Melky optioned; Sexson released
-
- August
- 15
I’m not at the Stadium today. But word from the Bronx is that Melky Cabrera has been optioned down to Triple-A Scranton and Richie Sexson was released.
OF Brett Gardner and INF Cody Ransom will be added to the roster.
The Melky move is about a month too late, but at least they made it. Maybe it’ll be a wake-up call for both he and Robinson Cano.
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on Friday, August 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
Cashman finally woke up.
Good. They both need to go.
finally!!!!!!!!
FInaly
peace out melky u suck
I agree that that tendem needed separating. Now it will be very interesting to see both of their production.
how has cody ransom fared in the minors?
Brett Gardner is Jesus, Brett Gardner will turn the Yankees around.
Think not about where Melky is going but about who they’re calling up to replace him—-does it make you any more confident?
Melky has certainly regressed and maybe the minors will help him some.
Gardner has to be better than last time, and it won’t take much to be better than Melky. I like this move.
Melky will be back in 2 weeks or so when rosters expand. This will be sold as a way for him to get consistant playing time and get his swing back.
Say what you will about Cashman, but he isn’t afraid to make moves- for better or for worse.
People, why is this such a good move? You call up two non-hitters, they aren’t even going to be playing. Instead, you’re going to have Johnny Damon in CF every day. Not that that’s a bad thing, but he’s getting older, and you wouldn’t want everyday CF duties to effect his superb hitting. I’d rather have Melky playing CF because Johnny Damon at his best could make up for Melky’s bad hitting.
So where does this move get you? Nowhere.
Finally!
You’re wrong though Pete. It’s about 3 months too late. lol
Ransom is hitting .253 with 115 strikeouts in AAA and hes 32 yrs old.
How exactly does he help us?
I’m a little surprised that Cashman didn’t roll the dice by calling up A-Jack, but I guess they don’t want to rush the kid.
It may be too little too late Melky should have been sent down a month ago.
Gardner and Ransom will at least look like they are trying.
I hope that means Damon to CF for the rest of the year.
I can’t imagine they are going to give Gardner the CF job for the rest of the season. Its not exactly like he tore it up when he was here.
I just hope it means we don’t have to look at a lineup that gives Damon more time off.
He’s only been the best everyday player on the team for most of the season.
DFox, what’s our record with 5 months of Melky?
Damon will probably spend time at DH and Gardner will be playing CF…Damon has limited range and the worst arm ever so don’t expect Damon in CF everyday.
HURRAY!
I don’t think this has as much to do with Brett Gardner and what difference he can make on turning the team around. It’s more about figuring out a way to get Melky Cabrera back to some level of productivity offensively. He will be back once the rosters expand anyway, so it’s not like this is some potentially months-long demotion.
I am somewhat surprised about cutting Sexson, since it seemed like they had liked him as a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch hitter. Perhaps behind the scenes they didn’t like his approach or something along those lines, but it amazes me that he gets the ax and Wilson Betemit probably ends up getting more playing time. Anything that gets Wilson Betemit more playing time is a bad thing, in my mind.
Rebecca,
No, it doesn’t make me more confident, but watching Melky ground out to second three times a day is not helping the Yankees OR Melky.
This move doesn’t make the team better… but hopefully it’s the impetus to make Melky better.
I agree with Pete, this is a month (or longer) overdue.
I detect a pulse on someone in the front office. Maybe not everyone up there is just looking at next year.
I’m glad they did something, but I hope it wasn’t too late. Love Melky, but he was dead weight offensively(then again they have all been offensive). Sexy? Well, bye.
Welcome back Brett and hello Cody. What is known about Ransom?
while i never understood how decisions are made on the roster i love that melky is getting a wake up call. i know damon took a liking to brett and he will defintely give the team a facelift i just hope its not too late. but chris britton up and down? why is he on the team? he never pitches and when he does is ineffective
as long as gardner runs through walls and gives you a representitive at bat, i am all for the moves
Sexson was a whiff waiting to happen, it just didint work
I know Cody Ransom is supposed to be a career minor-leaguer, but so was Shelly Duncan last year. Yet Shelly still provided a spark. Maybe Ransom can provide the same, if temporary, spark.
yes, cano needs to realize this isnt all about fun. it’s a job that he needs to take seriously.
