A few notes from spring training …
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Mar 09, 2009 
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· Luis Sojo is managing Venezuela in the WBC, taking time away from his job as the manager of the Single-A Tampa Yankees.
Sojo is in a bit of a storm in Toronto. He told the Venezuela media that the Mariners demanded he use both Felix Hernandez and Carlos Silva on Saturday. He said it several times, in fact.
One problem: Mariners’ GM Jack Zduriencik, e-mailed Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports to tell him that Sojo was making stuff up. Now the Venezuela media is burying Sojo in the papers there. They take the WBC very seriously elsewhere. Very seriously.
· Ran into two scouts today who saw Andruw Jones in Arizona. Their call? F-i-n-i-s-h-e-d. No bat speed and he even looks lost in center field.
· Bobby Crosby, unhappy Oakland utility guy, played third base today. I’m just saying.
· That Andrew Brackman was optioned to Charleston today wasn’t exactly huge news. But it’s interesting to note that evil genius Scott Boras got the Yankees to sign him to a major league deal out of college. So as he develops, he burns his options.
· Brett Gardner leads the Yankees with three home runs this spring. I don’t know if that speaks really well of Brett or really poorly of everybody else.
· I don’t know that he’ll ever hit enough to play in the majors. But Ramiro Pena can play shortstop in the majors right now.
· The Yankees have Thursday off. I asked Chien-Ming Wang what his plans were. “Look at stuff for the baby,” said CMW, whose wife is due in a few months. And what does Mrs. Wang want? “Everything,” Wang said with resignation.
· I wish people could see up close the affection the players have for Yogi Berra. It’s really neat. Yogi was walking through the clubhouse today and Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes were marveling at how somebody his size was such a great player.
“He was on the treadmill the other day. It was going 1 mph or something,” Joba said. “God bless him.”
Yankees have a night game tomorrow and I plan to sleep in a bit in the morning. But the blog will get updated at some point. Joba pitches against the Reds and he probably need to look like himself pretty soon.
The game is on YES. I have the spring TV and radio schedule linked over to the right if you need it. It’s under “Posts of Note.”
Bobby Crosby is also terrible. He’d be a downgrade from Cody Ransom and is likely to get hurt before Alex returns from rehab.
Erasmus is 17 I could just imagine the stuff going in his head, P.S. damn the Yankees dropped the ball in letting thier prospects play in this thing, what better place for them to learn. In the next WBC let them play in this thing, would have been nice seeing DeLeon or Sosa on team DR or WDR instead of sent to minor league complex sent to WBC. It is what it is.
Oh I’m not surprised Venezuela really wants to win it.
I wish people could see up close the affection the players have for Yogi Berra. It’s really neat. Yogi was walking through the clubhouse today and Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes were marveling at how somebody his size was such a great player.
“He was on the treadmill the other day. It was going 1 mph or something,” Joba said. “God Bless him.
===========================================
Aw.
Yeah, Bobby Crosby hasn’t posted an OPS+ over 76 since 2005, the only year he was worth anything with the stick. He’s not the answer.
I will take Bobby.
Perhaps he can play some 3B and when A-Rod comes back can compete with Cano at 2B.
bj and what cano has to compete for with crosby
who is pitching for the yanks tomorrow?
““Look at stuff for the baby,” said CMW, whose wife is due in a few months. And what does Mrs. Wang want? “Everything,” Wang said with resignation.”
Congrats for Wanger and his Wife. Hopefully the little CMW brings him good health and fortune.
Congrats for the Wanger and his Wife
Any word on when single game Yankee tickets go on sale?
I got to meet and have dinner with Yogi a few years ago. He is a genuine type of person. His hands are a mess though. His speech is colorful, definitely not what would be considered PC today.
who is pitching for the yanks tomorrow?
=====================
Joba
Pete,
The reason Crosby played 3rd, I believe, is because Chavez is hurt.
Considering Eric Chavez’s history, the A’s might actually need him at 3rd.
Big big pass on Bobby Crosby. Why trade away a player (any player) and take on a 5 million dollar contract for a guy who isn’t going to be any better than Ransom and might just get hurt again? Crosby’s been terrible for a long time. He had one halfway decent year and that’s it. If the Yankees make a trade, make it be for a very cheap guy a little better than Ransom, or an expensive guy who’s a decent amount better than him, not a guy who somehow gets by on a reputation built on one decent (but not even that great) season.
Last year was his best season since 2005. He hit .237/.296/.349 in well over 500 at bats. PECOTA, which is quite down on Ransom and puts him in at much lower than his career MLB numbers (because his minor league numbers really aren’t that good), still projects him at .216/.293/.386, terrible but probably a little better than Crosby thanks to the slightly better power. Since Ransom is here for league minimum and Crosby would cost 5 million and a prospect, it shocks me that so many people are actually calling for Crosby.
Adrian got all of that one.
Why didn’t Jurrjens and Andru Jones play for the Netherlands?
Brackman depending on the Yankees could have 4 options.
Would Brackman use up an option for last year since he was on the 60 day DL all year? I don’t actually know how that works.
In a couple of years, Betances will be pitching in relief of Volquez in the WBC
“Would Brackman use up an option for last year since he was on the 60 day DL all year? I don’t actually know how that works.”
they can apply for another option year because he missed the entire year
Pete brings up a very good point about brackman. i did not realize that this counts as an option but isnt it concerning that he is burning options already and he is not even close to a finished product. The yanks would never even dreaming of DFAing a guy of brackmans caliber at this point but that could certainly create some future problems.
As for crosby, Im sorry to say this but I think Ransom is probably the better option at this point. Frankly, Crosby has proven that he cannot start at this level while ransom has not yet been given a chance to succeed or fail.
‘In a couple of years, Betances will be pitching in relief of Volquez in the WBC’
Doubt it, the Yankees just don’t like letting thier top players play in this.
‘Why didn’t Jurrjens and Andru Jones play for the Netherlands?’
Atlanta said no to Jair leaving camp, Andruw is fat
Couldn’t Brackman volunteer to pitch in the minors like guys like Willis, Brett Myers, etc did this past year to fix mechanics?
Brackman did not use and option last year because he was on the dl.
If a player is on the 40-man roster for THREE YEARS and never put on the major league roster in that time, he gains a FOURTH “Option” year.
DL rehabilitation assignments are not counted as an “Option”.
Andruw Jones is all of 31 years of age. How could the guy possibly be finished as a major leaguer?? Shouldnt he still be in his prime?
2 years ago, that same Jones bat 262 363 531 with 41 homers. I see how horrible he has become but that doesnt mean I have to believe his career is over. It just doesnt make any sense. He probably took something to hit 51 homers and 41 homers in two consecutive seasons after never hitting more than 36 in a season but the guy is THIRTY-ONE… It makes no sense.
