Fehr strikes out?
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jun 22, 2009 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
ESPN is reporting that MLBPA executive director Donald Fehr is stepping down after 25 years. MLBPA general counsel Mike Weiner will replace him, pending approval of the executive board.
If Fehr is simply retiring, it’s not an earth-shattering story. But if this is somehow related to the union’s long-standing resistance of drug-testing and backlash from clean players, than it’s major.
More than anybody else, Fehr and Bud Selig were responsible for baseball’s drug problem in that they were equally willing to look the other way rather than ask difficult questions. All too often, it seemed, the MLBPA was more concerned about the bank accounts of their members and not their health or the integrity of the game.
No idea what this means, if anything.
yes now the boston players who did roids will come out
Call me a pessimist, but I feel like a new union chief is kinda like Raul Castro taking over in Cuba or Kim Jung-Il’s son succeeding him in North Korea: more of the same, but under a different name.
Who here thought that Wade Boggs weird steroid rant was stupid? I did.
what do you think is the magic number to win the East or at least the wildcard?
96? 93? if so then the yanks would have to go around 57-36 for the rest of the season.
think they can do it?
should be fun to watch.
This is good news. This now means that the Yankees will win the division.
Loving the upgrades…at least for me the site is zooming!
1 down and 1 to go.
Rishi,
You loved the emporor’s new clothes, too?
maybe i’m distracted by glitz and glam
the true test will be trying to check in on my mobile – it has been painfully slow there!
From the last thread:
“You’d better check Cano’s numbers when hitting in the 5th slot. He seems to be hitting pretty well. .312, 7 homers, 27 RBI. Not exactly the dog you paint him to be.”
Cano in fifth slot: 178 PA’s, .312 BA/.320 OBP/.497 SLG
That looks not great, but pretty decent, until you consider these numbers:
Bases Empty: 154 AB’s, .338/.366/.552
Men On: 128 PA’s, .266/.299/.430
RISP: 83 PA’s, .241/.270/.386
And, in case you think that is small sample size:
2008:
Bases Empty: 347 PA’s, .291/.331/.468
Men On: 287 PA’s, .248/.273/.341
RISP: 170 PA’s, .263/.294/.359
And Career:
Bases Empty: 1380 PA’s, .320/.352/.510
Men On: 1186 PA’s, .284/.317/.428
RISP: 693 PA’s, .267/.301/.414
I don’t have the breakdown by fifth spot in the order for how Cano does with bases empty, with men on and with RISP, but the fact that he is a much weaker hitter this year, last year and over his career with men on and with RISP argues that while Cano isn’t a dog, his production is not as good as his raw numbers indicate, and that he should not be hitting fifth, but lower in the order with fewer runners on base ahead of him (or, perhaps, leadoff).
Rishi,me too.
Pete,
Great headline for this post, BTW.
Step 1. Fehr steps down check
Step 2. Bud steps down
“All too often, it seemed, the MLBPA was more concerned about the bank accounts of their members and not their health or the integrity of the game.”
Instead of MLB who didn’t care more about profits than players health and the integrity of the game?
Did Don Fehr ever have any connection with the yanks or sox at all? I’m curious if anyone knows anything about that.
so next season we’ll be able to replace the Joba to the pen talk with the Hughes to the pen talk…I can’t wait.
Now, Bud needs to step down so baseball can begin a new era.
“Meet the new boss; same as the old boss”
While we’re bringing up Robi once again.
Once upon a time.
http://www.baseball-reference......;t=b#bases
Reposting from last thread:
SJ,
I’m playing devil’s advocate more than anything, but you seem to have two sets of standards, one for yourself and one for others. Perhaps you have never railed on people who’ve said Cano is batting in the wrong spot (unlikely), but you have called people questioning the line-up “whiners.” You’ve also said the manager knows more than the people commenting when it comes to the line-up. Now, as you post your new, improved line-up, please revisit your own words.
Also, when you use stats, they are “facts.” When anybody else uses them, they are manipulating them to prove their own point. And of course, the famous SJ quote: “You can use numbers and situations and do anything with them”
So, if you weren’t a hypocrite, you’d stop calling out people who are questioning the line-up and you’d stop using statistical data to advance a theory or point. Doubt that’ll happen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4blizS84mY
Beat Down!!
Is Fehr taking that bag of fleas Orza with him???
Just great. We go from Donald Fehr, a real d!ck, to a Weiner.
Looking forward to 6-7 strong innings from the Wanger tomorrow night.
It’d be nice for the Yankee bats to knock around this young kid Hanson early and often and give Wang some solid run support from the get go.
Boogie Down Bob-You just jinxed us..”young kid”…that’s seven or even more innings of shutout baseball vs. us.
The order of the lineup isn’t the problem
The lineup is. They all go cold at the same time. Rather than picking up the player who is slumping like good teams do, the other players go into a slump too.
Time for some Francesa!
Hanson, Kwamikami, Lowe is a very tough order
2 guys they haven’t seen followed by a groundball machine.
We need to go 4-2 vs. the Braves and Mets. Bottom line. Otherwise Boston is going to really open this thing up.
Francesa is talking Mets now
Of course, giving them a pass because of their injuries. Fortunately for them, Philly is in a deep funk as well.
The mobile site seems just as crappy as before.
Boooooooo.
I don’t think being in Texas helps much either.
I take that back, after I posted just now I noticed a marginal improvement. So it’s not as crappy as it was before.
More media “holier than thou” assumptions on why Fehr’s retiring? Why didn’t the “Guardians of the Game”, the “Knights of the Keyboards” bring this more into the light when they knew, instead of helping baseball bury the steroids issue? One word…..MONEY.
And when I posted that last time it wasn’t improved after all. So I just don’t know.
This must be fascinating to read. Sorry.
Nick
are you posting from your mobile, too? I wonder if it’s faster to load (that’s where I have issues)…haven’t even tried to post from the mobile, I think that might kill me 
“More media “holier than thou” assumptions on why Fehr’s retiring? Why didn’t the “Guardians of the Game”, the “Knights of the Keyboards” bring this more into the light when they knew, instead of helping baseball bury the steroids issue? One word…..MONEY.”
Pete and his baseball beat writing brothers were paid to maintain silence on the matter???