“I just hope it means we don’t have to look at a lineup that gives Damon more time off.”
Totally agree – it is the bell lap now, there is no more time to rest anyone and hurt an already anemic offense.
For whatever it’s worth – leaving another team and coming to play for the Yankees is probably the hardest show on earth. The highways are littered with programs, etc. etc. etc.
Ask Ensberg. Ask Hawkins. Ask Sexson.
It’s unfortunate because there have been many times when the player or players have really ended up being productive elsewhere – or were extremely productive before they came to the Bronx. (Certainly I’m not talking necessarily about the three aforementioned, though Ensberg did have a pretty nice run in Houston at one point.) That’s why I don’t get too excited about seeing what Karstens is doing in Pittsburgh. Talk about no pressure!
Sj44, according to the Sherman(for what that’s worth), Damon will play center, Buttemit primary DH until Matsui back.
Jackson is not on the 40 man roster. At this stage of the season, I doubt they want to make 40 man roster moves to call up someone who will be playing off the bench.
Its better that Jackson plays everyday in AA.
These are minor moves in the big picture.
Brett Gardner and Cody Ransom aren’t going to decide the Yankees fate for the next 6 weeks. That’s up to the core guys to play better baseball and win games.
yessssssssss thank youuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!
Interested Reader,
Damon FT in CF is actually a drawback. Teams don’t respect his arm at all.
“Ransom is hitting .253 with 115 strikeouts in AAA and hes 32 yrs old.
How exactly does he help us?”
because they’ll be less inclined to use Sexson over Giambi against lefties.
This is more for Melky’s development than anything else. It’s not a move to improve anything, Ransom is mediocre at best and Gardner didn’t have a lot of success the first time. Seems just a little bit like some white flag waving is going on.
Damon every day in CF with that arm … trouble. They need to tell their corner OFs to cut off his throws, like Manny did.
It’s worth a shot. Gardner can’t be that much worse than Melky’s been since May at worst and Sexson wasn’t doing anything. I’m no fan of Ransom, but at least he gives you another middle infield backup besides Wilson.
Poor melky. Good luck with Damon’s baby arm in center. Why can’t Gardner practice bunting an hour a day. I still would rather have Damon in center than as the DH.
“Ransom is hitting .253 with 115 strikeouts in AAA and hes 32 yrs old.
How exactly does he help us?”
22 homers 71 rbi that is how
Correct me if I am wrong but this move could NOT have been made a month ago. Damon crashed into the wall and hurt his shoulder so we needed Melky (not that he contributed all that much)
prediction for tonight:
damon dh
ransom ss
abreu rf
arod 3b
nady lf
giambi 1b
irod c
cano 2b
gardner cf
DFox,
Melky is hitting .115 for the month of August.
Just how can Damon help that?
If Ransom is coming up that must mean Jeter’s injury is more serious..Cody is so much better at short than Betmit is and has a little pop in his bat. Good move by Cash
Bob,
Then we gotta hope Matsui can get back soon! lol
Bettemit is Melky at the plate. A human strikeout.
But, what can you do? They just don’t have a lot of appealing options right now.
AAA is vacant of any real bats and Sexson really wasn’t getting it done.
Its going to come down to the core guys: Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Arod, Giambi, Nady and Cano. That’s 7 pretty fair offensive players. At least the back of their baseball cards say so.
If they can’t get it going now, getting rid of the 24th and 25th guys on the roster isn’t going to matter.
I think it’s going to be Gardner at CF, Damon in LF
Nady LF/DH/RF
Ok, now I believe it…
Prediction for tonights lineup:
Damon
Jeter
Abreu
A-Rod
Nady
Giambi
Cano
Pudge
Gardner
Girardi said Jeter will be in the lineup today.
Interesting that everyone thinks that this will be a “wake-up call” for Melky and Cano. What does that even mean? Do you really believe that they don’t realize that they are struggling?
I guess that when you are Latin and struggling you need a “wake-up call”, but when you are an American you just need to be “re-energized”.
Its about time.
Geez. Melky showed some flashes periodically, but by and large, he sucks. Ahhh, the breath of fresh air. At least Gardner is lethal on the basepaths.
Sexson was worth the shot, but who are we kidding, it wasn’t like he was going to resurrect his sub mediocre career.
