Wrapping it up from Miami
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- June
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A.J. Burnett made it a point tonight to give credit to Jorge Posada. The catcher, he said, called just enough change-ups to make his fastball and that curveball even more effective.
“He did a great job tonight. He was on page. I didn’t shake him all night,” Burnett said. “I told him he did an exceptional job back there.”
The notion that Posada is somehow hurting the Yankees with his catching gets more ridiculous by the day. Some people like to cite the ERA of a catcher, which is a badly flawed statistic. But if you’re interested, the Yankees have a 2.06 ERA in the last four games Posada has caught. Is that good enough?
Meanwhile, if you’re inclined to complain about the Yankees scoring one run tonight, know that Josh Johnson is one of the best pitchers in the game right now. He is 7-1, 2.66 and fanned Melky Cabrera with a 98-mph heater on his final pitch of the night in the seventh inning.
Johnson was throwing his slider 90 mph and threw 67 of his 103 pitches for strikes. The guy is a 6-7 horse and knows what he is doing out there. After watching the Yankees hammer fastballs on Friday night, he went to his slider more than usual.
Tyler Kepner, Mark Feinsand and I went to the Florida clubhouse after we interviewed the Yankees and Josh was nice enough to speak to us even though he had already done his interviews with the Florida media.
“That was definitely the most emotion I’ve ever showed,” he said. Johnson called his strikeout of Derek Jeter in the sixth inning one of the highlights of his career.
“I’ll remember that for the rest of my life, I’m sure” he said. “He’s one of the all-time greatest players, I think. One of the more respected players, too. That’s why I got a little emotional when I struck him out.”
Johnson was 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2006. But on Sept. 12 of that season, he was sent back out to pitch after an 82-minute rain delay. Some blamed that decision by Joe Girardi, then the manager of the Marlins, on Johnson ultimately requiring Tommy John elbow surgery.
Johnson absolved Girardi, saying his elbow was tight before that and that he was determined to stay in the game. Girardi, he said, was not to blame.
“It’s something that just happened,” he said. “I was hiding from Joe, there’s no way he was taking me out of that game.”
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on Sunday, June 21st, 2009 at 12:05 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Oh, Pete, now you’re just talking logic! The one run scored CAN’T be because Johnson is just that good! Because if we admit THAT, then we can’t complain about how useless and futile the offense is! STOP SUGARCOATING IT, PETE!
Yes Johnson was pretty darn good last night. My issue was Jeter not getting that bunt down. He is supposed to be the most fundamental player on the team and he didn’t get it down. Than grounds into a dp killing the inning.
It was a game we very well could have won.
This team needs a shakeup but i don’t trust Cashman to do it the right way.
Not getting hits off of Johnson doesn’t bother me. He’s that good.
Grounding into a DP to end the game AGAIN, however…
Oh, and some pics from citifield today for anyone interested http://www.puristbleedspinstri.....field.html
From the previous post:
m June 21st, 2009 at 12:06 am
Guiseppi,
They need to solve Joba’s first inning woes. And I’m sure the Yankees would like him to put a few more ticks on his velocity.
Joba’s getting the results, but he’s not the pitcher he was last season.
——————-
Joba’s mechanics have been inconsistent all season. The night he said he had the best mechanics was that night in Cleveland when he was throwing 97-98 MPH in the 8th inning after 100+ pitches thrown.
It’s something he and the coaches have to figure out.
But, nonetheless, he’s still keeping his team in the game even when he’s terrible. A bad night for him is 3 ER in 5 IP. He doesn’t allow games to get out of hand early as we’ve seen from Burnett, Pettitte, Wang, and Hughes this season.
Joba’s allowed 3 ER or less in 22 of his 25 career starts, which is very impressive for a 23 yr old kid pitching in this division.
He’ll be really fun to watch once he gets his mechanics down more consistently and matures as a pitcher.
There’s not a chance in hell that Joba ends up in the pen next season unless he physically breaks down and the team has no other option.
The team needs a shake up? give me a break.
Nephew braggin’ time.
First pro game tonight. Delivered the GW RBI single for a 4-3 win.
As far as the Yankees? Great job by AJ, horrible job by Damon and the O is in a deep slump.
Need a shutout from CC tomorrow, and hope the O can deliver a run in between hitting into 3-4 DP’s per game.
They don’t need a shakeup. They need the guys they have to play better.
