Some troubling splits for Mariano
Just looked up a few splits on Mariano Rivera:
• Opposing batters are at .241 (7 of 29) with two strikes. That may not seem like a lot. But over the course of his career, that number was at .158 prior to this season.
• The first hitter he faces is 5 of 12 and has struck out only twice.
• With two outs, opposing hitters are 5 of 17 with two home runs.
Granted it’s a small sample size. But that is troubling. If he just needs to build up velocity, perhaps it’s just a blip. If not …
————
Meanwhile, sad news today as Dom DiMaggio passed away at 92. The brother of Joe DiMaggio was a great player in his own right, making the All-Star team seven times as the center fielder of the Red Sox. Because he wore glasses and was 5-9, he was known as “The Little Professor.”
Imagine having the great Joe D as your brother and still being able to fashion a fine career.
Mr. DiMaggio also was a successful business after he retired from baseball and was known for his charitable ways, especially to down-and-out players from his era.





Chad Jennings
Sam Borden






Dom DiMaggio was a nice guy. Much nicer than his favorite brother. RIP.
Even as a Yankees fan… Halberstam’s “The Teammates” was a great read. It’s about Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, and Bobby Doerr going to see a dying Ted Williams.
Touching portrait and solid baseball read.
Filter kept eating my posts. From the other thread…..
Stuart,
Imposter. I don’t do the game threads once the game starts. Too much craziness for my tastes.
Buddy,
Our office was approached and we declined. Its not our thing.
Had we done so, we wouldn’t have done it anonymously. That means, we probably wouldn’t have made the final manuscript.
Agreed Al. That was a GREAT book. I really enjoyed it even asa Yankee fan.
Mariano started off slow in 2007 too. Im not worried about him
Who would ever think that Mariano could be helping to ruin your Fantasy Team!!!!!
Posts keep getting eaten by the filter.
Stuart,
Imposter.
Buddy,
Yes and respectfully declined.
Mariano had 9 ER in April in 2007
Mariano has given up 5 up till last night.
His only other month that he gave up 5 or more ER in a month is August in 2007
real fans- The only reason I am concerned is because he is coming off shoulder surgery. I just hope it is an arm strength and usage issue right now.
Well one thing that I have proven to myself is no matter how absolutely unbelievably deflated I am by our beloved Yankees, and no matter how absolutely unbelievably blown away I am by things like last night’s game, (and literally toss and turn all night – this week has done me in between what the Yankees have NOT done, and the fact that I am packing up my office to leave here for good…) – I get up the next day and wonder if it’s the day that things will turn around.
Call me unbelievably stupid or the world’s biggest optimist. But I can at least say that to this point in time, our season has been dismal to say the least.
Here we go…let’s start the Mariano is done chant again….Unbelievable the guy comes off surgery, just had to listen to Fancesca start with his corny dialogue. I mean can we get out of the first month before we proclaim him finished??? He’s coming off surgery and we all know the cutter never cuts in April and may like it does later in the season…
Mo’s not done. He’ll have his usual velocity and movement on the ball back in a matter of weeks.
Every time Mo struggles you have these “is he done yet” conversations. Never mind that the previous night he struck out the side. and the cutter was moving alot.
Don’t worry about Mo, Jetes, and Jorge.
They won four rings in the 1990’s so they are fine…..
Doesn’t that seem to be the thinking in some people?
I think we are going to pay for Mo’s and Jorge’s contract sooner rather than later.
I hope we dont make the same mistake with Jetes
Hub fans had a short quatrain about Dom DiMag, that, while not very accurate, was a testament to how much he was loved in Boston:
Who hits the ball and makes it go?
Who runs the bases fast, not slow?
Who’s better than his brother Joe?
Dom-in-ic Di-Mag-gio
Awwww, paw wittle Dommie.
I have irrefutable sources that say Dom used steroids…
but they’re anonymous.
“Call me unbelievably stupid or the world’s biggest optimist. But I can at least say that to this point in time, our season has been dismal to say the least.”
Thought Auntie B was the world’s biggest optimist.
It’s been a rough go so far. Especially troubling is how poorly they’ve fared against their AL East brethren. 3-10 now, I think. Still some 60 games left aganst them to turn it around though.
O/T but has anyone heard anything about Molina’s MRI yet??
Not too worried about Mariano. He always has one stretch of two weeks or so every season that he’s bad.
If not…. We aint making the playoffs two years running. The pen WILL get better but its an uphill climb quite obviously. You remove mariano for the equation and its probably a futile uphill climb.
Its funny how the bullpen and the backup catcher position were the only other things on the team that looked a little shaky before the season even started. And now … those are by far our biggest holes and the most ominous signs right now. Mo stays healthy, bruney comes back and melancon starts pitching with talent instead of nerves and the pen will be rolling but those three things are important to fix this pen. As for catcher, that is up to cashman now. Of course, we can replace molina’s pitiful bat with cervelli or cash’s likely pitiful bat but its almost an automatic out in a lineup that is not producing.
There has to be some catchers out there that have a decent enough bat but won’t require a ajax or montero-like prospect. The pen is more about luck right now and the catcher is more about making the smart decision but as it stands now, cashman definitely seemed to have made a glaring error when he failed to address either this off-season in any capacity. And that just continues cashman’s trend of making all the obvious big plays but failing to do the little things that always seem to bite us in the rear-end – namely the bench and the pen.
As far as Molina, it can’t be good news especially with a quad injury. It didn’t take long for the Yankees to put RAnsom on the 60-day DL. They are hard to get back from.
I’m not too worried about Mariano either, but he did have shoulder surgery so there has to be at least some degree of worry.
DAve,
It goes to show you there are no sure things.
You can plan like crazy but, #$#@ happens.
Just gotta grind through it.
Doesn’t excuse the joke that is the 40 man roster but man!….
No Arod for the first 28 games.
BOTH catchers out AGAIN for weeks.
Wang falls off the map.
The top 2 setup guys are out.
All 3 big off-season acquisitions off to slow starts.
This team has taken an awful lot of early body blows.
There is a web site that someone I know started for some yankee clothing geared towards women. There aren’t many products, but maybe one person on here would be interested. I figured that this sight would have the most traffic for yankee fans.
http://www.bomberbabe.com
It is taking a long time to get injury news on Jose. To me that isn’t good. Cash could be trying to swing a trade. I just hope we aren’t taken to the cleaners.
