Try and enjoy the moment
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Aug 05, 2009 
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Just finished with our latest video chat — and thanks to everybody who participated — and was struck by how many questions were about next season and beyond.
People wanted to know about Derek Jeter’s future or who will play in the outfield next season. Reasonable questions, no doubt. But worry about that stuff later.
The Yankees are 1.5 games in first place over the Red Sox. They’re one game in the loss column away from having the best record in the game. The next 56 games are going to be a lot of fun. Who cares who the left fielder is next season? The left fielder this season is Johnny Damon and he belted a home run off Roy Halladay last night.
All questions about 2010 will be answered in due time. Enjoy 2009, it’s really a lot of fun.
————
To see the video chat on-demand, go to our ProTalkLive page.
1.5 games up, huge series coming up against Bosox and it’s almost October… hell yeah I’m enjoying the moment!!!!!!!!!!!
AMEN! Preach to the them, Pete!
This is the most fun I’ve had in a baseball season since…well, since I can remember, really.
There are lots of similarities to 1996, and that can hardly be a bad thing.
Thanks for the chat Pete.
The next 2 months of Yankees baseball should be a lot of fun.
Completely agree Pete.
It seems on blogs everywhere, everytime the team loses a game, folks want to rebuild.
This Yankee team is flawed. Then again, so is everybody else in MLB this year. The Yankees also have fewer flaws than a lot of teams.
Its a good group of guys who have shown the ability to play through some ugly losing streaks.
Next year will take care of itself.
Right now, I only care about winning in 2009. That’s why I could care less about innings limits and any of that other garbage.
You have 25 guys on the roster. All of them have to contribute to win games down the stretch.
All great points, Pete. Much better spot this year on August 5 than in 2008, that’s for sure. Last night could be looked back on as a key night of the season. Most of us thought Halladay would win that game, and the Sox and Lester were cruising after 6 innings. The Yanks could have easily been looking up at the Sox in the standings this AM knowing Mitre goes tonight with a 4 game trip to Fenway following
Most of us also probably think Mitre stinks it up again tonight. Maybe we’ll get another surprise!!!
I agree Pete . Lets finish off the Blue Jays tonight !!
Jon Neise just got hurt for the Mets
unreal for the Mets ! .
“RT @ed_price #Mets Jon Niese throws one practice pitch after injury covering first and collapses on mound.”
Man, this is unreal…
another met goes down
when does it stop being bad luck and become the responsibility of the trainers/medical staff
We’ve been talking about why so many pitchers are getting injured and whether pitcher should be throwing more.
Recently Brett Marshall a 19 year old low A ball pitcher the yankees drafted last year had tommy john surgery.
How much of this is an issue of the yankee’s development?
That got me thinking about an interview I remember him doing after he was drafted:
“LM: Scouts had you at 92-94, touching 97, but then there was a report that your velocity dropped a bit. Is there anything to this?
BM: No. In the last game I pitched, the championship game on May 24th, I was 92-94 and touching 96. I threw 146 pitches and the last pitch, the 146th, was clocked at 92.
LM: Holy smokes – 146 pitches?
BM: Yeah! That game was my most memorable experience from high school. I was so tired when it was over. I had a blister the size of a nickel on the side of my finger and it hurt pretty bad. I kept throwing though – it was the championship game! When I was done I was in a bit a pain, but not my arm. My arm was just tired. That was my favorite game I’ve ever pitched. We had 2,000 people there, and our field does NOT hold 2,000 people. It was great.”
The summer before his senior year in college Marshall started lifting weights to try to add velocity his senior year to improve his draft status.
And he added several miles per hour to his fastball.
At the same time his mechanics were still poor.
But nonetheless his high school coach – knowing the young man is going to get drafted and play pro ball and knowing that he’s added a lot of velocity in a very short period of time and still has poor mechanics – let’s him throw 146 pitches in a high school game and do so while he’s throwing through a blister.
He’s 17-18. He’s trying to throw as hard as he can on pitch 146 while throwing through a blister. How hard do you have to make your arm work to do that.
If people want to know why so many young pitchers get hurt right now – go back and look at the pressure to win in high school ball and upper division amateur summer leagues.
So the yankees choice is either you don’t pick guys with talent and gifted arms like Marshall or you take the risk.
That’s a strategic question each organization needs to make.
it looks like he blew a knee ligament…..hopefully its not that major but the pain on the face was serious
he may have blown out a knee cap or torn some cartiledge…Werthen was talking to the trainer and he just shook his head. WOW…something is cursing them.
At this point it’d be quicker to list the Mets that haven’t been hurt, right?
“A walk, an error, another injury, 2-0 Mets”
August 5th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Doreen
August 5th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Has the lowering of the pitcher’s mound had an effect on how pitchers today throw?
————————————————————
Just my opinion, Doreen, but, I don’t think that lowering the mound back in 1969 has much to do with pitching injuries as much as the numbers that pitchers are putting up, then vs now.
I think all of these injuries are more due to weight lifting. Look at the number of position players that are having “pitchers injuries”. These guys are so muscle bound and wound so tight the tendons and muscles are exploding. Tissue tearing away from the bone. You seldom see the leaner players coming up with these types of injuries. Or, perhaps I should say that you see fewer.
I agree with the other posters here. This team is a lot of fun to watch. I’ve not been this entertained in several seasons. I’m still a little bit concerned about the starting pitching, but compared to other teams, I think the Yanks are in pretty good shape. Hopefully, Cashman can come with some security on the waiver wire.
I LOVE JOHNNY DAMON!
Loved the Big G story, Pete. Was he sleeping in his car? I mean, who wears the same clothes three days in a row (apart from the French)?
Thanks Pete for the great work, and thanks to almost everyone
who participates in the comments. I get a lot out of reading them.
I was curious about Ian Kennedy, with where he is at with his rehab (which seems to be pretty early) is there any chance he is a factor in October or is he completely done for the year?
Thanks again and Go Yankees!
Erica- your PBF had a great game last night, hope you got home in time to see some of it.
is anyone else worried about, with Mitre on the hill tonight, that we will use too much of our bullpen and they will be tired for the Sox series? If anything, I’d throw Melancon, Brueny and/or Robertson out there tonight, if need be.
I just hope we’re able to give Hughes and Rivera the night off tonight.
CB,
There is no question the abuse some of these kids suffer from high school and traveling team coaches is severe.
That’s why its a legitimate question to ask re: how many of these kids do you take in a draft year.
