Today’s awards: AL & NL Rookie of the Year
-
-
- November
- 16
-
The official announcement of today’s winners will be at 2 p.m. Until then, here are my thoughts and predictions. Feel free to chime in with your own.
American League Rookie of the Year
The favorite: Elvis Andrus (Texas)
The contenders: Rick Porcello (Detroit), Jeff Niemann (Tampa Bay), Brett Anderson (Oakland), Andrew Bailey (Oakland), Gordon Beckham (Chicago)
The dark horses: Ricky Romero (Toronto), Matt Wieters (Baltimore)
The Yankee with a shot: Brett Gardner
Morning analysis: Andrus is the favorite in name only – truth is, this is a wide-open race that could be won by someone I didn’t even list here. I’ve always been more impressed with rookie pitchers that do well, so I’m more moved by Porcello, Niemann and Bailey.
The pick: Bailey was the only rookie All-Star on either roster but Porcello was a stud to the point that he got the ball in the playoff tiebreaker against the Twins and didn’t buckle at all. I’ll go with Porcello.
National League Rookie of the Year
The favorite: Chris Coghlan (Florida)
The contenders: Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh), Tommy Hanson (Atlanta), J.A. Happ (Philadelphia)
The dark horses: Dexter Fowler (Colorado), Garrett Jones (Pittsburgh)
The (former) Yankee with a shot: So … is Ross Ohlendorf a rookie? No? OK, um …
Morning analysis: As I said above, rookie pitchers who shine make me take notice and so it’s hard to ignore what Hanson, in particular, did in Atlanta. Twenty-one starts and an ERA of 2.89 is absolutely legit and Happ (2.93) was nearly as impressive. Coghlan, though, can’t be overlooked – his 113 second-half hits made him the first rookie ever to lead the league.
The pick: If it were me, I’d go with Hanson. In a prediction, though, I’ll go with Coghlan.
This entry was posted
on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 8:56 am by Sam Borden.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Chad Jennings
The Yankee with a shot: Brett Gardner
****************
This has no chance of happening, but I’ll still say Go Gardner!!
Isnt McCutchen a former Yankee also?
Andrew McCutchen was never a Yankee.
Daniel McCutchen was part of the deal the Yankees sent to Pittsburgh for Marte and Nady.
Porcello and Coghlan sound like winners to me.
R. Pena for dark dark dark horse!
Q: Why did Coach Belichick fail as a kid in the P, P, and K competition?
A: He refused to punt.
I think Porcello wins the AL either way, but he probably gets the vote of any writer who waited until game 163 to send in their ballot. I think they have to be in about a week before the end of the season, though.
DT – OPPC member
November 16th, 2009 at 9:17 am
R. Pena for dark dark dark horse!
********************
Alright!! Go Pena! LOL
No Nolan Reimold? He did lead all A.L. rookies in batting average, home runs, and OPS. Granted, he only played in 104 games…
I’ve never understood why the voting almost always seems to favor starting pitchers when they appear in about 20 or so games and position players are in more than a hundred.
I would vote for Andrus and Goughlin. I think Coughlin will win, but not Andrus… maybe Bailey?
Since there are no clearcut winners for either ROY, I’d have to chose between Bailey of Oakland and Neiman of Tampa. No way would I vote for a player that hit .268 and made 22 errors at shortstop, so no chance would I vote for Andrus.
In the NL, I’d vote for Hanson of Atlanta or Coghlan. Had Jones been there for the full year, his numbers would have swamped the rest of the candidates, including McCutchen.
porcello gets my vote .
what put him over the top is his take down of youkillis when youkillis charged the mound and threw his helmet at porcello.
coolness under pressure when faced with having all that youkillis sweat( you know he has to stink ) coming at him makes porcello the winner.
I would give it to Porcello and Happ
MVPs: Mauer and Phat Albert
CY Youngs: Grienke and Lincecum
Looked through the list of arbitration eligible players who are candidates to be non-tendered (mlbtraderumors.com) and while I don’t think some of them will be non-tendered (Boof Bonser, Jeff Francouer for example) there are a lot of those players that I think would be available for trade – one of them is a bit intriguing to me in Ryan Church.
I wouldn’t mind seeing him (or Brad Hawpe – completely different players) in RF with Swish moving to LF or DH depending on team needs.
randy l.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:26 am
porcello gets my vote .
what put him over the top is his take down of youkillis when youkillis charged the mound and threw his helmet at porcello.
coolness under pressure when faced with having all that youkillis sweat( you know he has to stink ) coming at him makes porcello the winner.
*********************
always good to start Monday morning off with a laugh!!
I would go w/ Porcello as well. Don’t follow the NL enough to choose.