So brackman has four options left even though he used an option today? I dont quite understand that – can someone please explain a bit more thoroughly who knows what they are talking about?
“Ran into two scouts today who saw Andruw Jones in Arizona. Their call? F-i-n-i-s-h-e-d. No bat speed and he even looks lost in center field.”
But wait, how can this be? Barry Larkin and Harold Reynolds said on the MLB Network that with a slight change in his batting stance Andruw Jones is primed for a huge season!
Sorry I’m not trying to be mean (okay maybe a little) but Reynolds and Larkin got on my last nerve a few weeks back with their lack of interest for statistics. I understand it’s their job on the network to be optimistic and pro-player, but I think they get carried away based on certain players past reputations.
e.g Larkin claiming Griffey is still a gold glove center fielder and Reynolds claiming the Yankees have no bullpen other than Rivera.
It’s wonderful to see how the youngsters appreciate Yogi -I would kill to meet him. He was on a YES show recently called Great 8′s (with Ripken, Gary Carter and Joe Morgan – hosted by Michael Kay) and the others were just enraptured listening to him tell his stories. It’s not just the stories themselves, but the way he tells them……
Not worried about the lack of HRs…….but it is encouraging that Brett is driving the ball.
Boy, Sojo is digging himself a hole – I don’t get why he would lie…..I wonder how the Yankees feel about this.
Ive read 3 websites including this one, all take arod on a bike today as a huge sign that he will have a rapid recovery. I dont mean to imply that we should let facts get in the way of our optimism but EVERY SINGLE ATHLETE who has undergone the surgery arod had today, rides a bike within four hours of surgery, It is basically a mandatory part of the post-operative procedure.
Is it a fantastic sign that the doctors are some optimistic about arods recovery time? YES as that is a much more reliable indicator than the fact that he road a stationary bike. I read this stuff in the actual research paper that arods surgeon wrote on pubmed so you dont have to believe me but I would take one of the better orthopedic surgeons in the country’s word for it.
Kennedy for Bubba Crosby, I’d do that
But I thought Crosby said he wanted to be a starter?
I was in Border’s tonight and bought Alan Barra’s new biography of Yogi. It looks like it could be the best one yet.
“Boy, Sojo is digging himself a hole – I don’t get why he would lie…..I wonder how the Yankees feel about this.”
Betsy, consider this: Maybe Luis is not the one lying….
Sojo is one the most respected people in the organization among the Latino players and young players. I doubt the Yankees care… they know he is off-the-wall like that, thats what makes him so popular and respected
All Joba has to do to look like himself again is pitch to Youkilis and carefully place the ball about 6″ away from the guy’s helmet.
What made me think of that? Well for one thing, I just made another diaper change on the little one.
But she wasn’t crying that much.
StandingOneil,
i dont think anything you said was wrong but jones is a mere 31 years old. How many 31 year olds who at one point were one of the better players in the game, retire because they just cant play in the MLB anymore without major injury concerns? I think that it may be optimistic to think that jones will have a comeback year but I also think that he is certainly still capable of doing so. I just dont really see any rhyme or reason for this rapid disastrous dissent which makes me think that at 31, with the right coaches to aid him, he should be able to have some sort of comeback.
Kennedy for Bobby Crosby would be a really really terrible trade. I’m not high on Kennedy but he’s got ridiculous minor league numbers, even if he doesn’t translate to the majors he can get way more in a trade than a guy making 5 million dollars putting up worse numbers than Cody Ransom.
I honestly can’t figure out why anyone would actually want Bobby Crosby. I really can’t. He’s just not good, at all. He’s not even a good backup. If he was making league minimum and was a free agent I wouldn’t want him. At 5 million and a prospect, what possible reason could there be for wanting him?
Look at crosby’s actual stats guys – he is not a starter on any team no matter how bad. The A’s gave him a huge chunk of time and he dissappointed time and again. I wouldnt even given up kennedy for crosby at this point. Thats how far that guy has fallen.
‘Kennedy for Bubba Crosby, I’d do that’
Again why ? it’s a temporary move, the guy that comes in has to get adjusted to NY by the time they do Alex or Al since I’m not his foe will be back, your wasting a prospect in a trade here so it doesn’t make any sense. Crosby isn’t a better hitter than Robi so scratch his competing w/ Robi for 2B, just patch it up internally and let the pitching guide us.
Brett Gardner is not the Spring Training MVP like Enrique Wilson… Brett hit when he came up the 2nd time around. It jives with his pattern through the minors of struggling initially at each stage, then mastering it.
The HRs are not a fluke… he knows that if he wants pitchers to respect him and give him a chance to take walks, he has to show he can drive the ball. Otherwise, they will never throw him anything but fastball strikes and overpower him. Great dedication by him to work on his weaknesses.
I wouldn’t give up anything for Crosby, unless it’s a guy about to be designated for assignment anyway AND the A’s are going to pay his full salary, and even then I’d still only make him the backup and just start Cody Ransom. Cause he’s, you know, terrible.
E-gawa – I’m going to guess in about 10 days. I’m in the last set of possible partial ticket plans which were suppose to be mailed out about now. Alternatively, I will be receiving a “thanks but we don’t have any room for you at the inn letter” very shortly.
Dave,
I understand your point, its tough to believe that Jones has completely lost the ability to do anything; hit, run, field. But at some point you have to stop looking at what he was and see him for what he is. Every scouting report, heck every fan that watches him can tell you he’s done. I don’t think its fair to blame it all on weight gain (although that’s certainly one of the main problems) and I’m not going to go down the S word path because I think that’s a cop out.
I really just think Jones is lazy. He’s been given 2 chances now to get himself in shape and make adjustments to his game. But yet he seems content to remain the player he was 5 years ago, plus an extra 30 pounds. And as a result his swing has slowed to the point that he can’t hit a fastball, and his defense is no existent. Time to move on…
“Kennedy for Bobby Crosby would be a really really terrible trade.”
Billy Beane would make that trade in less than a second, and Cashman would then be fired in less than a second.
repost from last thread:
I think there were a few people asking about “options” in regards to minor league players.
Here’s a decent site that explains the 40 man roster, options, etc:
http://www.purplerow.com/2009/.....s-part-two
Melky Cabrera and Dan Giese, I believe, are the 2 most consequential Yankees that are out of options.
Shame that Jones is already toast at age 31. Anyone who remembers ’96 remembers him as a 19-yr old. The guy had talent that was so unbelievable at such a young age. Soon after that he was a virtual lock for the all-star team every year. Never would’ve thought he’d be finished in only 10 years.