Not everybody recovers from surgery. JB Cox is the latest example of that.
I know some teams that won’t take a pitcher who played at Rice or Texas because of the abuse those coaches heap upon their pitchers.
After Austin Wood threw 168 pitches against BC in that 25 inning game, he wasn’t the same for the rest of the year.
I’m not a big believer in one, universal philosophy in developing pitchers and players. Everybody is different.
For a smaller kid like Marshall, its pretty obvious you can’t blow him out like that.
For bigger and stronger guys, you can probably use them more because they can handle it.
Obviously, 146 pitches for ANY HS pitcher is ridiculous.
My point is, one size doesn’t always fit all when it comes to developing and protecting pitchers.s Its really more of a case by case, individualized program that works best.
is anyone else worried about, with Mitre on the hill tonight, that we will use too much of our bullpen and they will be tired for the Sox series? If anything, I’d throw Melancon, Brueny and/or Robertson out there tonight, if need be.
I just hope we’re able to give Hughes and Rivera the night off tonight.
Joba tomorrow! Hope he doesn’t pop Youklis…
Yes. I just hope he throws a fastball up and inside on him or Ortiz. I can’t stand it when Boston pitchers hit yankee players.
CB great post about Brett Marshall. Very interesting stuff. Also brutal to visualize a blister the size of a nickel on someone’s finger. Real gross.
Not a Mets fan at all but that team has been decimated by injuries more than any team I can remember in recent history. This is just one of those wasted years for them. I feel bad for their fans, while some are obnoxious, most are loyal to a team that has given them more heartbreak than joy over their years.
But I don’t want joba to hit him. Just brush him off the plate.
Didn’t realize Niese was actually pitching in today’s game – what a mess…
The Yankees may call up Claggett for tonight’s game. If they do, it probably spells the end of the Cody Ransom Era in NY.
Using Claggett will protect them from overusing the bullpen if Mitre fails to give them innings.
They could then send Claggett back down tomorrow and call up a position player to take that spot on the roster.
CB,
That’s a fascinating post, thanks for that info. Funny thing is, while 146 pitches for a HS pitcher is absurd, I’ve heard of much much worse.
Oh and Rice was the program that recently-released former 1st round (#5 overall I believe?) draft pick Wade Townsend was taken from. Guy who was amazing in college (and probably way overused), who proceeded to not be able to be healthy in the minors with Tampa. And his career is now possibly over at age 26.
Nelson Figueroa just hit a triple. Now I’ve seen everything.
upstate kate
August 5th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Erica- your PBF had a great game last night, hope you got home in time to see some of it.
**
I was about 2 blocks from my apartment when he hit the home run. But at least I got to hear Sterling’s HR call in the car!!!
Hope Claggett is mentally over the BP game thrown vs. the Indians
Maybe this is why the Cash is a genius and refused to give up a big prospect for a two month rental of a 35 year old pitcher. I love the Cash almost as much as I love Petey! *
Yesterday, ESPN.com’s Jorge Arangure Jr.that Cuban defectors Yadel Marti, Yasser Gomez and Juan Yasser have all been declared free agents. This morning Peter Abraham informs us that the Yanks are among the many teams interested in these players, especially Marti and Gomez. Gomez is a 28-year-old outfielder and Marti is a 29-year-old right-hand pitcher and as Abraham points out is thought to be the best of the group.
Arangure also posted this info on Marti on his Twitter page:
Marti was Cuba’s best pitcher during the 2006 WBC. He pitched 12 2/3 scoreless innings. Could boost any potential playoff team’s rotation
As far as his stuff goes, this quote from Baseball-Reference.com was all I could find:
Martí is not a hard-throwing pitcher as his fastball ranges around 87-90 mph. He relies instead on a slider, sinker, curveball and control.
In other related news, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com said that he spoke to a talent scout that has seen both
Marti and Gomez play and said that they’re both “ready to play in the majors.”
If Marti is “ready to play in the majors” and could “boost any potential playoff team’s rotation,” then wouldn’t it make a lot of sense for the Yankees to sign him?
We already know that Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t want to add to the team’s payroll, but if Marti is as good as people say he is the Yanks would be foolish not to snatch him up, especially when they clearly are in need of another pitcher.
SJ44
August 5th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
The Yankees may call up Claggett for tonight’s game. If they do, it probably spells the end of the Cody Ransom Era in NY
****
I bet there is still at least two people who submit line ups for “Guess the Line Up” with Ransom on it
SJ44,
Where did you hear about the Claggett thing? Speculation or did you hear something?
Not a bad move, I’d be inclined to call Duncan back up after Claggett is sent down. I’ve been pretty impressed with Hairston. He is a pretty nice fielder and it looks like he is playing at max effort all the time. Definitely a more gifted player than Ransom.
ankiel having a rough game
Pete, this post was way too rational for some fans on this blog
Pete, this post was way too rational for some fans on this blog
Better tack on w/ Figaro pitching today.
Maybe this is why Cash refused to trade a top prospect for a 35 yr old two month rental. I love the Cash almost as much as Petey!
Yesterday, ESPN.com’s Jorge Arangure Jr.that Cuban defectors Yadel Marti, Yasser Gomez and Juan Yasser have all been declared free agents. This morning Peter Abraham informs us that the Yanks are among the many teams interested in these players, especially Marti and Gomez. Gomez is a 28-year-old outfielder and Marti is a 29-year-old right-hand pitcher and as Abraham points out is thought to be the best of the group.
Arangure also posted this info on Marti on his Twitter page:
Marti was Cuba’s best pitcher during the 2006 WBC. He pitched 12 2/3 scoreless innings. Could boost any potential playoff team’s rotation
As far as his stuff goes, this quote from Baseball-Reference.com was all I could find:
Martí is not a hard-throwing pitcher as his fastball ranges around 87-90 mph. He relies instead on a slider, sinker, curveball and control.
In other related news, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com said that he spoke to a talent scout that has seen both Marti and Gomez play and said that they’re both “ready to play in the majors.”
If Marti is “ready to play in the majors” and could “boost any potential playoff team’s rotation,” then wouldn’t it make a lot of sense for the Yankees to sign him?
We already know that Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t want to add to the team’s payroll, but if Marti is as good as people say he is the Yanks would be foolish not to snatch him up, especially when they clearly are in need of another pitcher.