I am going thru Yankee w/drawal. While cooking and getting ready for my husband’s XC team dinner I was watching the Yankee classic vs the Red Sox when Derek crashes into the stands after a ball and Flash hits the game winning single in the 13th. I left the game on when the team arrived. Since the university draws some students from NE they were not happy about my program choice.
My vote is with Andrew Bailey even though closers are overrated for the AL Rookie of the Year. I have to give the Wagner College alum some love.
For NL, I’m going with Tommy Hanson. That guy is going to be a stud and he will lead Atlanta’s rotation for years to come, barring injury. After a few starts of kind of treading water after his call-up, the guy just went off and straight dominated the NL down the stretch, and kept the Braves in the Wild Card hunt long after people expected them to be around.
Ah, but Elvis has that name recognition thing going.
I just think it’s a lot harder for a rookie to play every day as opposed to once every five days.
Andrus also stole 33 bases. He made a lot of errors, but he gets to a lot of balls and I saw him play about 20 times on TV and consider him to be an excellent shortstop.
I agree Hanson is going to be special, but this year Coghlin was the best rookie in either league.
I’d go with McCutchen in the NL.
Andrew – Being a Wagner College alum myself I go with Bailey. The fact that he barely pitched in college due to injury, was terrible as a starter in the low-minors, made the adjustment to closer by studying video footage of Mo to add a cutter to his repertoire, and he is a local product (Voorhees, NJ) makes him a feel good story for me.
Check out this link for more info – http://www.nj.com/sports/njspo.....ailey.html
Doesn’t really help to get to more balls if they’re going to make errors on 10% of them on those extra chances.
upstate kate
November 16th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I would go w/ Porcello as well. Don’t follow the NL enough to choose.
I am going thru Yankee w/drawal. While cooking and getting ready for my husband’s XC team dinner I was watching the Yankee classic vs the Red Sox when Derek crashes into the stands after a ball and Flash hits the game winning single in the 13th. I left the game on when the team arrived. Since the university draws some students from NE they were not happy about my program choice.
—————————————————
I like you taking the opportinuity to irritate RS fans.
I wore my NY hat out sat. and told my wife I felt like I was waving a red flag infront of a bull.
I saw a RS friend of mine and asked him how he liked seeing Damon in the parade. He just kind of growled.
well the pirates are surely hoping mccutchen doesnt win. because that puts him one step closer to having to be traded to the yankees or red sox for 2-3 b level players.
Aceves was the top Yankee rookie this year. Wasn’t he 10-1? He has to get atleast some consideration. Robertson would have too if he had more innings.
Obviously, you have to give it to GGBG based on his 52 singles…
Agreed on Porcello. He and Verlander will be a very formidable duo for teams facing the Tigers the next few years.
Aceves really does get lost/overlooked by NYY fans and the media. A case could be made for him being the first-half team MVP
man i miss the Yankees !
Global –
I don’t think Ace qualified as a rookie (I could be wrong but I think he amassed too much service time last year)
The best season of all the rooks was Andrew Baily but if you can’t get Mo a Cy Young then I don’t think you can get another closer a RoY when there are starters and position players out there. Elvis could get the nod but Porcello’s team was one win away from the Playoffs and Porcello was so good that Leyland had no hesitation (also no choice) but to start him in that play-in game.
Global
November 16th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Aceves was the top Yankee rookie this year. Wasn’t he 10-1? He has to get atleast some consideration. Robertson would have too if he had more innings.
****************
Aceves definetly deserves a look, but does he qualify as a rookie? I’m not quite sure how that works. But he was incredible this year-especially in the first half.
“Agreed on Porcello. He and Verlander will be a very formidable duo for teams facing the Tigers the next few years.”
not necessarily. that’s a lot of innings (170) for a 20 year old.
the tigers haven’t had the greatest record with keeping young pitchers healthy and improving each year.
Aceves had 30 IP in 2008. I think he still qualifies. also, if I recall, he was part of the rookie hazing this year.
Aceves qualified as a rookie in 2009. Less than 45 days on the roster and less than 50 innings pitched.
Global-actually Ace went through the hazing last year. I can’t remember which one he was, but I remember him being one of the Village People.
Bailey and Hanson are my picks.
Doesn’t really help to get to more balls if they’re going to make errors on 10% of them on those extra chances.
–
i would gladly take a shortstop who would get to 25% more balls than Jeter, even if he made an error on 10% of the extra balls he got to.
Thats the whole point of increased range/athletecism. You can get to balls that no other shortstop would dream of touching, but the difficulty of every play on those balls is increased so there is a higher chance for error.
I mean, surely you’d recognize this. Look at your statement, no one is going to be perfect and you’d be upset about a guy getting to a bunch of balls our short stop will never reach because he’d make an error on 10% of them!?