Go out and get Estaban Herman
Cashman is not trading anything good to get Teahan or someone for 1 month and KC has no reason to just give him to us. That holds true for every good utility guy.
This is from the prior thread – that is, Jen originally posted the link there. I just thought it was such fun article to read that I’m reposting it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03.....ref=sports
It’s great to see that the new guys have taken it upon themselves to make this team a real team, not just 25 individual players. From CC and friends going to basketball games, to AJ taking guys fishing to Tex just being an overall good guy, it’s clear that there is a cohesion here that we haven’t seen for awhile. Obviously as well, the new guys seem to have felt comfortable from the first moment they stepped inside the clubhouse…….
Ian Kennedy is barely 24 years old. If he hadn’t been called up yet, we’d still be raving about him as if he’s a future ace or #2 starter.
He may never make it but it’s way too early to cast him off as a failure. It’s rare for a pitcher to excel in the majors this young. If he wasn’t struggling, he’d be an exception.
So whats the bench going to look like?
Swisher, Molina, Berroa, Melky?
Ansky,
I hate to even suggest this but there may be a reason why Jones was so good in the ‘steroid era’.
who knows? it’s a question that will get asked about any player who declines while still in their prime.
‘Go out and get Estaban Herman’
He ain’t better than Ransom.
Spring Training chemistry is nice… happens every year though and stays in Tampa. Let’s see where these guys are at during a 3 game losing streak with the fans booing them and the media hounding them.
Take everything in the stress-free atmosphere of Tampa with a grain of salt.
Ransom is going to be the 3B. I don’t know why people are dreaming that Cashman is going to trade value for month.
Teams are not gonna give away good bench players to help us… unless Cashman wants to take Bill Hall’s contract.
Herman the German?
StandingOneil,
I see what you are saying and I agree – the weight is a concern and his lack of motivation sees like even more of a concern. And of course, its evident to anyone that watches him for even a few at bats that he is a far cry from a few years ago when he finished second in mvp voting but I just dont understand it. Weight gain is one thing but jones was one of the best hitters in baseball at times. I just keep looking at his age – he was born in 1977 which means he is turning 32 in april. Most 32 year olds are still hitting in their prime or close to it. Most guys his age have years and years of quality baseball left in them.
Jones signed a 2 year deal at 36 mil with the dodgers last year. He has one year left to prove he can actually still play baseball or his career will be over before he is 33 years old. I dont know about andruw but that would be plenty motivation for me to turn myself around. We are talking about a crapload of money here – he wins comeback player of the year and he can sign a pretty sweet deal. He continues the falling off a cliff trend and his career is completely over – he will be lucky to be signed as a backup. Look at guys like jeter and arod who are both older than jones and think about it from that perspective. If all jones needs is a huge kicks in the pants, this season is it. Otherwise, he is likely tens of millions of dollars poorer than he would have been.
Ian Kennedy isn’t getting traded for a Bobby Crosby….He’ll go back to AAA and win 18 games and his face value will soar…..He’s going to be a good # 3-4 15 win pitcher……Patience is not a srenght here at LoHud….Just a few months ago, Phil Hughes was deemed a bum…Now he’s the flavor of the month…..Fickle group….
As it turns out, we fans have really lucked out with the scheduled off day on Thursday because we’ll get to watch Burnett, Sabathia, and Joba pitch more often.
That is, of course, there are no rain outs within the next couple of weeks to throw the schedule out of whack.
Here’s the next several games scheduled on YES:
3/10 vs. Cincy: Joba
3/14 vs. HOU: Burnett (Split-squad game but I would assume Burnett will pitch the night telecast in Tampa instead of traveling on the road during the day)
3/17 vs. PIT: Sabathia
3/19 vs. TOR: Burnett
3/24 vs. BOS: Burnett
3/26 vs. Philly: Pettitte
Obviously, again, one injury or rain out could throw the rotation schedule out of whack. But at least this could give us a a good glimpse of the new fire ballers.
What has the Mexican Pujoles done tonight?
BOBBY crosby not BUBBA…
Dave I don’t disagree with anything you said, the whole thing really is surprising. But one of the main reason I had for putting up my original comment (aside from taking a cheap show at stat haters
was because I think people get too caught up on players past reputations. Everyone and their mother wanted the Yankees to sign Andruw Jones, which would have disregarded two players currently on the 40 man roster who could provide better production and defense.
Although I was always pro Mike Cameron, and would still make that trade if we could. Gardner and Melky are interchangeable in my opinion, although I rather have Gardner as my 4th outfielder.
YES better not send Burnett to Pittsburgh while we are forced to watch Igawa or something against Houston.
And I hope Joba atleast shows some competitiveness tomorrow.
I’d call Pittsburgh and see what they want for Freddy Sanchez who is in the last year of his deal. He’s making 5.5M which would be reasonable except it’s the Pirates, who stand to lose some $$ this season if attendance is down.
He has primarily played 2b but had played enough games at both SS and 3B that he can be moved around.
He’s a couple years removed from hitting .344, doesn’t strike out, and has a little bit of pop (avg 40 doubles over the past 3 seasons).
It might take a decent prospect but maybe not considering Pittsburgh has to be worried about $$ right now.
ANSKY,
It is so unbelievable that I still cannot bring myself to believe it. He has one year left on his contract. He could be done by 32 … a five time all star and runner up to the mvp only four years ago. That is so much money to leave on the table if he just doesnt have the motivation to lose weight and get his head back in the game. Frankly, i think it is too much money to ignore. Only time will tell if he turns it around but if andruw is done by 32, I will be shocked. That has to be one of the strangest careers in the history of the game no?
correction: Sanchez is making 6.1M with a 2010 team option at 8M with a .6M buyout.
The Yanks may be able to pry him away for very little if they want to take on the 6.7M responsibility.
Nitro,
Girardi said he hopes to see something better from Joba tomorrow and wants him to throw strikes… so if he does poorly, no one should blame ‘working on things’. The manager wants him to show progress, so obviously they didn’t tell him to experiment tomorrow.
Maybe Andru Jones is lying about his age and is really 40
Jorge is up for Mexico, and he opposite field bomb that just missed getting out of the park.
My god can this guy hit !
Standing O neil,
I dont think the yanks should trade for him unless a significant amount of his salary was payed for and we didnt give up anything of value which the dodgers would never do. I am just finding it impossible to believe that a player of andruw jones caliber could be done by 30. iT just makes zero sense to me. I am really interested in seeing how andruw does this year because he is one of a handful of players who may be playing for their careers at this point and the most talented of that bunch by far. How could talent like that dissapear at 30? Its so strange yet, so interesting but id rather it be interesting on the dodgers as a side story to my season. I dont want andruw on the yanks pending on who he does this year in LA.
