Constructing the postseason roster
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- September
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The rosters expand today and the Yankees will start the process of deciding which 25 players they will go to the postseason with.
The tough decisions will come in putting together the bullpen. Let’s examine it:
No doubters: Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves.
Probably in barring disaster: Phil Coke, Dave Robertson.
Long reliever candidates: Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre.
Borderline: Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte.
Minor-league longshots: Jonathan Albaladejo, Anthony Claggett, Edwar Ramirez.
Intriguing kids: Mike Dunn, Mark Melancon.
The left-handed Dunn is interesting. He has struck out 99 in 73.1 innings and allowed only 58 hits. But he also has walked 46. Dunn has shown improvement with his control lately. Girardi loves having two lefties in the pen. It could come down to Dunn or Marte.
The Yankees also will have to decide whether they keep an extra position player or reliever. Jose Molina and Jerry Hairston are locks. If Brett Gardner comes back, he’ll be there. Do you then keep Eric Hinske or an extra pitcher?
It’ll be interesting to speculate on as this month goes on.
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on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 at 10:30 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
I would consider Coke a lock considering he’s been on the team all year regardless of how he’s pitched. I don’t see them booting him now unless Dunn or Melancon comes up and completely dominates.
Billy Wagner woulda looked good as a lefty out of the pen.
There is no good argument for putting Coke on the postseason roster.
My guess is an extra pitcher rather than Hinske
you keep Hinske because in the World Series their will be no DH in games 3 thur 5. So they’re gonna need people to possible pinch hit of the pitcher’s spot.
I’d be shocked if Marte isnt on the post season roster. He’ll go with two lefties.
My postseason roster:
Starting lineup -
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Bench –
Hairston, Molina, Gardner, Hinske, Pena
Rotation –
Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Chamberlain
Bullpen –
Rivera, Hughes, Aceves, Coke, Robertson, Marte, Bruney
You only need 11 pitchers in the postseason, the extra bench player is more useful. Ace is the long reliever. Marte has shown me enough to make the roster. Bruney would be the last option out of the pen, only use him when everyone else is unavailable.
Really you only need 3 starters for the ALDS, Chamberlain would be the long man for that series. Ace then becomes the long man in subsequent series (if the Yankees are good enough to make it further).
The roster can be changed before each series. For instance, there’s a good chance Joba wont be on the ALDS roster…but he will be on the ALCS.
Concerning Mitre v. Gaudin, its way too early to tell. Both of them will have to prove they can eat up innings out of the ‘pen. However, this is assuming Mitre is healthy, which I’m not so sure about anyway.
ALDS- Hinske- Short series, less Pitchers needed
ALCS- Gaudin- Extra starter Needed, Long man can save arms for later games
WS- Hinske- Blow out the pitching staff (well not techincally but you get the idea). Long man is not needed as much, If there is a fire it is put out fast, there is no need to have someone “eat innings”. Plus Aceves can fill in if he must.
Having 2 lefties in the Pen is very important, and as stated above, with no DH pinch hitting is more of a need than the long man.
I thought the rule was if a players not on the roster on Aug 31 they can’t be on the post season roster. Therefore, Dunn, Melancon, Alba, and Ramirez can’t be on the roster unless someone gets hurt.
“The roster can be changed before each series. For instance, there’s a good chance Joba wont be on the ALDS roster…but he will be on the ALCS.”
Even though Joba likely wouldn’t get a start in the ALDS, you don’t leave a guy like that off the roster. Makes no sense.
All three of CC, A.J. and Pettitte could easily throw stinkers in the playoffs. I’d rather see Joba run out of the pen than Aceves.
If Gardner can play, Pena probably wont make it. You’ll have Gardner and Hairston as defensive replacements/pinch runners. You dont need 3 of those type of players. They’ll keep Hinske over Pena because of his power potential off the bench.
When I say Gardner I really mean Gardner/Melky. I dont think Melky will start every playoff game if Gardner is healthy.