And think about what constitutes an error, fielding AND throwing. So some he might field but throw away (can learn to hold the ball), some he may boot or drop the transfer or bobble it.
Not all errors are created equally.
what do the pirates do with the luxury tax money they receive ?
Gardie was in the running until he got hurt. He was leading rookies in a few categories at the time.
Does anyone know if the Yankees hold there organizational meetings today or sometime this week ??
man, yankees fans are so deep into the kool-ade that they will promote brett gardner as a roy candidate? the guy batted .270! and .233 after the asb.
he may be a major league 4th OF or he may not, but a roy candidate? u must be kidding
and i wont even go into aceves, a middle reliever…
man, yankees fans are so deep into the kool-ade that they will promote brett gardner as a roy candidate? the guy batted .270! and .233 after the asb.
–
Plus defense in centerfield, led rookies in a few categories until he got hurt and missed significant time.
4th in rookie position player VORP. Tied with Wieters and Beckham for rookie OBP, better than Andrus, below Reimold (who is a nice player).
Brett had a case until he got hurt and then sucked the last month.
Brett’s injury really hurt him. When he got back, he never got into the same groove.
Off topic: Did anybody see the Ford/Jeter commercial where it talks about him winning a world series championship and being the captain and congratulations, 27 and counting..? It was pretty cool. Saw it this morning.
I love how Bud Selig talks about being “concerned” about player salaries being out of whack when he is netting $14 mil/year.
I am less concerned with player salaries and the myth of parity than I am with a commissioner who only approves ownership changes to people he used to work with and knows will tow the party line on draft slotting and “fiscal responsibility.” That’s why a Mark Cuban will never be an approved MLB owner – Selig fears that he would have another owner who was willing to spend money on the field rather than another Carl Pohlad (R.I.P.)
Consider that Selig allowed the guy who ran the Expos (Loria) into the ground to then purchase the Marlins so that his friend who was owner of the Marlins (John Henry) at the time could buy the Red Sox in a deal that was so loaded that the Attorney General of Mass looked into the deal right up until MLB and the Henry’s made a massive donation to the charity of his choice…in other words he was bribed.
My votes go to my boy Gardy (cuz I love him, gotta vote for Brett) and Andrew McCutchen for his nonsensical speed and his flashy D in the outfield
here’s a link to the top 50 prospects we have in the system right now
http://yankees.scout.com/2/917987.html
This really is a boring part of the off season. Things should pick up on friday when teams start signing FA’s.
Pacquiao vs Mayweather Jr at Yankee Stadium? this would be awesome
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11......html?_r=4
Drove by Trenton thunder stadium yesterday and they had their digital display board
‘World series champions Newyork Yankees’ and had another sign congratulating them…
I just heard Seth Everett say on XM Home Plate that the Red Sox have twice the minor league system than the Yankees.
Why are so many of these so-called baseball experts so ignorant and follow what the Jim Callis or Jonathan Mayo types have to say as gospel?
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes it’s a three-horse race for Matt Holliday: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels.
-Per mlbtraderumors.com
Things should be picking up by the weekend.
Buster Olney thinks the Yankees will go after Craig Counsell to fill a bench role – don’t see it. I think the utility infielder will be Ramiro Pena and that’s that.
the national media play to the same biases regarding our minor league system that stem from their resentment of the might of our major league ballclub.
i blogged Keith Law about his opinions on Laird and Curtis and their performance in the Arizona Fall League(they are resprctively leading or among the league leaders in most all offensive categories) and he basically said in his opinion they are both scrubs with no future.
Baseball America last year ranked Lars Anderson a top 15 prospect off of his .obp after 3 weeks at AA ball. If Miranda was playing in the RedSox organization Gammons would be calling him the next Pujols….
If you can sign on to the link that i sent regarding the prospects read the mini bios a lil bit…it really kills me how i’m constantly reading about Casey Kelley and Ryan Westmoreland but virtually no coverage nationally about Vizcaino or Jose Ramirez or DJ Mitchell and Adam Warren and def not enough props to Banuelos…..they’re(Bristol Boys)watch you’d call HATERS!
by the way – changing my RoY vote in the AL to Gordan Beckham
Chip,
I agree. But, if they want somebody more experienced, and want to spend some money, re-sign Hairston.
I think the Yankee system allows them to save money in some key spots w/o sacrificing ability. Backup catcher, utility infielder, 4th outfield, and much of the bullpen aside from Marte and Mariano. I hate to see them spending wasted dollars on those spots to less talented veterans, simply because they have some experience. Then they can spend the money saved elsewhere.