Ken
August 5th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Not a Mets fan at all but that team has been decimated by injuries more than any team I can remember in recent history. This is just one of those wasted years for them. I feel bad for their fans, while some are obnoxious, most are loyal to a team that has given them more heartbreak than joy over their years.
****
I agree with this. The amount of random injury that is attacking this team is dumbfounding. There is bad luck and then there is wondering who you pissed off in the universe to have luck like that.
I still think this should spell the end of Minaya
Part of the reason we discuss 2010 in the midst of a great 2009 season is simple boredom. There’s only so much to discuss about the current team and for those of us addicted to blogging about baseball (myself included) it’s just a new topic to talk about.
Seriously, how many times can you say “Gee whiz Johnny Damon is having a great year.” before it gets old? At some point you’ve gotta start thinking “Hmm he’s having a nice year I wonder who plays in his spot next year? Do the Yanks bring him back?”
Rebecca – you keep making me want to turn on the game and I have work to do! Figueroa wants to be the MVP of the game!
“Not a bad move, I’d be inclined to call Duncan back up after Claggett is sent down”
Why? did Hinske get hurt?
There was a kid by the name of Scott Maine from South Florida who was going to be a first round pick several years ago.
In the semi-finals of his HS tournament, he threw 168 pitches in a game. They won the game and he threw another 36 pitches to get the save in the Championship Game.
That’s 204 pitches in 3 days.
He made the mistake of complaining to a scout a few days later his arm was sore. That spread like wildfire in the scouting community and he didn’t get drafted until the 8th round.
He demanded first round money, didn’t get it, and ended up at the University of Miami. He shows up for Fall Practice, can’t throw, and is diagnosed with a torn elbow ligament and undergoes TJ Surgery.
While rehabbing from surgery, he is involved in a bad car accident and is in a coma for a week. He recovers from that and puts together a decent career at Miami.
The D’backs took him in the 6th round in 2007 and he just got called up to AAA recently.
All in all, that HS tournament probably cost him between 1.5 and 3 million dollars. Plus, if he had gone in the first round, he wouldn’t have gotten into that car accident.
Heckuva price to pay for his HS coach to be a “champion”.
Patrick
August 5th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Seriously, how many times can you say “Gee whiz Johnny Damon is having a great year.”
****
Infinitely
“My point is, one size doesn’t always fit all when it comes to developing and protecting pitchers.s Its really more of a case by case, individualized program that works best.”
SJ,
I agree with you. But as a corollary I don’t think a one size fits all approach can be taken when trying to analyze why so many yankee pitchers are getting hurt in the minors.
I didn’t remember that interview with marshall until he got hurt. Then i vaguely remembered some nonsense about him throwing like 150 pitches in a game.
And as you know – the problem might be even worse at the college level.
Wayne Towsend got cut two days ago. He couldn’t compete in the GCL as a 26 year old. I’m sure you remember him well. Another Wayne Graham victim.
So at some point what do you do if you are a pro team? It’s a really difficult decision.
Should the yankees start passing up kids like Marshall? I don’t know. I’m sure they had scouts there watching that 146 pitch, blister ridden fiasco. Yeah we won a high school championship!!!!!
So should they not take him? Should they pass on Brackman?
Part of this is what players did the yankees miss on in the draft by selecting these guys. Did they really miss out on an opportunity by taking Dellin Betances in the 8th round?
I really don’t know. My sense of it is that these kids are significantly damaged by the time they get into pro systems and that is the fundamental problem.
Should the yankees not have drafted Chad Thompson?
He’s 6’8. Big arm. Lots of projection, as you know.
And he’s already had TJ surgery while in high school. When did you every see that before? Now it’s not all that uncommon.
I can’t imagine Thompson and his parents sending him to college to rehab and get overworked there. I would never send that kid to college. He’ll get infinitely better rehab and care inside the yankees system.
But let’s see what happens. Let’s see if the short term money from the signing bonus the yankees offer is enough for the parents not to send Thompson to college so he can gamble on his “upside” and make more money three years from now.
It’s guys like Thompson, Betances, Marshall, Melancon, etc. that the yankees have a shot to draft.
But all those kinds of guys are systematically more likely to get hurt.
That kind of chance is the only reason they have Joba right now.
I’m surprised that so many people are completely sold on the fact that Andy Pettitte won’t be back next season. He’s looked as good lately as he has in years.
As long as he still has the desire to pitch, I defy you to show me a better #5 starter. His road #s are not an aberration — he’s simply been a beast away from NYS.
I would not be surprised, or disappointed for that matter, if he and Damon are both back next season.
Patrick
August 5th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Part of the reason we discuss 2010 in the midst of a great 2009 season is simple boredom. There’s only so much to discuss about the current team and for those of us addicted to blogging about baseball (myself included) it’s just a new topic to talk about.
Seriously, how many times can you say “Gee whiz Johnny Damon is having a great year.” before it gets old? At some point you’ve gotta start thinking “Hmm he’s having a nice year I wonder who plays in his spot next year? Do the Yanks bring him back?”
———————————————————
very true.
Before any jumps on me about the Pettitte as a #5 comment, I mean #5 next season if he returns.
“Why? did Hinske get hurt?”
No but who would you rather have? Ransom or Duncan? Jackson? We already have Hairston to cover CF until Gardner gets back. Keep a 13th pitcher? no thanks. Rodriguez is no better than Duncan.
Duncan is the only answer, you just have an irrational dislike of him.
“My point is, one size doesn’t always fit all when it comes to developing and protecting pitchers.s Its really more of a case by case, individualized program that works best.”
I agree with you. But as a corollary I don’t think a one size fits all approach can be taken when trying to analyze why so many yankee pitchers are getting hurt in the minors.
I didn’t remember that interview with marshall until he got hurt. Then I vaguely remembered some nonsense about him throwing like 150 pitches in a game. Then I looked it up and was mortified.
And as you know – the problem might be even worse at the college level.
Wayne Townsend got cut two days ago. He couldn’t compete in the GCL as a 26 year old. I’m sure you remember him well. Another Wayne Graham victim.
So at some point what do you do if you are a pro team? It’s a really difficult decision.
Should the yankees start passing up kids like Marshall? I don’t know. I’m sure they had scouts there watching that 146 pitch, blister ridden fiasco. Yeah we won a high school championship!!!!!
So should they not take him? Should they pass on Brackman?
Part of this is what players did the yankees miss on in the draft by selecting these guys. Did they really miss out on an opportunity by taking Dellin Betances in the 8th round?