Thomas B,
I believe you only have to be on the 40-man roster, a la Melancon, Pena, Alby, etc.
i like your roster Patrick, but i’d get rid of Pena and place Mitre on the roster for looooooong relief. i love Pena, but if Hairston is the utility guy then Hinske’s pop off the bench is going to come in handy.
Stephen
September 1st, 2009 at 10:46 am
Thomas B,
I believe you only have to be on the 40-man roster, a la Melancon, Pena, Alby, etc.
***
That is correct
September call-ups have made the postseason roster before. Edwar Ramierez and Jose Veras are examples of this in 2007
MikeJav,
It’s very possible that Joba could be on the roster for the ALDS. But I doubt they want him coming out of the pen since he hasnt done it all year. Ace would be the primary long man and you dont waste a roster spot on Joba as a “secondary” long man.
Dunn is also on the 40-man roster, which would keep him in play for the postseason–but at the same time I don’t see this guy becoming K-Rod circa 2002 in September because of his crazy high walk rates. But, you never know, maybe he’s been saving all his strikes for the major leagues.
Rosters can be changed from the ALDS to the ALCS to the World Series. Injuries can also have an affect.
Depending on how a series played out, a manager can change a position player to a pitcher if the manager determines that a bullpen was overused in the previous series.
This is where a fringe player like Eric Hinske gets decided if scouting reports show his career against certain pitchers is not helpful.
“Therefore, Dunn, Melancon, Alba, and Ramirez can’t be on the roster unless someone gets hurt.”
Wang and Nady are hurt and can be replaced on the postseason roster by anyone in the organization as of yesterday.
The most important thing is that the Yanks hold on to the best record. For an older team with two injured stars (Arod & Matusi) you want as many off days as you can get.
You don’t need to have 13 pitchers on your postseason roster. With only 4 starters going in the playoffs you don’t need 9 relievers. That is an invitation for Girardi to overmanage. The bench should include Gardner, Molina, Hairston and Hinske. I don’t think Pena will make the postseason roster.
My pitching staff would be CC, AJ, Pettitte, Joba, Hughes, Mariano, Robertson, Melancon, Mitre, Gaudin, Marte, Coke
I would start to use Gaudin in situations where you would normally use Bruney. Because Bruney cannot be trusted right now.
Unless dunn is lights out in september, I don’t know how they will take him in the postseason roster.. Would they bring him in the bottom of the 7th to face curtis granderson or justin morneau? I think marte and coke will be pitch good enough to be on the postseason roster..
Coke has been less than special the last half of the season. Lefties are for one or two batters in the playoffs, Marte and Dunn. Chamberlain should be in the pen for the playoffs. Let Mitre or Gaudin start.
I forgot Aceves! Delete Mitre and add Ace!
blueshirt, you are missing an important pitcher.. Aceves..
If Hinske and Gardner are on the roster, then Pena is not needed because Hairston becomes exclusively the back-up infielder.
I agree with leaving Gaudin/Mitre off the ALDS roster because Joba will likely be in the bullpen (if the Yankees choose the longer schedule). Joba + Aceves is more than enough to cover long relief.
If the Yankees make the ALCS I would consider adding Gaudin to the roster (I prefer him over Mitre) because you wouldn’t want to waste Aceves in a blowout.
Also, if Marte is healthy, I’d put him on the postseason roster. He has more playoff experience than everyone in the bullpen except for Rivera.
The current 40-man roster :
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....p?c_id=nyy
If Mitre keeps dealin in September, then he becomes the 4th starter for the ALCS, not Joba.
Bruney will now need to earn a spot on the playoff roster. If the decision had to be made today, he would be excluded.
“MikeJav,
It’s very possible that Joba could be on the roster for the ALDS. But I doubt they want him coming out of the pen since he hasnt done it all year. Ace would be the primary long man and you dont waste a roster spot on Joba as a “secondary” long man.”
———————
I see what you are saying CClub, but I don’t (and doubt the Yanks do either) view Joba as a “wasted” roster spot.