Cole can blow pigeon pole. I dig the desire to go to school for sure, but I hope his baseball career goes down the tubes. What an idiot.
as long as we’re shaking things up, why not move jeter back in the order and put nady in the 2 hole and flip arod and abreu in the order?
My shot at the lineup:
CF – Damon
C – I. Rodriguez
RF – Abreu
3B – A. ROdriguez
DH – Giambi
LF – Nady
2B – Cano
1B – Betemit
SS – Ransom
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned this last night but Chad Jennings had a very interesting post up on his blog about Ian Kennedy’s start. Apparently Kennedy threw 30 curveballs and a ton of 2 seamers because the Yankees told him to work on those two pitches.
Sounds like he is starting to wake up! Sorry if I’m rehashing an old discussion but I just noticed the blog quote a few minutes ago.
Sounds like Melky had too many R and C ’s he can chase the skirts at SWB, good luck. This off season goodbye Canue. Can’t wait. Get good solid SP with the BP a couple of clutch hitters and we will look like the 96 team.
You mean you guys didn’t like how I’d always swing at the first pitch and ground into an inning ending, rally killing, double play?
Girardi will be in his weekly spot on the fan at 5 fyi
Patrick –
I saw that too and thought it was a very good sign. Enough of the useless fanning AAA batters with pitches that aren’t as effective in the bigs.
Throwing curveballs for strikes from behind in the count will make him much less predictable.
“I guess that when you are Latin and struggling you need a “wake-up callâ€, but when you are an American you just need to be “re-energizedâ€.”
That’s right because America is better.
You can drink the water here.
“AAA is vacant of any real bats and Sexson really wasn’t getting it done.
Its going to come down to the core guys: Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Arod, Giambi, Nady and Cano. That’s 7 pretty fair offensive players. At least the back of their baseball cards say so.”
Well, Miranda is a pretty good lefty bat but we already have plenty of those.
Its pretty ridiculous how bad the Yankees offense has been considering their core players. LIke you said, thats 7 good players. Even with Cano and Jeter having bad years, thats 3 guys with a .900 OPS or higher and 2 guys with an .820 OPS or higher. That should be enough to produce a lot of runs. I guess it comes down to poor situational hitting and awful hitting with RISP.
Then we gotta hope Matsui can get back soon! lol
Bettemit is Melky at the plate. A human strikeout.
But, what can you do? They just don’t have a lot of appealing options right now.
Agreed. Tells me they must be expecting MAtsui back pretty soon.
Honestly though, I’d take Gardner/CF, Damon/DH over Melky playing everyday.
remember when they first go arod and batted him 3rd in front of shef and then after torre flipped them, the offense took off? another trick torre used to do with a struggling hitter was move him up in the order and bat him 2nd or something to try to spark him. maybe if they tried cano in the 3 hole and abreu behind arod it would get the offense clicking?
people on here complain about girardi switching the lineup, but he always uses damon, jeter, abreu, and arod in the same spots, i think its time to break that up.
Hope it isn’t too little too late. I think they are also doing this to separate the Melky and Cano duo. Maybe this serves as a wake up call to Cano as well.
Hey “Say What” what if your Latin American. Where do these people come from?
Patrick,
I saw Kennedy’s comments as well. They were very encouraging. As was his performance. He went down there and did exactly what they told him to do even though that was not the easiest way for him to win that game.
Sounds like he struggled with his command throwing that many curve balls – but that’s a good thing – because that’s exactly what he was doing in the majors. Before he probably would have reverted back to throwing his four seamer to get the AAA hitters out.
He needs to get his curve ball and slider back to where they were last year. That’s the key for him.
It’s a small step – but i think he’s now clear on what he needs to do. It’s not about numbers for him in AAA.
never heard of a player, white, latin or martian who got sent down to re-energize.
Cody Ransom, career minor leaguer…
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/R/Cody-Ransom.shtml
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/47893
Yankees just got worse. You’re asking Cody Ransom to replace Derek Jeter. Think about that. He will K 40% of the time in the majors. This administration gets too excited about people too soon and gives up on them too fast
“This move doesn’t make the team better… but hopefully it’s the impetus to make Melky better.”
I agree with that entirely. How anyone can think that Damon in center, defensively, is an automatic upgrade? The thought of Damon in center scares me on the level that if he goes into a hitting funk, we have no offense and no defense. At least with Melky there we had the defense.