I really don’t know. My sense of it is that these kids are significantly damaged by the time they get into pro systems and that is the fundamental problem.
Should the yankees not have drafted Chad Thompson?
He’s 6’8. Big arm. Lots of projection, as you know.
And he’s already had TJ surgery while in high school. When did you every see that before? Now it’s not all that uncommon.
I can’t imagine Thompson and his parents sending him to college to rehab and get overworked there. I would never send that kid to college. He’ll get infinitely better rehab and care inside the yankees system.
But let’s see what happens. Let’s see if the short term money from the signing bonus the yankees offer is enough for the parents not to send Thompson to college so he can gamble on his “upside” and make more money three years from now.
It’s guys like Thompson, Betances, Marshall, Melancon, etc. that the yankees have a shot to draft.
But all those kinds of guys are systematically more likely to get hurt.
That kind of chance is the only reason they have Joba right now.
No but who would you rather have? Ransom or Duncan? Jackson? We already have Hairston to cover CF until Gardner gets back. Keep a 13th pitcher? no thanks.
****
I thought the point of Hairston was that he is a utility infielder? Much like Cody Ransom
But everyone does agree that Ransom is completely expendable. How long do you think until he is picked up by the Mets?
Duncan makes no sense for the Yankees. Every team in baseball knows that you don’t throw Duncan fastballs. He has zero chance of hitting a decent off-speed pitch.
Very funny Erica, the Mets are dreaming about Ransom right now.
That IS the point of Hairston and SJ44 says Ransom might be cut to bring up a 13th pitcher. After today that 13th pitcher goes away so you have to bring back another position player.
Duncan is the clear choice but Brandon hates him for some reason but gives no alternative. That’s what I was arguing, while Duncan would have a limited role on this team, he’s a better choice than anyone else in AAA.
do all these stories about high school pitchers blowing kids arms out so they can win a HS championship have any corollaries to how to handle pitchers like Joba in the quest to win a Championship?
I don’t really have an opinion one way or the other – want to win now and in the future
CB,
I agree its a very tough call. I’m all for risk and reward but, you can’t get carried away and carry too many of those guys.
What’s the best thing to do? Find pitchers. By that, I mean, if the guy is 5-10 or 6-10, find guys who like to pitch and can be developed.
I think some teams are too caught up in genetics. Some teams won’t draft a pitcher under 6-1. That means, they would have missed out on HOF talents like Greg Maddox.
I’m just not a believer in a single unit philosophy when it comes to baseball.
There are all kinds of way you can guard against abuse. Having a one size fits all pitching philosophy is not one of them IMO because not everybody is built the same.
get rid of ransom,use hairston for the infield & call up ajax for the of just to see what he can do.
i saw his swing it is pretty nice.
reminds me of soriano.
agree completely Pete.
it’s amazing how many spoiled Yanks fans there are that give us all a bad name.
It’s criminal what some of these HS & College coaches are doing to these kids. They put strict pitch counts in Little League and, to a lesser extent, Babe Ruth.
Once you get to HS – it’s out the window.
Because of the Yanks’ positioning to draft, it makes sense to go with “high risk/high reward” types – you’re more likely to get lucky with one of those than waiting to see what the talent level will bring at your draft slot.
Momentary Enjoyment: We beat Buehrle and Halladay! Yea!
Momentary Apprehension: We’ve got Mitre going tonight?! Ack!
“Even genius’s have trouble finding #4 and #5 starters for an entire year because there just aren’t enough good pitchers in the world.”
cb-
i think you and sj have covered the issue really well, but the yankees are the yankees.
having a solid rotation right through 8 starters is what should separate them from other teams.
i realize this is not easy, but it’s a goal that needs to be at the top of the to do list every year.
the yankees can do better than they did this year. that’s really the point.
it’s no easy to do better, but that’s why it’s an opportunity to for the yankees to set themselves apart from other teams including the red sox
I wouldn’t get too worked up over these Cubans. The latest form Jorge Arangure, Jr:
“Already, Torres said, three National League teams and two American League teams in the playoff hunt had inquired about the players. Of the three, the 30-year-old Marti is considered the best prospect. Marti pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings in four games during the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He was 1-0 with 2 saves.
“The only one of those guys that I liked was Marti,” one National League scout said. “He’s been around a long time. He has a good feel for pitching. He has a good split and throws 88-91. He just threw strikes [in the Classic].”
http://insider.espn.go.com/esp.....e_jorge_jr
Argh. post eaten up.
Long story short.
Doreen,
You’re right. Phil wasn’t “allowed” to struggle because he dominated in the minors. Not sure what the stats are, but IIRC runners rarely reached third. And if they did, with 2 outs, he had an excellent batting average against.
bodhi,
The Arroyo thing was up on espn on the side because Ortiz was the big story. I heard someone on talk radio on Monday call Arroyo stupid for speaking up before the trade deadline. He may have cost himself a trade to a contender. Whew. Thank goodness, pitching was hard to get & Cashmnan might’ve jumped at that.
No GM wants to be the guy that “ruined the next Mark Prior”, etc.
Most GM’s though don’t know about developing players, specifically pitchers, for that matter.
They rely on the people they hire to do that job to exercise the balance between use and abuse to do the job properly.
GM’s will always err on the side of caution because of the money involved.
Overall though, the quality of your organizational coaches go a long way toward developing players properly than whatever the GM may want to do.
how is duncan a clear choice?
we have melky,hinske,swisher,matsui,damon,hairston.
plenty of of & dh.
if we get rid of ransom & use hairston as the bu infielder it won’t take at bats away from the above players,it upgrades our bu infielder.
then call up ajax to backup melky.
Killschlling – The Red Sox, meanwhile, have had a head start in player development because they recognized its importance years before Cashman assumed control.
This may explain the great depth in the Red Sox system. On the other hand, it may not.
Whatever the cause, you don’t believe the Yankees currently match the Red Sox system in quality or depth, do you?
Who are the Yankees equivalents to Bowden, Bard, Buchholz, Masterson (gone), Hagadone, and Lars Anderson?
Then on the major league roster, Who are the Yankees equivalents to Youklis, Papelbon, Lester, Ellsbury, Pedroia? Cano, Wang and Melky/Gardner? The scale tips North, I’m afraid.
(By the way, only sheer luck enabled the Yankees to keep Cano and Wang. The Diamondback could have selected both for Big Unit.)
Theo and Company in a landslide.
