourth year and has regressed bigtime. Melky is actually having a good year. The same cannot be said for Cano.
Why should Melky sit and not Cano? I’m not following the logic on how sitting a guy who has been productive this year, for a guy some may think will be productive, helps the Yankees right now.
Especially when their problem is not getting on base, its driving in runs.
If Brett Gardner was a second baseman, he would probably be in the majors right now.
I don’t think Melky lacks “motivation”. This is a guy who is with Arod everyday working out. Both on and off the field and on days off.
Doesn’t seem like a guy lacking motivation to me.
SJ,
You make a good point about how Cano should be platooned rather than Melky. The thing is, we have nobody to platoon with Cano. Secondly the hard truth is that Cano is a far superior player to Melky and if hes hitting the way he should be he would be a top 3 second baseman. Melky is an average hitter and no he’s not having a “good year” hes having an average year. His defense is the same as always (very good) and his hitting is slightly worse than his usual.
You are saying Gardner has no success at the major league level. Obviously not, he hasn’t even played in the majors yet. How will we know if he is better or worse than Melky if he doesn’t get a chance?
For the third time, I never said that Melky and Brett would be a strictly lefty/righty platoon. Gardner is actually better against lefty pitching. In the situation I am proposing, Gardner and Melky would share time at CF regardless of what kind of pitcher is on the mound.
I never said Melky lacks motivation. However, if another guy is up here taking away his playing time it puts the pressure on Melky to up his game. It doesn’t matter if he “deserves” it or not and if he is trying hard or not. The Yankees need to do what they have to do to improve the ballclub.
Melky is at where he is at because he got a chance, all I am saying is that Gardner deserves the same chance, I am not saying one is better than the other.
Give gardner his chance, or get someone other than K. Long to work with Melky on plate discipline!
I guess the question is this SJ. We have two scenarios:
Scenario A: Melky plays CF full-time and Duncan sits on the bench providing no value to the team.
Scenario B: Melky and Gardner share CF duties while the other is available on the bench to fulfill several useful roles late in games.
Do you think situation A or B brings more value to the team? Honestly I think scenario B is more favorable to the Yankees.
Patrick,
You are making the leap that its a given Gardner will improve the team. I’m not so sure he will unless he plays a lot. I don’t see him playing a lot this year unless the Yankees make deals at the deadline.
Gardner’s stats against lefties in AAA really aren’t valid to the conversation. The LH in AAA aren’t very good. In fact, some of them are really, really bad.
You can’t use Melky’s numbers at the ML level in a comparison with Gardner’s at AAA. Something tells me if Melky was in AAA all year, he would be hitting quite well. Look at what his AAA numbers were a few years ago prior to his callup.
Gardner is not facing good lefties in AAA to make the leap that his numbers against lefties can hold up in the majors.
Melky also isn’t playing badly enough to be taken out of the lineup.
Why does he need to “up” his game? Because he made the last out yesterday? He isn’t playing badly.
On the list of guys who has to “up” their games, Melky isn’t even in the Top 5 on this team. Nor should he be because he’s not a cornerstone guy on the team.
Who gets Cano to “up” his game? Wouldn’t you say he has been the bigger disappointment so far this year.
Especially since he is a better player than Melky. One would think Cano and not Melky is the guy who needs pushing.
Perhaps he will get it going. So far though, we aren’t seeing it and it seems to me folks want to make Melky out to be the fallguy for Cano’s failings.
You also can’t take somebody out of the lineup who hasn’t played badly. Especially when there are other guys in the lineup who have played worse than Melky.
In a perfect world (a real backup first baseman, along with a quality utility infielder), I wouldn’t have a big problem with Gardner on the roster.
However right now, given the current roster construction and issues facing the team, I don’t think Gardner solves anything.
JohnC
signing KH doesn’t preclude also signing Dwyer and Lassiter.
No, those aren’t the only two scenarios. Those are your two scenarios.
Why should Melky platoon because Shelley Duncan hasn’t hit? We are punishing the wrong player for the failures of others.
They could call up Jason Lane and send down Duncan to see if he can provide RH pop off the bench. That would be a viable move right now than sitting Cabrera.
sj i think you missed the memo too, someone has apparently named today “kick melky day”
not sure if they just pulled it out of the air or if it just becomes automatic for whomever made the last out last game.
gardner is looking very good at aaa, and that’s where he will stay until an opportunity comes for another LH bat in the OF, probably when someone gets injured or traded. developing gardner at the mlb level makes no sense, as it will hurt melky’s development and wont improve the team b/c melky is a better player right now.
gardner will get his chance sometime this year, but not just because melky had a bad series.
brian ( red sox fan)
your golf analogy is exactly what i think is happening with wang.
jack nicklaus played a power fade his whole career on his drive. it took him a month before the masters each year to get his draw where he wanted it and another month afterward to get his fade back where he wanted it.
when wang first went to throwing other pitches he did get an element of surprise, but that wears off. he was a mediocre minor leaguer before he got the sinker. that’s what he has to focus on.
when he has the sinker clicking , he can throw in other pitches for variety even a lot of them for a game or so, but he has to make sure he gets back to the sinker focus right away or his mechanics will get out of whack.
in pro golf hardly anyone commands both a draw and a fade unless their name is tiger woods. the sinker is different than other pitches. not many pitchers throw it and it is finicky like a golf swing.
too many changes and it becomes erratic.