Media is way down the list of those responsible for the PED era:
1) The users themselves
2) fellow players who turned a blind eye and/or didn’t have the testicular fortitude to say something about it (Rick Helling is exempt)
3) Fehr and Orza
4) Ownership, front offices, Selig
Media is way after all of them.
Okay, Knights of the Keyboards? Hilarity!
Rez
Mets should get a pass. Missing key guys.
GB7 I responded to your post in the previous thread.
When is Hank going to issue a statement telling the team to pick it up or else?
I wonder if Fehr will write a book!
Management on ROIDs! The Money Years in MLB!
“This One is on you Bud!”
Nick,
I for one am enjoying your comments on the improvements/lack of improvements to the mobile site. Let me know what the final verdict is.
Regarding the slumping Yanks’ offense, sometimes I think when you are loaded with talent, you get “superstars-itis,” i.e., feeling like the next 10-million dollar player will pick you up if you don’t perform to your own 10-million dollar expectations.
That is an unproven theory, but feel free to discredit it.
Fehr’s statement to the media:
“It was all Bud’s fault.”
Statement over.
What is Francesca saying now?!? How bout now?!? Wait, what’s that you say?… if I really wanted to know I’d be listening? Oh, what a novel idea!
Interesting fact…as of right now, we have the fifth best record in all of baseball and are in the playoffs. So at our worst, we’re among the best.
Stultus,
I would agree with that theory. No other reason for an entire team of all-star caliber hitters to all go cold at the same time, for an extended period of time. And this isin’t the first time it has happened. It happened earlier this year, a lot of times last year, and in past years. But it has been much more prevalent this year.
Don 42-Really? I thought it far more prevalent last year. I thought that overall we’ve been a bit more consistent this year.
Fehr’s statement to the media:
“I’m proud of a career built around helping the players get as much as posssible and get away with as much as possible”
Yes, posting from my blackberry now. It takes longer to load when there are more comments. The end of a game thread is the worst!
S.A. – just saw the Phil item now. I am not happy at all – the Yankees just don’t have a clue as to how to develop young pitching. I’m so glad Joe admits that they envision Phil as a starter – he doesn’t exactly make it sound like it’s a done deal. Also, now Phil will have the same innings limitations next year that he had coming into this year – again, no progress on that account. Add to that the fact that he won’t be able to work on a 3rd pitch this year……overall, just a bad decision.
This doesn’t even take into account the fact that the Yankees are playing with fire with this kid’s arm. How do they know that he has a rubber arm? That he can pitch in back to back games or 2 games out of 3? How do they know that he won’t develop arm problems?
Bad move all the way around.
We’re only in the playoffs at the moment because we built a big lead over our winning streak.
we were 7 games ahead of Tampa and LA a little over 10 days ago. Now we’re tied with LA for the wild card and Tampa is 2 games behind us. We’re basically lost all the cushion we had. It’s no longer going to be a “Yankees-Red Sox” summer like most people planned. We’re going to have to fight for our playoff lives.
I’ll test loading on my mobile (we are not allowed to have bbs so I migrated to the samsung omnia) and will report back to the class after my next set of meetings
I think the real tragedy of the “steriod era” is that any player with natural talent who is clean, will always have a cloud of suspicion around them.
Goodbye Fehr
I love the decision to use Phil in the pen. Phil would rather be here than in the minors and he helps the team more here than in Scranton. Spring training is where you stretch his pitch count.
This is a small thread so far, but it’s loading very quickly now. I’m at a Lowe’s store in Texas and it’s about 150 degrees outside. Is that a factor? I cannot say.
Or we could start another streak tomorrow and be 2 up on the Sox by the end of it…think positive.
I think it’ll be a Yanks-Sox summer.
it’s loading about the same for me FWIW, but it has never been as slow as it seems to be for everyone else.
Hughes in the pen helps us win this year. Relax, Cashman knows what he is doing.
Steve B
June 22nd, 2009 at 3:45 pm
“More media “holier than thou” assumptions on why Fehr’s retiring? Why didn’t the “Guardians of the Game”, the “Knights of the Keyboards” bring this more into the light when they knew, instead of helping baseball bury the steroids issue? One word…..MONEY.”
***Pete and his baseball beat writing brothers were paid to maintain silence on the matter*** ???
***Media is way down the list of those responsible for the PED era*** :
1) The users themselves
2) fellow players who turned a blind eye and/or didn’t have the testicular fortitude to say something about it (Rick Helling is exempt)
3) Fehr and Orza
4) Ownership, front offices, Selig
Media is way after all of them.
————————————————————
In a manner of speaking, yeah, baseball paid the media. Advertizing space, sales, etc.
As far as the media being far down on the list? No…they’re the ones that have declared them to be the beacons of truth. They knew and they help to cover it up.
Weren’t we 6 games out in the beginning of May? We managed to overcome that pretty quickly and peak at a two game lead.
That’s how quickly the standings can change. A good winnign streak can make the last two weeks seem like a bad dream
Last year at this time we were 6 games over .500
This year, we are 7 games over .500
Not much of a difference except the timing of the hot streaks. Last year it was June, this year it was May.
Upgrades bring much joy
our dancing digits frolic
mobile users sigh
Portal-Big difference-Tampa Bay was having a fantastic season last year.
Wait till they come to OUR house AGAIN June 22nd, 2009 at 3:58 pm
“I love the decision to use Phil in the pen. Phil would rather be here than in the minors and he helps the team more here than in Scranton. Spring training is where you stretch his pitch count.”
It does not matter what Phil wants. We can clearly see this year how dumb and selfish these players can be. Arod deciding not to mention his hip problem until miday through ST, Marte pitching with a bad shoulder in the WBC, Wang wanting to stay in the rotation with the worst ERA in the history of baseball, Bruney coming off the DL when he was still in pain, etc.
Also Phils pitch count is not an issue. It will be his innings limit next year which you certainly can not stretch out in ST
How silly would the Yankees look if anyone make any blustering statements when hold the WC?
“That’s how quickly the standings can change. A good winning streak can make the last two weeks seem like a bad dream”
Bingo, and that applies to all the teams in the division. One cold streak and you are going to lose a ton of ground. We were 1 game ahead of Boston and 7 ahead of Tampa before this slide and now we’re 4 behind Boston and only 2 ahead of Tampa.