In the past when Rivera would have issues it was his control wasn’t quite pinpoint…This year it’s a lack of movement and velocity……It’s a concern…..I can only hope it’s a phase…He didn’t get much work in the Spring……However somenights he has some diddyup, and then there’s nothing
Something I don’t understand is if Girardi knew that Mo hasn’t been 100% then why did he ask him to get 4 outs at Fenway last week?!?! It just doesn’t make sense. Did Girardi let panic over take injury and doing the right thing?!
The unsigned FA catchers inventory is pretty thin. Paul Bako and Paul Lo Duca. Of the two, I’d rather have Bako…who knows what Lo Duca has left in the tank after being off PEDs for a couple seasons.
Koyie Hill might be available from Chicago for the right price…Brian McCann is coming off the DL in Atlanta tonight so they will have a catcher going down to Gwinnett (AAA). Sure we can pry Wil Nieves (remember him?!) away from the Nats for a couple of spare parts.
“Mo’s not done. He’ll have his usual velocity and movement on the ball back in a matter of weeks.”
g.love-
totally agree that mo will make adjustments and come back strong. i was actually surprised he was doing as well as he was considering the surgery. rivera didn’t get to where he is without being able to adjust.
last night came at a very bad time though. even though it was going by the book in a tie game at home, i was cringing a bit seeing mo come in then. you could tell from his previous outings he hasn’t been up to his usual standards.
Mike Francesca said that Mariano Rivera is done, he is professional and I trust his opinion
My dad was a fervent red sox fan but somehow I slipped through the cracks and became a Yankee fan at age 8. I saw lots of games betwen the RS and Yankees and loved to watch Dom Dimaggio play center field. He played a shallow center field and could go back on balls better than most. I was fortunate to have been present at the the last game of the 1949 season – a true moment to remember. RIP Dom Dimaggio!
Randy and Pat M,
On the phone all day with crosscheckers.
Looking at between 11 and 40 at this time for the nephew.
If that holds, I can live with that.
Not too, too worried about Mariano.
Ransom went straight to the 60 day DL so we wouldn’t have to make a move on the 40 man roster at the time. They weren’t exactly in a rush to bring him back, either.
“This year it’s a lack of movement and velocity”
pat m-
i think he just hasn’t come up to full strength yet. when he does, the velocity will be there. when the velocity is there, the movement will come.
Did he really say that? Geez, must be a slow day for phone calls.
Mariano Rivera is 40 years old! The closer job is the easiest job in baseball/the world! throw 15-25 pitches every three days (or in mo’s case 6 days!!) If he can’t even do that it must be age! Hes old get us a young guy! Make JOBA the closer! Actually he could be the next mariano!
Check it!
One would assume your post was dripping with sarcasm?
Mikes kissing the Orioles fanny now. They have “improved” and gotten “younger”.
Given the type of injuries to Posada and Molina, Cashman should look at someone that can step in and catch the majority of the games this year. Posada will likely be gone for 5 weeks and don’t want to risk it by having him behind the dish too much.
Mike Francessa is saying we as a team as a total disaster and will be lucky to make it out of 4th place
sj44-
that’s pretty exciting. twins showing interest ? as much as i’d hate to see him going to the red sox , he’d be fast tracked there.
Thnx for the response SJ.
“Mikes kissing the Orioles fanny now. They have “improved” and gotten “younger”.”
Guess what, they do. Years of struggling have given them high draft picks. Their farm is loaded at AA and AAA, which separates our fram systems.
Cash is in Baltimore so sounds like Molina is gone for at least 15 days.
RE: Mariano…
I think it’s time he started breaking out that change-up he’s had in his back pocket for years. Cone has said in the past and he did last night that Mariano “has a good [change-up]“.
I’d love to see to see him break it out to go along with a cutter that is anywhere between 90-93 mph. He could pitch till he’s 50 if he ever started throwing it consistently.
The BP will be fine when Bruney and Marte comes back
Mo will be fine
Bruney was shutdown in the 8th inning
Marte, if used properly, can be very effective
Coke is obviously our best reliever currently
Melancon is a stud and has a high upside and should get better with more work
Robertson is a young guy with electric stuff and better than the Veras/Ramirez/Alba group.
Aceves can be a very good long man
Pen will be fine.
“No Arod for the first 28 games.
BOTH catchers out AGAIN for weeks.
Wang falls off the map.
The top 2 setup guys are out.
All 3 big off-season acquisitions off to slow starts.
This team has taken an awful lot of early body blows.”
they are really lucky to be 13-15. it could be way worse.
things can snow ball in both direction. it’s within the realm of possibility that arod coming back will be a tipping point and catalyst in the right direction and the yankees will all start playing like the backs of their baseball cards.
Quad injuries are doubly tough for a catcher… especially a thickly build guy like Molina (or Jorge).
Mike Francesca said that Mariano Rivera is done, he is professional and I trust his opinion
=======================================
Did he actually say this?
blip
I think I know why Francessa has this sudden hatred for the Yankees. I think its because usually he gets what he wants, and he wants Joba in the bullpen, and the Yankees arent doing it, and that gets him pissed.
S.A,
Yes, he did say it. Im watching it now
Randy,
Haven’t heard much from them. Colorado, Toronto, Boston, Tampa, KC and the Yankees are making noises.
He would definitely be fast tracked in Colorado, Boston and Tampa. Those organizations are really light on legitimate catching prospects.
The Yankees? Honestly, if he was in their organization right now, he’s far and away better defensively than anybody they have in the system right now. He doesn’t have Montero’s bat, obviously. But, I’d put his bat at or above anybody else in the organization.
His glove? Head and shoulders better than anybody in their system right now. The kid can really catch and throw.
Despite being banged up the past 3 weeks, he is still second in the ACC in HR’s.
Just gotta stay healthy for another couple of weeks.
Yes,
And then in the next sentence he said if Mo is hurt, Joba has to be the closer.
“Did he actually say this?”
LOL yup. He even said they can correct a terrible wrong and put Joba in the BP
pat,
Thanks for that. And :blush: at the Nick Green thing on the last thread. I actually recall someone posting it when it first came out. :duh:
Real Fans Dont Boo
May 8th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I think I know why Francessa has this sudden hatred for the Yankees. I think its because usually he gets what he wants, and he wants Joba in the bullpen, and the Yankees arent doing it, and that gets him pissed.
maybe could be that ratings are down and he needs to play bad cop because Dog isn’t there anymore.
“Catching” Up
By thunderbaseball
Pete Abraham reports that Yankees catcher Jose Molina is likely headed to the DL. Barring a trade, the speculation is that Kevin Cash or Chris Stewart will be called up from Scranton to form a duo with…Francisco Cervelli?