The notion that Posada is somehow hurting the Yankees with his catching gets more ridiculous by the day. Some people like to cite the ERA of a catcher, which is a badly flawed statistic. But if you’re interested, the Yankees have a 2.06 ERA in the last four games Posada has caught. Is that good enough?
======================================
You know it won’t be good enough for some.
This team needs a shakeup but i don’t trust Cashman to do it the right way.
===================
Oh please
Yanks still are tied for the 3rd best record in all of MLB
only Boston and the Dodgers are better.
BTW, down at A-….
Hector Noesi 77-11 K/BB ratio in 73.2 IP.
Kinda cool.
Johnson wasn’t the story. Jeter’s awful attempt at bunting, and the lazy, rotten, no-good, lazy, apathetic, lazy, supposed number 5 hitter Robinson Cano hitting into one more game ending DP were the stories of the game.
Move Cano out of the 5 spot, please.
Tidrow June 21st, 2009 at 12:12 am
This team needs a shakeup but i don’t trust Cashman to do it the right way.
————–
A slump is not an indicator the team needs to be blown up – or shaken up as you put it.
How are they supposed to be shaken up?
Is old George supposed to read a nasty statement to the media and yell and scream?
How many games do you think that nonsense helped this team win in the 80s when George blew a gasket and overreacted after a bad loss or series?
I can answer that for you – ZERO. ZIP. NADA.
They are in a slump. It happens to everyone, even the mighty mighty Red Sox.
That’s baseball for you.
Posada is bad at two things: blocking pitches in the dirt and framing pitches, but his offense makes up for it. He and Cervelli will be fine as the one/two combination.
“This team needs a shakeup but i don’t trust Cashman to do it the right way.”
———
dont shake them too much…. they might shake their way out of the 3rd best record in baseball.
and btw, Hughes may soon be their third or fourth best pitcher.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06.....ref=sports
Very good article about Proctor by T Kep. I didn’t know he had issues with alcohol abuse.
Regarding a shakeup, their OF offense/defense is suboptimal, but unless you can add a two-way bat at a cheap price, I’m not sure what can be done until Damon and Matsui are gone. I would like to see Gardner play a little more.
Spread the blame on double plays and force outs.If they get some one on base,they knock them out.
jennifer
Very good article about Proctor by T Kep. I didn’t know he had issues with alcohol abuse.
__
I love Torre’s “he should have told me” excuse. How many guys are going to tell their manager that they can’t go? The record setting number of appearances should have given Old Joe a clue.
Guiseppe,
Of course Joba’s all what you said. But I think it’s a little early to say what Joba’s role will ultimately be.
My only concern with Hughes is him staying healthy.
We’re talking about a guy who missed three months of the 2007 season and another three months of the 2008 season.
If he can stay healthy all season, he’ll help this team no matter his role.
watching postgame now. Kim was trying to goad AJ into blaming Johnny for the lose.
Hughes’s injuries have been of the freak variety. What concerns me is Joba’s loss of velocity.
Rebecca, Just left your website…..Great stuff……Franco, I know I’m in the minority with this and only time will tell but the gap between Joba & Hughes is not that wide as many believe…..One thing is for cetain though, watching them pitch together is going to be special….I say Hughes gets to 100 wins first….It’s all about control…
Richie
How many years in a row did he use Scottie et al for 75 plus games?
I know Struze and others had issues after leaving the Yankees
m June 21st, 2009 at 12:31 am
Guiseppe,
Of course Joba’s all what you said. But I think it’s a little early to say what Joba’s role will ultimately be.
————
Not really. Cashman has said since Day 1 (August of 2007) what his ultimate role will be.
I’m merely repeating what the GM has said. I’m not exactly grasping at straws there.
Guiseppe,
Hughes hasn’t had any dreaded arm/shoulder issues. Knock on wood.
It’s equally too early to say what Young Master Philip’s role will ultimately be too, huh? He’s opening a lot of eyes with his fine, fine bullpen work. A team could get used to having such a great arm out there in the ole pen.
No need to worry about the offense tomorrow. Our secret weapon will be making his season debut batting 9th. CC to the rescue.
Pat: Thanks man! Not many visited today. It made me sad.
jennifer,
83 in 2006 and 2007. In 2008 he suffered a steep decline, and in early 2009 he had the surgery. In the article you linked, the doc said his ligammet looked like “mush.”
It’s not just the appearnces though, it’s all the times that Torre got him up in the pen and didn’t use him.
richie
Or the times he got him up 2-3 times didn’t use him till the 4th time.