Toronto looked dead when they lost 9 in a row at the same time we won 9 in a row. Now? They are 1 game behind us despite all their injuries.
We’re playing terrible, but it is accentuated because our rivals are playing well and we’re losing games in the standings. Such is the life of a tough division.
BR-All right, if what Phil wants doesn’t mater, then we’ll talk about helping the team. Phil is helping us more now than in Scranton.
We can dal w/one pitcher on an innings limit next year anyway. Joba’s innings limit will be extended.
Pete,
Once in a while I check out the blog from a mobile. It’d be really nice if the comments could be posted in an inverted fashion. Is that asking for too much?
“More than anybody else, Fehr and Bud Selig were responsible for baseball’s drug problem in that they were equally willing to look the other way rather than ask difficult questions.”
More than anybody else?? That’s a statement worth rethinking as some of the people on this board have pointed out…the media was just as, if not more, guilty.
James 3D, you’re right.
dal is deal.
Did the blog upgrade
Or was it so Pete could be
Sneaky on Twitter
Send Hughes to Venezuela this winter to get him innings
Keep him in the pen the rest of the year
The players are the ones who were responsible. The union/mlb were enablers. The media? Maybe no one wanted to be blackballed. Maybe they wrote what the managers wanted them to write.
I don’t think it has anything to do with superstar-itis.
How many “superstars”, at least at this stage of their careers, are in the Yankee lineup?
Two, Tex and Arod. Three if you count Jeter. You could argue they have one and half superstars since Arod is a shell of himself post-surgery and Jeter isn’t the same player he was a few years ago.
It has more to do with the makeup of the lineup.
You have a lot of swing and miss guys, not a lot of high OBP guys, and very little speed.
Arod is coming off hip surgery. He isn’t 100%. Jeter and Damon have been hurt for a week. That affects the lineup.
Cano and Posada are DP candidates. Melky hasn’t hit much since he slammed into the way. Swisher is probably the most inconsistent hitter on the team.
Its not a great or consistent offense. That’s why they loaded up on pitching on the off-season. They knew the offense could run hot and cold.
I also think guys start pressing more than they should when the team slumps. Its natural to some degree but, that leads to prolonged slumps hitting w/RISP.
One thing we have seen this year…..if the middle of the lineup hits, the rest of the guys seem to follow.
They hit well in May because Tex was red hot when Arod got back, Arod started out hitting pretty well, and the rest of the guys followed.
Right now, Tex and Arod are cold.
At some point, they will get hot because they are too good not to hit over the course of the season.
Its going to be a tight race to make the playoffs all year. Nobody is clinching a playoff spot in the AL in June.
They are in a good position. They just have to start playing better and hope CC isn’t missing time.
The last thing they need right now is their best starter missing time.
Get Tomko out of the game now. What is Girardi waiting for?
Btw- I vote “thumbs up” on the upgrade. I am no longer getting the annoying apple quicktime popup thing everytime I open/refresh the page
Yes, but these type of desperate moves are what have plagued this team during Cashman’s entire tenure because he is incapable of putting together a complete team.
If Phil stays in the BP this season he will have made no progress on his innings limit. The plan for Phil as I and most people see it is to let Pettite walk next and season and plug Phil into his spot. If Phil does not make progress on his innings limit this season we really can not do that. Therefore, we will have to throw another $10 million to an aging player and possibly mess up the arm of a young pitcher who figures to be a key fixture in the rotation for the next 5+ years.
I do agree it helps the team with him in the BP, but I do not think it is worth the risk to cover up Cashman’s idiocy
I think SJ has nailed it again.
I don’t think any offense is consistent. Not even close.
But let’s deal with our roster.
I hate to say it, but age is a bigger factor than we’d like to admit.
And I don’t want Long fired, but he needs to get them to take better at-bats. About 10 rookie pitchers? Why not make them WORK? See what happens when they load the bases? Why 3 up, 3 down? See if these guys crumble or at least make a mistake? Who cares what the scouting report says. The one guy who never walks batters was behind in almost every count. The only counts he wasn’t behind in was the one, two pitch at-bats.
They’re either disinterested or anxious. Everything’s out in front.
So anyway, end of rant about the offense.
I think we have an excellent offesne that is really hot when hot and really cold when cold.
Tex is the key.
“We have the fifth best record in all of baseball and are in the playoffs. *So at our worst, we’re among the best.*”
I like that the best.
Nick, any final verdicts yet? Better, worse?? Don’t fall on the pavement there, you might burn to death.
It is difficult to post when using mobile web, game threads are the worst. I’ve seen crappy, no frills iPhone apps, don’t see why LoHud can’t come up with a functional one…
M, speaking of the scouting report I could not believe the other day Giradi said after the Johnson game something along the lines of the scouting report said he throws a lot of fastballs but he went with a lot more offspeed stuff and I think that threw our hitters off?
Really? If you noticed that, how about you or Mr Long tell your team to make an in game adjustment instead of following the scouting report
BR the yanks might not be very good but they really are not old..
1 starting pitcher next year in his 30′s.. a young bullpen except for mo..
4 every day starters under 30…yes jeter is 35, jorge is 37, etc. what do you expect..i love when we get the rehash of cashman bad moves.. pavano, everyone wanted… giambi, etc.
everyone is a genius 5 yrs after the fact..
swisher is overpaid but he is a better then avg. 4th outfielder and going into this year with the yankee outfield age and injury issues getting him in the short term was a huge benefit…
they gave up betemit, marquez, and whomever. every team makes tons of mistakes… how does daisuke look? how about lugo? how about that ortiz contract? I can go on ther ealso.. again after the fact it is easy to be right…
Exactly.
This offense was never designed to score 900 runs. We were supposed to win with pitching.
Throw in our best player getting hip surgery and consider that he may not be 100% at all this year and the offense is going to sputter a lot of the time.
Of course, right now this offense can’t score at all. But that will change. But don’t expect this offense to be consistent. It will come and go often. The pitching has to carry us to October. And that is why it is imperative that Cashman fixes the bullpen. Don’t want to give away games in the late innings that we have won like in Boston.
ummm, Pete who is the union of the players suppose to look out for? you? I mean, i don’t get when people say, “oh Fehr only cared about the players making money” that’s why he’s there. He’s there to make sure his players get the max compensation possible. Baseball’s state is not his job, that’s Bud Selig’s job and if Bud felt strongly about Steroid use all of those years, he should have suspended the season. But i believe that both Bud and Fehr agreed on one thing, a billion dollar industry to circulate the money throughout.