If they weren’t planning on using him in every series, then why bother with the skipped starts or 3 inning outings at this point in the season?
He may not have come out of the pen at all this season, but everything pretty much resets in the playoffs. They are a completely different animal. The margin for error reduces exponentially. So if that means Joba as 3 or 4 inning reliever, then that is where you use him.
Hell, it may even benefit him knowing the outing will be limited allowing him to utilize mostly just 2 pitches and really unload.
Mike Dunn has certainly been good for us here in Scranton, but another releiver you failed to mention is Romulo Snacez, who has been very good here and may be worth a look. He is a righty, but he has been dominant lately.
Keep Hinske, especially for shorter ALDS. Just don’t make bad choices with the pitching roster.
I take the ‘no doubters’ set, the ‘probably in barring disaster’ set, and the ‘long reliever candidates’ set.
I’d just skip the ‘borderline’ and ‘minor-league longshot’ sets through October. OK, take only one ‘borderline’ if you really really want to. Probably Bruney but if he blows up, drop him the next round. They’re ‘borderline’ and ‘longshots’ for a reason.
I’d bring one of the ‘intriguing kids’. Just use him in a couple low-pressure situatons. This would allow Girardi to save the key bullpen guys and the starters a little for the higher pressure situations.
Sounds like the worst Dunn could do is pull a ‘BBruney’ and walk a couple guys, but Girardi could pull him before he gives up a lead. On the other hand, he could be really good in a few spot innings. Opponents haven’t seen him yet, while they have seen Bruney. Keep ‘em guessing.
I really don’t know much about Dunn though. The 46 walks is a lot but the K/9 ratio is good and it looks like they’re not hitting him all over the place.
CC, AJ, Joba, Andy, Gaudin, Mitre, Robertson, Coke, Ace, Hughes & Mo. That’s 11 pitchers. Pick 1 of Bruney, Dunn & Melancon and make it 12. Pick 2 of those 3 if you really want an extra arm, but I’d go with the extra bat with the consistent health of A-Rod, Damon & Matsui being less than certain.
CC could be the lefty power bat off the bench.
“If Hinske and Gardner are on the roster, then Pena is not needed because Hairston becomes exclusively the back-up infielder.
I agree with leaving Gaudin/Mitre off the ALDS roster because Joba will likely be in the bullpen (if the Yankees choose the longer schedule). Joba + Aceves is more than enough to cover long relief.”
In the playoffs, you don’t need as many pitchers, so carrying an extra bench player makes sense, especially one who can pinch run and play great D like Pena. Also, it doesn’t hurt to have two infielders. You can’t afford to use an emergency player if something goes wrong. You want someone who can actually play the infield.
As far as the schedule discussion, I think it all matters on whether they face the Tigers or the Twins which schedule they take. If you face Detroit, you don’t want both Verlander and Jackson to make two starts a piece, so you take the short series. If the Twins win the Central, you want to take advantage of their lack of front-end starting, so you take the long series.
Mitre has 0% chance of starting a playoff game over Joba.
Cervelli should be on the roster too, as a ‘just in case’ situation. Say, Posada gets pinch-run for late in a tied game and Molina has to play. Having a 3rd catcher would be nice.
I think a guy like Dunn would have to be completely unhittable with fantastic control to make him a member of the post season roster this year.
I haven’t seen him but those stats sound like he has a shot at the unhittable part but not the control part. I guess we’ll see.
One thing is for sure – it’s nice to have this luxury. We could conceivably clinch the division late next week!
GGBG where is the magic number at right now?
Coke Post AS Break:
8.16 ERA
.291 BAA
Tell me again why he should be on the postseason roster?
As an aside, now that the White Sox have basically decided to dismantle their team, I am not looking for a lot of hope from them in the upcoming Sux series!
(that emoticon that shows aggravation – I don’t know how to make that.)
Thanks Stephen! Makes sense now.