For what it’s worth when I said I’m not high on Kennedy, I mean that I’m not crazy about some of the stuff I’ve seen and while the minor league numbers are great, I’m not sold on them translating as well as we’d like, and with the pitching depth in the organization, I think he could be expendable in the right trade. But definitely not for Bobby Crosby, and not in any throw away. He’s still got tons of potential, but with CC, Wang, Burnett, and Joba locked up for awhile and Hughes right there too, plus Brackman/Betances/others a couple years away, I just don’t know that the Yankees are the team for him right now. But I certainly wouldn’t throw him away, depth is good.
Guiseppe,
There is such thing as too much burnett in march. I wish the yanks wouldnt push him so hard this early. In my mind, the guy is still a fragile “asset” as cash would say.
We MUST find a position for Vasquez.
Teach him to play the corners. I’d hate for us to trade a power bat like that because we have no position for him, we need to develop hitters, not get rid of them.
that’s the problem with signing Teixeria… guys like Montero, Vasquez, Laird, etc. now have to find new positions.
Dave: Andruw was actually released by the Dodgers, he’s in the Rangers camp with a non guaranteed deal. I actually was in favor of bringing him to camp but only if the deal was non guaranteed, I definitely wasn’t in favor of giving him a guaranteed deal, and this is why.
Col – that is actually a reasonable explanation. Maybe you are right.
All I know is if joba doesnt pitch well tom., Im going to start getting worried. Saying joba has been bad so far this spring is an understatement. I know its still early but at what point does concern start to kick in? For me, it is this next start. I want to see some zeros for once.
kylelitke,
andruw spurned the yanks minor league offer and took the same deal from texas.
like you said, it doesn’t matter… he’s toast.
I hope Mexico goes against some big time ML pitching soon. It’ll ne interesting to see how they react to it.
Yeah, I remember him blowing off the Yankee offer. Fine by me, more time to see the other guys since he appears to have nothing left at this point.
‘that’s the problem with signing Teixeria… guys like Montero, Vasquez, Laird, etc. now have to find new positions.’
Montero C
Laird 3B/OF
Vasquez COF
I really don’t see a problem.
jack – montero has a position. Its called catcher.
kyle – I didnt realize he was outright released. Thats a lot of money to just release the player. Damn. I agree. If a player is released, you cant just go ahead and guarantee him more.
Wow I just turned on Mexico/South Africa expecting a blowout after I turned it off at 3-1 Mexico. 3-2?? Can you imagine if they were to actually lose to South Africa? That’s way more of an upset than Australia.
Burnett has to prove he can stay healthy and perform in non-contract years. i’m not sold on him yet… he has a lot to prove.
he is fragile, he has to show you that you can trust him to take the ball every 5 days.
Dave: I think they made some kind of deal to either defer some of the money or only pay him some of it or something, I forget the exact details. They had to get out of that contract though, they have too many outfielders even without him.
Mark Teixeira shouldn’t be in the same sentence as problem unless you’re referring to his opponent.
There is such thing as too much burnett in march. I wish the yanks wouldnt push him so hard this early. In my mind, the guy is still a fragile “asset” as cash would say.
————
They aren’t pushing him hard at all. He’s getting the same treatment as the other starters.
He just pitched his first game yesterday and ST has been going on for three weeks.
Vasquez has never played a COF spot, we don’t know if he can play there.
You can’t just use the entire field as the DH. The Red Sox have developed 2-way players, thats why they are successful.
The Dodgers have to pay Andruw Jones 22.1M but agreed to pay it over 6 years as part of the release agreement.
kyle – did they actually get out of it? or just end up giving him all of it over a few years? I think it was all guaranteed as it was only a 2 year deal. Its really just a very weird situation. Maybe he actually is older than he first claimed. That would make some sense out of a really nonsensical situation.
Why do people think you can move people to any position? Did they not see Sheffield trying to play 1st base?
or Andruw was using PED’s.
YES better not send Burnett to Pittsburgh while we are forced to watch Igawa or something against Houston.
———–
I didn’t realize YES was the manager of the Yanks. Burnett will almost certainly pitch the night game in Tampa.
Hughes relieved Burnett yesterday so my guess is he’ll be the one making that bus ride to the Pirates’ facilities to start during the day.
“There is such thing as too much burnett in march. I wish the yanks wouldnt push him so hard this early. In my mind, the guy is still a fragile “asset” as cash would say.”
————————————————————
You know what though, we have him for five years. If he is too fragile to throw a little bit in Spring Training, we have much bigger worries :/ .
As far as Burnett, I’ll believe it when I see it. He only listened to Halladay in his contract year? He is the only person in his life who could identify that throwing at max velocity all the time contributed to his injuries?
I don’t buy it. He has plenty of questions to answer.
Dave: They agreed to pay it over a few years (thanks Boston Dave, couldn’t remember the exact details). So yeah, they still have to pay it but at least it’s spread out. That was a terrible signing.
Oh you just meant Burnett is on tv a lot. I thought he was actually pitching in more games than some of the other starters or something. I havent really been following the schedule that closely and I am never home when a game is on so far. Im a little out of the loop for once … my bad.
anyone know if CC will pitch weds @ lakeland
kyle – yea thats what i figured.
boston dave – even with peds use, he is pretty young to just fall off a cliff like he is unless he starter when he was 11 or something. Which of the big users that we know of, had their career end at 30? Even if he did a lot of peds, it doesnt seem like a great explanation for such a ridiculously early free fall.
Manny will be our DH next year. $30 million for 2 years.
Vince – dont throw all your faith into the burnett basket this early. Lets actually wait and see. Burnett has to answer some questions in my mind before I can actually stop worrying about him. And while arod is a huge concern because he had surgery today, the worst possible thing right now would be a major injury to one of the top three starters.
We need to use Coke as the long man. makes no sense to take tomko/giese etc. and coke as well.
Carl – unless we are heading from a recession to a depression within the next year, I dont see manny opting out of 22.5 mil to take a 15 mil per deal. You are being WAAAY too optimistic with that one.
Mexico’s offense about to blow this one open.
Can’t wait for opening day hope Joba pitches well tomorrow.
Yeah, that seems like quite a stretch.
Vasquez w/ the basesloaded right now and Mexico is up 6-2. Pitching change.
I agree, if we don’t see something from Joba from tomorrow, then we can start to worry.
His own manager said he wanted to see improvements from him and throwing strikes, so he needs to atleast look like a MLB pitcher tomorrow.
dave
I meant 30 mil per for 2 years.
Excellent article by Kitty Kaat:
http://kaatskorner.mlblogs.com.....pring.html
And he struck out on a slider low & outside.