===
Had to respond to this:
“Bowden, Bard, Buchholz, Masterson (gone), Hagadone, and Lars Anderson?”
McCallister, Melancon(who is better than bard in the minors), Kennedy, Masterson is kind of a non-prospect so I’ll say a guy like Aceves or Kontos, Banuelos, Montero
“Who are the Yankees equivalents to Youklis, Papelbon, Lester, Ellsbury, Pedroia? Cano, Wang and Melky/Gardner? The scale tips North, I’m afraid.”
Hughes, Joba, Melky, Gardner, Cano, Wang, Coke
You’re completely overrating these red sox. Youkilis is almost 30. Pedroia is older than Cano and Cano has a better career. Ellsbury is not that good, Gardner is outplaying him *right now* (injurie not withstanding).
The Red Sox have developed 1 major league starter, his name is Jon lester.
By next season we might have Joba AND Hughes dominating the majors with Wang on the road to recovery.
Get over the red sox, they aren’t that good.
I think Pete was right about Johnny today when he said he will not likely be back unless he’d take a big pay cut.
I’d love to see Johnny come back for another year or 2 but he can’t be the every day left fielder.
Yes, I agree we should think more about 2010 when 2009 is over, but it’s still a good topic.
I think what may be more likely than Johnny coming back, is Andy coming back. With Wang out, Andy pitching the way he has so far, one would think the Yankees make him the same deal for next year.
As for the up coming Boston series, I think there will be a brawl; maybe even in the first game with Joba one the mound.
Let’s just hope no one gets hurt; no Yankees anyway…
I would venture that the Yankees were 8 deep going into the season.
But the bullpen arms either came up injured or ineffective, and Kennedy and Wang were lost to the injury for the season, among other various minor league guys who could have been second/third tier.
Professional veteran #5 guys are not going to hang out in AAA waiting for a chance as the #7 or #8 guy.
I am not saying mistakes were not made and there was some short-sightedness. But I don’t think the Yankees were completely relying on just the 5 that started the season.
I also think that people keep throwing out there that it’s “easier” to get middle relief pitchers. I would submit it’s easy to get mediocre to just-above-poor middle relief pitchers. Quality guys are harder to come by. That Veras and Albaladejo and Ramirez and Marte were ineffective/unavailable (and add Bruney to that list) speaks to why Aceves and Hughes ended up in the bullpen. They did add Robertson and eventually Melancon, but they are not front line yet.
If the division was less contentious, the Yankees could afford to make moves differently. But that’s not the world they live in.
Hope Claggett is mentally over the BP game thrown vs. the Indians
—————————————————–
What was done in that game vs Clevelans was unfair to Claggett. He had been called up because the staff was short of pitchers and hadn’t even had a chance to get a tour of Yankee Satdium before the game started. Chin Mieng Wang couldn’t get out of the second inning in that start and Claggeet had to warm up before he even had a chance to find a seat in the bullpen. That was his first major league game and he was needed before he’d had a chance to completely warm up.
I’m glad that he is going to get a second chance in the majors and hope he’ll be able to bring his ERA down out of the startosphere.
obviously it wasn’t some innocuous ‘supplement’ mistake for Ortiz or he would’ve come forward already. He comes off looking completely disingenuous w/that whole “I didn’t know, so I called the union” b.s., as well.
I’m guessing it was some hardcore anabolic steroid, and he’s hoping it will all just blow over. Well, guess what buddy, it’s not.
“McCallister, Melancon(who is better than bard in the minors), Kennedy, Masterson is kind of a non-prospect so I’ll say a guy like Aceves or Kontos, Banuelos, Montero”
———-
who cares? there isn’t a GM in baseball that would rather have Melancon than Bard.
the rest of your argument may be fine but it looks really weak, to me, when you go digging for stuff to make it look better than it is.
I like the Yanks too but try to take all the bias out when comparing them with the Sox.
Bowden has done nothing yet.
Bard could be a good set up man or eventual replacement to Papelbon – haven’t seen him enough yet to tell how straight his 99 mph stuff is.
Buchholz has not proven he’s a top of the rotation starter yet – with a larger sample than Joba or Hughes
Thought Hagadone was gone in the VMart trade?
Anderson’s stock has dropped in the minors
rumors are swirling that the Mets are about to put perez on waivers. Cashman – keep an eye out.
ny post reporting that claggert is getting called up.
I wonder what kind of “welcome” Big PEDi will get at NYS.
I hope they taunt and jeer him aplenty. Alex got crap just for going out with a musical icon or was that the blonde at the strip club? Aaanyway. Enough already with the “everyone loves ortiz” crap.
who cares? there isn’t a GM in baseball that would rather have Melancon than Bard.
the rest of your argument may be fine but it looks really weak, to me, when you go digging for stuff to make it look better than it is.
I like the Yanks too but try to take all the bias out when comparing them with the Sox.
—
How is any of that ‘digging’ for stuff? Bard is a hard thrower with command issues. Melancon has 2 plus pitches and incredible makeup and command. Go look at his minor league stats and come back with a clue.
The yankees have plenty of comparable minor league players to the red sox. The red sox are not some bastion of OMG DEPTH that the media makes them out to be, and their prospects get a lot of hype from ESPN.
the Yankees get hype from guys like Jon Heyman but we don’t get it on the same national level.
Where the hell is Masterson now? He can’t get out left handers, they OPS .800 vs him. Lars Anderson can’t handle AA and our 19 year old catcher demolished the level.
Bard had a 13 BB/9 2 years ago and has close to a 4 BB/9 in the majors *right now* but is saved by the fact that no one has seen him ala Joba. And his slider/curve is not even close to Joba’s when he was a reliever.
Bowden has a straight fastball and hasn’t done anything in the major leagues.
Buchholz is a complete major league failure.
“having a solid rotation right through 8 starters is what should separate them from other teams.”
randy,
I couldn’t agree with you more. And I think this is exactly why the team keeps drafting 10,000 pitchers every year and fills the 40 man roster with them. And that includes taking guys with huge risks like Brackman on the off chance that arm will turn into one of those 8 guys. I think that’s exactly where they see their own strategic advantage right now.
And things were set up beautifully this year to do that. Then everything got ruined with Wang and their knee jerk reaction to his injury. It is very difficult to swallow that their 4th best and 6th best starters are in the pen while their 11th best pre-season stater is in the rotation.
A fundamental part of this problem however isn’t directly in the rotation. It’s the pen. They made the mistake of trusting Veras, Ramirez, Bruney and Albaladejo way too much off last years performances.