There is no way that the media can say that the Yankees are the best team now, their veterans are not all that old, still performing at prime levels, they still have money they can spend, AND their farm system is on of the deeper ones in the league.
Makes for more interested viewers to say: Yeah, they won, but they have key FAs, they are going to be a year older next year, Arod isn’t completely healthy, their pitchers threw too many innings, and their farm is depleted from 50 years of acquiring other teams’ players.
Champ
In fairness Colin Curtis probably is a 4th outfielder.
As for why you hear about Kelly and Westmorland more than Vizcaino et al…is because they are in the lower minors. Can’t argue that everyone loves Jesus Montero’s bat though. Calling him the best bat in the minors.
Frankly, I don’t worry about any of this stuff. Craig Hansen was a “can’t miss.” Rickee Ledee was going to be an all-star, the highest rated Rivera in the Yankee system in 2005 was Ruben. The D’Backs thought Navarro was a better prospect to take back in the Randy Johnson deal than Cano (and the Yankees did too). Drew Henson was going to be a better 3b than Mike Lowell.
Just let the kids like Laird, Suttle, Mitchell, Vizciano, Jackson, Romaine, Brackman, play their way into the show or not. Getting too high on prospects will break your heart more often than not.
According to Joe Buck GGBG was the best bunter in the AL. Surely that mych count for something right???
Would anyone take the chance of buying low on BJ Upton?
Mark in Tampa,
The mass media is saying the Yankees farm system is not that good. That they’re mediocre compared to the Red Sox system.
Why shouldn’t a middle reliever be considered? He saved the Yankees a$* several times this year and he pitched 3 or 4 times a week.
Would anyone take the chance of buying low on BJ Upton?-
Yes, his attitude needs to be adjusted though.
Anybody who is in favor of full replay in baseball, check out yesterday’s abomination in the NFL. They have completely bastardized the game with their replay rules, overinterpretations of what they saw, mis-application of the rules, and officials who still can’t get it right in high-def.
I believe college FB has done a very good job with replay and their application of the technology. However, given MLB and Bud’s history of decision making, which system would you figure MLB’s would most resemble?
Me too.
Mark,
I honestly think it’s harder for the Yankees to sign a guy like Jerry Hairston or Eric Hinske than it is for them to sign a star.
The star is going to get the money and knows he’s going to play, but if you’re a pinch hitter (Hinske) who in this lineup are you going to pinch hit for? You’re likely going to take a little less money to go to a worse team or a national league team where you’re going to play more often. Same for Hairston, backing up Jeter, Cano, Alex – he’s going to play maybe 1 game every 2 weeks barring injury – I think he would rather go to a team where he can play – that’s why a Luis Sojo was so valuable – he understood his role and never wanted to be more than what he was.
Kelly and Westmorland are what in rookie and -A levels?
Red Sox prospects are like girls on a beach. They all look good from a distance…
Erica – always OPPC
November 16th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
According to Joe Buck GGBG was the best bunter in the AL. Surely that mych count for something right???
***************
I wonder how hard it was for Buck to say something positive about a Yankee. LOL
Crawdaddy -
Who cares what the media has to say about the Yankee system? The teams the Yankees will make trades with have their own evaluations of the Yankee prospects and even the highest rated prospect can be a bust (Ruben Rivera).
Mark in RI -
even buying low I don’t think the price would be that low – especially not from Tampa to the Yankees.
It was McCarver who said it…
BJ Upton is awfully tempting as a player. But I don’t like that he seems to showboat a little.
Mike RI
I agree attitude would need to be fixed but could you imagine him hitting near the bottom of the Yankees order and roaming centerfield.
“Would anyone take the chance of buying low on BJ Upton?”
Absolutely. He is at or near the very top of the league in terms of pure talent. He gets the “lazy” tag for the same reasons as Cano, however. Yankee fans saw him jogging after balls late this summer, but he had severely sprained his ankle the week before and was not healthy. He had a down year, and strikes out a lot, but I think Long could fix that in a short time. It was BJ’s record for ALCS HRs that Arod didn’t quite reach, so he is not overwhelmed by the PS.
However, I don’t think the Yankees will be able to buy low. If there is any team that the Rays can’t afford to get ripped off in dealing with, it is the Yanks. Chances are that an NL team could get him reasonably, maybe a deal with them once the Rays complete that.
mike eff
November 16th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
It was McCarver who said it…
*****************
Nitpick much???
I had a 50/50 shot of getting that right. It was a game 2 weeks ago, cut me some slack
Mike RI
I agree attitude would need to be fixed but could you imagine him hitting near the bottom of the Yankees order and roaming centerfield.
-it’d be awesome ! but with Crawford on the way out . and the Yanks within the same divison makes the move unlikely.