BR,
Oh, I totally subscribe to the Manny Method Of Hitting. “See ball, hit ball”.
But I understand that cheating and looking for a certain pitch is part of the game.
But as much as we’re not scouting pitching, clubs are scouting our hitting. Teams will keep doing the same thing to us over and over and over.
M,
I disagree and I don’t believe that the age of our team has anything to do with the slump we are in.
Look at a team like Boston, who has an even older team than the Yankees. Age doesn’t appear to be an issue there.
“This offense was never designed to score 900 runs. We were supposed to win with pitching”
Umm- Mark Teixera wasn’t signed to a 7 year deal because Cashman wanted us to win with our pitching
Boogie Down,
I don’t know. Look at the 0-fers. They’re usually the older guys. Younger players can better deal with the heat, the traveling, the weather delays, and the late night cha-cha-cha.
Certain guys you don’t work counts with when facing them.
For example, Josh Johnson. Folks whined in the game thread about “working the count” with him. You can’t do it because he throws too many strikes.
With a guy like Johnson, if you try and work counts, you are sitting 0-2 and he has numerous ways to finish you.
The best way to attack a guy like that is to look for a fastball early in the count and take your best cut at it.
If you fall behind, you are dealing with a 95-97 MPH fastball that he can locate on either side of the plate, a 90 MPH slider that, unlike Joba’s he can throw for strikes, and a nasty changeup. That’s why he is such a dominant pitcher.
Other guys, you work counts. Working counts is not a one size, fits all, approach.
One of the problems last years offense had was that too many of them had a one size, fits all, work the count, approach. That got them in trouble because they were always hitting in bad counts. Especially true for Giambi and Abreu for much of the season. That’s why they didn’t with RISP until they were out of the race in September.
There are consistent offenses out there. Certainly more consistent than the Yankees. The Red Sox have a very consistent offense. They don’t have the up and down funks the Yankee offense has to date this season.
Its not as prolific as Sox offenses of the past. But, its very workmanlike, with different ways they can beat you on a given night.
That’s a byproduct of their lineup. More guys who make good contact on a more consistent basis.
Ortiz is probably the only real swing and miss guy in that lineup. They also spoil a lot of good pitches in their AB’s.
That’s something few Yankee hitters do well.
Is it the hitting coach’s fault? I know of no hitting coach who teaches guys not to hit.
Its on the players. They have to get the job done.
To say everyone wanted this guy or that guy is the worst excuse that can be made and it is made way too often. Are any of us getting paid millions of dollars to make those decisions because we are supposed to be the best at it? If teams left their key decisions up to their fanbase it would be a disaster.
I am also personally am one of those people who have been completely against nearly every one of Cashman’s blunders. Since you only really brought up Pavano I thought it was a terrible move at the time. You should NEVER sign a guy based off one year of good performance. It does not matter what sport you are in, GMs continue to do this and continue to get burned. That is why in a few years we are going to be saying how bad AJ Burnett’s contract is.
Beltran to the DL….. OH LORD
Man, I just wrote this really good post about Phil Hughes and I didn’t realize all my information had to be re-entered (I did it on my other computer earlier). Darn and drats.
Oh, well, the short version:
I never believe everything the Yankees say – their foreseeable future is a cloudy, murky view. Phil in the pen happens to work really well for them right now, but if the situation changes, so will their tune.
I’ll be Phil is a happy camper. Though there is a tradeoff in that he can’t work on his secondary pitches at leisure, and he’s not logging longer outings, he is aggressively getting major league hitters out consistently, while throwing well and making a contribution to the ML team.
My “superstar-itis” theory has no basis in factual data. So take it as you like, it’ll be an easy target as it should be. Maybe I should have called it “all-star-itis”? It makes no difference.
The point is, it’s hard to rationalize team wide slumps when you have A-Rod, Tex, Jeter, Posada, Damon, and Cano in the line-up. That’s top-notch offense and yet they struggle to bring in runners.
I think they’ll get back on track, but like I said I hope they can do that before it gets uncomfortable in the standings.
We have a ton of streaky hitters
Damon – Streaky
Cano – Streaky
Swisher – Very streaky
Melky – Very streaky
A-Rod – Streaky and now a shell of himself
Matsui – Very streaky
It should be no shock why the lineup is slumping. When they are hot, we are unstoppable. When they are cold, we can’t score.
Boogie Down: The difference is that the yankees have overpaid grandpas while Boston has experienced veterans who know how to handle the bat.
I mean they get a guy like Nick Green, who can really wallop a shallow fly to left field for a double. thats just veteran experience. Meanwhile, we have guys like Damon who can barely put together a good AB. Look at every AB this season of Nick Green vs Johnny Damon and I think you’ll be surprised who comes out ahead
M,
Hahaha, your post cracked me up. Maybe age is an issue, but I have a hard time bringing myself to accept that fact when these guys have access to the best of everything in terms of trainers, nutrionists, massage therapists, etc.
the problem with this slump is that it’s now and not the first two months of the season. things were supposed to be more worked out at this point.
this is not a rebuilding year. this is win or people at high levels will lose jobs.
they can come out of this as quick as they went into it , but any slump of two weeks or more just isn’t going to cut it the rest of the year.
if wang doesn’t do well in any game the pressure is magnified on him. all in all i’m surprised to see the yankees in this position of underachieving at this point since they seemed like they had things going in the right direction a few weeks ago.
SJ: the red sox strike out more on average than the yankees, by something like 5%.
SJ,
Good thoughts. But even Johnson got tired. The trick is to wear them out earlier. Not in the 8th inning.
Balance in approach is definitely the right Rx.
Speaking of spoiling off pitches. Remember when Melky was a swing and miss guy? He had some of the best at-bats this weekend, making the pitchers work. Cano’s been having some of the same kind of at-bats, especially late in games.
Infact up until this week where we got tied for #1 offense, we had the best offense in the major leagues.
Top 5 in BB%, Top 5 in K%, #1 in SLG, top 10(forgot if it was 5 or not) in average.