Millions upon millions of dollars in that lineup, and you’ve got those two guys catching? Cervelli wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire down here, and both Cash and Stewart have never really hit too much at the big league level.
How will the likely move affect Trenton? Keep in mind that P.J. Pilittere is on the Thunder roster. If Cash or Stewart is sent to the big leagues out of Scranton, Pilittere will likely be sent back to the Scranton roster, which would open up a spot for a fifth starter to be sent to the Thunder.
Keep in mind that sending Stewart or Cash to the big leagues would also entail a 40-man roster move, as neither are on it. I wonder if there’s an outside chance that Pilittere could go to the big leagues. Seems unlikely, but talk about a guy who deserves some light at the end of the tunnel…
And if you’re still waiting for Jesus Montero or Austin Romine to show up…don’t hold your breath.
Seems like tomorrow’s going to be an eventful day at the ballpark. Keep checking back here tomorrow afternoon for all the latest.
Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com
http://thunderbaseball.wordpre...../#comments
Interesting Bill Simmons thinks all the 2004 RS where cheating. Even Damon:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn.....ortCat=mlb
“I think I know why Francessa has this sudden hatred for the Yankees. I think its because usually he gets what he wants, and he wants Joba in the bullpen, and the Yankees arent doing it, and that gets him pissed.”
Yup that and the legend Bronson Arroyo.
Ah. Thanks guys. I’m trying to stay Francesa free for my own sanity.
Good lord.
So it all goes back to his plan to have Jobber as the closer
“We watched the beginning of the end last night”
WOW.. Just WOW
His wife must have just realized what a behemoth he is
Just an honest question, here.
Is the future Yankee closer currently within the organization?
Mike didn’t say directly that “MO is done” but he is basically speaking as if he is… in a sad tone, not a ranting tone.
No more Mad Dog to bash the Yanks and get the Yankee fans irate so Mike has to do it now. It’s all about ratings.
Dale,
No
Francessa gets obsessed with the STUPIDEST ideas. A guy who can strike out 12 guys, on the Red Sox no less, in 5 innings DOES NOT BELONG IN THE BULLPEN
The future closer is Melancon
And he may be forced into action sooner than we thought.
SJ, Omaha will be his stage……Watching the 2001 WS,even though the Yanks lost, it was the greatest WS ever..Even though Rivera gets the heat on the bunt throw to Jeter, Scotty B.’s failure to turn the duece on the next sac bunt was the killer……
Shoot SJ44,
He would be the starting catcher today.
And SJ44,
have you ever witnessed a DL list like we have going this year? Its just boggles my mind how many people are on it.
Dale,
I would say Melancon is. But I also like to believe Robertson has a shot too. But there are plenty of different opinions on this blog
Cash would rather sacrifice this season than move Joba to the pen…. and I agree with him.
Andy is done… he isin’t coming back next year. You want Joba AND Hughes to be in the rotation next year with minimal innings limits. Only way that can happen is if Joba gets his 140 this year.
I wouldn’t listen to Mike F. until the Yankees get on a roll. He’s like most sports jockeys. Bandwagon analysts. But, boy, when he obsesses about a player or idea, he doesn’t waver at all. No matter how bad or stupid they are.
I wouldn’t mind Veras as our next closer. He has nasty stuff and I think he has a closer’s mentality
m
You had the wrong Green and I had the wrong Boston paper.
The point I was feebly trying to make is Pete knows/tells some, not all. A good jumping off point but not always solid footing.
ARod-Jeter-Cano-Teixeria
Best infield ever?
Francesa is so sour on the Yankees. He sounds like Chris Russo bringing up how much these Yankee players make.
Thanks. One more honest question.
Who on this team would you expect to get the most value for in a realistic (e.g., not Joba) trade, based on their current production and contract status? Say, by the Trade Deadline?
What I’m suggesting here is that if we do have to “scrap”, and commit to more youth, then whom of our veterans would be most valuable to another team?
The DL was loaded last year and was bad in 2006.
It is what it is. Just gotta play through it.
They still roll out 5 starting pitchers capable of winning. That’s where its going to have to fall right now.
Those guys have to get the job done.
If they do, they get a few things going, and before you know it, the injured return.
Polley,
Right now, the only one we could reasonably trade, and get the best in return is probably Melky. I think his production will come back to Earth like it usually does. The only problem is, Gardner isnt trustworthy enough to be in there fulltime yet
Baltimore murders all of our pitchers.. I wouldn’t expect much from CC or the young kids this weekend
How about our offense step up for a change and pound the awful starters we’re facing?
DET,
When they are hot, yeah its up there with the best infields. But right now, with all of them struggling, and ARods first game coming tonight, I would say no
I can’t even imagine our bullpen this weekend against that lineup
Keep Veras, Albaladejo, and Edwar off the field
I wouldn’t mind Veras as our next closer. He has nasty stuff and I think he has a closer’s mentality
____
VERAS!!??!!!!????
If you want your closer to walk the leadoff hitter every time he comes out, then sure.
pat,
lol. Okay, that explains it all. Still, you didn’t hear about Cano & Melky until after the poor little rich ball player Verducci (?) wrote with that Lazarus Torre feeding him material. Alex was closest to the bullpen catcher. And Mo. So, I can see how Alex has taken younger players under his wing. Cano, Melky, Green, and more famously Alvarez of Miami/Pirates. So I’m not saying he’s a total ogre or hermit. Just that people want to believe one thing, when there’s plenty of “evidence” to the contrary.
So, maybe not as extreme as Pete paints it, but closer to the truth than A-rod fans would like to believe.
“ARod-Jeter-Cano-Teixeria
Best infield ever?”
Rose, Concepcion, Morgan & Perez???
I wouldn’t mind Veras as our next closer. He has nasty stuff and I think he has a closer’s mentality
==============================
But Shawn is correct. Veras’ stuff is nasty. lol.
hahahaha Mike was just moaning and groaning when a woman called up and told him the truth that Mariano isnt hurt badly, which he disagrees with
we are not trading melky, enough of your cockamamie ideas, “REAL fans dont boo”
we are missing enough, we dont need to lose our CF!
“I would say Melancon is. But I also like to believe Robertson has a shot too.”
Nah it’s Melancon and unfortunately the wheels come off now for him. So he has to go through the growing pains early.
enough of your radical ideas, “real fans dont boo”. Praise the lord you arent the gm, we are missing other positions, WE arent trading melky to go missing a CF!