SJ44: I definitely think Melky needs to up his game. He has had 1 good month, followed by a prolonged slump that doesn’t seem to be ending. He looks overmatched in nearly every at bat.
Just because he is the 9 hitter, does not mean he can put up a .500 OPS and have it be all smiles.
Prolonged slump that isn’t ending? He was 10-28 (.357) going into Sunday’s game with the Royals.
How is that “not ending”?
He’s hit better the last two weeks. What has Cano done this year? Nothing.
Melky is the #9 hitter in the order. He hits like he is hitting now (.275-.280), drives in 75, and plays a quality CF, guess what? He’s had a good year.
The #9 hitter on the team isn’t the problem with the team.
I don’t think that there are just the two scenarios you listed. I agree that it doesn’t look like Duncan is all that useful off the bench, but I don’t think a fifth outfielder is where the need is. Melky’s numbers line up pretty close that what he has done in the past.
If Gardner is as good as everyone seems to think he will be then, as has been said, you wouldn’t want him rotting on the bench. He would therefore need to provide more production than the current outfielders are. Is that likely? That’s a lot to ask of a rookie. That said they’ve got to come up sometime. It should be with the potential to challenge for everyday play though.
It looks to me like the bench need is a middle infielder who can run. That is, of course, once there isn’t a need for a third cathcer.
“They could call up Jason Lane and send down Duncan to see if he can provide RH pop off the bench.”
Why do they need RH pop off the bench? Who are they going to take out Damon, Matsui, Giambi, Abreu or Cano? If Cano, who plays second base?
“Why does he need to “up†his game? Because he made the last out yesterday? He isn’t playing badly.”
Because he is the worst hitter on the team. When looking for places to improve the team you have to look at your weaknesses. Cano obviously is a weakness but we have no solution for him. Next, we look at the bench which is awful right now. Gardner would help that out. Next, look at our weakest hitter, Melky Cabrera. Gardner is playing as well as anyone can expect in AAA, he might be able to translate that to the majors and improve the CF position.
“So far though, we aren’t seeing it and it seems to me folks want to make Melky out to be the fallguy for Cano’s failings.”
Cano has absolutely nothing to do with Melky, and I don’t see why platooning Melky has anything to do with benching Cano.
“On the list of guys who has to “up†their games, Melky isn’t even in the Top 5 on this team.”
Cano, Wang, Pettitte, Jeter, Farnsworth(haha yea right)would be my top five. Obviously you can’t say Melky is because you can’t expect him to be better than his career average of slightly over .700 OPS. However when looking at ways to improve the team you have to look at your weaker players first.
“The #9 hitter on the team isn’t the problem with the team.”
SJ, nobody is saying he is the problem with the team. The problems in whatever order are Wang/Pettitte, hitting with RISP, the bench, the bullpen. Why can’t Cashman make peripheral moves that don’t necessarily solve the main problems but might improve the team in other ways?
Melky:
Last 7 days: .269 .321 .269 horrible
Last 14 days: 348 .367 .391 better, but where has the power gone?
Last 28 days: .270 .305 .292 back to being horrible
How about for June?
.294 .333 .294 TERRIBLE
I don’t want Melky to hit ‘270-280(with no power)’. I want him to get on base and show growth as a hitter.
Patrick,
Because your move, Gardner for Melky, doesn’t necessarily improve the team.
No team has 9 great hitters in their lineup. At some point, you have to point the criticism toward where it goes.
Melky gives the team more than enough from the 9 hole. Hell, he has more RBI than Cano this year.
The worst hitter on the team this year has been Robinson Cano. Its not even close.
The Yankees invested 30 million on Robinson Cano this year. It was not to be what he is now. It was to be a major run producer in the lineup. That hasn’t happened.
Will he improve? Maybe, maybe not. There is no guarantee he will improve this year. It could just be a bad year. We certainly hope that’s not the case but, its certainly on the table now.
Taking Melky out of the lineup isn’t going to make the team better unless the real problems with the team (starting pitching, hitting W/RISP) are solved.
Its just making a move to make a move and I don’t think that’s going to happen. Nor should it.
Melky is not a power hitter. If you are looking for power from him, its not happening.
Gardner has less power than Melky.
Melky doesn’t have to hit for power for this team. He has to get on base and turn over the lineup. That’s his job as a #9 hitter.
“The #9 hitter on the team isn’t the problem with the team.”
i agree.
melky is what the yankees were looking for. he’s younger and cheaper and gives them the financial flexibility to spend elsewhere.
So no team has 9 good hitters? Why does that mean the yankees can’t have 9 good hitters? or 9 average hitters? Why can’t we have a CFer who is good at hitting? Or takes a good approach to batting?