I agree with the point you’ve made that it’s easier to find relievers.
At the same time – I don’t think any relievers of significant quality were traded for anything reasonable. I am not sold on George Sherrill.
Part of the problem with trading for a reliever now is the wild card. It keeps a huge number of teams “in contention” and invariably those teams are looking for help in the pen. They most definitely will not trade relievers.
It’s just very difficult. You need 20 quality pitchers to get through a season intact. That should be the yankees goal.
But that’s a huge challenge to try to put into place. That nearly one mlb roster full of only pitchers.
And going into this season, I thought the yankees were actually close to that goal.
And I do think if they continue with what they are doing now they have a chance to get to that level and create a strategic advantage no other team will be able to match.
They can do better than what they’ve done this year. But 8 of the 12 pitchers on the roster are internally developed.
4 years ago how many of us would have thought that was remotely possible?
how anyone could think that a Cuban defector with no organized baseball experience could contribute down the stretch is beyond comprehension.
Jose Contreras was supposed to throw 98+ and have a dominant splitter-you see how well he did before learning how to scrape by as a #4 or #5 starter after the Yankees gave up on him.
I dont claim to have the baseball acumen as some of the posters here, but arent the Yankees 2010 plans impacting the 2009 pennant race?
Isnt the reason Sergio Mitre is starting tonights game because the price for a legitimate #5 starter was going to be a player who the team hopes to have on the roster in 2010?
Bard is inconsistent.
I agree the whole “Red Sox Player Development” program is overrated by the media and many fans.
They have so much “talent” in the farm system, they traded for Victor Martinez the other day. Basically, Victor is just a DH these days.
In fact, the Sox now remind me of the 2004-2007 Yankees. An older, unathletic team.
Martinez, Penny, Smoltz and Saito. All “big” acquisitions for the Sox and all in various states of decay.
If their farm system was as good as its hyped, don’t you fill your holes with younger options? Instead, they went the 2004-2007 Yankee route and filled the options with “names” who are in significant career decline.
Victor can’t catch anymore. In fact, he’s a BAD catcher.
Playing him everyday means Mike Lowell is on the bench. That’s not a net gain for the Sox.
Most scouts I know like Hagagone better than Buchholz. Much more upside.
There was a reason why the Sox kept Buchholz in the minors for so long. They were trying to up his interest on the trade market and scouts weren’t buying it. Even the Red Sox aren’t sold on his hype. They know this kid isn’t going to be a top of the rotation guy for them.
The Red Sox have done a good job in some areas of the farm system.
They don’t have anybody in the system with the upside of Jackson, Pena, Montero and Romine on the position player front.
I like Bard and I think he’s going to be very good. Better than Melancon? Too early to say.
I will say though that Hughes AND Joba are better than Clay Buchholz. Not just short term but, long term.
Casey Kelly is a talented kid. But, so is Manny Banuelos. At least right now, that’s a wash.
Zach McAllister is every bit as good as Bowden from a prospect perspective.
I haven’t seen enough of the Japanese kid the Red Sox have to make an informed opinion one way or the other on him.
Overall though, the Yankees have every bit as good a system as the Red Sox. In some areas, they are much better.
What they don’t have is the unconditional love from the prospect geeks who write about such issues.
I love when I read a post from CB that corroborates my thinking!
“How is any of that ‘digging’ for stuff? Bard is a hard thrower with command issues. Melancon has 2 plus pitches and incredible makeup and command. Go look at his minor league stats and come back with a clue.”
————-
I have more than a clue.
You need to go digging for unbiased objectivity.
If Bard were on the Yankees, you’d be touting him as the next great reliever in the game.
Since he’s on the Sox, all you have to say is “well, Melancon had better minor league numbers”
I admire you for rooting for the Yanks, but your analysis is worthless since you cannot separate your love for the Yanks from what is real.
Isnt the reason Sergio Mitre is starting tonights game because the price for a legitimate #5 starter was going to be a player who the team hopes to have on the roster in 2010?
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Even if you’re really thirsty and only have watermelon soda to drink, you don’t drop 10 bux on the rip off coke machine in the middle of the desert when there is an oasis a couple miles ahead.
You drink the watermelon soda and hope the heat makes it taste like rainbows.
mitre still has a chance of being helpful. if he is , the yankees won’t look so bad in how they handled hughes and aceves.
it’s just a very thin situation.
that’s what is prompting this discussion.
it’s totally obvious things could be done better and it’s no excuse that other teams are bad at it too.
the yankees are in good shape right now , but one injury and they could go the other direction.
hopefully that won’t happen because i’m enjoying red sox fans avoiding me like the plague here on cape cod as long as the yankees are in first place.
billy wagner pitched in rehab yesterday again and threw a perfect inning.. he might be off the DL by next week.. if he clears waivers may be we can get him for Cody Ransom??
)
I have more than a clue.
You need to go digging for unbiased objectivity.
If Bard were on the Yankees, you’d be touting him as the next great reliever in the game.
Since he’s on the Sox, all you have to say is “well, Melancon had better minor league numbers”
I admire you for rooting for the Yanks, but your analysis is worthless since you cannot separate your love for the Yanks from what is real.
—
Bard has not done anything yet in a large enough sample in the majors to qualify him as being superior to Melancon. And even if Bard does end up as a better player that has no bearing on my point.
The yankees have players that are comparable or better than the red sox minor league prospects or current major league players.
Cano is superior in many ways to Pedroia. Pedroia also has areas that he is superior to Cano, but right now Cano is rocking an .800 OPS and gold glove defense while Pedroia struggles to hit more than a single.
Melancon throws a moving/sinking 92-95 mph fastball with plus command and has a nice curve.
Bard throws 92-100 mph straight with a hard curve/slider thing and poor command.
You can take either for future speculation if you like Bard’s pure stuff or Melancon’s makeup/command. Melancon doesnt even have bad stuff, he has good stuff.
They are definitely comparable prospects. Both might end up as future closers or setup men.
Or Bard could be David Aardsma and Melancon could be Kyle Farnsworth.
Bard’s command issues early in his minor league career really doesn’t matter now. He shot up to the majors quickly because he got a better handle on it.
Melancon has had command issues of his own at the major league level.
Right now, Bard is the better prospect in the eyes of just about every scout I know.
Doesn’t mean it will stay that way but, he’s an impressive kid. More impressive than just about any of the overhyped Red Sox prospects of the last two years.