Did Girardi actually said Mo had “issues”? I don’t recall him saying that. He mentioned his velocity and the velocity isn’t quite there because of the shoulder surgery.
I guess Mike is just trying to get callers.
Melancon needs to pitch more than once every four days.
Mel,
Not true but, whatever.
Ask Lou Piniella what he thinks of Alex and you will get an entirely different read than what Joe Torre thinks.
The fundamental issue is this: Alex isn’t a bad guy.
He’s a diva, can be out there at times but, fundamentally, he’s not a bad guy.
Even Selena Roberts, who dislikes him intensely, says as much.
The problem is, too many folks in the media writes stories about him as if he is a bad guy and that’s where fans form what I believe is a misguided opinion of him.
Les dux,
When did I say we were trading Melky? I answered the question. He would probably be the only one that we could reasonably trade that would bring in the most. Why dont you read a little
Veras is nasty.
And I don’t mean the good kind of nasty.
Joba will be an amazing closer for us. He has four pitches, a better closer than Mariano dare I say? I agree with trimming off the old “fat”. Maybe getting rid of Jeter now would sting less than its going to three years from now when Jeter gets dropped like Bernie? Get rid of all the old guys (a-rod and younger gets to stay, the rest traded. We would make so much money to buy NEW talent!
Let’s not lose sight of the impact on our pitchers working with Cervelli over the next 4-6 weeks.
Does he know enough to work with their strenghts/weaknesses?
Can he control the running game?
Sending 5 capable starters out there is fine, SJ, but do we really know enough about who they’re working with?
Why expose Mo to MLB hitters if he isn’t up to full strength?? He is getting throttled. He still hasn’t recovered for 2004.
I wouldn’t annoint Mark Melancon, or any other young pitcher they have right now, as Mariano’s successor just yet.
How about we let them find their way as major leaguers before placing that kind of heat on them?
I wouldn’t wish that title on ANYBODY, let alone a rookie.
Mariano will be fine.
Francessa keeps saying we are terrible defensively…we are statistically the 2nd best field team in the AL. Now I know stats don’t tell the whole story, but this team is far from terrible defensively.
SJ, I’m assuming that BC gets to Omaha…If that’s the general consensus on your Nephew, that’s great…How far removed is he from getting his sheepskin ????
Jeter is not going to be shipped away.
A closer with four pitches pretty funny when no closer can do that because in order to have pitches it takes throwing them. As a closer, Joba may throw one changeup a week?
He would just be primarily slider, fastball.
Les Deux,
Mariano is the best closer of all time bar none. Even if Joba were to be the closer (which he wont) he would be hard pressed to be better. Mariano is not just the best closer, he is the best relief pitcher of all time.
Rivera had a worse start in 2007. The whole team started worse back then. I’m not sure how the team will do, but I don’t think Rivera is done. He simply had a bad game. He hasn’t pitched on a regular basis and he’s coming off surgery. He’ll be fine.
Last night was May 7th. After May 7th 2007, Rivera had lost 3 games and blown 2 games already. He had a 8.44 era. His era was still over 5 in June that year.
Rivera has a 3.97 era… it was 2.53 after Wednesday night’s game. A bad game happens and will inflate the era. It doesn’t mean he’s finished. We have much bigger problems than Rivera.
Furthermore, let’s actually look at when he gave up the runs. Rivera had a 0 era through his 1st 8 IP this season. Then, he gave up the home run to Bay. Then, he didn’t pitch for 5 days and gave up a home run in a blow out. Then, he pitched the next day, but didn’t pitch again for a week. It seems like his problem had more to do with not pitching on a regular basis.
He hasn’t recovered from 2004? That’s pretty funny.
I guess you forgot about last season. He was as good as ever last year.
Pull up his numbers from last year and tell me how he “hasn’t recovered from 2004″.
School is probably out now so the comments section will definitely go south from hereon out.
I’m still excited that I get to see the Yankees live on Saturday (but feel bad for my buddy’s wife…this is the second year in a row we’ve gone to see the Yanks in Baltimore and missed seeing her favorite player, Jorge)…
On that note, has anyone heard what moves have been made in regards to the catcher situation? I can’t imagine we’re going with 1 catcher tonight? Also, who’s on their way out for ARod?
Mo was GREAT the other might against the Rays. You guys are just clueless, idiots. He will be fine. Good thing Fatcessa wasn’t running him out for multiple innings the other night.
Pat M,
No, the team isn’t that good. They have a chance to qualify for the ACC Tournament. If they can do that, it will be the first time in the history of the school they have accomplished that feat.
If they did that, and won a game in the tournament, that’s probably the ceiling for the team.
After this semester, he’s only 12 credits from his degree in Business.
“Trevor: Interesting Bill Simmons thinks all the 2004 RS where cheating. Even Damon:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn.....ortCat=mlb”
Trevor, reading comprehension. Look into it. Also, pettitte, clemens, giambi, and living in glass houses. Look into that also.
“PaulyDaGoat: have you ever witnessed a DL list like we have going this year? Its just boggles my mind how many people are on it.”
LOL. Teams with much less talent have gone through much worse. You must be new to baseball.
“”"Mariano is the best closer of all time bar none. Even if Joba were to be the closer (which he wont) he would be hard pressed to be better. Mariano is not just the best closer, he is the best relief pitcher of all time.”"”
I would have to agree with that statement up until August of 2001.
Why can’t he be closer? Joba is obviously not meant to be a pitcher. Its way too boring for him I can tell. He only gets adrenaline at the end and thats why he should be a closer. Imagine if Roger Clemens was a closer! He would be better then Mariano because he had amazing stuff.
LOL Did Francesca really say ” we watched the beginning of the end”? Talk about a drama queen. It’s one thing to be concerned, which I am – but it’s obvious that Francesca thought that recovering from surgery is no big deal. I was in the car, turned him on for a bit, decided I’d had enough and now I won’t turn him on for the rest of the day.
Did all time end in 2001?
SJ on fire today…
we have 6 legit starting pitchers they just need to do there jobs….5 of the 6, pettitte excluded can shut down teams and should periodically.
cc, aj, job, hughes, and wang should be really good. the oldest guy is 32, so the old arguement is bunk..
11 and 19 i think 2007 and they had no pitching and were much older then the team is today…
SJ:
Who’s you nephew’s “advisor” (don’t say agent, dammmit!).
My son’s at BC. Says at times, your nephew seems a man among boys. Also said, he’d have better numbers if he got to face the BC staff.
It’s not even a game thread yet and the clueless trolls are out in full force. Oh wait, it’s quitting time early on Friday.
hokiehill I’m going too. Where are your seats?