Yes players need to speak up when they are hurting. But if the manager is abusing someone like that they need to be held a little accountable.
*I’ve never seen an award for third place ANYTHING in* *baseball.*
I hope the Steinbrenner’s see they were wrong to treat Torre so bad. *Now way this team* would be 3rd under him,or ever miss a playoff, *not for nothin.*
Jennifer, thanks for passing along that article…great article and def some new perspective on proctor- always liked him-
Guiseppe,
Not saying you’re grasping at straws, just saying that things have a way of taking a left turn sometimes.
The last chapter hasn’t been written for Joba.
Or Hughes, for that matter.
haiku-man
Are you kidding me? Last year we had no Jorge, Wang. You think Torre would have taken that garbage rotation to the playoffs? Be real.
Saint Joe while he had taken the team to the playoffs every year he was here. failed to get the team out of the first round since 2004. The year he should have been fired.
I don’t know why I am even bothering to reply to this joke of a statement.
“Hector Noesi 77-11 K/BB ratio in 73.2 IP.
Kinda cool.”
That kid is starting to turn heads and he’s really not suppose to.
Why are you guys talking about Torre? That’s so 2007.
Pat M. June 21st, 2009 at 12:33 am
Rebecca, Just left your website…..Great stuff……Franco, I know I’m in the minority with this and only time will tell but the gap between Joba & Hughes is not that wide as many believe…..One thing is for cetain though, watching them pitch together is going to be special….I say Hughes gets to 100 wins first….It’s all about control…
————
I’ve always been a big believer in Hughes. I’ve been that way since his debut and I’ve never been one of those people who jumped off the wagon and started throwing around the “bust” or “overrated” label as a lot of other Yankee fans have the last couple of years.
I also agreed with the decision to pass on Santana and keep Hughes.
Hughes has definitely made a lot of headway this season and his work in the pen now is only going to make him grow in his confidence and presence on the mound.
But he still only really has two pitches and he needs more than that in the starting rotation. He’ll get there eventually but he needs to further develop that changeup. That will be a huge pitch for him if and when he figures it out.
If Hughes doesn’t have good stuff when he’s on the mound – he’s going to struggle to get outs.
But Joba has abilities and an arsenal that Hughes does not. Joba doesn’t have to be perfect or have his good stuff to get hitters out. Hughes does because he really only has two pitches.
That’s the biggest difference between the two as I see it. Joba certainly has his issues – and pounding the zone is at the top of the list.
But Hughes has his moxie going for him right now and that’s why he looks better than Joba.
I just can’t wait until Joba gets a kick in the ass and finds that moxie that Hughes has these days.
It’s going to be fun to watch when that happens.
jennifer-thanks for that link.
I just have best wishes to Scott Proctor.
The last 5 games the yankees starting staff threw 32 innings and gave up 9 earned runs and 10 total runs.
That is simply outstanding starting pitching.
The offense is struggling right now. But if the yankees rotation is in fact rounding into shape and the starters are now moving closer to living up to expectations this will be a very dangerous team the rest of the way.
AJ was tremendous tonight and he’s been getting better and better over his past 3-4 starts, particularly the last 2. If he continues to pitch at this level and Wang rounds into form this team is going to win the division.
Tonight was a tough loss. But these games happen. Josh Johnson was phenomenal and the Marlins won a pitching duel in which the yanks made a couple of mistakes and those were the difference.
Nonetheless, the pitching really looks like it’s coming on.
Two weeks ago it looked like the bull pen was going to be the big concern.
Last time through the rotation they threw 13 innings and gave up 0 runs.
If the pitching continues to perform at this level the rest of the season is going to be outstanding.
Young Master Hughes has a knee buckling Curveball….What were seeing this season is what I expected last April….Freak rib injury was a major setback on top a the hamstring that aborted his no hitter and his 2007 season …..Most imporantly Hughes has rediscovered his pinpoint control….
m
Why are you guys talking about Torre? That’s so 2007.
__
Because he was quoted in the article jennifer linked on Proctor’s surgery and rehab from alcoholism.
Truth be told, for all his terrible bullpen management decisions, I miss the rings.
Torre hasn’t been out of post season since he came to the Yankees,and even after he left.The last year he was here,the yankees were 13.5 games out before half,and won the wildcard.
The Yankees can’t keep buying,eventually the manager will have to manage and hold player’s accountable.
…..Most imporantly Hughes has rediscovered his pinpoint control….
__
And the late life on his FB.
Hughes has three or four pitches: fastball, curve, cutter, and he’s throwing his slider again.