Vasquez = product of the inferior Mexican league.
A non-factor for us, just Scranton fodder and eventual trade bait.
I’m gonna have to miss Jobas start tomorrow. Damn work!
“As far as Burnett, I’ll believe it when I see it. He only listened to Halladay in his contract year? He is the only person in his life who could identify that throwing at max velocity all the time contributed to his injuries?”
QFT. I don’t buy that either. I mean, what else is he going to say though? Not an easy question to answer when someone asks why you have been injury prone.
Carl – yea that would get him here but that is a ton of money for a 38 year old that can no longer play the field and has zero speed. I know he is an outstanding hitter and with matsui gone, he would be much easier to sign and stick at dh for most of the season but I wouldnt pay a penny over 25 mil just because he is only a bat at this point and god knows how much longer posada can catch for before his shoulder pops out of the socket.
I do agree about joba. I wouldnt mind if he was mediocre right now but he was just terrible so far. Lets hope for a 1 run over 3 innings or better. I can def handle that. I just want to see some semblance of improvement.
Al,
It a night game tomorrow bro
CA Vz, not even the latin announcers I’m hearing believe what you just said. Infact they said he might break into a ML roster this yr. they announced him on the Mets roster and forgot the Yankees are the team that signed him. His approach is very sound, a bit raw a bit Youkilis meets Pujols but a poor version since he’s not in the majors right now. He’s a question mark but has the advanced swing, not long, compact and very smart if comfortable.
Dave, how exactly are the Yankees pushing Burnett? He’s pitched all of 2 innings…….and then he didn’t even throw sufficient pitches – he had to complete his allotted amount in the pen. He can’t help it if he throws hard – he’s going to throw hard no matter what, even if he doesn’t try to.
I dont care what burnett said – he could have said anything in the world and it would have just been words. He has to prove on the field that he has definitely turned the corner. That is the only thing that will satisfy me is another full season of health.
Is it just me, or have the atmospheres in these WBC stadiums been very apathetic?
Peavy said he would approve a trade to Boston. I could definitely see Theo making that move in mid-season when Smoltz/Penny break down and they need pitching.
Betsy – i saw an early post which first said how much we are going to see burnett this spring. I said it was a bad thing if we see him too much in march and then, realized that they meant we would see him more because his games are televised not that he is pitching more than most. My mistake.
dave – Agree. Talk is cheap… throw 200 innings this year, AJ.
Not really, some games yes some games no, this is a regular work day in most countries, it’s not like it’s Friday or Saturday hence some crowds tonight. P.R.’s crowd is going to be sold out through out this tourney but once they get to Miami it’s going to be a more equal crowd. That’s when every game will be sold out.
We have a vacant DH next year… Vasquez can play there can’t he?
Peavy said he would approve a trade to Boston. I could definitely see Theo making that move in mid-season when Smoltz/Penny break down and they need pitching.
————–
Doubt it very much. Theo is working on an extension for Lester and has Beckett to deal with fairly soon.
They are also still very high on Buchholz.
I don’t see Theo taking on Peavy’s contract. That’s not his thing.
The PR/DR crowds have been good. The Canada-USA game was an electric crowd too. But most of the other games had no atmosphere at all. But that’s to be expected.
How many Italians or Venezuelans would make the trek to Toronto in this economy? How many South Africans or Australians will go to Mexico city for this? How many Chinese/Koreans are going to go go to Japan for this?
When it gets to the states, it should be much better.
“Al,
It a night game tomorrow bro”
I’m working a side-job for a friend and its at night I’ll DVR it.
Here’s a new fluff piece on Gardner:
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde.....all_f.html
“Peavy said he would approve a trade to Boston. I could definitely see Theo making that move in mid-season when Smoltz/Penny break down and they need pitching.”
Burnett>Peavy especially in the AL EAST.
R+
Theres some guy on the team making bank next year that probably will barely field 100 games at his position if we are lucky in 2010. I think his name is Po-something, maybe you have heard of him. His shoulder will be begging for that dh spot in the lineup next season. The only thing I really hope is that Montero will somehow be able to catch at the major league level over a full season by next year – it may be a long-shot but its certainly possible.
Pete wrote an excellent article on Montero the other day – if you guys havent read it – READ IT!
If Posada is the DH, who catches? Molina is a free agent and isin’t an everyday catcher. Romine/Montero are not ready.
Really, if manny opted out though, we could very reasonably go into the season with all three of montero, posada and manny on the roster and alternate them or montero could go back to AAA for a month and then, come up and start in may while we shuffle posada and manny around. That would actually be much easier than pretending like posada can be our starting catcher for two more full seasons or that molina is actually a decent hitting backup on an everyday basis. The times of relying on posada to play 100 plus games should end with the close of this season and i HOPE they do. Montero is the best bet but if he isnt ready we will likely have to sign a much better backup externally. I dont think that will be necessary but who knows… Maybe we can sign manny to dh and bay to play left and take the two best hitters from the sox lineup last year to mix them with our best.
Peavy is a hack. Any pitcher who think about their stats enough to say they refuse to move to the AL, is lacking something. I lost so much respect for peavy this off-season
The announcing in the Mexico game is B-R-U-T-A-L.
Dave-With Matsui, Damon and Nady coming off the books next year I would love to see the Yankees target Matt Holliday or Carl Crawford if he becomes a free agent. A line-up with Holliday would be insane. Damon could be resigned on a short term deal.
Damon-DH
Jeter-SS
Teixiera-1B
A-Rod-3B
Holliday-LF
Posada-C
Cano-2B
Swisher-RF
Jackson-CF
Vasquez another RBI in the WBC that’s 5 in 2 games. ESPN Latin announcers extremely impressed.
For those in the know:
What are the chances that Jackson is NOT ready to start in 2010?
Al – To that, I would say it depends on multiple factors. One, the rays have a 10 mil option on crawford. Do they exercise that? Also, it really depends on how holliday does outside of colorado and the homerun derby that is coors. If you look at his splits outside of colorado, holliday really does become a mediocre hitter. His splits are that drastic over his career. He has to prove he can hit in oakland for me to want him for a long-term deal.
Crawford is 28, Holliday is 30 and Bay is 31 so the age differences are not huge but may also play a role in the decision-making process. Also, the yanks may stay away from bay to avoid a bidding war with boston. I think that manny on a very short deal may be more ideal than the ridiculous money the three above may get but it really depends on how things shake out. Also, keep in mind that crawford was injured last year and pretty much terrible across the board the whole season – he had a 319 obp in 450 at bats last year which is horrific. If that happens again next year, even if the rays decide to let him go, I would hope the yanks would also pass.