If the yanks have the best record on Oct 6. They can elect to have the extra day off… needing only 3 starters The Best Line up imo as Follows
SL
SS Jeter
LF Damon
1B Tex
3B Arod
DH Matsui
C Posada
2B Cano
RF Swish a lish
CF Gardner
Rotation
CC
AJ
Andy
Bench
Pena
Hariston
Melky
Hinkse
Molina
Pen
Mo
Hughes
Aceves – Long or Short
D – Rob
Bruney
Coke
Marte
Joba – Long or short
I’d go with Marte over Coke. Marte has been effective since coming back up & Coke is a disaster.
I’d go with Melancon over Bruney. Bruney is simply terrible.
You have to go with the extra player over pitcher. You’ll need Garnder for base running & Heniske for pinch hitting & for left handed power off the bench.
With your top 3 starters going every game, you should not need that extra pitcher in the bullpen. Your #4 & 5 starters will pretty much be you long man.
I’d think part of the reason for the latest adjustment to the Joba Rules is so they can have him on a regular routine going into October, and have him ready to go 7 innings per start. He seems to be better when he’s working on a regular schedule. Get him in a groove for the playoffs so he can be a force.
I don’t see him coming out of the bullpen. Gaudin & Mitre would probably be the first relievers used in the 7th, 6th, or (hopefully not) 5th inning or even (yeesh) sooner. Hughes will be this year’s “talented young starter turned 8th inning specialist for a season” guy. There’s a blog topic for next March. Same comments, same results, different name.
Definitely Gardner if he can play. With his defense & base running it’s hard to not need that kind of player, at least coming off the bench. He was hitting in the 270’s too.
I think Dunn working with Eiland can help keep his walks down. Robertson walks are suddenly coming down too.
Also limit him to just facing lefty’s instead of righty’s could help too.
I like Patrick’s roster. I think it is right on with the possibility that the Yanks keep Cervelli instead of Pena IF Gardner is 100 percent.
No reason for more than eleven pitchers. Of course there’s no reason for 13 and that’s what they’re carrying now.
It’s pretty strange to think Dunn will crack the bullpen, however Gaudin instead of Bruney or Marte is a legit consideration depending on how strong the starters are down the stretch.
Joba has to be on the roster because if someone gets hurt or sick he’s the guy you want out there even if you have the option of a three man rotation in round one.
Bruney no, Jonathan Abracadabra yes. He was pitching well.
Here is my roster for the 1st round: SP: CC, Andy, AJ
BP: Joba, Hughes. Mo, D.Rob., Gaudin, Ace and 2 LHP ( Marte has looked good in limited IP. Coke is pitching himself off the roster. Have to see what Dunn does) Position players: Posada, Molina, Tex, Cano, Jeter, ARod,Damon, Melky, Swisher, Brett, Matsui, Hairston, Hinske and Cervelli(gives team option of PR for Jorge while still having 2 catchers).
Jeter has said, the best team wins the regular season and the hottest team wins the playoffs. That is why Sept. is important for some of these guys. They need to go with who is hot come playoff time. Joe likes to stick with his guys so I find it hard to believe he’d leave Coke off in favor of new guy Dunn, but Coke has to pick it up. He might choose Mitre instead of Gaudin since he knows Meat from his FLA days. Should be interesting to see what they do.
As for Pete’s mention about Mike Dunn, I saw him pitch last night for Scranton and he is pretty much one of the big reasons why the Yankees were able to hold on and win against the Chiefs.
Igawa had the bases loaded with 1 out when Dunn was put into the game (it was tied 3-3 at this point). While he came close to walking in the first runner he faced, he was able to get him to pop-up and then strike out the following hitter. It was quite a tough situation and he came through for the team. Hes jumped from AA to AAA after only 26 games this year. Keep an eye out for this guy, he could be something.
In regards to Igawa, it seems as if he will be staying in AAA for quite a long time. What a waste of money.
Ansky-
So you are starting Joba ahead of Pettitte now? No effing way.
Andy has not only been arguably right there with CC for best starter in the 2nd half, but he is the ONLY starter I actually trust in the playoffs. CC has been notoriously bad in the postseason, Joba has never started a playoff game and Burnett hasn’t even thrown a pitch in the postseason.