And it’s no coincidence that the excellent starting pitching is making things a lot easier for the bullpen and they are responding.
The pen has done a very good job during the month of June.
He really looks like he loves pitching from the BP. Yussssse to the BP
SJ44,
Thanks for the report on Tony. Glad he had a successful debut.
haiku-man
The one and only reason the Dodgers made the playoffs last year was the JUICING Manny. END OF STORY. Dodgers don’t get Manny, they don’t make the playoffs.
I am done.
““Hector Noesi 77-11 K/BB ratio in 73.2 IP.
Kinda cool.”
That kid is starting to turn heads and he’s really not suppose to.”
Brandon, you say that like it’s a bad thing
Richie, Young Master Hughes is the complete package…In time there will be very little doubt about his front of the staff talent…..And your correct, his fast ball just jumps about 10 feet from the plate……
Richie,
Hughes does not throw a slider anymore. He throws a tighter power curve and a slower curve like Burnett.
JT is right.
Hughes scrapped the slider for the cutter.
He now throws two different kinds of curve balls – the big 12-6 hammer and the slurvey-esque curve.
JT,
Go to this site:
http://brooksbaseball.net/pfx/
Plug in the pertinent data, and check out what pitches Hughes has thrown this season. It includes a slider, unless it it being misclassified.
Either way, he doesn’t throw two pitches as someone said.
“Brandon, you say that like it’s a bad thing”
It was. But eversince being off the PEDs he’s started to turn heads again.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that big 12-6 curve, but the slurvy curvy is easier to disguise I would think.
Re: Torre not missing the postseason. So? Ton of credit due for the job he did here, and is doing in the NL West, but he’s not here anymore. But almost everyone involved has turned a new page.
He was on PEDs?
You learn something new every day.
BTW, some dude in the Dominican League has 30 K in 11 IP and only 4 non K outs recorded all season.
“Plug in the pertinent data, and check out what pitches Hughes has thrown this season. It includes a slider, unless it it being misclassified.”
It’s misclassified. Pitch identification is the weakest part of pitch f/x data. You have to consider it in the context of a pitcher’s known arsenal.
Hughes throws a cutter and that’s being misclassified as a slider.
And despite throwing both a cutter and change, Hughes right now is effectively a two pitch pitcher – fastball and curve. He mixes in the cutter some and the change occasionally but those pitches are still in development and are considerably weaker than his fastball and curve.
Richie,
Pitch fx picks up his cutter as a slider sometimes. I have no idea why.
4-seam 91-95, Cutter 86-89, Power Curve 76-78, Slow Curve 74-76
I thought Brandon meant that the kid was under the radar, and is turning heads. Thought it was a good thing.
Manny’s out for 50 games and they still maintained the lead,What’s your excuse now?
“BTW, some dude in the Dominican League has 30 K in 11 IP and only 4 non K outs recorded all season.”
umm.. not our dude you sure ?
The best arm in DSL for the Yankees is Melvin Crousett
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....pid=518128
That’s out of the BP.
Kemp on track for a career year? Juan Pierre proving he really is a major league player?
That NL West is not exactly a juggernaut.
The Dodgers are really the only team that can hit in that division.
The worst team in the AL East is only 6 games under .500 and they can swing the bats with anyone.
Brandon: Yeah, this guy is Miguel De La Rosa I think. Melvin is like G-d over at RAB, and this guy gave him a run for his money.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....pid=501551
The bullpen looks really strong. With Bruney back and now having Hughes in the pen it has made the bullpen much deeper.
Yeh I know him, but IDK about him and his arsenal. Texas is good at finding talent now.
Melvin and him are in the top 20 for K’s in DSL, the only two doing that and leading in SVs for DSL. Melvin has 7 Miguel has 5.
So how long will it take for Veras to pass through waivers?
They play outside the division too.Look they will make post season,how far is anybody’s guess.My point is the *Yankees* are *a better team* ,but not playing up to their potential why? What is Joe not doing?
Richie, Young Master Hughes is the complete package…In time there will be very little doubt about his front of the staff talent…..And your correct, his fast ball just jumps about 10 feet from the plate……That curve he threw to Zimmerman the another night was incredible…He seemed to walk off the mound as soon as he threw it…
Hughes is hungry and a breath of fresh air.I really believed they wouldn’t score another run with him in.
Every body talks Joba to the pen,it could be Phil,I hope not,but he’s doing a good job.