Montero and Romine haven’t even played above High a ball, yet. Get it out of your mind that neither will be ready by anytime before September of next year, and, that’s pushing it hard. They need to work on game calling, footwork, glovework and other things. They aren’t even ready for AA, yet. Posada says he’s healthy, has no pain and is ready to catch. Let them grow up and learn.
Whether the yanks decide to re-sign damon to a shorter deal really also completely depends on this season. If he hits 300 375 with 20 homers and 30 stolen bases like last season, i THINK the yanks would definitely consider it. If he hits 270 350 with 10 homers like 2007 or suffers through injuries, I would just let him walk away, far, far away. This season will answer most of these questions though if not all of them
Correction: ***Montero and Romine haven’t even played above Low A ball***
“Bobby Crosby, unhappy Oakland utility guy, played third base today. I’m just saying.”
More Billy Beane mind tricks. This is not the third baseman you’re looking for.
GB – Thats easy to say this season. When posada’s shoulder is a year older, I cant believe that we can head into 2010 with posada and molina as our only legit catchers. I think this year, we are walking a risky line with posada. Next year, we are asking for trouble if neither of those two are close to the majors and we dont sign another catcher. That isnt risky – that is just plain stupid.
Is Montero really not heading to trenton to start the year? It seems like he proved he deserves the promotion with the numbers he put up last season no? You would know better than I would.
I have some real concerns about Mauer’s health. What a waste of talent if his career goes the same way as Rick Reichardt back in the ’60s. Had a kidney obstruction, had the kidney removed and he was never the same. He was a $175,000 bonus baby in ’64, when the highest it had ever been was $100,000. He had it all….power, bat control, speed, glove and arm.
I just realized that was not tampa where montero played last year. How did he manage to get over 500 at bats in that league? Isnt that a shorter season?
just announce gardner the starter now and get it over with. i’m not saying the guy will be an all star but he is clearly the superior player over melky
Yup, Crosby would be a disaster here. Not worth a prospect or any sum of money. I seriously doubt he would put up better numbers than ransom would.
Montero is not going to Trenton to start the season. He has too many things to learn. Same thing goes for Romine. THEY AREN’T READY FOR AA, YET.
I put it in caps with hopes that some may understand that. Their bats are fine….their catching skills aren’t.
also, as others have said crosby is absolute garbage and isn’t a starter in this league. he is not worth anything. ransom is (sadly?) hands down the better player
Montero caught 75 games and DH’d the rest of the time…same as Romine. They played no other positions. They have a 140 game schedule.
So when could we expect montero in the bronx at the earlier? Late in 2010?
You have concerns about mauer but not a care in the world about posada? I think he can make it through one season unscathed. But asking him to be the starting catcher for over 100 games two seasons in a row is just NOT a good idea. Molina proved as best he could last year that he cannot play every day in posada’s absence. And there will be many days where posada will need a break and that is a best case scenario. Im not worried abiut this season as much as the next – we NEED another catcher in the bronx that is not either of those two and can actually start.
I agree with GB, no way to they sniff AA ball until maybe Late May or early June…As for Gardner, he needs to keep up this pace throughout March and then he may be awarded the starting job in CF…I think Cashman will stick with Ransom and Berroa as the infield options, as both are having good springs so far…..March 17th is the stretch drive when evaluating spring training performances…..
I thought the season was shorter at that level. Which catching instructor is actually teaching them how to catch at this point? It seems like it is their catching and not their hitting that is preventing them from moving forward at a faster pace – And it is pretty annoying that they both need to learn how to catch well and both of them are splitting time at the catcher position. Wouldnt it be easier to have the two catching prospects at two different levels? They could gain more experience in the field at least.
Why are people talking about Montero now?
The guy is at least two years away from making his major league debut.
I just watched video of Mo last season it gave me chills, I’m gonna be totally bummed when he retires.
Pat
I think someone already shot down the idea of berroa starting at third. He may stay on as a backup but unless they make a trade, who else do we have other than ransom? We are putting all our eggs in the same basket at this point. I just hope arod is out the minimum six weeks from today.
The Yanks have a roving catching instructor. Other than that, Manager Torre Tyson instructs them. He was a middle infielder. Tyson also called about 90% of the pitches.
I was talking about montero on the club in 2010 and whether or not posada would start at catcher, switch off with someone else or dh and the convo slowly made its way to just talking about montero…
dave
March 10th, 2009 at 1:35 am
So when could we expect montero in the bronx at the earlier? Late in 2010?
You have concerns about mauer but not a care in the world about posada? I think he can make it through one season unscathed. But asking him to be the starting catcher for over 100 games two seasons in a row is just NOT a good idea. Molina proved as best he could last year that he cannot play every day in posada’s absence. And there will be many days where posada will need a break and that is a best case scenario. Im not worried abiut this season as much as the next – we NEED another catcher in the bronx that is not either of those two and can actually start.
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a catcher with a bad back caused by kidney problems is a real concern. That’s a great talent to see get knocked down like that. I’ll be concered about Posada’s arm on April 2nd. Until that time, why be concerned over nothing?
“Why are people talking about Montero now?
The guy is at least two years away from making his major league debut.”
I think its just his raw potential that people are attracted to. 17 homers in A ball for a 19 year old is pretty impressive and hes only gonna get better.
Mark your calendars for May 4th. That will be the day of A-Rod’s return.
It also happens to be the first game game at the new Stadium against the Red Sox.
It will also mark 8 weeks to the day of his surgery.
Just seems all too fitting for this to work out any other way and it just adds to the hoopla and theater that will surround the first meeting between these two clubs at the new yard.
I am not concerned about posada this very second. This convo began with the question Joe asked at 12 49 for me. Who catches in 2010 and who is the backup? Its not an easy one to answer for sure. I thought we had some sort of internal option but it seems like no one capable of starting at catcher. I guess ill just switch my focus back to this season for now because I dont really want to think about it anymore.
dave
March 10th, 2009 at 1:45 am
I was talking about montero on the club in 2010 and whether or not posada would start at catcher, switch off with someone else or dh and the convo slowly made its way to just talking about montero…
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Montero’s name didn’t slowly come up. You started talking about catchers at 12:44 and by 12:45 you were mentioning Montero. By 12:50, you had him in AAA.
Yea – I dont even remember the last time I was this excited about a player in A ball in the yanks farm system. Montero has shown so much already that it is difficult not to talk about him.
I meant to write position player in A ball
My concerns about Posada are measured by the nano-second. I envy those of you who can last a full second before being overcome by worry.