I’d take him on the Yankees right now and be very happy he’s on the team.
SJ agree with just about every point.
Not only the prospect geeks, but the NESPN shills.
“The yankees have plenty of comparable minor league players to the red sox. The red sox are not some bastion of OMG DEPTH that the media makes them out to be, and their prospects get a lot of hype from ESPN.”
You think the Yankees prospects aren’t overhyped? Especially on this blog?
new post
Amen Pete.
Part of the frustration with this blog is reading people who are so damn concerned about 2011 and beyond.
Most of you don’t even know if you’ll be alive then.
Gammons, who I pretty much loathe these days, wrote a piece on 8/4 that talked about how most prospects don’t pan out. How Chase Utley never cracked any top prospect lists and how volatile and unpredictable they are. It was actually a good read, although strangely times after the trade deadline where Boston traded a slew of prospects.
Hopefully, some of you can back off the A, AA bandwagon and enjoy this season and hope they play deep into the fall and win a title.
I dont know about watermelon soda nor do I care.But I do know that protecting players the Yankees have 2010 hopes for is relevant to any discussion about the ’09 race.Same holds true for every team in the race.
SJ – So funny you mention the comparison of the Red Sox to the Yankees from a few years ago. I live up in Boston (for many years now) and was thinking the exact same thing. Seems to me they are now acquiring the “name” players, have an older roster (in some areas), are getting slammed by the PED bug etc. They purportedly have a great farm system, but as it has been pointed out the Yankees currently have more home grown players on the big league club and probably a bit better system remaining. The Yankees have also had far more success to date with the Latin American signings.
Both teams are very good, both teams have holes, both teams have money and the desire to win. They will be tough opponents for years to come.
Every fan base overhypes their teams prospects.
Its why you see so many “untouchables” from fans during trade deadline talk.
Nick Hagadone was supposed to be an “untouchable” for the Red Sox. Guess what? When the Indians didn’t want Buchholz for Martinez, Hagadone was no longer untouchable.
Teams “untouchables” always differ from fan “untouchables”.
You think the Yankees prospects aren’t overhyped? Especially on this blog?
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The yankees prospects of course get overhyped on yankee blogs. But they don’t get the universal tug job that the Sox get on ESPN or Fangraphs/whatever.
In Bowdens debut I think he pitched 1 or 2 decent innings vs the yankees with a straight as an arrow fastball but a deceptive motion. Miller, Morgan, and Phillips raved for him.
They were raving for him even as Melancon made a really nice debut right after. Throwing 95 with movement and showing the nice curve.
Melancon got no props despite being a much more highly regarded prospect at the time.
Bard has raised his stock by producing in the major leagues, but he only solved his EXTREME control issues from the minors. He still has control issues, they just aren’t as huge. He has a 3.4 bb/9 right now. It as 4.7 last year in AA.
Papelbon had BB/9s of 1.7, 2.3, 1.0 the last 3 years.
Now he is a 3.9 and everyone is freaking out. Bard is right there with him.
“You think the Yankees prospects aren’t overhyped? Especially on this blog?”
This blog’s hype does not = ESPN’s biggest leading “scholar of the game” and a pseudo-Hall of Fame broadcaster they bring out to talk objectively about the league constantly hyping Red Sox prospects. A lot of the guys that write about the Yankees (with a few clear exceptions) in NY don’t know anything about Yankees prospects, much less do they spend column space or time hyping them. Yankees have hyped and overhyped prospects in their day but they lack a national outlet for that hype, unlike the Red Sox.
“Tim
August 5th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
ny post reporting that claggert is getting called up.”
Link please?
I can’t imagine throwing 140+ pitches as a high school kid.
Just a bad, bad idea. The win at all costs philosophy ends up costing you everything…Pyrrhic vicotry…
“Right now, Bard is the better prospect in the eyes of just about every scout I know.
Doesn’t mean it will stay that way but, he’s an impressive kid. More impressive than just about any of the overhyped Red Sox prospects of the last two years.
I’d take him on the Yankees right now and be very happy he’s on the team.”
———–
exactly.
saying that Bard is an excellent prospect has nothing to do with Melancon. Melancon could be great as well.
some Yankee fans need to understand that the Sox do actually have some good players on their team.
I realize it’s hard for some Yanks fans to accept that.
saying Melancon had better minor league numbers is denial that Bard is doing exceptionally well right now in the majors.
“They can do better than what they’ve done this year. But 8 of the 12 pitchers on the roster are internally developed.”
cb-
even i have to admit that’s pretty good.
if they can get another starter from a waiver trade to plus the hole this year, it would be a very good temporary fix until more pitchers can be developed in future years.
i’m curious to see mitre tonight. he knows it’s do or die. sometimes that brings out the best in players.
“They were raving for him even as Melancon made a really nice debut right after. Throwing 95 with movement and showing the nice curve.”
I remember the game. Melancon did load the bases in one of his two innnigs he pitched that night.
saying that Bard is an excellent prospect has nothing to do with Melancon. Melancon could be great as well.
some Yankee fans need to understand that the Sox do actually have some good players on their team.
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Of course, but to say that the yankees have no one that compares to Bard, Bowden(LAFF), Hagadone, whoever is ridiculous.
That was my only point. Of course the yankees have comparable players. The yankees and red sox have drafted well for a couple years now.
The person I was responding to was suggesting the red sox had some ridiculous player advantage in the minors and majors and it was simply incorrect.
melancon does have good numbers, that is why he is a top prospect in the yankees system.
“Now he is a 3.9 and everyone is freaking out. Bard is right there with him.”
Right now, so’s Melancon.
jerkface,
fair enough…
I realize I picked out the one line (Melancon had better minor league numbers) and didn’t agree with that, but your overall point was clear and I happened to agree with it all along.
“saying Melancon had better minor league numbers is denial that Bard is doing exceptionally well right now in the majors.”
It’s also false over the last two years.
“Whatever the cause, you don’t believe the Yankees currently match the Red Sox system in quality or depth, do you? ”
KS,
Just saw your post from the last thread.
I agree with a number of the points you made.
But on the whole I do think you are drawing dispropotionately favorable impressions of Red Sox players compared to analagous yankee players. I think you’re taken players with huge question marks next to them as being much more developed or certain than they should be.
One thing you have to do when looking at the teams is to not create a hard boundary between the minors and majors.