The two leagues are worlds apart. No comparison.
Yes, the Dodgers are the cream of that crop. And will give AL teams a run for their money. But there’s no comparison. Just like the NBA teams. WC teams are playing 4 games against stronger teams. EC teams are playing 4 games against weaker teams. It makes the regular season record look better than it really is.
Anyway, Joe T’s getting good pitching out of his team. Joe G’s getting finally getting good pitching out of his team. The offense is sputtering right now, but it’s going to come around.
Brandon: The only knock is both of them are old for the league.
Haiku man: It’s the weather.
No, really.
The Yankees are an old team, and the weather isn’t doing them any favors. Check out their record in rain delays or games under 65 F.
I refuse to believe it’s not a coincidence they played well the second part of May when the weather was awesome, and played horribly when it was horrible, CMW starts not included.
Rebecca IDK why Melvin is still in that league, it makes no sense, he has nothing to prove there.
Pat M,
I was blown away by that curve.
Why is there no talk of Hughes staying in the pen? Because that’s beyond anyone’s comprehension.
Joba exploded onto the scene as a setup guy, and as a result there’s a large group of bullpen converts.
haiku-man June 21st, 2009 at 1:55 am
They play outside the division too.Look they will make post season,how far is anybody’s guess.My point is the Yankees are a better team ,but not playing up to their potential why? What is Joe not doing?
—————-
You mean a Joe Torre team never struggled?
I beg to differ.
In fact, one of the big knocks against Torre in the last few years as Yankee manager was that he wasn’t motivating his team enough and appeared too calm on the bench.
Funny how Girardi was viewed as the drill sergeant and what this team needed to turn things around.
Funny how that worked out, eh?
Girardi isn’t doing anything different now than he was when this team was winning 16 of 20.
Maybe you’ve heard this before but slumps happen to everyone. The Yanks weren’t going to play .800 ball for four months of the season.
NO way do I put the Dodger’s in the same level as the Yankees.
When the Yankees on paper(stats that brought them here)play to their ability,teams like Mr T’s won’t have a chance.
Brandon: Only guess is because there’s a glut of pitching at every other level, but I don’t think that’s a good enough excuse.
Why have I not gone to sleep yet?
Why is there no talk of Hughes staying in the pen? Because that’s beyond anyone’s comprehension.
—————
Because he’s also their #6 starter.
If someone goes down, or Wang can’t figure things out, Hughes will be back in the rotation.
Cano’s OBP is never more than 300 points higher than his BA. Thus his slumps tend to be long, deep, and render him useless at the plate.
Guiseppe,
And Joba’s their #4 starter. Or depending on who you talk to, #2 starter. But that doesn’t stop people from screaming for Joba to the bullpen.
Rebecca, IDK what’s the reason but I haven’t heard anything about him this season, not like last yr. where friends from DR were talking to me about him.
BTW this made me crack up. His “scouting report”
http://riveraveblues.com/2009/.....sett-6724/
m June 21st, 2009 at 2:10 am
Guiseppe,
And Joba’s their #4 starter. Or depending on who you talk to, #2 starter. But that doesn’t stop people from screaming for Joba to the bullpen.
————
Because people are idiots – especially those who never saw Joba pitch before his Yankee debut like Francesa.
Those who have no idea what Joba’s capable of or simply focus on what he did in 2007 don’t grasp the big picture.
People are also extremely impatient. But that’s what you need if you’re going to develop young players.
How many times did we hear Hughes wasn’t ready to pitch in the majors this season before he started getting into a groove?
How many times did we hear people rip Cashman for not trading Hughes for Santana after his start in Baltimore when he was terrible?
There are a lot of smart fans out there, but unfortunately, we are outnumbered by the idiots and bridge jumpers who listen to talk radio and take their cues from them.
But that’s the way it is in Yankeeland these days.
The whole pitching staff at the same time,even Mo blowing 2 saves in a week.
Yes I’ve seen struggles,injuries that’s sports and athletics.
How did Wang make it through Spring training ,with no arm strength? Things like that effect the whole team.
The Yankees complain about the stadium,but other teams have no problem beating the YANKEES THERE.
looking forward to P.A. having to spend another week without pay, can’t happen soon enough.
The Yanks are 21-14 at home.
That’s hardly shameful baseball on their own turf.
Nobody should expect them to play .900 ball at home.
Brandon: Yah, I know.
Colin Curtis was sent to AAA about time.
Man you’re going way out of bounds and putting words in my post,AND SOUNDING EMOTIONAL.