Dave, I’m not advocating Berroa for 3rd, however he’s a good backup at the middle inf spots…..He has been hitting and he’s healthy but his leather needs improvement….He was injured last year in LA and never got untracked….He’ll prove to be a nice pickup by Cashman when it’s all said and done….Ransom I think is going to surprise many and he’ll fill in for A-Rod more than adequately…..There’s no options out there better than what’s in camp…Until the lower level players move along with their deveopment this will be a weakness in the organization….There’s talent at the A & AA levels it’sust 3 years away…..Move Romine to the of as soon as possible, and he’ll only provide depth ….
Yea but that triple A comment regarding montero was discussing our options in 2010 and I did say that he could go down to AAA for a bit and come up later in the season at one point. I was just talking about our options at catched and dh for next year. I was under the impression for some reason that Montero was headed for a full year at trenton out of ST – I dunno when i got that into my head. I guess i saw 525 at bats and just assumed he was playing in Tampa all of last season .
PAT M, you’re right. As long as Rodriguez is on the shelf and Cashman doesn’t go out and get somebody or Pena or Leone/Berrnier don’t go crazy, Berroa will be the utility infielder and Ransom will play the majority of the games at third.
Pat – All i have to say is THANK GOD we signed Teixeira!!!! Imagine the horror show Lohud would have to endure with the arod injury and no new shiny toy at first base. It would be agonizingly painful. We are so lucky that the yanks smartened up in the end and chose to go the distance with Tex.
Is there any other choice outside of Ransom at third and Berroa as the util infielder? I feel like that is not only the likely option but the only one unless cash makes a trade. I feel completely comfortable with Ransom starting at third through mid april but we should all just pray every day that arod is back within six weeks of today and I think we will be fine.
Wow – I didnt realize ransom has been stuck in triple A since 2001. What an opportunity for the guy? He could very well rise to the occassion and prove to be an adequate replacement.
PAT, have you been reading about Joe Mauer and the kidney issue? It’s eerily similar to Rich Reichardt. I remember really being upset when NYY refused to go past $150,000 and the Angels got him for $200,000. The last of the big pre-draft players in ’64. Came out of college at the U of Wisc. The next Mickey Mantle. Good Lord, he was a talent.
I had previously said $175,000, but, looked it up and it was $200,000.
GB. I think Cashman sticks with what’s in camp…A-Rod will be back before May, so I doubt he’ll go outside the organization….Besides what’s out there that will not cost top tier prospects…Had the medical reports on Alex been worse, then he’d be force to overwhelm some GM with prospects to pull in a Beltre…..
I remember Rick, he was goinf to rewrite the books , along with Tony C….Both very sad stories…..CBS was not about to shell out dough for ballplayers..As you know, CBS destroyed the Yankees….
PAT M.
March 10th, 2009 at 2:17 am
GB. I think Cashman sticks with what’s in camp…A-Rod will be back before May, so I doubt he’ll go outside the organization….Besides what’s out there that will not cost top tier prospects…Had the medical reports on Alex been worse, then he’d be force to overwhelm some GM with prospects to pull in a Beltre…..
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Not much out there, unless Cashman could land Teahen for next to nothing except a bB grade talent and picking up the contract. They could then move him to right or left, next year. Hard to believe that he’s still only 27.
Montero’s not gonna be here anytime soon. He certainly won’t be here at all in 2009, nor will he be up at all in 2010 short of a September callup. Mid 2011 if not 2012 is more likely. They want him to spend a year at each level. If he switches positions away from catcher then he could be here earlier, since his bat is good enough that he theoretically could shoot up quickly, but if they want to keep him as a catcher, they’re going to want him working on his game calling/defense as well. A ball in 2009, AA in 2010, and AAA in 2011 with a callup possible depending on need and if he doesn’t need any more work on his catching. I’d be very surprised to see him before then. Romine is likely in the same boat although defensively he’s more advanced…they still want him to spend a year at each level I believe.
If Montero’s showing he can handle it defensively and offensively then maybe, MAYBE a September callup in 2010 with an eye toward 2011, but I don’t expect to see him before that.
PAT M.
March 10th, 2009 at 2:20 am
I remember Rick, he was goinf to rewrite the books , along with Tony C….Both very sad stories…..CBS was not about to shell out dough for ballplayers..As you know, CBS destroyed the Yankees….
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Along with Tony Oliva and Rod Carew, Conigliaro and Reichardt were two of the best young hitting talents of the 60s. Only Carew got to grow to his potential.
It’s a fallacy that Romine is further advanced as a defensive catcher over Montero. Montero, for his lack of communications skills and need for a mentor like Tony Pena, is still above Romine. Quicker feet, better glove hand….but, he’s still rough and doesn’t call his own game, yet. Romine doesn’t either, but, his footwork is slow, as is his glove hand. You can bet that most of Pena’s and Butch Wynegar’s spring is being spent with them.
Sojo is in deep now… Magglio Ordoñez, Carlos Guillen and Miguel Cabrera said they refused to play in the WBC if Sojo was the manager, and now this embarrassment against the US could be the drop that spills the glass. I disliked Sojo as a Yankee player, I tolerated him in Cardenales de Lara, I despised him as a 3B coach and now as the WBC manager. The WBC is a big deal everywhere except in the US for one simple fact, the US has nothing to prove on a baseball field. They have everything to lose (injury to players) but nothing to gain.
What’s the deal with Sojo, why the munity ????
Your talking 2012 for montero? That sounds a little ridiculous to me. It takes four years for a catcher to learn how to call his own games and learn the position? I know catcher is hard but its not like montero just switched to the position yesterday. I know he has a lot to learn but 2012 seems like the yanks would be doing him a disservice. I agree that 2010 may not be feasible if the yanks want him to play a full year at every level for a while but out of ST or early in 2011 should certainly not be unreasonable. The only problem is who catches between the end of this season and the beginning of 2011. I have this sneaking suspicion that i DONT want to know the answer to that question. I really wish Romine and Montero were not at the exact same level for the next few years – I dont know how that juggling act is going to work but it seems like they will both take longer to progress because they are only catching every other game. Seems ridiculously illogical to me but what do I know? I would let one of them progress (Montero) when ready and hold the other one back a while so they arent in the same level every single step.
Montero just turned 18 years old at the end of November. He’ll be only 21 years old by April of 2012.
Learning how to be a major league catcher is the toughest position to learn in the game by a mile.
Posada didn’t get a chance to play until he was 25 years old and didn’t get the majority of ABs in his platoon with Girardi until he was 26.
Geovany Soto didn’t get the full-time gig in Chicago until he was 25.
Matt Wieters will be 23 years old this season as a rookie but he also played three years of college ball.
Joe Mauer got the full-time gig in Minnesota at the age of 22.
See a trend here?
Montero is not even close to getting any playing time in the bigs. 2012 seems about right.