I would like to see Damon be the permanent DH rather than have him in center all the time. Get someone up who can play defensive center and roll the dice with the person’s hitting.
The best thing about Melky going down is it is probalby the only way to get Robby and Melky straightened out and have them assume two separate lives and their own baseball identities – hopefully good ones.
I don’t want to talk about Kennedy until he earns it.
“remember when they first go arod and batted him 3rd in front of shef and then after torre flipped them, the offense took off? another trick torre used to do with a struggling hitter was move him up in the order and bat him 2nd or something to try to spark him. maybe if they tried cano in the 3 hole and abreu behind arod it would get the offense clicking?
people on here complain about girardi switching the lineup, but he always uses damon, jeter, abreu, and arod in the same spots, i think its time to break that up.”
I’ve been saying this here for a while now. I would rather have Giambi out of the 5 spot and throw him in the 3 spot to try and wake up his bat. If anything he’ll continue to get on base for Arod and Nady.
This is much ado about very little. Unless Gardner wasn’t showing us his real stuff, this is a push.
TK in DC,
You can drink the water in Baja too
I think this is a clear message to Cano. I really think it has little to do with salvaging Melky’s career.
This is taking Cano’s little buddy away for 2 weeks and showing him this isn’t a clubhouse, this is a business and if he doesn’t treat it accordingly he’ll be out of here too.
Ransom is here to threaten Cano into playing. If you’re not going to hit and play defense like you’re on acid, then we’ll go with the quad A minor league journeyman who just wants a shot.
And the message to Melky is clear—Brett Gardner has passed you in the eyes of the organization.
I give Cash credit. I wanted a move like this on the off day to show they were serious and trying something to fix the bad body language quitters like Cano and Melky.
As for Sexson, he showed nothing other than a decent glove. I’d rather us claim Minky if we need a 1b glove since the guy wanted to be here and had some fire.
For the occasion of Melky being demoted, I will re-post my most lovely sonnet that spans Melky’s career.
2006
The dawn twas a bit rough, a Trot fly did fall
run round milk man run, in circles did he
scram back to ohio, to shag many more balls
laugh did the fans emphatic, almost to pee
2007
Godzilla man lay flat with wrist mangled in pain
come hither to Melk man, with skills more sound
a bomb robbed from ramirez, so very INSANE!
and the milk arm strike fear from runner abound
2008
the power illusion of spring,a la Spencer month had he
But as milk often sours, our CF falleth from grace
No player of month beckon/ No All Star game glee
The melk man appeareth to fall flat on chub face
The winds reek of change, the season quite done
do the melk man returneth, or do leche they shun?
Does having Gardner, Christian and Ransom available add that dimension – “SPEED” – to the Yankee lineup? Will we see some new wrinkles in pushing runners and pressuring opposing pitchers?
“I don’t want to talk about Kennedy until he earns it.”
What, is Joe Girardi posting for you now, Brandon?
Brandon,
I agree. Until Kennedy actually does something good, why tout him? He sucks as far as I’m concerned and his numbers support that.
By and large, the same can be said for Hughes. For all the hype he’s really only had two “solid” outings and they both occurred last year.
“TK in DC,
You can drink the water in Baja too :)”
huh?
“It’s a small step – but i think he’s now clear on what he needs to do. It’s not about numbers for him in AAA.”
Yeah exactly. At this point the Yankees know that he can dominate every level of the minors. He just needs to show improvement on his pitches, specifically the breaking stuff. His next callup will depend on how well he’s throwing his pitches, not on how many wins he has or what his ERA is.
I think it was David Cone that made a good point during Kennedy’s start vs the Angels. All of his pitches that game were on the same plane. He threw the 4 seamer and change almost exclusively but he mixed in the slider a little bit. If he can improve on his curveball command and start to throw that little more, it would really help keep hitters off balance.
(repost)
I’d love to know what Melky is thinking, cleaning out his locker, getting on the bus and after being demoted. Now he has to play with some of the Kids. I liked Melky, but lets be honest, he was always a 4th outfielder forced into the Starting Line-up. It almost isn’t his fault he’s suffered in the line-up, he was never that good to begin with.
Sexson sucked, he won’t be missed.