We had a beastly lineup, they just went cold.
m with the old nonsens. it is mid june, get back to me in september about how old the yanks are.
as another blogger pointed out, the sux are older then the yanks much older..
they start a 35 yr old 3b, a catcher jorge’s age but deteriorating much faster then jorge, there rf is 31 + and injury prone, etc..
age is a non issue… the sux also have saito about 38 or so, wakefield 42, and smoltz 40 +, i forgot when they have age according to the trolls and espn there guys age well only yankee players get old…….I frogto my bad…
the yanks have no more tony womacks they have brett gardner and others. if you have not noticed gardner is a major leaguer who should stick and give them a great late inning threat on the bases as a worse case scenario. he may turn into a everyday player. jsut because he has little hair does not mean he is old, he is only 25…..i especailly like how loaded the sux farmsystem is with great catching prospects!!I mean really does it get any better then geroge kotteras, amybe if they can resign mirabelli..I forgot saint theo never makes a mistake and that team is loaded for the next 10 years or so.
anyone notice papelbon who still is very effective has much worse peripheral #’s then previous years????if you think he will be dominating for the next 5 years you may be mistaken………..
Erica,
Mark Teixeira was signed as much for his run prevention as his run production. As good a hitter as he is, he’s a better defender and that goes along the line toward trying to supplement the pitching staff.
They loaded up on pitching and better defense in the off-season. The offense? They knew, given the lineup, it was going to be up and down from a consistency standpoint. Even in moments of glee, I don’t think anybody associated with the Yankees sees this offense as a 850-900 run offense. Its not.
Obviously, they had no idea Arod would need hip surgery in December. Perhaps if they did, they would have looked to find another bat.
In a perfect world, I think they would love to find a bat rather than an arm at the trade deadline.
That however may be a function of the marketplace and the players teams want in return.
Unless Nady can come back and hit, I think they are a bat and a bullpen arm short. I don’t think rookies can fill those roles. I think they need a couple of vets.
Can they get them? Too early to say.
It would be nice though if the current 25 guys on the roster picked up their collective games.
Its much easier to plug holes when the entire team isn’t stinking it up, as these guys have, over the past two weeks.
BR -
Not to be argumentative, but how do you know Long and Girardi DIDN’T say something about the change in the way Johnson was pitching? I would think the hitters themselves probably noticed. Again, the result is not necessarily a reflection of the effort.
But I did hear that comment as well, and my thought was, well, what the heck good are scouting reports? If a pitcher is good enough that he can be effective throwing differently than he usually does in order to shut down a particular offense, more power to that pitcher. Johnson is good.
I would think that more teams would want to shake it up a bit so that the scouting reports are a mere general guideline, rather than a “how-to” type of plan.
Teixeria essentially replaced Abreu/Giambi. We couldn’t go into the season losing our #3 and #5 hitter to free agency and not replace their punch. Especially when we struggled to score runs last year too.
SJ-
There is one huge problem in your argument. From all facts we have now about A-Rod, he had his hip problem at the end of last season. How the Yankees DIDN’T know about it in the offseason makes me scratch my head. Someone was either lying or did not do their job.
serenity now
Honestly who really cares this guy stepped down? lol
He’s represents the bad business part of baseball
I think Swisher is being wasted at the bottom of the lineup. He is their most patient hitter and goes to a full count in something like, half his at bats. He has hit really well in most the games he started in the #2 slot. I really think he should be starting a few games in that place in the lineup and see what happens.
This could also help the “not seeing enough pitches” problem
SJ ransom, nady for berroa and a arm would help the team offensively..nady can dh or play rf agaisnt lefties and help he is a 270, 20, 80 type guy, that is a good 7th or 8th hitter…
they have arms to try over tomko…. and if the staff stays healthy hughes can take a more important role in the pen.. he is rolling. he has dynamite stuff especially for a few innings.. his ERA is on a steady declien and his K #’s are great…..
they need Joba and wang to turn thigns around and then they can roll.
there offense has warts but is still a top 5 offense in baseball, if there pitching would just continue to improve and be more like they expect it to be then they will be a very god team…
the have alot of swing and miss arms, they will finish near the top in K’s, they need to just keep the BB # down…
if CC got hurt then that changes everything of course….
Nady being able to play the field will help us a lot
Jerkface,
The problem with this offense is, it puts up numbers. Just not on a consistent basis.
They can score 15 runs, like they did last Sunday, and then spend the next 2-3 games scoring 3-5 runs. It may turn out to average 5 runs a game. However, its weighted against the 15 runs they put on the board last Sunday. Its not consistent, game in, game out production.
What struck me watching all 3 games in person this weekend was just how bad the AB’s were.
I discount the Josh Johnson start in large part because he is a beast. He may be the second best pitcher in baseball this year behind Halladay. His stuff is that nasty and he has great command.
The Marlins bullpen isn’t good. Chris Volstad was really struggling going into this start.
Yet, the AB’s from everybody in the lineup were just poor.
Seriously, aside from Brett Gardner, I don’t think anybody in the lineup had 2 good AB’s the entire weekend.
A slump? No question it is.
The problem is though, as you get older, and this is an old team, slumps sometimes last a little longer.
That’s where having another bat off the bench would help Girardi.
Its times like this you will they had a Chili Davis type on the bench. A guy who just knew how to hit and was consistent in having good AB’s despite not playing everyday.
That’s missing from this group and when they are in a collective funk, that missing part is magnified.
The news about Fehr is the best I’ve heard in a long time.
His arrogance and love of power screwed the game of baseball as much as anything else.
You can take the average age of this team and say well they are not that old, but when you really look at the core players on this team they are ancient and full of guys who are nothing more than DHs. Look at the lineup. Derek is maybe the oldest starting SS in baseball, Damon has gotten so bad in LF he can not even be counted on to catch the ball anymore, Tex no problem with, Arod is clearly showing his age, Cano I will get to in a second, Posada again one of the oldest starting catchers in baseball, Matsui needs a wheelchair to get to first base and can not even play the outfield anymore, Swisher is fairly young but is an average player and a terrible fielder, and Melky I will get to in a second.
Cano and Melky are young but look at these guys. Melky is good for 3-4 weeks every season and stinks the rest of the year. So while he may be young he is nothing more than a 4th OF. Cano on the other hand has all the tools to be a superstar but he will never be able to handle batting more than 7th or 8th in a lineup because he is pitiful in a big spot.