I get teased weekly about ,Cashman ans co,bragging this off season,When they signed CC TEXIERA,and AJ. I’m reminded how the Yankees would dominate.So I as a fan want the team to do well.
If the Yankees don’t step it up Look where Toronto is in the division.
As far as Joe G he may be in over his head,I don’t know.This group of players aren’t rookies like the Marlins.There’s a lot of ego’s to manage.I do think He got that point last year.
I dont know why people always blame Girardi. The team was setup to win today but Jeter cant lay down a bunt and grounds into a double play and then Damon strikes out. Cano in the 9th hits into a double play. The game against the nationals Cano hits into the double play. Girardi cant swing the bat for them. The hitters are struggling that will happen during a 162 game season.
DON’T mention the DBL PLAYS. They drove me crazy.
The notion that Jorge Posada is a problem for the Yankees is beyond comprehension, but you never know what strange ideas people will latch onto.
Someday, Young Master Philip will start again.
somebody on WFAN is making my ears bleed.
l like Jorge!!
“The one and only reason the Dodgers made the playoffs last year was the JUICING Manny. END OF STORY. Dodgers don’t get Manny, they don’t make the playoffs.”
Gee, what team do you root for, hypocrite. Yanks don’t win in 2000 without Clemens, Justice and Stanton, etc., END OF STORY etc. Don’t win 2003 pennant without Giambi etc. Just let i lie. Can’t be calling out other team’s juiceheads with our own sordid recent past, jeez.
Make no mistake, Joe Torre’s LA Dodgers are a very good baseball club….Remember they gave the World Champion Phillies more of a battle than the Tampa Bay Rays did…Who by the way went down to the wire with the BoSox….The Dodgers are good, very balanced, and can beat you many ways…..Count get all caught up with this NL West being inferior…..Soild ball team…
Good for Posada. Maybe he can still catch a decent game — when he’s more concerned with keeping runs down than he is with having his way or making a point (maybe against Girardi?). Now if he can just keep it up over the next 20 or so games….
I believe that the odds are pretty high that he can’t even muster a team average cERA for the remainder of the season — despite being incredibly motivated by all of the press attention to do so. In fact, I’d say he has a pretty decent chance of being on the DL or at least being hampered by physical issues by the end of the year based on his age alone (given that he’s a catcher) — not to mention his history of injuries this year and last.
But that’s certainly not a prediction, just an observation. It’s possible that he could he have a cERA below the team average for the remainder of the year and in the postseason — although, again, I don’t think it’s very likely.
As for those who say that a catcher doesn’t influence a pitcher’s ERA, I can accept that — if you can convince me that the defensive skills of every other player on the team combined don’t influence a pitcher’s ERA either. Talk about nonsense….
But again, kudos to Posada. Now let’s see him keep it up — having a below team average cERA, not the ridiculously low cERA of his last four games behind the plate. I don’t think anybody who’s every lived could do that for half a season or more — unless, of course, they were the personal catcher for a Randy Johnson-level pitcher in his prime.
P.S. if you disagree with me that a 37-year old catcher is unlikely NOT to be a liability behind the plate, just make me a list of 37-year old catchers who HAVEN’T been a liability behind the plate — aside from Carlton Fisk and Jason Varitek. And the jury’s still out on whether Varitek can keep it up this year. Even Yogi….
By the way, if your list includes players in recent years, don’t forget that their success may have been steroid aided…
BaseballReference.com has two lists of players for every Posada — Similar Batters through [age] 36 and Most Similar by Ages. And if you look at what they did at age 37 and beyond (aside from Ken Caminiti and Carlton Fisk) let me tell you, it ain’t pretty.
Here’s the link:
http://www.baseball-reference......jo01.shtml
Look at what those players did at age 37 and beyond and judge for yourself…
“jennifer
June 21st, 2009 at 12:10 am
Yes Johnson was pretty darn good last night. My issue was Jeter not getting that bunt down. He is supposed to be the most fundamental player on the team and he didn’t get it down. Than grounds into a dp killing the inning.
It was a game we very well could have won.”
As the old saying goes, “that’s baseball”.
If getting that bunt down or not hitting into that DP was that simple for the most fundamental player on the team then his success rate would be much higher than it is in his career.
After every tough loss, baseball fans take out their frustrations on whichever player and/or manager didn’t get it done, but in a 162 game season, you usually have tomorrow for redemption again.