SJ,
We’ve been over this before. Pete writes about what he sees in the clubhouse. You’ve written about knowing Alex outside the clubhouse.
I acknowledge that they can be two different personas.
I’ve never questioned your credibility even though you may not even be the real deal.
So, I read what you write and I read what Pete writes, and if there’s a serious disconnect then I have to assume it’s because he’s a different person outside the clubhouse. Either that, or one of you is lying.
And before this gets way blown out of proportion, I was just arguing against the assertion of a couple of fans that said his teammates love him.
Re: Lou Pinella, he hasn’t been in the clubhouse with Alex for years, many years. That was then, and this is now. I know that Lou and A-rod are still close, but we’re talking the Yankee clubhouse. And Pete’s my “inside” source, so I got to give some credence to what he writes.
Maybe Mo needs to try some different pitches?
SJ, Appears to be a special kid….He’ll be a first round selection…..Hitting catchers are treasured commodity…..12 units, he can pick that up during his offseason…Come June the eyes of not only your family, but the eyes of the LoHud will desend upon the draft…..Are you attending ????
No arod does have friends in the clubhouse. Pete doesnt like arod! Thats fine but he obviously is bias!
Dale Polley, I agree that could be a problem. AJ and CC might need to call their own games for awhile when Cervelli is in – not sure about Cash. They’re all going to get a crash course in “getting to know you” and that’s hardly ideal…..
Coach,
In some people’s minds I guess.
Last year doesn’t count:
IP: 70
Hits: 41
Runs: 11
BB: 6
K’s: 77
Saves: 39 of 40
ERA: 1.40
Those above numbers and “he hasn’t been the same since 2001 or 2004″.
We should all be “done” like that.
Pretty funny if it wasn’t such a stupid comment.
SJ,
It’s not real hard for them to click on the baseball reference link on the right, and do a search, but I guess it’s easier to make ridiculous statements.
jennifer, they are section 30 or 32…can’t remember for sure and I don’t have them in front of me, but they are great seats…my Dad’s company gets season tickets and uses them to entertain clients and I ask for a set for one Yankee game a year and love it!
The funny thing is, these tickets are $48 a piece for the season ticket price, compared to $2500 with the Yankees (and while I haven’t seen the new YS yet I have to admit I’ve enjoyed my Camden Yards experiences as much, if not more than my experience with the old YS). Of course when I got to go to Yankee stadium 2 years ago I bought $6 seats on Ebay (bleachers) and had a BLAST…I’m really looking forward to the hot dog guy writing Orioles in cursive on my hot-dog even though I’ll obviously be pulling for the Yankees…
Have to give Fat Mike credit for owning up to having no clue where some young catching might exist. Normally he’d rather eat his shoes than admit to ignorance on a topic.
Mel,
Pete acknowledges he doesn’t know Alex very well. He sees it from a perspective of a sportswriter. As he should because that’s his job.
However, that’s a limited perspective. Its basically seeing someone in a certain realm and that doesn’t always give you the entire picture.
I’ve acknowledged Alex’s numerous issues. However, the issue of whether or not he’s a “good guy” or “bad guy” often comes from the perspective in which you see someone.
You can do stupid things and not be a bad guy.
You can act like an angel, Steve Garvey for instance, and be a “bad guy”.
Its not an issue of someone lying. Its having a different perspective.
Also, don’t discount Lou Piniella. He knows Alex better than Joe Torre or just about anybody else in baseball.
He just has a different view than many of the NY media have of him, that’s all.
“Maybe Mo needs to try some different pitches?”
No. I think he might have to start throwing side sessions or something. According to Kay last night, he doesn’t do anything between starts besides play catch in centerfield. If it’s just about arm strength like Mo said it was last night, he’s just got to keep throwing.
Steve,
Seth and Sam Levinson, who run Aces out of Brooklyn, NY.
“Haven’t heard much from them. Colorado, Toronto, Boston, Tampa, KC and the Yankees are making noises.”
sj44-
i just sent an email to my friend stan cliburn , the triple a manager for the twins telling him about tony. sent him some links. stan is a catcher and loves nothing better than a all around good young catcher. he seemed to do all right bringing along that kid mauer.
Actually Hughes and Cano would bring in more than Melky.
No one is trading for Damon or Matsui.
SJ,
Okay, I think we’re back on the same page. Not discounting Lou Piniella at all. I just think that Pete knows more about the A-rod in the Yankee clubhouse dynamic than Piniella does at this point.
And of course the NY media is agenda driven, no argument there.
“Seth and Sam Levinson, who run Aces out of Brooklyn, NY.”
I have heard nice things about them. I can see why you nephew is a commodity, not a lot of great college bats. A great catcher than can hit, very easy to fast track.
On ARod, I have the perspective of a guys who lives in VA and my only “contact” with ARod is through the mother of a friend of mine who is a die-hard Sox fan…she met A-Rod in NY shortly after he chose NY over Boston and he talked to her for a good 10-15 minutes…for those of you thinking she must be some hot blond, trust me, she is not…very nice lady but not a looker for sure…anyway, despite the fact that she opened the conversation with “My son pretty much hates you now” she said he was an extremely friendly and gracious person. I’ll admit to having Yankees bias and wanting to support anyone in pinstripes but I choose to take her opinion on ARod over anyone in the media or even with the team. IMO the guy just tries too hard to be liked, which is a lot better than most.
No. We will not trade Robinson Cano. No.
I am section 74 lower level but near the outfield.
so what’s going on with the catcher situation? transactions?
I propose that anyone who comes on here and quotes Francessa be banned from posting for the rest of the day.
There are plenty of stupid opinions on here (including mine) without bringing in a professional bafoon.
MY god what a stupid caller, to call up Austin Jackson that name should not be spoken of until Sept. 15th, Napoli is going to take more than Pena and IPK, that crap made no sense.
has cash actually been brought up as the back-up at this point…i thought he was hurt?
hokiehill,
Nice story. How old was your friend’s mother at the time?
BTW, How lucky is Manny Ramirez? His news comes out and lights up the airwaves for a day and then, boom! Nothing. Alex took the brunt of it, as well as the air out of the balloon. We all that he was clean, and when it turned out he wasn’t, then anyone else that got busted/outed wouldn’t be a big surprise.
At least now we know why Manny Ramirez never showed up to camp on time.