You never know !
Erin-
I found a good sale on a VHS/DVD Recorder. I plan on buying it tonight and getting it rolling over Thanksgiving weekend. If you’d like once its up and working, I could arrange for you to be sent a DVD of “Don’t Eat the Pictures”
“Who cares what the media has to say about the Yankee system? The teams the Yankees will make trades with have their own evaluations of the Yankee prospects and even the highest rated prospect can be a bust (Ruben Rivera).”
Well I care which is why I mentioned it.
Chip,
You are right, that’s why Pena, Cervelli, and the others make so much sense for the Yanks right now. If they need a veteran backup, they are so much better to pick up midseason. At that point, they realize their team isn’t going anywhere, and it is better to ride the Yankee bench for a month or two than to be just about anywhere else.
Crawdaddy -
Well right – the only people who get in a twist over the Yankee prospects being slighted are fans like us who subscribe to BA and BP and follow these kids from draft to show – but in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t hurt the Yankees to have their prospects get little pub.
“I found a good sale on a VHS/DVD Recorder”
At least now you will be able to record and see for yourself on video who exactly it was who called Gardner the best bunter in baseball history!
Colin Curtis maybe a 4th outfielder type but what is fact is that he is playing in the AFL right now against guys that are more highly rated and he is outperforming them on a level playing field so maybe his upside is higher than 4th of’er. My point is that the national media seems to always have a slanted view on everything Yankee related.
Banuelos is a great example; here’s an 18 year old lefty that has 3 plus pitches,tops out at 96mph,was dominant in his 1st year @ low-A/high-A and was one of the top 4-5 pitchers in the leagues he played in.I’s be surprised if he cracks top 40 in the national rankings
Erica – always OPPC
November 16th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Erin-
I found a good sale on a VHS/DVD Recorder. I plan on buying it tonight and getting it rolling over Thanksgiving weekend. If you’d like once its up and working, I could arrange for you to be sent a DVD of “Don’t Eat the Pictures”
*****************
OMG Erica that would be awesome! Ever since you mentioned “Don’t Eat the Pictures” I’ve been wanting to see it again.
Jerry Hairston would want to go back to the drecks? Those ar the only teams where he’s going to play…..I’m not sure that he wouldn’t rather play rarely for the Yankees than play often for a crappy team.
Mark in Tampa
November 16th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
“I found a good sale on a VHS/DVD Recorder”
At least now you will be able to record and see for yourself on video who exactly it was who called Gardner the best bunter in baseball history!
***********
LOL. The day I got home from the Yankee parade, my DVR was 88% full. Mostly cause I was insanely behind on my TV and I kept DVRing Yankee coverage. I had a lot of ground to make up
Chip
November 16th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Crawdaddy -
Who cares what the media has to say about the Yankee system? The teams the Yankees will make trades with have their own evaluations of the Yankee prospects and even the highest rated prospect can be a bust (Ruben Rivera).
=====
Agree.
It’d be one thing if the doting of these media types on Red Sox talent carried any clout in ML front offices, but it doesn’t.
And it’d be one thing if public sentiment, stoked by columns and stories written by either misinformed writers or media types with a Yankee axe to gring, had influence over Cashman and Hal and the decisions they make – but that’s clearly not the case.
If Cashman didn’t cave to pressure to cough up Hughes, etc for Santana – and the subsequent missing of the postseason didn’t signal Cash’s demise because of it – (of course, there’s no real connection; Cash was right when he did not confuse what may have been a cosmetic playoff appearance by virtue of getting Santana and a team who could win it all in 2008)….
If not that, well, you can see how powerless these people are to influence Yankee front office policy.
I think Hal is also just too smart for these types.
And we also won the World Series.
Let people continue to drool over the Josh Reddicks of the world and pretend guys like Manny Banuelos don’t exist…like you say, who really cares?
We’ll get the last laugh, just like we did in 2009.
Erin
November 16th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
OMG Erica that would be awesome! Ever since you mentioned “Don’t Eat the Pictures” I’ve been wanting to see it again.
********
Consider it done. Just give me a week or two to get it set up.
Mark -
Exactly, if you get to the middle of the season and need a Greg Zaun or a Jerry Hairston they’re out there to be had.
Or you get one as part of a bigger package – who you know is an impact player off the bench (a Clint Barmes type).
I don’t agree……I like Pena, but I have no idea if his bat will be good enough even as a utility infielder. Let him start at AAA – I would much prefer to see Jerry Hairston back. Cervelli? I still think he needs more time at AAA…..I’m fine with Molina back again.
I detest Keith Law – I couldn’t dislike him more – so no matter what he says, it goes in one ear and out the other.