The Front office woke up and realized that Melky was an AUTOMATIC out every single time, killed rallies, ground into double plays routinely and generally was lost at the plate. I think removing an automatic out completely is always a good thing, maybe an Addition by Subtraction thing. I like Gardner, he is sort of the player Brandon is talking about. He can be gritty, he takes pitches, he runs hard, he runs fast, and if he hits the ball he hits it hard (mostly at someones glove, but sometimes you can’t control those things).
I wonder if the Yankees wished they had Alberto Gonzalez still…
G. Love,
At the risk of being lude, you’d like to be on your knees in front of Minky wouldn’t you?
I don’t see how Ransom is an improvement over Sexson. At least Sexson was productive in his limited play against lefties. And you can’t find a much better glove at first base than him. Ransom might provide better defense than Betemit up the middle, but what kind of offense are you going to get out of him?
Melky = biggest hole in line-up
He sucks, his fielding was decent but he is just horrible.
He is gone forever watch
You mean you guys didn’t like how I’d always swing at the first pitch and ground into an inning ending, rally killing, double play?
TK,
You made a comment about being able to drink the water in America. In various parts of Mexico, you can drink the water too…I believe Mexico is considered part of Latin America.
Brilliant, just Brilliant! Bring up an even more limited offensive player in Gardner and with lesser defensive talent. This’ll bring back the days of the older Bernie Williams in Center…runners going first to third like ants!
Good move releasing Sexson, however.
“By and large, the same can be said for Hughes. For all the hype he’s really only had two “solid†outings and they both occurred last year.”
So, his 5 starts in the month of September last year don’t count as his “solid” ones? Not like they were happening while the team was trying to lock up a playoff spot or anything, and it’s not like he pitched to a 2.73 ERA or anything.
“TK,
You made a comment about being able to drink the water in America. In various parts of Mexico, you can drink the water too…I believe Mexico is considered part of Latin America.”
Actually I made that comment.
See what drinking that water does to you?
Can we go 28-13 the rest of the way and finish with 92-70 record?
Coolstandings.com puts us at 7.5% chance
Our blog gives us a 19% chance
To get 28 wins need to:
Sweep KC and Seattle and Detroit-7 wins
Toronto win 6 of 9
Tampa Bay win 4 of 6
Baltimore win 4 of 6
Boston win 4 of 6
Chicago win 2 of 4
Anaheim win 1 of 3
IS THE FEASIBLE, FALLACY OR FICTION????
Brett is 100 times better than Melky. Brett Gardner is here to stay! With Brett’s speed and bat, he can lead us to the play offs. Hasta Luego, Melky Cabrera!
“Interesting that everyone thinks that this will be a “wake-up call†for Melky and Cano. What does that even mean? Do you really believe that they don’t realize that they are struggling?
I guess that when you are Latin and struggling you need a “wake-up callâ€, but when you are an American you just need to be “re-energizedâ€.”
I think that Latin players are often unfairly singled out for criticism concerning their effort, so I see where you are coming from. But consider this:
Cano still has options. If he continues to struggle, the Yankees could actually send him to Scranton, contract be damned. Seeing his buddy and fellow young gun Melky sent packing has to hammer that reality home to him. Hopefully he gets re-focused and starts playing better. I’ve been defending him all year, but he needs to work on a number of the parts of his game.
since Sexson is released, why not bring up the likes of Jason Lane and Ben Broussard? hmm…
Mad Prince in Pinstripes, that was E-man that made the water comment.
To get 28 wins need to:
Sweep KC and Seattle and Detroit-7 wins
Toronto win 6 of 9
Tampa Bay win 4 of 6
Baltimore win 4 of 6
Boston win 4 of 6
Chicago win 2 of 4
Anaheim win 1 of 3
It could..could be done. But from watching this team, I dunno. We might need a miracle.
Bronx Bard, that’s fantastic.
Rom – i agree. that seems right out of some silly old fashioned motivational way of thinking. i dont think it is latin player specific but the thought that these 2 professionals werent playing hard is basically saying they were dogging it. no one will say they were dogging it but so this is the nice way of saying it
“since Sexson is released, why not bring up the likes of Jason Lane and Ben Broussard? hmm…”
Jason Lane is just off the DL.
Ben Broussard is a lefty so having him and Giambi would be redundant. Also if the Yankees call up a lefty 1B it would be Miranda, not Broussard.