Why is melky immune? Why is a less than .700 OPS(which is where he is trending) acceptable? Why should we ignore the fact that he isn’t walking?
Melky’s BB% hasn’t improved, his k% has gone up
“Melky doesn’t have to hit for power for this team. He has to get on base and turn over the lineup. That’s his job as a #9 hitter.”
No major league hitter should have an IsoP as bad I posted in his line. Thats putrid. I don’t expect him to be Barry Bonds, but he needs to hit doubles and an occasional HR. We can’t have a slap hitter who won’t get on base in the 9 hole.
He also is not getting on base or turning the line up over, so I don’t know what your point is there.
Melky is showing zero offensive tools at the moment.
Stop with the Bret Gardner delusions. The kid has Miguel Cairo’s power, Shelly Duncan’s stikeouts, and Johnny Damon’s arm. He’s Bubba Crosby with less pop and more speed. If he’s very, very, very lucky he’ll get a few years in the league as a fifth outfielder/pinch-runner.
Melky’s been fine and his numbers will improve as the year goes on, same as Cano.
Why is Melky the fall guy? Do you really think on a team full of all stars, Melky Cabrera is the problem?
How many teams in baseball have 9 great hitters in their lineup? Nobody.
The Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, and Angels, the teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, sure don’t.
It seems to me you want to make Melky the fall guy in order to find a reason why he shouldn’t be playing.
The reality is, if the Yankees need Melky Cabrera to be a Top 3 offensive CF this year, their season is over.
Its not the way the team is built.
Damon, Jeter, Giambi, Arod, Abreu, Matsui, Posada, Cano (when he was an effective offensive player), that’s not enough offense for you?
Their problem isn’t because the #9 hitter isn’t hitting the way stat freaks want him to hit.
Their problem is, their starting pitching is erratic at best and they don’t hit with RISP. That’s on the entire offense. Not just Melky.
“Because your move, Gardner for Melky, doesn’t necessarily improve the team.”
Well, maybe not. But you can’t tell me with 100% certainty that it wouldn’t help the team. Maybe it won’t improve the team but how will we know if Cashman doesn’t try it out? The alternative is to continue having a wasted roster spot in Shelley Duncan. So call up Gardner for a week or two, see if he can improve the team. If not, call up someone else.
“The worst hitter on the team this year has been Robinson Cano. Its not even close.”
Agreed but what does that have to do with Melky?
“Taking Melky out of the lineup isn’t going to make the team better unless the real problems with the team (starting pitching, hitting W/RISP) are solved.”
Those are the larger problems but why can’t we look in other places to improve the team? Some believe (myself included) that Gardner platooning with Melky will improve the team. Gardner brings more speed, a legitimate fourth outfielder and the ability to get on base. Melky has a better arm, comparable range and probably a slightly better bat. I think both players can help this team and to me it isn’t a question of one or the other; I want both.
“Its just making a move to make a move and I don’t think that’s going to happen. Nor should it.”
No its not, I have laid out very explicitly why I think Gardner can help the team and what role he would play if he were called up.
I’m not even arguing that Melky should be benched or replaced, but your delusion that upgrading at CF isn’t necessary or would not help is ridiculous.
He doesn’t get on base, He doesn’t hit for power. What does he do? NOTHING. He brings nothing but defense in centerfield to the table.
But you know what? Robinson Cano brings BETTER second base defense to the table, and we have outfielders who can catch.
Cano-Molina-Melky = automatic inning over.
Julio Lugo for the red sox has a worse OPS+ than Melky, but one key area he is winning in is OBP. He gets OBP .360.
If Melky could do that, if he was a singles hitter who got on base 36% of the time, it would be acceptable.
But he isn’t, and he doesn’t.
And we could theoretically upgrade there. If we upgrade at CF, then Cano is the new #9 hitter. Then we don’t have to worry about him, because he is the number 9 hitter, right?
SJ you are completely missing the point. I am not blaming Melky for the team being at .500. Nobody expects every position to be an all-star. Melky is what he is, a slightly below average hitter, a great fielder, average speed on the basepaths. I don’t want him DFA’d or sent down or put on the DL with a phantom injury (all things people have suggested earlier today).
I simply think that Brett Gardner can help the Yankee bench and to get him enough at-bat’s I’d platoon him with Melky. I think that Gardner could offer the team equal or better production from the CF spot and a lot greater production off the bench.
The question is why take away playing time from a guy is producing as asked? Is it just to put some speed on the bench? That doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Compare Melky to some other names out there.
Melky Ichiro Rios
xbh 13 19 15
RBI 27 17 25
HR 6 3 3
so 30 25 59
OPS .708 .733 .708
Gardner should be getting the call to the big leagues right now. Carrying 3 catchers is a real problem and until they can be completely comfortable w/ Posada and Molina as the only catchers on the active roster, Gardner will probably be in Scranton. Gardner is left-handed and they want to keep Duncan as another right-handed bat on the bench, even though he has been rarely used since Betemit has come back from his injury.