So basically with this lineup you have a bunch of old to ancient guys in the top to middle with one very good fairly young player along with a young player who does nothing with RISP and two other young guys who are avergae at best.
The CORE of this lineup and team is VERY OLD
Beltran to the DL in Metland…Delgado, Reyes, Beltran gone indefinitely = Adios
If the Yankees want Hughes to develop himself then they need to pitch him in the 7th and 8th in meaningful close situations, not throw him out there once in a while when we’re either 5 up or 5 down.
I find it hard to believe that we will continue playing this badly offensively. This lineup is good when key guys are doing their job…Jeter, A-Rod, Tex. The latter two are struggling but they are too good to slump for extended periods. Our pitching is much better because guys are attacking hitters. I agree that we must turn this around quickly otherwise we will be in a hole all summer but I’m 100% sure we will, we have not played anywhere near our best except for the latter half of May and we’re still top 5 in MLB.
Erica,
That’s a seperate issue. Not giving an MRI at the end of the year was idiotic.
My point is though, they had no idea of the severity of his hip injury in December. If they did, I doubt they would have started the season with Cody Ransom and Ramiro Pena at third and both on the roster.
Especially in an off-season where prices fell bigtime for talent.
Sj44-
I agree. Which just really makes me wonder who is evaluating this team.
Wang got rushed back and then activated with no clear plan, A-Rod turned out to be severly hurt- but no one noticed until they wanted to block him from the WBC, and Bruney plays DL roulette.
SJ44-
Nice article on page 4 of this weeks USA Today Baseball Weekly on your nephew. GM states his defense is already major league caliber.
Attached is another article from todays Pittsburgh Tribune which you might find interesting. Seems like a good guy who has the right mental approach to the game.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/.....38;feed=14
Agree we need another bat. Where would we be if Tex hadn’t fallen into our lap?!!!
Someone mentioned in another thread that we missed out on Andruw Jones. Jones has been better, but is that the result of his coach Rudy Jaramillo.
Your thoughts on our hitting coach?
35 isnt that old and ancient, especially when you are in great athletic shape. Jeter has been having a great season, He had a crappy week (except for that 430 ft double he hit, oh and wait, im pretty sure he went 4-4 against Santana last sunday, so lets say he had a crappy few days). Check the blog from a few weeks ago and all the comments were “jeters defense has been great this season” and “wow the captain is on fiyah”. Same with Damon, everyone was singing his praises in May and many were saying that we should resign him for a year or maybe two. People on this blog want to trade/bench/DFA a different player every day here. Its getting old…
NYY626-
It’s called “what have you done for me lately”
Jeet’s having an excellent season.
The core of the team is old, that’s why it was so important to get CC Sabathia to anchor the rotation & Tex to man first. Even though we signed FA’s, we are still counting on the young arms to help get us over the top. There’s been some setbacks, obviously. I think our infield is solid, even with Arod being out. The outfiled is a mess. We have one plus arm out there with Melky, who’s not an everyday player. Teams aren’t afraid to take the extra base. Plus the OF defense is below average, with Damon & Swisher at the corners. But some of these things can be overcome, if the lineup would produce a little, and the pitching would continue to hold the fort.
If Girardi can get things to come together, this team can win. That’s a big “If.”
“Beltran to the DL in Metland…Delgado, Reyes, Beltran gone indefinitely = Adios”
Even with all of those guys on the DL the Mets will probably still win 2 out of 3 this weekend….and they will be sending out Parnell, Redding and Livan Hernandez….
Mets are finished.
35 is young in life, but old in sports.
With the return of Nady will be like making a deadline trade all over again, as he’s a good hitter with pop…..My giggest concern is obtaning a power arm for the pen…If there’s a glowing weakness to this club it’s still in the pen…..In the course of a 162 games, even the clubs that win 100 games are going to have at least 3 maybe 4 cycles like the Yanks are having right now….The key is not to get into a 5-6 losing streak, and minimize the losses as they relate to games won in the same time frame….Something like 6-9 over 15 games, anything beyond that is tough to make up in a divisional race….
If you want a “veteran” bat, smart player, who can hit and is a free agent at the end of the season, plus can play every infield position and both corner outfield spots, then one should look at Mark DeRosa. Cleveland demands need to come down.
We don’t need any more one dimensional players whose best positon is DH!
Any word on some interest in Veras?
This recent skid is a problem because it’s coming at a time when the Yankees are facing weaker teams that they SHOULD take advantage of.
I thought the Yankees started their poor play in the Rays series, and that carried into the Red Sox and Mets series. Playing badly against those teams is one thing because mistakes can be accentuated when the opponent is good, but the bad play should have stopped when the Nationals came to town. That was the time to right the ship and start winning series again.
On paper, the upcoming Braves and Mets series doesn’t look like a tall order. The Yankees need to take both of these series, because after that the schedule toughens up and it will be harder to win games.
I don’t think it’s whining or being a bad fan to call this offense lousy over the past couple of weeks.
There’s a psychology on this team. I don’t know if it’s the susperstar-itis discussed above, although Mattingly felt the team had that when he was here an was vocal about it.
He said that he felt everyone on the team was waiting for the next guy to get the job done so there was no sense of urgency and focus to at bats thinking the next all star coming up had your back.
I agreed with that then. Not sure I agree with it now, although there are times that Arod looks more than happy to pass the baton during his key at bats.
As long as this team remains feast or famine offensively, it’s going to be basically a .500 team that has 2 long hot streaks and 2 long cold streaks every season and hopes it’s competition plays down to them.
The Yankees should be owning this division but they aren’t.
They need to drop Cano to 6-7 so he can remove his mental hitting block when he is counted on for big RBI’s and I think it’s time for some kind of rotation in the OF where Joe rests Damon and Swisher more in order to keep Melky and Garnder in the lineup together.
I would love to see when Tex & Jeter go cold, Arod and Cano get hot and vice versa, but this team goes into the tank collectively which is what leads to comments describing them as “mailing it in”.
Hope a hot streak is coming up. That’s about all you can do as a fan of this team. It’s like watching blackjack.
Since the Mets are essentially running an AAA team out there the Yankees better take at minimum 2 of 3 of not sweep. Than again they were facing AAA pitching with the Nats and Marlins and look what good that did us.