As long as the schedule complies, I don’t see Joba taking the mound to start a game in the ALDS.
Andrew:
I was getting a little ahead of myself. Magic Number is 163-2nd place losses-first place wins sooooo:
163
-54 (Boston losses)
-83 (Yankee wins)
That gives us a Magic number of 26. Not quite possible to reach in 14 days
I like Patrick’s roster but something tells me the Yanks will choose to go with 12 pitchers, choosing Mitre over Pena. I like the extra bench player myself but the Yanks have tended to go with the extra pitcher most of the year.
I wouldn’t go with both Mitre and Aceves myself (if it turns out we need two long men we are probably toast anyway) but right now that’s what I see the Yanks doing.
Marte’s had 2 innings of work since he’s returned.
Melancon’s got 11 MLB innings to his career.
The BP decisions are not as cut and dry as some would suggest.
September’s going to be tryout time for some of those spots.
Gaudin is very tough on right handed batters. His K/9 rate against them is outstanding. We all know that Girardi loves to match up his relievers.
Dunn if you look deeper into his numbers you will see that using him as a loogy could be very intriguing. I believe his K/9 numbers against lefties is 15 per nine.
Melky or Gardner as the starter in CF I would go with the better defender and that is Brett hands down. Last night Melky again shows he can’t do the little things. His bunt was pathetic so imo his roster spot could easily be in jeopardy.
Gardner will be a great choice as a pinch runner.
Melky will absolutely be on the roster. But, he can easily be on the bench.
“Last night Melky again shows he can’t do the little things. His bunt was pathetic so imo his roster spot could easily be in jeopardy.”
Melky’s contributions throughout the year, including numerous big hits, would beg to differ about his spot “in jeopardy”. His performance has definitely slowed offensively but he is out there every day and he has gotten big hits and single-handedly won games for the team.
As to the magic number, thanks for clearing that up GGBG–I had no idea what the actual number was. I guess we will have to wait until later in the month to see some pile-ups and bubbly popping.
Marte has looked sharp is past few outings and I think he will secure a spot.
For the bullpen I have: Mo, Hughes, Robertson, Bruney, Aceves, Gaudin, Coke, and Mitre.
That is 8 b/c there is no number 5 starter.
For the bench I think it will be: GGBG, Hariston, Pena, Molina.
Perhaps for the division series they will go with one less pitcher, in which case I would say Mitre is out and Hinske is in. Hinske really offers nothing but a power bat to pinch hit late, but we know how valuable that can be.
Hmm, I did that wrong b/c I did not put Marte on the list! So Marte in for Coke (IMO).
Andrew:
No problem at all. The formula is a complex one at first but I found a very good math proof which shows that
Magic Number = (163 – 2nd place losses – first place wins) is also correct.
When I say “complex” i mean “Harder to figure out than than BA or WHIP”. It’s not actually COMPLEX LOL!
Bruney and Marte are making the postseason roster. I dont even think it is a debate. Girardi is scared to use Melancon in any high leverage situation. And no way would Dunn a september callup make the postseason roster.
Jeter Sabathia
Damon Burnett
Teixeira Pettitte
Rodriguez Chamberlain
Matsui Rivera
Posada Hughes
Swisher Coke
Cano Bruney
Melky Aceves
Gardner Marte
Molina Robertson
Hairston Either Mitre or Gaudin
Hinskie
You take Hinske and hope the starters do their jobs. You’ll want his bat in a close game more than the extra arm.
I would prefer to have Hinske, because he is a nice power threat to have off the bench. No Shelly Duncan my any means but still a nice bat to have. Which brings the question why isn’t Duncan being given a chance to do anything? Hes a monster.
Coke scares me lately. As of right now id take a chance with Bruney or Marte unless Coke is strictly used as a 1 out guy.