Again, “that’s baseball” or like my country cousin use to say to me “sometimes, you get the bear and then sometimes, the bear gets you”.
By the way, I good game to watch despite Damon’s goof and eventual Yankee loss.
When I watched Josh Johnson last night that’s exactly how I envision Joba being like whenever the light bulb comes on for him and he learns how to be a premium ML starting pitcher.
Yankees need a guy like Carlos Lee on this team. You can plug him in at the 5 spot and sit back and watch him drive in 100 runs every year. I know he still has a boatload of money coming to him on a mega contract he signed a couple of years ago but since when has that stopped the Yankees? His contract runs until 2012 at 19 mil. per yr. He’s 33 yrs old and will be 36 when his contract expires. I know the Astros are still in contention in their division and might not want to move him. But if they ever put him out there the Yankees should be first on line for his services.
Couple of things. Last nights loss is a legit loss that we all should be able to deal with. Great pitching by both teams. Its nowhere near the types of losses to weak pitching, weak teams like the Nats.
Pete, you know what I hate, if AROD grounds out to into that double play, you will be killing him for a week, but Jeter did it so its alright,.
Arod has a thing about not hitting in clutch situations. Jeter almost always comes through. Arod would get beat up if he hit into that DP because he does not hit in the clutch. Aside from that Jeter is not Arod. Arod is the highest paid player in baseball, Arod is supposedly to best player potentially in baseball, Arod is supposed to drive in runs, and win you games, Jeter is supposed to get on base. They are two different players with different roles, saying that if there was an at bat, with the game on the line, I am positive everyone on this blog would rather have Jeter up which a chance to win the game than Arod
the vet,
So we’re going to bring up A-Rod’s salary when it comes to doing his job but not Derek’s salary? I didn’t know Jeter was standing in line for some government cheese.
And by your standards Jeter didn’t do his job (get on base). He didn’t have to drive in a run, he could have just got on base and I would have been happy.
Stuff happens. And what do you know, the sun came up today and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Jeter has a great game.
“( Dodger pitching coach rick honeycutt )was instrumental in the development of the organization’s minor league pitching philosophy of allowing pitchers to pitch in both starting and relief roles during the season.” mlb.com
hughes pitches in relief. maybe not such a bad idea.
Cant blame last nights loss on Jeter, or Damon or anyone. There are 26 other opportunities to win the game before Jeters failure. Bunting would appear to be a simple thing. It isn’t. It really isn’t when you get a guy dealing like Josh. Sometimes whether we like it or not the other guys just play good baseball on a night we don’t. It is why they play the games. Take the positives and move on. Aj was no slouch last night. If that continues he’s gonna be really tuff on people. Warm weather will bring around a different level of performance from everyone. Yeah the other guys too.
No, people rip on A-Rod because he’s an easy target.
A-Rod has always been the more productive player than Jeter. The numbers are not even close.
But “fans” give A-Rod a hard time because they’re idiots and Jeter gets a free pass because he helped this team win rings a decade ago.
I’m a Jeter fan as much as any Yankee fan. But all the garbage tossed at A-Rod through the years and the boos he hears at the Stadium to this day are an embarrassment.
And it’s not just A-Rod. Mo, Teixeira, and Wang have been subjected to a lot of boos this season as well.
That’s why Yankee fans are among the worst in sports. Unfortunately, the dynasty teams helped create that monster.
“The notion that Posada is somehow hurting the Yankees with his catching gets more ridiculous by the day. Some people like to cite the ERA of a catcher, which is a badly flawed statistic. But if you’re interested, the Yankees have a 2.06 ERA in the last four games Posada has caught. Is that good enough?”
The notion that Posada didn’t hear about all the flap and decide to do something about it is even more ridiculous.
CC on the hill, a “refreshed” A-rod hitting clean-up, slumps end ….the Yankees win, the Yankees win!(sorry couldn’t resist)
Fans give ARod a hard time because he brings it on himself. He’s the highest paid player in baseball yet he comes up immensely short when this team needs him most. For a guy of his talent to underperform such as he has in his playoff performances with this team is unacceptable. I understand that the criticism goes over the top at times but some people act as if he’s an innocent bystander. With big time money comes big time expectations. There is no getting around that. His opting out of his mega contract and his steroid controversy don’t help his cause either. The fans that boo him aren’t idiots. They are just impatient. They are waiting for this guy to put this immensely talented team on his back like he’s paid to do and lead them to a title. I bet if he traded his 2 regular season MVPs for 2 Post season MVPs the fans wouldn’t ride him like they do.