Welcome Back Alex – you crazy kid
Baby you understand me now
If sometimes I get a little mad
Don’t you know no one alive
Can always be an angel
When things goes wrong
Your bound to see some bad
Oh but I’m just a soul who’s intentions are good
Oh lord , please don’t let me be misunderstood
You know sometimes, I’m so carefree
With a joy that?s hard to hide
Then sometimes again it seems
All I have is worry
Then your bound to see the other side
Oh but I’m just a soul who’s intentions are good
Oh lord , please don’t let me be misunderstood
If I seem edgy I want you to know
I didn’t mean to take it out on you
Life has it’s problems and I’ve got my share
But thats one thing I never ment to do
Cause I love you
Now baby I’m just human
Got my faults like anyone else
But sometimes I find myself
All alone regreting
All the foolish things that I have done
Oh but I’m just a soul who’s intentions are good
Oh lord , please don’t let me be misunderstood
if you are listening to Francesca, I and the majority of the people here (I hope) do NOT CARE. It has been well documented that he is an idiot that is thriving because people that hate him continue to listen to his show. If you can’t stand the fact that he’s on the air but constantly bring his garbage here, please realize, you are a pedaling his crap! UGH!
The most polarizing guy will always be the biggest story, Mel. Manny is big, but Arod is bigger.
SJ, you can do the same with Aroid’s stats and say he is the greatest 3rd baseman. But we know he isn’t.
Randy,
Thanks, much appreciated.
Mel,
I’m no virgin in this. I’ve been in this business longer than some of the people on this blog have been alive.
MAN does it hurt me to write that sentence! lol
Alex has made his share of dumb, dumb mistakes. No argument there.
That said, he is also caught in a very interesting vortex.
His name and the stories about him are GOLD in a dying industry, the newspaper business. That means, overkill is the name of the game when it comes to writing about him.
Consequently, it can get, “All Arod, all the time” and that kind of overkill leads to wildly written, and often incorrect, versions of the person himself.
Doesn’t make him blameless in all this (far from it) but, it does give an altered view of him.
As I’ve said, guys in the clubhouse, at least the one’s I know (which are about 15 of them) don’t dislike Alex.
They don’t understand him. They don’t understand why he is so blind to some of this stuff and why he does some of the stuff he does. They also don’t understand how he can’t see how much some of his actions hurt him.
That’s why I say, Alex has the power now to write the next chapter of his life. Its all in his hands.
Its not in Pete Abraham’s, Mike Lupica’s, Selena Roberts’, mine or anybody else’s, hands. Its in his.
How he handles everything from hereon out will determine what’s written and said about him.
He has a second chance. Hopefully, he makes the most out of it.
this era is circling the drain
look in the mirror, say hello to the dupe
Mark Melancon demoted:
“The Yankees also demoted pitcher Mark Melancon to make room for Alex Rodriguez on the active roster.”
Molina on the 15-day DL:
“Jose Molina has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a Grade 2 strain of his left quadriceps. Triple-A catcher Kevin Cash was called up to replace him.”
OK you guys can be mad at a-rod but we still love and support him right?
Steve B,
True. But we’ll see, the Manny story will pick up a little steam if and when more details come out.
He’ll try to sell it as a one time deal, but c’mon. Who ya fooling?
Someone please tell me the Yankees are NOT close to activating Wang and that the optimistic evaluations they provide the press is just more of their typical injury subterfuge.
Wang’s sinker, the Daily News reports, is still at 91 mph. I don’t care how much better his mechanics have improved. That’s still 3-4 mph less than where he has pitched previously. Yes, we overrate velocity but in Wang’s case, the velocity is what underwrote his margin for error and accounted for his consistency.
Even when he was bad he was no worse than mediocre as a consequence.
What’s more Wang’s off-speed pitches, his slider and changeup, are far more effective when his sink reached 93-95 mph consistently. 91mph for Wang should signal that whatever his infirmity, he hasn’t overcome it yet.
They demoted Mark Melancon? Wow………I guess if he’s not going to get much work, they might as well. Hopefully he will handle the news well and pitch lights out in AAAA
They demoted Mark Melancon? Wow………I guess if he’s not going to get much work, they might as well. Hopefully he will handle the news well and pitch lights out in AAAA
So Berroa still on the team? SMH
actually the manny thing is still a very big story
Epic, do you have a link?
Wang has 2 more starts scheduled in EST.
That means, he’s at least 3 weeks away from coming back.
I wouldn’t say he’s close. 3 weeks to a month away, most likely.
Cash was called up and they sent Melancon back to the minors. The Melancon move is alittle surprising. I thought that they were really going to give him a chance..I guess not. 2 appearances against the Sox and coming into a pressure spot was not a fair chance.
http://blogs.nypost.com/sports.....olina.html
How is Berroa still on the team?
dfa him and bring up shelley duncan for the love of god.
i try to defend cashman, but this is getting ridiculous.
Grade 2 strain? Yikes, we might see Posada back before Molina.
“So Berroa still on the team? SMH”
For now. The same article said that the Yankees still had to make another move. I’m guessing that will be Berroa.
Why can’t he be closer? Joba is obviously not meant to be a pitcher. Its way too boring for him I can tell. He only gets adrenaline at the end and thats why he should be a closer. Imagine if Roger Clemens was a closer! He would be better then Mariano because he had amazing stuff.
Cant be serious right… tell me you are joking or being sarcastic…
Or… Maybe The Yankees are hiring twelve year old’s as team psychiatrists
M, let me clarify she was not young or atractive at the time, so his motives in no way could have been sexually charged…unless he has some weird standards for women which of course would in no way suprise me
Clutch stat, with 2 outs/risp (career): Who am I?
Player (a) BA 274, 403 OBP, 486 SLG, 889 OPS
Player (B) BA 290/417/557//974
Player (C) BA 291/427/635/1062
Player (D) BA 244/354/365/719
Here is a question for stat crazed fans. Based on this information above, which one of these players would you want in a big spot?
Hint: two are or were former redsox players and the other two are yankees. Good luck.
this could be that interim demotion someone was talking about earlier this week until they confirm Arod’s good to go and dfa Berroa…
a-rod – melancon
molina – cash
veras? berroa? albie?
this is really difficult to continue to support.
Mark needs more work on his game. Better to do it at AAA.
They can’t afford to run him out there with the team struggling so much right now.
So Pete says Selena Roberts book is a 300 page tabloid column, shocking!
Anyway thanks for the review Pete, I wasn’t gonna buy it anyway.
jennifer, i don’t know about you, but I’m also looking forward to some Boog’s BBQ…why is it when I go to Camden all I want to do is eat!?