Yanks going 28 – 13 is deffinalty a reality.
10 gane win streak starts tonight followed by a 4 game win streak
“since Sexson is released, why not bring up the likes of Jason Lane and Ben Broussard? hmm…”
Sexson was on the team because he was born righthanded. We don’t need another lefty bat like Broussard. And Lane hasn’t played all that well and lacks the position flexibility of Ransom.
Chad Jennings summary of Ransom:
“You don’t have to sell me on the move. It was absolutely the right thing to do, with Ransom giving the Yankees a legitimate backup shortstop and Gardner giving them at least the hope of an upgrade in center field. I do wonder what the Ransom move says about Jeter’s injury, though.
If you haven’t seen Ransom play, he’s a nice defensive player with a strong arm. He’s nothing flashy at short, but he certainly gets the job done and his bat has a little bit of pop. ”
Not liking Damon in CF. His killer offense may be due to not having to play OF as often as he had in the past. Right now we need the offensive production. I hope he doesn’t lose it. And Ransom? I’m no Betemit fan, but I don’t see Ransom being able to do anything! I’m thinking the Yanks are regretting the Attorney General!!
also i think pete is kind of wrong to say this should have happened a month ago. i know where he is coming from but until we got nady who would have been the 3rd OF. gardner? he showed nothing up here. christian – maybe but i dont it. and damon missed a lot of time too so if damon was out and we sent down melky, does anyone really think that playing gardner and christian out there would have made us any better?
Hey Mad Prince –
Don’t eat the mushrooms!
It’s not just the shame/disapointment of being demoted after being on the big club for a while, the change in quality of life is dramatic. You go from private jets to buses, five-star hotels to roadside motels. It’s a wakeup call for anyone.
It’s about time, adios Melky!
The ‘09 season begins.
AG just went on the DL after a hot start with Washington.
This is half good and half bad. The good is that Melky goes down and has a chance to get his act together. The bad is that we know have no one who can play a decent 1B. In the end, I don’t really see this making that much of a difference.
wow, the day i replace my “Melky” custom NY license plates with just yankees ones is the same day he is sent down to AAA. lol nice timing
I never thought that the Yanks would send Melky down, but I am glad that they did. I think that this sends a message to both him and Cano.
“Brett is 100 times better than Melky. ”
Yes..Really impressed with that .153 BA/.227 OBP/.397 Slg. Pct during his first stint!
At 25 years old, and a chicken arm in center, he’s another Scott Posednik in the making.
After that road trip and the season on the brink of colllapse something had to be done. Anything they did has to be seen as an improvement. if you dont think so just remeber how good we were with Seson and melky
Anyone see the movie “Rat Race”- very funny remake of “It’s a Mad Mad World.”
In order to get directions Kathy Bates wants to sell one of her squirrels to Whoopi Goldberg, who declines, gets the directions thru these back roads, and as she takes a wrong turn about to fly off a cliff, there’s a sign-You shoulda bought a squirrel.!!
What does this have to do with the Yankees, you say??
They shoulda claimed Paul Byrd for the 2M – given up only 7 runs in his last 5 outings against Detroit x2, Minnesota, Anaheim and CG against Toronto. To top it off he’s a FA unlike Washburn.
thats all garbage, to make the playoffs you have to win. working out the statistical probabilities is a nice pastime but they just have to win today and then go win tomorrow, not worry about who’s not here and just win ballgames. its the middle of august there is still enough time.
just win.
I think Brett is stronger than Melky physically. I get the feeling that no one on the yankees team actually like Melky. Brett Gardner is a popular guy in the yankees club house.
DAMMIT, WE ARE IN A PENNANT RACE DOWN HERE IN SCRANTON! THE BIG CLUB IS KILLING US!!!!!!!
sj, pete, whoever knows the inside:
how does the gm-manager relationship work in yankeeland. do they always consult or does cash just decide what he wants after consulting with joe. does cash decide that girardi shouldnt ge using melky and demote him to prevent it or would everybody have to be on board with this move?
Zod
You still have Igawa and now you have Melky, and every few days you get Britton back!!
Cody Ransom this year . . .
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Cody%20Ransom&pos=3B&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=285068
“I don’t want to talk about Kennedy until he earns it.”
Yes indeedy. Pretty please with sugar on it. We have really important stuff to talk about.