There’s only one Pudge Rodriguez who entered the league at age 19. He was a freak of nature and a Hall of Famer.
It’s not easy to develop a good catcher. It takes much more time than any other position.
Don’t push Montero too hard. Let him develop at his own pace.
Lot of stuff to do today, day off but I’ll be on my laptop. Before I get ready for early 6 AM errands
DWAYNE WADE IS THE MVP.
DWAYNE WADE BETTER BE A KNICK in 2010.
Speaking of back up catchers for the Yanks, why is Cervelli forgotten? Piazza is managing the WBC Italy team and has nothing but praise. He believes Cervelli is an outstanding defensive catcher who is improving with the bat -
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/.....-cervelli/
GB,I believe that you’ve seen him play. Is it not reasonable to believe that he could be a legitimate backup for Posada/Molina this year and perhaps one part of a Molina/Cervelli platoon next year should Jorge be moved to DH?
I don’t think Bobby Crosby is any upgrade over Cody Ransom either.
Eric Chavez is already doing what Eric Chavez does… and that is heading to the trainer’s table. The A’s might end up sticking with Crosby to cover that hole anyway.
Someone ought to come up with the all-injured-all-the-time team. Could get a good jump start on that with Chavez at 3rd, Pavano on the mound, and Milton Bradley in right.
BTW, anyone who was considering the rather large Andruw Jones earlier for CF – they are saying you can put a fork in it. Trying out for the Rangers, no bat speed, way too many strikeouts already this spring, and defense not even what it was.
I believe Brett Gardner brings much more to the table than Melky but I am afraid that Melky will win the job because Melky is out of options and Brett isn’t… Something to think about.
The bat that has been the most productive by April 1 will win the CF job.
They will need all the offense they can find early this season because of Alex being out for the first month and the notoriously slow start some of those on the team usually get off to.
Berroa has played lousy defense so far this spring – not exactly something I relish in a utility infielder. I think Cash needs to go out and find someone who can actually field a ball………
2009 projections for yankees CF’s:
bill james:
gardner 65r, 2hr, 29rbi, 37SB, .276
melky 58r, 9hr, 53rbi, 10sb, .281
CHONE:
gardner 75r, 2hr, 34rbi, 33sb, .258
melky 70r, 10hr, 66rbi, 13sb, .280
espn
gardner 24r, 0hr, 21rb, 17sb, .234
melky 18r, 3hr, 16rbi, 3sb, .260
cbs
gardner 43r, 0hr, 32rbi, 25sb, .252
melky 55r, 8hr, 48rbi, 10sb, .268
to me this points out that we will probably need both of them on the roster.
I read a similar piece about Cervelli/Piazza by Mark Feinsand – I like what I hear about Cervelli. Even if he turns out to just be a backup catcher, he could be darn good one. On the play that he broke his hand (last year in ST), the guy stood like a rock at home plat – talk about guts.
Why would anyone want Bobby Crosby here? He burst onto the scene and did well, but has been awful since. He is another guy who can’t stay healthy!! Also if he isn’t happy in Oakland why would he be happy in NY. He isn’t going to Wally Pip Alex. As soon as Alex is ready to come back he’ll be riding the pine and whining. Hell no to Bobby.
Crosby is only playing 3B because Eric Chavez is hurt again as of yesterday. I wouldn’t read anything into that. And as a previous poster noted, Crosby is terrible anyway.
# 5 years/$12.75M (2005-09)
* signed extension with Oakland 4/05, replacing 1 year/$0.35M deal signed 3/05
* $0.25M signing bonus
* 05:$0.5M, 06:$0.75M, 07:$2.5M, 08:$3.5M, 09:$5.25M
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Why would you trade a prospect, I don’t care who it is to pay Bobby over 5 million!!
The most games he’s ever played was 151 and that was a few years ago! Last year he hit a lofty .238 .296 obp 7 hr and hit into 18 dp. Yeah lets trade Kennedy at 24 year old kid for him.
Bobby Crosby is out of the question. He’s as brittle as Nancy Drew. The Oakland A’s sealed his fate by signing Garciaparra.
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.c....._id=425853
Betsy
March 10th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I read a similar piece about Cervelli/Piazza by Mark Feinsand – I like what I hear about Cervelli. Even if he turns out to just be a backup catcher, he could be darn good one. On the play that he broke his hand (last year in ST), the guy stood like a rock at home plat – talk about guts.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I like him a lot too, and a good backup catcher is of immeasurable value, especially when he’s a great defender, and Cervelli is. He takes smart at-bats, too, with good plate coverage and contact. He doesn’t have the power, but if he did, he wouldn’t be a backup
.
yanks61
March 10th, 2009 at 6:26 am
Speaking of back up catchers for the Yanks, why is Cervelli forgotten? Piazza is managing the WBC Italy team and has nothing but praise. He believes Cervelli is an outstanding defensive catcher who is improving with the bat –
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/.....-cervelli/
GB,I believe that you’ve seen him play. Is it not reasonable to believe that he could be a legitimate backup for Posada/Molina this year and perhaps one part of a Molina/Cervelli platoon next year should Jorge be moved to DH?
____________________________________________________________
I’ve only seen Cervelli play in about 5-6 games….three in the majors and a couple in Tampa in 2007. I haven’t seen him get a hit, but, from his at bats, the swing seemed totally defensive. His defense was ok, arm was about average, though there weren’t any steal attempts. Not enough to make a real decision about….just his numbers, and that’s not that impressive.
I agree with GB. No reason to rush Montero or Romine. Let them get a full year at each level so they can develop properly. If they can jump a level in mid season thats a bonus.
Peter, maybe you, as well as the Yankees, think the WBC is not important, but for the rest of the other teams and their countries it is. You have no idea how much crap is being said about Mariano in Panama because he was not able to play for Panama in 2006 and now this year (not that we needed a closer). Even the ESPN Deportes were talking crap. So, yeah. I think people who really like baseball view this as a very small, emphasis on small, world cup thing, although reading your comments Peter, I don’t think you watch the World Cup do you? Maybe not fun for you when countries get together to play ball?
There is only one man I would trade for Bobby Crosby. The sun-glassed one himself…Kei Igawa…
Of course I would trade Igawa for a beer and a good slice of Pizza.
GB, where did you see that about Romine? Everything I’ve read says he’s more advanced defensively. Note I’m not saying he’s major league ready defensively, he’s not, but everything I’ve heard is that while Montero improved, he still has a long way to go, whereas Romine, to quote PinstripesPlus, is “a solid overall defensive player right now”. It goes on to say he could improve and needs to work on some things, but I’ve never seen anywhere that Montero is more advanced than him.