They Demote melancon, but keep Veras? Oh my God
“He’ll try to sell it as a one time deal, but c’mon. Who ya fooling?”
Exactly. Let’s see. We have:
1) My doctor prescirbied it to me
I apologize for something….but I’m not sure what
2) I only did it once while injured….I mean twice
3) I only did for three years when I was young and stupid
4) I’m not here to talk about the past
5) No abla English
6) The Clemens Plan – Flat out denial then into the bunker
7) Finger pointing while saying with authority “I did not use steorids.
9) I thought it was flax seed oil
10)Barry told me it was flax seed oil
One day, somebody’s just going to own up and say “I did it. I did it to get an edge. I did it and I’m sorry. I look forward to that day.
Good to hear SJ44.
Not all I have to worry about is Rivera’s diminished velocity and whether that will improve.
Oh and catcher and the bullpen, too.
Can Kevin Cash throw runners out? Is he better or worse than Chad Moeller, both behind the plate, and at it?
prescirbied = prescribed
So Melancon for Alex but they still need a 40 man move to get Cash added.
hokiehill,
I was teasing you. Alex likes his women “over the (hokie)hill”
SJ,
Americans are suckers for redemption stories. Let’s hope there’s a happy ending for Alex and the Yankees.
Cash is a defense first guy, decent arms, good skills. Offense is far at best.
Cashman has to try and bring someone in with Posada and Molina both dealing with tough injuries for catchers to bounce back from.
Mariano Rivera, by any measure, was the best closer in baseball last year.
Stop this nonsense about him being done.
Why demote him ? see this is the type of stuff that gets me. For that don’t call him up until late July, let him develope. I would have traded Veras or DFA’d him.
The Yanks would still have to make one more move to reduce the 40 man roster to 40, I think.
See ya later Melancon?
Melancon probably needs some more seasoning at AAA. However Veras needs to leave every time he comes in he fails. Can somebody bring this up with Girardi? I know he is out of option but he hasn’t earned a spot here if anything he has earned a DFA.
“Can Kevin Cash throw runners out? Is he better or worse than Chad Moeller, both behind the plate, and at it?”
Better, but IDK why Berroa is still here
KS,
Cash is a good catch and throw guy. Better than Moeller in that regard.
Not as good a bat but, a good catch and throw guy.
Good move to send Melancon back down. He obviously wasn’t ready, but at least he got a taste of the majors and took notes of what not to do by watching his own pen-mates. He’ll go down and work on certain things. I think he’ll be much better his next time up. About 10 days from now?
lol… no wonder our bullpen sucks. we just sent down our best reliever
i guess that means more appearances for veras, albaladejo, and edwar… yay!!
What is the move on the 40?
I’m one of the “Joba For Starter” movement’s most vociferous champions.
However, if, God forbid, Rivera’s struggles continue through the All-Star break and the Yankees decide to Wanger him– DL him, on the pretext of injury– and the team manages somehow to be in the pennant race notwithstanding, I might consider– CONSIDER, mind you– the idea of using Joba as the closer.
But I can’t imagine even if Rivera’s velocity doesn’t improve, he’s going to continue to struggle. Something tells me he’d revert to that change-up of his before conceding his role.
Wow. Melancon down. Now a steady diet of Veras and Alby. I just threw up in my mouth.
Melancon was rushed anyway, as is normal protocol with the Yankees.
Let him get more seasoned. Don’t even see what the point in bringing him up was, should have let him get the extra arb. year. He wasn’t ready anyway
yeah, you have to think cashamn is working on something as far as a catcher is concerned, but with it early in the season and his desperate position people will be trying to rob him and get way more than they deserve…we WILL have to give up SOMETHING…I know it’s easy to say, give em IPK and Melky or IPK and Gardner, but he can’t likely call up some GM and say, “here, give me that awesome catcher that can hit for power and average and I’ll send you this CRAP!”
“They Demote melancon, but keep Veras? Oh my God”
He and Marte like the chicas
I think Berroa is still here, at least for now, is because they have to see how Alex responds to playing everyday for right now.
Until they know he can hold up, it wouldn’t make much sense to release Berroa just yet.
Sending down Melancon was the right move. He needs to get back on track. Once ARod proves he’s healthy enough to play 3B every day they will dump Berroa and call up an OF or acquire one.
Kevin Cash and Francisco Cervelli behind the plate? Doesn’t inspire October dreams does it?
FWIW, Melancon faced 18 MLB hitters and retired only 10 of them and he didn’t look particularly good doing it. He’s definitely got the stuff, but could use a little more time to hone his craft. This isn’t the end of the world.
hokiehill
I’m looking forward to going to the The Wharf Rat.
Here are the answers:
May 8th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Clutch stat, with 2 outs/risp (career): Who am I?
Player (a) BA 274, 403 OBP, 486 SLG, 889 OPS = Arod
Player (B) BA 290/417/557//974 = David Ortiz
Player© BA 291/427/635/1062= Mark Texeria
Player (D) BA 244/354/365/719= Johnny Damon
Here is a question for stat crazed fans. Based on this information above, which one of these players would you want in a big spot?
Hint: two are or were former redsox players and the other two are yankees. Good luck.
I love Melancon’s potential, but it Girardi isn’t going to use him, he must go to AAA. There’s no arguing that we was rushed. A few innings at AAA last year and a whopping 10 at SWB this year.
I love how people were claiming that he had nothing more to prove at AAA. SWB was also playing some of the bottom feeders at the time.
If Rivera god forbid isin’t himself and can no longer close, then Coke would be the closer, followed by Edwar. Not Joba.
Interesting about Cash. Why then did the Red Sox discard him? Can he not catch Wakefield’s knuckle ball?
Last time I checked Cash was murdering the ball in the minors. I realize that means very little.
I wonder who the Yankees will anoint their primary catcher. Cervelli, no?
Arod better step up and better fix the team.
Anyone with a quick comparison on Cash and Cervelli?
Who gets the most starts and why?
No I am not joking, why is it so hard to believe? Joba could be closer! He has amazing pitches, why shouldnt he?
No one has given me evidence against my claim.
reading the tea leaves, my guesstimate is that alex is going to come back and help the team get back to respectable again. as gb7 says he may have a quick adrenaline rush and then go through a little adjustment, but i think he makes the team function better on a whole lot of levels.
defensively he helps. offensively he’s going to make teixeira see different pitches. they are not going to want to keep walking him. offensively he’s a big plus and just his presence is going to help in general.
i’m looking at this as another opening day. it’s time for cc and arod to lead this team.
Are you guys saying Joba is a bad pitcher?