“Well right – the only people who get in a twist over the Yankee prospects being slighted are fans like us who subscribe to BA and BP and follow these kids from draft to show – but in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t hurt the Yankees to have their prospects get little pub.”
I never said it does hurt the Yankees, but it still bothers me that the Yankees don’t get much credit for having a good farm system which is why I want Joba and Hughes to develop as ML pitchers and for guys like Robertson and Melancon to do the same in the bullpen. The days Montero is hitting rockets all over Yankee Stadium are going to be sweet.
I found a good sale on a VHS/DVD Recorder.
does it vacuum?
Erica
Before you get that one, there are also DVD/HDD recorders.
They are DVD recorders with Hard Drives. You just record things straight to the Hard Drive of the recorder and then you can edit it if you please, then burn it to a DVD+ or DVD-r. You can output a TIVO or cable box or satellite straight into it using S-Video or Component video and get the best picture quality.
Also, you can hook up a VCR to it via Audio/Video cables, working the same as a DVD/VCR recorder, but more valuable because of the Hard Drive.
Erica – always OPPC
November 16th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Erin
November 16th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
OMG Erica that would be awesome! Ever since you mentioned “Don’t Eat the Pictures” I’ve been wanting to see it again.
********
Consider it done. Just give me a week or two to get it set up.
**************
Not a problem. Thanks so much!!
Uncle Ellsworth (much ado about nothing)
November 16th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I found a good sale on a VHS/DVD Recorder.
does it vacuum?
**************
NO!!! But prepare to be amazed….
I vacuumed a week ago due to dusting gone horribly wrong. Then I am having company on Friday night and will vacuum prior to their arrival. Which means….
My vaccum will be used twice in the same month
“I detest Keith Law – I couldn’t dislike him more – so no matter what he says, it goes in one ear and out the other.”
You’re not the only one, some people here think I’m condescending, but that ESPN punk is condescending with capital lettering.
The problem with the Yankees farm system is that we have all of two good position prospects in the upper minors (and lots of scouts don’t like Jackson that much). Our pitching in the upper levels? McAllister and Melancon…who else is really a very promising prospect?
Whatever talent remains in the system is in the lower minors (except for maybe Romine) and those guys are impossible to project at this time. Plus, we draft these kids who all need TJ surgery….
betsy,
I think Pena is ideal, I like Hairston as well, but that role is going to be very lightly used. Cano and Jeter will play 150+, so will Arod. I don’t think they will need to rest Arod this year like they had to last year, as long as he doesn’t meed the second op. They will try to keep him from playing every game, but 150-155 total, with 145 in the field is likely. So we are talking about 30 games tops. If there is a major injury, they would acquire a more permanent solution.
CR9
November 16th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Erica
Before you get that one, there are also DVD/HDD recorders.
They are DVD recorders with Hard Drives. You just record things straight to the Hard Drive of the recorder and then you can edit it if you please, then burn it to a DVD+ or DVD-r. You can output a TIVO or cable box or satellite straight into it using S-Video or Component video and get the best picture quality.
Also, you can hook up a VCR to it via Audio/Video cables, working the same as a DVD/VCR recorder, but more valuable because of the Hard Drive.
***********
The only problem with that is I have major space issues in my apartment. I would not have room for a separate VCR and DVD. The combo player would work better. I am very excited about the $150 price I found
Not only is he condescending, Craw, but he’s the biggest hypocrite around. He hates Phil Hughes, can barely say anything nice about him, but when Bucholz struggled badly last year…..where was he? Nowhere, that’s where.
“Buster Olney thinks the Yankees will go after Craig Counsell to fill a bench role – don’t see it. I think the utility infielder will be Ramiro Pena and that’s that”
———————————————–
would rather see NYY retain Jerry Hairston. Don’t know why, but i love that guy
Cervelli is ML-ready as a backup. He may have hit over his head last season, but the Yankees don’t need him or expect him to hit. He can’t hit worse than Molina. We’ve already seen he can handle the pitching staff and that the pitchers like throwing to him. I don’t really think Cervelli gains anything by starting the year in AAA, nor do the Yankees. And he is considerably cheaper than Molina (who I love), so if they want to free up salary, that is the place to do it.
I think Molina had a down season, for him. He didn’t hit even the little we’ve come to expect of him. He was slower behind the plate (he looked to have gained some weight). I know he lost his dad last off-season, and that had to have had some affect on him, overall. And if the Yankees decide to keep him, and carry 3 catchers, it could be understood. I just personally think they’re going to move on.
I detest Keith Law – I couldn’t dislike him more – so no matter what he says, it goes in one ear and out the other
————————————————–
Keith Law is a nerd. Don’t expect he’s ever played the game, even at a playground level. And if he did, he would be the last kid picked.
if he really knew as much as he thinks he does, he would have a job in major league baseball right now.