Johnny Damon is one player on the Yankees I would not want to see traded away. You talk about someone who leaves nothing on the field each and every time he is out there. That said, I absolutely CRINGE when he is in CF and a ball is hit out to him.
If the Yankees have good defense, they must use it in center. I don’t know who is coming from SWB and how their defense is, but oh my lord PLEASE don’t say that Damon is now our CF. Either that or guarantee that our starting pitchers will all major in sinker balls!
I won’t be surprised at all to see an attempt to rehabbing Melky. And I don’t believe at all that this team has given up on him. I think they are probably sick and tired of the sluggishness that defines RobbyMelky, the players who became one!
Good move on the part of the Yankees.
Hey Zod – you got the fabulous Ian Kennedy back. No thank you for that? Hell the big club could have kept him from you forever and ever!
Why do people focus so much on throwing arms in CF?
It makes no sense. It’s a luxury, not a necessity.
More than 2/3 of MLB teams have center fielders who have little more than average throwing arms.
The Yanks won four rings with Bernie Williams patrolling CF and Johnny Damon has one as well.
Neither of these players scared a single base runner from taking an extra base and the team still managed to win with them.
This focus on Melky’s arm is so overblown. A nice throw every couple of weeks doesn’t make up for his .220 BA since May 1.
The bigger question is what Cano does with his buddy gone for at least 2 weeks.
Gee, big bold moves.
Cano will probably take it is a sign that he must be playing good enough not to get sent down.
And if Jeter isn’t playing tonight after spending his off day in Texas, I’m officially squirting mustard packs at every Jeter shirt I see tonight.
Beware all you 12 year old girls! Trust me that cheap yellow mustard they give out does damage!
i hope the veterans on this team realize that this it’s really thier fault melky’s back in aaa. it shouldnt matter if the #9 hitter in this order never gets a hit. the reason something had to be done is because the 1-7 hitters have done nothing and we need production from every spot in the order.
if this team was hitting the way it should, melky would be just fine just playing the OF.
Mad Prince,
The word is “lewd” and yes, you were that.
I’m not sure why my rather having one of the best defensive 1b gloves in the game at 1b vs. Sexson leads you to suggest what you did, but luckily I don’t have to live inside your brain.
We’ll leave that for you therapist who I’m sure enjoys cashing your checks 5 times a week.
Guiseppe – you don’t think letting runners go first to third constantly is a big deal? Tell that to the Angels.
Somehow I imagine Cano standing outside his apartment with a blank stare not knowing how to get to the Stadium when Melky doesn’t come pick him up.
The Richie Sexson fan club has been disbanded.
All card carrying members can turn their cards in at Stan’s for a free 8 ounce draft beer paid for by Sidney Ponson.
Guiseppe – you don’t think letting runners go first to third constantly is a big deal? Tell that to the Angels.
Like I said, the facts are the facts. The Yanks and Red Sox won five rings combined with Williams and Damon in CF – both notorious noodle arms.
They haven’t even won a postseason series with Melky in CF and won’t be in the postseason this season.
If having a strong arm in CF was such a necessity, then why do 2/3 of MLB have center fielders with average throwing arms?
Who’s next to go??
“The Yanks won four rings with Bernie Williams patrolling CF and Johnny Damon has one as well.”
Those “four rings” were also won when Bernie didn’t have severe shoulder problems and could actually throw decently.
Johnny Damon (and his Ring) patrolled Fenway Park…not Yankee Stadium and its cavernous dimensions in the left center alley.
A strong throwing arm is not a luxury, it is a necessity in large outfields where holding baserunners from getting into scoring position can mean a win or a loss.
I don’t understand why they released Sexon. He wasn’t doing bad at all.
LathonJoe,
Williams never had a decent throwing arm. Never. That goes all the way back to the mid-90s.
He always has a noodle arm. His arm just went from bad to child-like when he sustained so many shoulder problems.
Focusing on throwing arms is overblown and misguided. Always has been.
I like Brett Gardner. He’ll certainly have his head in the game, unlike The Melk Man.
Im glad Sexson is gone.Guy had a lot of holes in his swing.Giambi needs to play.Ransom is here because AGon is gone.I know very little about him but its worth a look.I’m expecting a flex lineup based on the opponent,opposing pitcher etc.
Against a lefty pitcher is this the lineup?