It’s either DFA Berroa, or DFA one of the pitchers on the 40 man.
I seriously doubt they would DFA Pena, and I also seriously doubt they would keep ARod, Pena and Berroa all on the active roster.
That leads me to predict the Yanks will DFA Berroa, but the Yanks roster moves have baffled me so far so why would that change now?
Les Deux May 8th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
No I am not joking, why is it so hard to believe? Joba could be closer! He has amazing pitches, why shouldnt he?
No one has given me evidence against my claim.
******************
Did you not see the game he pitched the other day after the first inning.?? I mean he was unhittable!! You don’t move someone like that to the pen. Unless you are utterly insane.
“Sending down Melancon was the right move. He needs to get back on track. Once ARod proves he’s healthy enough to play 3B every day they will dump Berroa and call up an OF or acquire one.
Kevin Cash and Francisco Cervelli behind the plate? Doesn’t inspire October dreams does it?”
They must have dumped someone, Cash wasn’t on the 40 man roster. I will they’d dump Berroa and Veras, bring up Cash and Tompko.
Joel Sherbert at the New York Post claims the Yankees already have a contingency plan to use Joba as the closer should Mariano– God forbid– suffer a long-term injury.
This is not the atmosphere for on the job training.
Melancon needs consistent work in AAA and come back when he is ready
I guess the Yanks could also move Nady to the 60 day DL, but they don’t seem to want to do that.
I think we’re saying that Joba’s a good starter.
Out of the guys that are in the pen and healthy, I like Coke.
randy 1
If you were catching, does Alex need to prove he can get it done before you pitch Tex differently or do you take a proactive approach that Alex could lay into one at any AB?
“Anyone with a quick comparison on Cash and Cervelli?
Who gets the most starts and why?”
I think Cervelli gets the start tonight. Cash missed a chunk of games recently and was just activated.
Cervelli handled pitchers pretty well last night but i think Cash gets the bulk of the starts based on his mlb experience. One of them hits more, the edge will go to that guy.
Cash hit .225 last year, including .333 with a HR in the playoffs with Boston
I think we’re saying that Joba’s a good starter.
Out of the guys that are in the pen and healthy, I like Coke to close in case of emergency.
I’m with you, Billy, Cash gets the bulk of the starts until Cashman finds a catcher.
Sure, Joba WOULD excel as a closer. The question is how much you cost yourself by moving him out of the starting rotation.
Here’s an arguable way to judge.
Who has the higher VORP and WARP over the last three years: the best starter in the AL, Halliday, or the best closer in the AL, Rivera. (No, it isn’t Jekyljohn.)
CB, I leave that to you. I know James has abandoned Win Share as a valid metric but I think the Red Sux still use the value > “replacement player” stat.
i have also heard that joba is the emergency closer if rivera goes down, but that was before wang was hurt.
Les Deux, you just gave the evidence yourself…he should not be a closer because he has amazing pitchES (plural being the key there). Any pitcher with more than 2 plus pitches should be a starter. I imagine CC, AJ, Pettitte, Phil and Joba would all be great relievers because they have great pitches…but you won’t see that unless they start to have durability issues and can’t handle the longer outings. Unless Joba has durability problems you will most likely not see him again as a starter. This argument wouldn’t exist if he had developed like the other young guns (Hughes, IPK) because they were never slotted in that closer role. Joba started as a starting pitcher and that has always been where he was headed. His success as the 8th inning guy is the only reason the debate exists…As far as the “he only gets emotional at the end of games” claim…watch innings 2-5 of his last outing, he was pumped in all of them because he’s pumped all of the time (unless he’s getting thumped, then he’s just angry)
Why not try Aceves in middle relief?
You have then to measure the difference between Hughes and Joba’s WARP/VORP as starter and compare that against difference between Joba and [alternative, Coke?] WARP/VORP.
And you can only use Hughes as the control baseline, if Wang returns. Otherwise, you’re measuring the fall off between Joba and IPK or Aceves.
What more does Melancon have to prove in AAA?
Get back on track from what? A couple of bad outings?
He wasn’t rushed. Period. He’s 24, was a college closer, and was dominant last year – a year remvoed from TJ surgery – and showed absolutely no sign of fatigue. He continued that perfomance this year.
Veras, Ramirez and Alby pitch every game as if they are “learning on the job”, so what would the difference be exactly?
Why not Lo Duca? He is a Free Agent. Decent catcher, better bat then Cash and Cervelli.
I think Mark Melancon deserved better. Didn’t like some the situations Girardi used him. And how often he would not use him. Same for Robertson.
There’s really little for him to improve on in AAA. IMO
“Why not Lo Duca? He is a Free Agent. Decent catcher, better bat then Cash and Cervelli.”
By the time LoDuca got physically ready to go, Posada will be back. Not sure he’s better then Cash even when he is ready.
game thread up
That’s a good point.
“Kevin Cash and Francisco Cervelli behind the plate? Doesn’t inspire October dreams does it?”
Its May 8th. The Yankees have been faced with alot of injuries. The Red Sox have had a streak of 10 straight wins. And yet, the Yankees are only 4 games behind the Sox in the loss column and Toronto has yet to play a single game (of 54 scheduled games) against the Red Sox, Yankees, or Rays. Stop the panic folks.
I just read that Johnny Estrada doesn’t have a job.
My god, his skills must have hit rock bottom if the Yankees didn’t even consider him.
“What more does Melancon have to prove in AAA?”
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why do people say that?
the yankees at the mlb level are not some scrub team that young players can make mistakes for a few years before learning their craft.
there probably should be a quadruple A level for teams like the yankees who don’t have the luxury of young players learning at the mlb level.
the yankees still send up players who can’t bunt and pitchers who can’t throw strikes. very few come out of triple a ready to play. wang, cano, joba. who else ?
the twins do it right. their players stay down longer. their pitchers are about two years older than yankee pitchers when brought up for good. but when they are finally put in the rotation at 24-25 they are more seasoned and perform better.
“”"the twins do it right. their players stay down longer. their pitchers are about two years older than yankee pitchers when brought up for good. but when they are finally put in the rotation at 24-25 they are more seasoned and perform better”"”"
It’s not surprising the trolls are out in full force. Did school let out?
Mo is normally used in save situations of which he’s had few opportunities to have. He’s gone stretches without being used and when used right he requires 4 appearances per week to stay sharp.
randy– i think in an ideal world we wouldn’t use melancon now. but when the other options are guys who, well, suck and aren’t going to get any better (Veras and Ramirez), why not give the guy on the job training?