As far as Cervelli/Molina is concerned, I think Cervelli may simply be better right now. He is not great offensively, but Molina had 1 HR and 11 RBIs all year. And that HR and 4 RBIs came on one swing. So, the worst case is that Cervelli is awful at the plate, and the Yankees lose 11 runs on the season.
Defensively, Molina was maybe the best in the AL in ‘08. Not the case in ‘09. He did not throw particularly well, didn’t do nearly as good as in the past on balls in the dirt. I have no idea if he called good games or not, neither does anybody else. Molina’s defense this year was adequate for an offensive catcher, but unacceptable, IMO, for a catcher who is a minus at the plate.
Who cares what the media say about farm systems?
If you’re a GM evaluating these systems for trades (the only audience who counts), and you listen to the media and not your scouts and staff, you’re an idiot.
The only reason these guys in the media write about it is to get up some controversy amongst the fans, who will continue to read about it.
Same thing with free agents. In this case, it’s not the clubs kissing the media’s butt, it’s the agents.
Most of what is published in the media on this topics results from ass kissing by either GMs wanting to overvalue thier prospects (Theo Epstein is the worst of the lot), or agents wanting to overvalue their free agen clients (Boras with Heyman is a perfect example).
I would take it as a badge of honor that the Yankees prospects are always denigrated by the press–it likely means that Cashman doesn’t feel the need to suck up to them as much as his compatriots 200 miles to the northeast.
Betsy -
I don’t think the Yankees are going to spend 3-4 mil on Molina and Hairston when they have guys like Pena and Cervelli who showed that they can play in extended looks this year making 300k each.
Craw -
It bothers me too, but it’s like fighting against gravity – you’re never going to win with them.
When people talk about how bad the Yankee farm system is I just look at how the Yankee farm system produced two no doubt hall of famers on this team, two borderline hall of famers, an all star 2b, and – for the vast majority of the season – every relief pitcher in what was a very good bullpen.
Then you look at the Yankees on other teams and you see that the system has produced several very good ML’ers: Mike Lowell, Nick Johnson, Juan Rivera, Dioneer Navarro, Alfonso Soriano
In fact – if you made a team of JUST Yankee originals you would have:
CF – Gardner
LF – Soriano
RF – Juan Rivera
1b – Nick Johnson
2b – Cano
SS – Jeter
3b – Lowell
C – Navarro
DH – Posada
Bench – Cervelli, Pena, Christian Guzman, Melky
Rotation – Andy, Hughes, Joba, Kennedy, Karstens
Pen – RHP: Rivera, Melancon, Robertson, Nova, Aceves
LHP: Choate, Coke
Not a fantastic team – but they could give the Wild Card a run for its money.
“if he really knew as much as he thinks he does, he would have a job in major league baseball right now.”
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.co.....p;c_id=tor
He left the Blue Jays in ‘06 to join ESPN.
Also, I don’t think the Yankees are viewing Cervelli as a future star who needs a lot of minor league seasoning before hitting the bright lights. They need to get everything they can out of him sooner rather than later. Montero and some of the other catching prospects seem to be the guys they are counting on to be future stars. They will make sure they are as polished as possible before playing in the majors. Cervelli is more of a career 2nd catcher/fringe starter-Greg Zaun, basically.
Doreen-I think you’re right about Molina having a down year. I also think losing his dad had a big effect on him. As much as I love Molina, I think Cervelli is the backup catcher for next season-which I’ll be thrilled about because I LOVE him!!
I never said it does hurt the Yankees, but it still bothers me that the Yankees don’t get much credit for having a good farm system which is why I want Joba and Hughes to develop as ML pitchers and for guys like Robertson and Melancon to do the same in the bullpen. The days Montero is hitting rockets all over Yankee Stadium are going to be sweet
——————————————
yes. Wouldn’t trade Montero for anyone. For all we know he may have the upside of Pujols. Or Miggy Cabrera (sober version)
Betsy,
I don’t think it’s a question of not liking Jackson (although there are lots of opinions that Slade Heathcott has a higher ceiling)
I think that it’s more that scouts question Jackson’s stats from last year – he had a very high average for balls in play and struck out a ton. They expect that the BABiP will drop but if the strikeouts remain as high as they were then he’s going to hit around .250
He left the Blue Jays in ‘06 to join ESPN
—————————————
knew he was with Toronto. So what?
Buster_ESPN NYY are not interested in signing Holliday. They’ll talk to Boras to keep other bidders honest, but corner outfield not a priority for them
__
olney has spoken!
Would anyone take the chance of buying low on BJ Upton?