Catchers:
Posada
Molina
Infielders:
Teixeira
Cano
Jeter
Hairston
Hinske
Rodriguez
Pena
Outfielders:
Swisher
Damon
Melky
Gardner
Pitcherrs:
Sabathia
Burnett
Pettitte
Chamberlain
Mitre
Gaudin
Hughes
Aceves
Coke
Marte
Robertson
Rivera
i’d think we would see Shelley once the season for Scranton is complete. He is tearing up AAA and deserves to at least be up for a few games during the September call-ups.
GGBG-
That formula is the magic number to winning the division, not just clinching the playoffs, right?
Melky is just a lousy baseball player. He is what he is and that is very very very very very very very very inconsistent! He would not be a starter on my post season roster and Hairston brings better value. I don’t give a damn about Melky’s big hits at all as I look at his entire game. His game isn’t very good. He throws to the wrong base! He can’t get bunts down. His hitting has been terrible lately. So where is his value? Heck if Gardner didn’t get hurt Melky likely wouldn’t be in the conversation.
If Edwar Ramirez makes the post season roster I quit.
September is Johnny Damon month on my Yankee calendar!!!!
Best month EVER!
Posada C
Teixeira 1B
Cano 2b
Jeter SS
Arod 3b
Damon, Melky, Swisher OF
Matsui DH
Thats 8.
CC, Andy, AJ, Joba, SP
12
Hairston, Hinske, Gardner, Molina, bench
16
Mo, Hughes, Acaves, Robertson
20
5 other spots up for grabs. IMO, I’d go Coke, Marte, Mitre, Bruney, and Pena.
To me that gives the most roster flexibility. To me, I think 23 spots are certain, cause I think Coke and Marte are sure just to give two LH RP.
actually the whole bullpen except for hughes and rivera scare me.
girardi will need this whole month to figure out who he can count on.
all the more reason for maintaining a healthy lead so he can try people in different spots
Not a whole lot of reason to debate the 25th player, especially in the Division series.
The Yanks don’t need 7 or 8 relievers, but on the other hand with their starting lineup they really don’t need both Hairston and Pena, either. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Yanks give the 25th spot as a sort of good citizenship award to whoever they feel deserves it.
Melky has come back to earth. With the way he played before he went down, Gardner deserves every opportunity to capture the CF job for October.
Why is Edwar Ramirez even mentioned? He’s a complete stiff. The only purpose he could have is the one Irabu served in relief of Clemens in the Game 3 1999 ALCS disaster. Would the Yanks pre-plan for getting whupped?
Barring an injury I think the only battle left is for the last two bullpen spots. The contenders are Bruney, Gaudin, Mitre, and Melancon. Bruney and Gaudin probably have the early advantage. However Mitre put his name in the mix with his last start. Melancon also has a chance if he can show better control than Bruney and Gaudin.
Hinske should be in because in a close game if we’re trailing or tied you want him pinch hitting for Melky/Gardner.
Pena is probably out. I could see keeping him for the ALDS as an extra pinch runner/defensive replacement, but with Gardner and Hairston on the bench he won’t be needed so we’ll probably go with the extra pitcher.
MikeJav-
Sorry, I forgot to write ‘in no particular order’ for those who would assume I was implying an order. I loosely grouped them by starters, relievers and something in between.
Rather than saying definitely one way or the other, I’d think an intelligent person would want to wait & see who’s got the hot hand going into October. Pettitte’s had a few good games. I’ve always thought of him as a real gamer in the clutch even when he’s generally on a cold streak. But if he pulls a Cone going forwards (Coney’s perfect game was pretty much the last well-pitched game of his career) then you’d look pretty foolish going into October committed to today’s certainty regarding who’s ahead of who.
You’d also want to see how the schedule and the opponents rosters line up.
To be eligible for a team’s playoff roster a player must be on either a)the 25 man active roster, b)the disabled list, c)the bereavement list, d)the suspended list as of August 31st at midnight.
If a player is injured, he can be replaced by anyone in the organization, even if that person is not on the 40-man as of 8/31 midnight. They would have to be placed on it to be activiated, however, which may necessitate another roster move.