For instance, you bring up Masterson and Bard as part of the Red Sox “system.” They are both on the major league roster. And Master son has been so for over a year.
I’ve found the discussions around bucchholz around the trade deadline remarkable. I like Buchholz. I think he’s very talented. But he has huge question marks by him. But for some reason people talk about him as if he’s had steady major league success – which he hasn’t in any form yet.
The only reason Buccholz is part of the sox “system” is because he miserably failed in his trial in the majors last year. You don’t give a system credit for one of it’s “stars” failing.
The proper comparison for Buchholz would have to be Joba and Hughes. But that’s no longer even a matter for debate. Joba has thrown 30 starts and has an ERA of 3.4. Buchholz doesn’t have close to that kind of resume. Hughes as this point has shown substantially more than Buchholz.
Of all the rest of the guys you mentioned on the Sox the one who stands out is Bard. He is clearly better than any relief prospect the yankees have.
But that is one guy.
I am still completely unclear what makes Michael Bowden so special? Why is he such a name. I’ve seen him pitch. He’s a back of the rotation guy. Masterson can’t get lefties out and was a reliever. Lars Anderson has had an awful season.
Yet all of these guys are “names.” Why?
Why is it that the Red Sox called up Josh Reddick – a guy most people haven’t heard of from AA to fill in when Bay got hurt but wouldn’t call up the superstar prospect Lars Anderson from AA when Lowell got hurt and papi was doing nothing?
Right now, IMO, the yankees have more young talent than the Sox.
The Sox have no one remotely comparable to Joba and Hughes. The Sox have no prospect that is anywhere close to as good as Montero. They don’t have a guy who is as good as Jackson at a comparable level.
And on the whole, the yankees have more pitching in their system than the sox. And that is going to be the difference.
“No but who would you rather have? Ransom or Duncan? Jackson? We already have Hairston to cover CF until Gardner gets back. Keep a 13th pitcher? no thanks. Rodriguez is no better than Duncan.
Duncan is the only answer, you just have an irrational dislike of him.”
B/c all Bam Bam can do in this level is pop out or strike out on anything that is not a fastball. And in no way, NONE WHAT SO EVER can he play the field. You want a DH who can hit and his RH off the bench that’s more in the mode of Jorge Vasquez, Shelley Duncan = Kevin Maas..extremely overrated by the NYY fanbase. I love the kid but you got to be kidding in a pennant race I’m replacing a spot I could use for Gardner or Colin Curtis or Jackson or even a 3rd catcher for Shelley? can’t base run, can’t hit consistantly, can’t play the COF, or 1B. You need anymore reasons Patrick?
Right now, so’s Melancon.
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Yes and Melancon is not a super untouchable prospect like the Red Sox have hyped bard to be. He is a top 10 prospect for the yankees with a good shot at being a setup guy/closer in the future.
So is Bard.
They are comparable.
They don’t have to BE compared. Both teams can enjoy watching those players grow or fail or WHATEVER.
The point is only that the yankees do have guys like Bard. We have guys who dominated as relievers in the minors. With good stuff or lots of strike outs or whatever you want to go on.
all i know is i heard francessa & a lot of so called experts say on several occasions in recent years & this year how the red sox swhow how perfectly things are done.
their farm system,front office,etc…
they are top notch wich i think they are very good.maybe as good as it gets.
the yankees did everything wrong.
now we have a talked about farm system that can make any deal for any player,a good of prospect(ajax),good infield prospect(pena) & a great catching prospect(montero) not to mention many others when not long ago our system was empty.
cashman has done a fabulous job in rebuilding our system quickly & sticking with them.
now these kids are helping us & we are in first place.
it looked like it would take years to fix but that was not the case.
the rs have a lot of promising prospects.bard is one that i like a lot.
but don’t sell us short.
we have a ton & a lot of pitching.
if a few like brackman,betances,banuelos,kennedy,etc… make it we are in great shape.
“I am still completely unclear what makes Michael Bowden so special?”
I’m with you on this, but in turn would ask what makes McAllister so special? Bowden was doing the same exact thing McAllister is doing now in AA when he was 21 last year. He did it better actually. I’ve seen both pitch and neither guy is more than a 4/5 type, but we here overhype as much as anyone.
“good infield prospect(pena)”
Uitility infielder at best in the bigs. Can’t hit for sh*t.
Regarding pitch counts and youngsters; Back in the late 70s before pitch counts, innings limits etc., my brother pitched in a HS summer league. He wasn’t a big kid but he had a really good FB and curve. He was 16 or 17. I used to chart his pitches and he would routinely throw 160- 170 pitches in a 7 inning game. His team was so bad about the only way they could get outs was if he struck batters out. Nobody thought anything of him, or anyone else for that matter, throwing that many pitches. I did point out at the time however, that ML pitchers would throw 120-140 pitches in 9 IP. So the amount of pitches he threw seemed crazy. No one knew any better so it was more like something to be proud of rather than worry about. He used to ice his arm for an hour in a tub of ice water after the game and never had a problem. Although during baseball season he couldn’t completely straighten his arm. After the season he could straighten it. How times have changed.
“Before any jumps on me about the Pettitte as a #5 comment, I mean #5 next season if he returns.”
I would consider bringing him back as long as Sabathia, Burnett, and Joba all finish this year healthy and give the Yankees confidence that they can be a solid 1-3 next year.
“I’m with you on this, but in turn would ask what makes McAllister so special?”
Except you NEVER hear McAllister’s name in the media, while Bowden’s name is thrown around more often than Chamberlain’s and Hughes’ ever were.
But….
August 5th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
“good infield prospect(pena)”
Uitility infielder at best in the bigs. Can’t hit for sh*t.
———————————————————-
i said good not great & he is great defensively but i guess you would rather have the 24 yr old,.140 batting lowrie at ss.
The yankees have some really good prospects but you wouldn’t think so according to ESPN. The Red Sox have a good farm but they have prospects who are overrated just like the yankees.
I have a question is Bowden as good as Chamberlain or Hughes? I saw him once and I can’t recall how good he was.
Another Met injury unbelievable !
I am not in the NY area and I wonder if Francesca has accepted the fact that Joba is not in the pen but is considered the #3 starter behind CC and AJ.
How fortunate are the Yankees to have both Joba and Phil come out of their farm system? Barring serious injuries these two will be pithing and winning for the Yankees for many years.
oops: pitching is what I meant. lol, lol.
Great advice!!!
Where now are all the people who said that Damon would break down in the last years of his contract?