Thanks for the stories, Trader. Next to Jaramillo, Kevin Long is considered the best hitting coach in the game by many in baseball. Kevin isn’t the problem.
At this point, he can only do so much. Its up to the players to produce.
They will hit again this year. I just don’t think its going to be at the levels expectations are for this group.
Unless they find a RF with speed and who makes better contact, a backup third baseman for Arod who can hit, or Hideki Matsui finds his 2003-2005 stroke, there aren’t a lot of places they can go for better offense in this lineup.
They are kind of locked in, personnel-wise.
Tex is and will continue to have a huge year. As far as Jeter and Damon are concerned, that’s more health related. If they are healthy, they will be productive. If they aren’t healthy, they will scuffle.
Cano? He is what he is. Tremendously gifted, not a great hitter with RISP, a poor hitter with the bases loaded, and a guy better suited to be hitting lower in the lineup.
Posada still outperforms any AL catcher not named Joe Mauer offensively.
To me, its all about the middle of the order.
Arod gets it going, the entire lineup improves. They seem to relax and have better AB’s when he is on his game.
All the Mets injuries might save Manuel his job.
The Nats are most definitely not a AAA team, they have a top 10 offense in the majors. Their downfall is pitching and defense.
Pat M-
My concern with Nady is will he be able to play the field?
Right now A-Rod get’s a day off each week, and will get some AB’s at DH, a spot reserved for Matsui and occasionally Damon and Posada. Nady will be tested on every throw from right field, much like they test Damon and Gardner who both have weak throws in terms of accuracy and distance.
“If you want a “veteran” bat, smart player, who can hit and is a free agent at the end of the season, plus can play every infield position and both corner outfield spots, then one should look at Mark DeRosa.”
I would love Mark DeRosa, especially since he sounded like he was dying to be a Yankee when Kim Jones interviewed him in Cleveland.
I’m not sure the Yankees have the roster space to trade for him, though. When Nady comes back you’ll have both Swisher (or Nady) and De Rosa on the bench (assuming Berroa gets the axe) which means they either don’t get many AB’s or some of the regulars (Damon, Jeter, Arod, Cano) get a lot more days off than they currentyl do.
“Their downfall is pitching and defense.”
Against everyone not named the Yankees, apparently.
SJ
I believe they have the Chilli Davis hitter in Matsui but he is the DH. With Nady back Nady can play LF/RF and Melky in CF/RF with Swish in RF/LF and Damon DH & ARod DH some too. Gardner can rotate as a 4th OF with Damon playing some LF starts as well. It would be nice to have an infielder type that could play 2B/SS/3B with some pop and wheels. Felix Lopez or Jack Wilson or JJ Hardy are probably available and come to mind and then send Pena back to AAA/AA. (Berroa gets sent down/DFA when Nady comes back.) Hank Blalock could be a bat added as well. But every move costs. Some may be more $$ than prospects.
I think the trouble with the lineup is due in part to Arod’s slump, but also the bottom of the order doesn’t produce on a consistent basis. Pitcher’s know they’ll catch a break 7 through 9. The ideal lineup should be Damon, Jeter, Tex, Arod, Posada, Matsui, Nady, Cano, Gardner. Then you have Swisher & Melky on the bench. If everyone’s healthy, this is a great lineup, with no breaks except maybe Gardner. But we haven”t had this all season. Health is key!
Thank goodness Yanks got Tex. He has saved the infielders many errors.
Imagine Swisher at first base if Tex wasn’t signed. Makes you shudder.
Jeter’s doing good at leadoff.
Pete,
The site is still having redirect issues to the search page.
———————————————–
We’re not ancient by any definition. They’re relatively fit.
Our problems are mental. Fielding errors, baserunning gaffes, bad at-bats. Fix those and we’re much better. The only thing that can’t be fixed is Swish’s baserunning. It’s a skill that he simply doesn’t have.
m – I was having those redirect issues 2 weeks ago, too
It’s really an enigma trying to decide where Cano fits best in the lineup.
His ability to hit for contact, as well as his high BA with the bases empty, suggest that he would be a good #2 hitter. However, his OBP isn’t high enough to hit in that spot because when he’s not on a hot streak, he’s an automatic out.
Cano also has the ability to drive the ball, and can clearly reach 20-25 homeruns/100 RBI, which are typical numbers for a #5 hitter. However, his bad numbers w/RISP hurt him there.
Obviously, if Nady can come back, that would help a lot.
Would help even more if Matsui can find his legs for the entire year. He’s probably the best clutch hitter on this team.
Watching him take BP this weekend? Man, I felt bad for him.
He moves around like he is 80 years old. Its tough to watch.
So much of hitting is being able to use your lower half and having the legs to do so. Can his legs hold up? I don’t know. Open question to me.
I believe they have to add a veteran arm in the pen. You can’t win with rookies out there, and you can’t win with guys just hanging on for a final shot in the bigs.
They also can’t depend on Bruney, who is just back and has been hurt all year, and Marte, who is been hurt all year, to be the vets in the pen.
They need another arm and if it costs them a young arm they like, that’s the price of doing business.
I can’t imagine them going the rest of the way with this bullpen as presently constructed.
m-Not true. Willie Mays started out as an absollutely atrocious filder and baserunner. Especially baserunner.
absolutely and fielder.
Rayvt-
Unless Nady can throw, at best he’s a pinch hitter and occasional DH against lefty pitchers.
Hopefully the platelet injections into his elbow have worked as relief pitcher Saito is pretty much a success story.
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/.....ref=sports
Anyone want to try and help Swisher out?
“Looking for a new tune to walk up to the plate…any ideas?”
about 2 hours ago from mobile web Twitter
Nady may be an addition, but, I’m not all that impressed with his defense or his offense. After the first 3 weeks with the Yanks after they brought him in from Pittsburgh, he sort of became erratic offensively. The strikeouts really jumped and the average dropped like a rock. Who does he platoon with? Matsui or the corner outfielders. His elbow issues with most like render him to the throwing ability of Damon, if he’s lucky.
Hey Andrew Marchand said the yankees might call up Austin Jackson to fill in for Damon is there truth to that?
Definitely agree we need another veteran arm in the pen, but for the next 3 weeks or so, until teams feel they are out of the race, don’t see that happening?
Any word on interest in Veras?