Who will give up fatal home runs for us if Coke isn’t on the roster?
There’s no need to carry more than 10 pitchers. If you need more than that, then your rotation just isn’t good enough. Assuming CC, AJ, Pettitte and Joba are the starters (you don’t even need a 4th starter in the first round), that leaves a bullpen of:
Mo, Hughes, and Aceves are locks.
For my lefty, I’d lean Marte because of his experience coupled with Coke’s recent issues.
It’s good to have a longman, so either Mitre or Gaudin are in. I’d lean Gaudin because of his strikeout potential.
Finally, you have an extra arm. Right now, this is Robertson’s spot to lose. He’s been striking everyone and their mother out, which is big in the playoffs. The only real candidate I see who can bump him is Bruney. If Bruney has a good September, you have to give him the spot because of how dominant he can be when he’s on. Melancon is also a wild card. If he gets in enough games in September and looks strong, he could edge someone out.
Whatever – Careful what you ask for with fatal HRs in mind … in case Igawa ever lands on the ML roster again.
No way does Melancon make the postseason roster. If people hate Bruney’s lack of control, I can only imagine the inexperienced Melancon out there in a big spot.
For the rest of the roster:
C – Posada, Molina
IF – Teixeira, Cano, Jeter, Rodriguez, Hairston, Pena
OF – Swisher, Gardner, Cabrera, Damon, Hinske
DH – Matsui
For that 25th and final spot, you could either throw Coke or the loser of the Bruney/Robertson battle a bone, or you could add Cervelli just to have insurance at C. That or you could go in the complete opposite direction and add an extra set of wheels in the form of Guzman or Jackson.
Seems to be a lot of Melky hate? Gardner has had his moments but Melky IS the CF now and in the playoffs.Gardner will run and play D.
lol they’re not putting Dunn on the postseason roster over Marte when Dunn has zero major league experience, come on
Why’s everybody dissing Bruney? He hasn’t given up a single run in his last eight appearances. Plus, he’s a hard-throwing righty out of the bullpen who will strike out just about 1 batter per inning. For those of you who don’t want Bruney on the roster, who do you have replacing him? Mitre? Gaudin? Albaladejo? C’mon, give me a break.
Here are some more of my thoughts regarding the postseason roster:
Do the Yankees need a third catcher?
-My guess would be no, for they have a third catcher on the roster already: Jerry Hairston. This, of course, would only be out of emergency.
Should they take the extra reliever or the extra position player?
-It all depends on whether or not they can switch players in and out between series. If so, I would go with the extra reliever to begin with. All of the ALDS and ALCS games would be played against American League teams, and I highly doubt the Yankees would need 5 bench players on the roster (not including the DH). However, if they happen to go all the way to the World Series, THEN I would take the extra reliever off the roster and add a fifth bench player. If that were to happen, my guess would be Ramiro Pena gets a roster spot. As for the extra reliever, that is still yet to be determined, we’ll have to see how things play out in September.
What about the long reliever? Do they need one?
-Oh, you mean Sergio Mitre, Anthony Claggett or Chad Gaudin? Nah, no thanks. I’ll take Aceves over those guys any day of the week. Just my two cents.
Here’s the roster I’d enter the playoffs with:
Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF
Brett Gardner OF
Jose Molina C
Eric Hinske OF/1B/3B
Jerry Hairston IF/OF
CC Sabathia SP
A.J. Burnett SP
Andy Pettitte SP
Joba Chamberlain SP
Mariano Rivera CP
Phil Hughes SU
Damaso Marte SU
Brian Bruney MRP
David Robertson MRP
Phil Coke MRP
Mark Melancon (my guess as of Sept. 1st) MRP
Alfredo Aceves LRP
———–
If the Yankees were to make it all the way to the World Series (I really hope so!!), then I would replace that extra middle reliever with a position player (which I’m guessing would be Ramiro Peña). Trust me, when playing games in the National League, having 5 options off of the bench really comes in handy.