Listen all-
You would like to think that all A-Rod is concerned about now, is focusing on earning/living up to his contract. Maybe this article will change your mind.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06.....175262.htm
Can people relax about Joba and realize that he is still 23 and is going to grow?
mark
June 21st, 2009 at 8:50 am
“The notion that Posada is somehow hurting the Yankees with his catching gets more ridiculous by the day. Some people like to cite the ERA of a catcher, which is a badly flawed statistic. But if you’re interested, the Yankees have a 2.06 ERA in the last four games Posada has caught. Is that good enough?”
The notion that Posada didn’t hear about all the flap and decide to do something about it is even more ridiculous.
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very interesting point.
That’s a Post gossip column. Have a little faith.
“They are waiting for this guy to put this immensely talented team on his back like he’s paid to do and lead them to a title.”
There should be no need to put an immensely talented team on any one player’s back. And when he did that in 2007 it meant nothing and no one cared.
As far as bringing stuff on himself he certainly does.
I don’t care about that Post article. It was probably the Post that had the “Party On” headline when George said Jeter is out too much.
if we can just get arod,joba going & if we had better production from cf.
the pitching has been great though.
positives from the pen,hughes,wang,burnett.
we are within striking range.
YankeeTrader
If Jeter was out at a club until 2 am, would that make him not focusing on earning up to his contract?
All Yankee fans want Arod to perform. This is not a Maris and Mantle situation with Jeter. As far Arods off field stuff I could care less. My concern is the Yankees have a great team. Each player has role and in order to win everyone has to do their jobs. If your cleanup hitter or the guy you depend on to drive in runs and win games does not produce you cannot win. Arods failures in post season ands clutch situations are quite obvious, and its not a once in a while thing, its been pretty much the same since he has been here. We need him, because he is in a key role, and like it or not if Arod doesnt perform Yanks cannot win. He has a lot of weight to carry but thats the way it goes
“I am positive everyone on this blog would rather have Jeter up which a chance to win the game than Arod”
They hit back to back last night with a chance to win. One walked, one DPed. Last night I preferred A-Rod.
One of the few times Jeter did not come through. Be fair, and again Jeter is the leadoff guy, not the cleanup guy, so lets get the roles and jobs straight. Arod is a great talent, but if he cannot do his job, (drive in runs) the team cannot win. We are not asking Arod to do something he is incapable of, he has done it his whole career.
the vet
All of these guy fail more than they succeed. That wasn’t a poke at Jeter, just pointing out the flaw in the logic.
As Cashman would say, their contracts say baseball player not table setter or cleanup guy.
Last night A-Rod was capable of getting a walk. Some nights he’s capable of getting a hit, striking out or hitting into a double play. Every player is capable of all of those same things depending on the pitcher and the circumstance.
I wish they come alive early in the game.When they hit early in the game,things aren’t so dire,in the latter innings.
RE: Joba
Franco really has good points regarding his pitching ability and overall value to the team. I have been a Joba advocate since he came up and I hate the comparisons between Joba and Hughes.
First, Hughes, altho one year younger has been in the Yankee system longer than Joba. He and Kennedy were brought up as starters and both failed miserably, whether health related or not. That was 2007. Repeat 2007.
The same year that Joba blew through the minor leagues and was called up as a reliever. His time as a reliever in 2007 is legendary and expectations for Joba were extremely high. In 2008 he was doing well as a starter and was injured. When he came back he was reliever again. Most purists believe that the constant back and forth is not considered good development for a rotation pitcher.
Whether he may have been injured more than is widely known as SJ 44 has mentioned could be a key to why his velocity is down. It appears Joba is only worthy if he is pitching 98 – 100. The man has FOUR pitches, for chris sakes. He also keeps the game close enough for the offense and bull pen to win the game. As another fan posted, Joba is not usually hit hard. His hits are easily caught or fieled. Think about it. He has a total of 69.5 innings pitched. I posted his innings pitched on another thread yesterday.
Although I was not on this board last year I don’t know if the topic of shaking off pitchers was a constant as it has been this year. Joba is a strong willed young man and had to struggle hard as a young man to reach this level of success. That said, he may be trying to over achieve to compensate for the lower velocity.
He is going to be an ace of the future, barring injury, and should be given the same opportunities as Hughes was given after 2007. Fair is fair, don’t you agree?
Fans need to be patient, Joba has god-given talent and he will succeed and in a couple of years when he is winning games you will forget his struggles this year.