————————————————-
yup. The price wouldn’t be low for any team interested. Especially, the yankees
*except* the price wouldn’t be low for any team interested. Especially, the yankees
I don’t think it’s a question of not liking Jackson (although there are lots of opinions that Slade Heathcott has a higher ceiling)
I think that it’s more that scouts question Jackson’s stats from last year – he had a very high average for balls in play and struck out a ton. They expect that the BABiP will drop but if the strikeouts remain as high as they were then he’s going to hit around .250
——————————————-
does Kevin Deleon play CF or strictly RF?
Peter Gammons, ESPN: “If you’re going to give $18 million to somebody, you want them to be as diligent and as reliable as Vernon. If he went out in the market next year, with Andruw Jones, and Ichiro, and Torii Hunter, I really believe that at his age he might be #1.”
—
His reaction to vernon wells in 2006. As usual, he is totally off…
Sign the petition for the MLB network to air Dock Ellis’s no-hitter (apparently while he was on LSD)…
http://tinyurl.com/dockellisnohitter
Sign the petition!
“knew he was with Toronto. So what?”
I think the fact that he landed a significant role with a MLB team and left it on his own volition gives him so amount of credibility, no?
Vinny – B
No idea…sorry
Tex
Gammons has a column on ESPN about how thrilled the Sox are that ‘Tek picked up his option. And how they expect a huge year out of Varitek off the bench and how important he is to the team because now Gary Tuck can work more with the young pitchers. It’s such a joke.
First of all, if the Sox wanted Tek back that bad – they would have picked up their team option on him
Second, Theo did everything possible to dissuade Jason from coming back, even saying that Victor Martinez is going to be the starting catcher and the back-up catcher will play a more traditional 40 games, hoping Jason would want to explore his options to go somewhere else and play more.
But in the eyes of Gammons the Sox can do no wrong so there it is…
Vin –
He left in part because he didn’t get along with JP. Also because he wasn’t being considered one of the rising young studs along with guys like Dayton Moore, Logan White, et al…
Erin
November 16th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Doreen-I think you’re right about Molina having a down year. I also think losing his dad had a big effect on him. As much as I love Molina, I think Cervelli is the backup catcher for next season-which I’ll be thrilled about because I LOVE him!!
*******
I think Molina gained weight this year. I am not sure how much, but he definitely appeared bigger. I would think that would affect his playing skills adversely
I think the fact that he landed a significant role with a MLB team and left it on his own volition gives him so amount of credibility, no?
—————————
not necessarily. For all we know Toronto may have given him a choice of either resigning or being let go.
tex’s friend, that post is so funny to read. I think Vernon Wells has to go down as one of the worst contracts signed in the history of baseball. That feels like an overstatement, but I think it is true. He is signed for another 5 years, and has $105 million left coming to him those years. SO brutal considering he is not that productive and he has tied up so much of the Jays’ payroll. Anyone advocating taking on his contract in a deal for Halladay, that is too risky a proposition for me considering how much he is still owed.
I wonder if the Jays’ front office says a daily prayer that Vernon will opt out when he has a chance after 2011.
The media evaluating the Yankee farm system correctly really doesn’t matter. The Yankees evaluating their farm system correctly does.
There’s something to be said for hyping the ones you wouldn’t mind trading and going stealth on the ones you’d like to keep out of deals.
I also think losing his dad had a big effect on him.
I don’t want to comment on someone’s relationship with their family members, but the loss of their dad didn’t really cause down years for brothers Yadier and Benji.
I just think he played a lot early, got hurt, and wasn’t in very good shape when he came back.
He’s going to get picked up by some team looking for a veteran back-stop and will do well for them (maybe back to the Angels if they move Napoli for Granderson) but yeah, Cervelli is going to be the back stop and if he goes all Wil Nieves on the Yankees, they’ll find someone else.
The three worst contracts in baseball right now:
Soriano
Zito
Wells
they replace:
Helton
Giambi
Pavano
Just an awful deal from Toronto that they’ll be digging out of for years and years and years.
I wonder if the Jays’ front office says a daily prayer that Vernon will opt out when he has a chance after 2011
————————————————
they would be better served hiring a hit man. Wells would have to be clinically brain dead, to opt out
“His reaction to vernon wells in 2006. As usual, he is totally off…”
It’s hard to criticize anyone Re: Wells’ contract at the time. He was coming off a great year, both at the plate and in the field. He is a big presence in that clubhouse and in their community (from what I’ve heard/read).
At that time, he clearly should have signed for more than Ichiro, Jones and Hunter. A durable 27 year old, coming off a very good year, who was a force in CF, and the face of the franchise.
Of course the reasonability behind the way the contract was structured is a different issue altogether.