Yankee Trader
June 22nd, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Rayvt- Unless Nady can throw, at best he’s a pinch hitter and occasional DH against lefty pitchers.
I agree Yankee Trader! If Nady can’t play the field, I don’t think you can add him off the DL unless they cut/DL Matsui.
Everyone has enough talent to beat you, that’s baseball. I also think DeRosa would be a great addition, but if Nady comes back that’s too many OF types. Who’s roster spot would DeRosa take assuming Nady replaces Berroa? What does Cleveland want?
SJ is right, when Alex hits like he can a lot of the Yanks offensive problems seem to disappear.
Still, you can’t keep hitting into DPs with the tying run at 3B and only one out… jeez, that’s just awful.
As for Donald Fehr… yes he is a big part of the steroid era, but lets remember that he works for the players and not vice-versa. If he had been told in players’ meetings that they wanted testing to catch the juicers then that would have happened.
EVERYONE with any connection to MLB from 1990-2002 shares some blame for the steroid era. That’s why I am so adamant about the unfairness of a handful of guys taking all of the blame when we know that at least 104 took steroids and I would suspect more than twice as many.
Pat,
Yeah, a country tune called, “Get your head out of your butt, stop trying to be a multi-media star, play better all around baseball”.
It was written years ago by Johnny Cash for guys like Nick! lol
If we got a doever it’d be straight out of the Billy Martin handbook.
Hey Andrew Marchand said the yankees might call up Austin Jackson to fill in for Damon is there truth to that?
—
Fill in how? Last I saw Damon wasn’t going on the DL or anything. I wouldnt trust that rumor.
Nady getting closer:
RT: @YankeesPR: OF Xavier Nady scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
This is the first year Cano has been put consistently up in the #5 spot. They tried it for a bit last year, and he’s been spotted there on and off for a couple of years.
Perhaps if they stick with it, eventually it will pay off. I don’t know, perhaps he is what he is and will never hit consistently with RISP. But maybe he will. And maybe if ARod can turn it around enough that will help Cano, especially with Posada behind him. If they make a commitment to it, and not keep moving him around, they may get a payoff.
Maybe Swisher should walk to the plate to the tune of “Sideshow” by Blue Magic
I would be interested to see what Torre would do with our lineup, because he was always the type of manager who just put the same lineup out every day and expected guys to produce.
However, we have a ton of streaky hitters, and injuries to various players (especially Arod) are challenging Girardi to mix and match more and use his bench.
Maybe the NY Times author-Kepner- needs to do a spellcheck!
”
Coghlan hustled off the field, but because there are no re-entry rules, DeAza was ineligible. Gonzalez said he asked Timmons where to bat a new left fielder, Jeremy Hermida, and Timmons told him to put Hermida ninth. Nunez kept pitching, to Girardi’s chargin.”
There ain’t no such word as chargin!! Use it in a sentence.
” I sure as shootin ain’t gonna be chargin that to my Visa.”
I think he meant “chagrin”
Swisher, Kontos and Robertson for Holliday? Too little? Too much?
In his past eight games, Eric Duncan is hitting .321 (9-for-28).
RS-
“I would be interested to see what Torre would do with our lineup, because he was always the type of manager who just put the same lineup out every day and expected guys to produce.”
Not really. He did bat A-Rod eighth! I think Girardi is putting out the best lineup possible, dealing with all the injuries and the loss of A-Rod for the first 6 weeks. Maybe A-Rod needs moved down in the lineup again!!
Anyone for moving him up to 3rd, with Teixeira 4th. Of course historically Teixeira has hit better from the 3rd position, but in the last two years he had Vlad and Chipper Jones backing him up.
Rishi
June 22nd, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I think he meant “chagrin”
————————————————————
As in don’ cha grin too much, Cabrera?
SJ,
Shin Shoo Choo was a good idea of yours. Whatever happened to it? Too far-fetched? Pipe dream?
Holliday, is a Boras free agent. Swisher actually has been more valuable than Holliday, who is another 5-7 year contract that will require the last number of years as an AL DH.
No to that trade.
Now if you want to talk about Carl Crawford, I might be interested.
GB7
new post
Yankee Trader
June 22nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Holliday, is a Boras free agent. Swisher actually has been more valuable than Holliday, who is another 5-7 year contract that will require the last number of years as an AL DH.
No to that trade.
Now if you want to talk about Carl Crawford, I might be interested.
————————————————————
You’re strange. If you want to talk about Crawford, I’m game for Cindy Crawford. (no, not gamey.)
GB7-
“As in don’ cha grin too much, Cabrera?”
Exacly what Cabrera was “doin” when he made that catch and did a face plant in the CF wall. No wait that was Gardner.
“You’re strange. If you want to talk about Crawford, I’m game for Cindy Crawford. (no, not gamey.)”
Still hot after all these years. 42 and all that plastic sugery after age 29.
Yankee Trader
June 22nd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
GB7-
“As in don’ cha grin too much, Cabrera?”
Exacly what Cabrera was “doin” when he made that catch and did a face plant in the CF wall. No wait that was Gardner.
————————————————————
They gotta start putting caution light up for the Yankee outfielders.
I really am surprised that Swisher, Burnett or Damon didn’t put up a taped outline of Gardner plastered against the wall….like a crime scene outline.
Yankee Trader
June 22nd, 2009 at 5:48 pm
“You’re strange. If you want to talk about Crawford, I’m game for Cindy Crawford. (no, not gamey.)”
Still hot after all these years. 42 and all that plastic sugery after age 29.
————————————————————
If I could afford to knock 30 years off of my age, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
You can’t really think Swisher is a better hitter/ball player than Holliday can you?
GB7-
Me too. New thread on Nady to Scranton, so we’ll be left on this one talking to each other.
“You can’t really think Swisher is a better hitter/ball player than Holliday can you?”
No I don’t but Swishers’ statistics this year give Holliday a run and we don’t need another long term contract or a 2-3 month rental.
Nice Piersall reference in the title, Pete!
Im just curious to know if anyone knows what the Yankees ERA is vs pitchers who they haven’t seen, versus pitchers they have for the season. As well as the past 3 seasons.
It’s odd how different this team has looked from a few years back, yet they still can’t hit pitchers with no scouting report.
It’s as if the Yankees don’t play the games themselves, but play it off these reports, and try and predict what happens instead of letting it happen. It’s unbelievable.