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
A-Rod 3B
Nady LF
Giambi DH
Cano 2B or Ransom
Betemit 1B
I-Rod/Molina C
I disagree, Guiseppe. It was never strong but not as weak as it was after 2003 when his shoulder probelms worsened. Bernie, with his speed , was able to cut balls off in the gap and keep extra bases to a tolerable level.
However, after the shoulder injuries base runners ran at will on his arm.
And you don’t think a strong arm is important against teams like Tampa Bay and the Angels??
Then why would the Yankees make “defensive replacements” for Bernie and Damon in late innings?
Back in spring training I watched Ransom, and I have to say, not only did he outplay Betemit, I felt he deserved to make the team over Betemit. He played excellent at short and has a strong arm. He is athletic and may add a much needed spark off the bench. Hopefully when Matsui comes up they trade Betemit for anything!
As far Gardner, Chad Jennings has excellent read on him saying how he learned from his short time in the majors and how he would change his approach the next time up and be more aggressive. Anything is better than Melky.
As far as Cano, well if anyone on here listened to Michael Kay earlier, Larry Bowa was on his show. Interestingly Larry Bowa said he never wanted to leave the Yankees and if Girardi asked him he would have stayed as 3rd base coach. He was told by Yankee officials that they were gonna make a complete overhaul and that is when Torre called him and he went to LA. He says he misses NY Yankee baseball tremendously and he most of all misses the fans. He also said it was too laid back in LA. He than said Cano is not a good talent but a great talent but he needs constant prodding to keep his attitude and work ethic in check. Bowa than stated that he has talked with Cano 4 times over the course of the season and he told him he has to keep working hard and get his head in the game. Either Girardi hires Bowa in the off season or we should consider trading Cano to LA for Kemp and a pitcher! Something to consider.
Lastly do not blame Cashman or Girardi for this pathetic team effort. Girardi wears his emotions on his sleeves and Cashman work ethic is second to none. Cashman made some excellent moves to put this team in position to strike down the stretch. Some on this web blog question why he went into this season with 2 rookies on the staff and it makes me laugh. 2 rookies on a 5 man staff is not unheard of and should we blame him that both failed. Know one can say prior to the season that both would have done as bad as they have. If you asked fans before the season about Hughes projection I’m sure most fans would have said at the very least he will win 10 games. The 2008 Yankee staff was projected to be better than the 2007 staff and the 2006 staff which was pathetic with the likes of Aaron Small and that others clown that got released by the Astros. Also we do not know how Girardi handles his players behind closed doors, from what I heard he is constantly on Cano and Melky to get there heads into the game. I think adding Bowa in the off season would be worth it so he can concentrate on coaching and let the bulldog do the dirty work.
Trisha and Yankee Trader
Thanks for your words of encouragement. The people here in Scranton apppreciate it. However, please do not send any more players to us until we have a chance to win the International League title. That is unless you want to give back Ransom and Gardner.
The comments on this thread were fairly predictable, lol.
RustyJohn
August 15th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Say what you will about Cashman, but he isn’t afraid to make moves- for better or for worse.
So, if he has all this fearsome quality why in the world does he continue to call up Traber, when he has a far better option in Strickland. Lefty’s hit the ‘lefty specialist’ at a a .370 avg!!!!! Strickland is over a 140 points lower.
MELKY IS GONE! HELL YEAH!
E-man. You have a good point about Torre’s lineup changes. But to say that Giambi’s bat needs to wakeup is slightly inaccurate. He will not hit .300 again, but hitting for average is not a necessity for him. He drives in run, gets on base, and takes lots of pitches. I like having abreu and giambi surrounding a-rod because both are patient hitters that force pitchers to pitch to them, and with that added pressure on pitchers, the 3-4-5 spots on a good night should be a formidable front.
I like Damon as a hitter but with his weak arm, having him in CF is a serious liability. You have to remember that Melky has a respectable arm, and he makes a good number of outfield assists. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice some offense for defense – you look at the success of oakland a’s pitching over the years, and part of that has to do with the good defense that the ballclub seems to focus on over the years. One or two fewer outs a game can make a significant difference throughout the season. But, ultimately, I agree with Peter, who I normally agree with, that this is a good move and hopefully this will revamp our offense, putting some speed on the basepaths instead of watching Abreu get caught stealing.