Pinch hitters on deck
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jan 16, 2010 
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Two weeks ago, Sam and I asked for volunteers for a series of Pinch Hit guest posts, a familiar series here at the LoHud Yankees Blog. The response was overwhelming.
We’ve chosen 27 pinch hitters – seemed like a good number – and the series will carry us into the weekend before spring training. The pinch hit posts will run every morning*, beginning tomorrow. The afternoon will remain open for the standard breaking news (or lack thereof) and regular blog commentary.
We recieved twice as many proposals as we have room to run, and most that weren’t chosen were left out because someone had already suggested a similar idea. As it stands, we’ve contacted the first half of the pinch hitters. I’ll be contacting the rest in the next day or two. I love getting different points of view on the blog, and the ideas submitted really were terrific. Thank you to everyone who emailed.
* Of course, if news breaks in the morning, plans can change on a day-to-day basis. This is just the plan for now.
Nick in SF in Larkspur
January 16th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
I’m starting to turn against the idea of bringing Damon back to the Yankees.
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Starting to turn????? You have been sour on Johnny all off-season!
Personally, I can’t wait for the pinch hitter series.
Since news has been so slow, it’ll be a nice break to read some fresh prespectives on Yankee matters and not just the daily updates/debates on Johnny Damon. (Okay, so what if most of which are started by me)
Thanks Sam and Chad for taking the time to do this! I am sure you guys chose some great stuff
They better bring it!
Pinch hitters sometimes are pretty funny, some not interesting at all.
I hope i’m one of them! I emailed Chad a few weeks ago about the pinch-hitter series. This would be my chance ay finally getting noticed on the internet.
Johnny Damon should do a pinch-hit post on why he is the best candidate for LF.
Erica, I have not been entirely sour on Johnny returning. At the beginning I thought/hoped that both he and Matsui would be back. My bet with you was a practical calculation on what I think will happen, not an expression of my hopes.
Regarding the pinch hitter guest posts, I will not be participating this year, just to allay anyone’s hopes or fears.
CHAD:
Are you going to post the names of the pinch hit guest posters? It would be interesting to see before hand.
“The fans wanting another outfielder are those that understand Gardner is unproven. The jury is still very much out whether he can hit sufficiently. If he can’t, and I have serious doubts, a back up plan and player is a must.”
So the Yankees can’t play rookies and young players without major league track records?
1996 was a mistake then? When they gave Jeter the job?
be nice to the pinch hitters!
and, cash, bring johnny back.
Good grief! Anyone with baseball “eyes” could see that Jeter had tremendous talent. No way does a light hitting, can’t go back over his head outfielder show the same potential as Jeter. Apples to orange, oranges, oranges.
Enough of the saga of Damon and Gardner. None of this is influencing Cashman anyhow.
Cashman stand strong.
Damon made his bed hard, now he has to sleep in it!
Jeter’s talent is/was far superior to Gardner’s, but Gardner can go back on a ball, and it wouldn’t kill the Yankees to give him a three month shot to play almost every day.
UPDATE: ROCCO BALDELI’s alleged facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/.....968?v=wall
has now admitted
“This is a fan page and is not affiliated with Rocco in anyway”
and the post about him choosing the Yankees has been deleted as well.
Gardner can not go back on a ball with the skill that Ellsbury and Coco can. Most people with good speed also are very graceful and that Gardner is not. Ellsbury’s % as a CF was .997 last year and he stole 70 bases. And he is being moved to LF.
The idea that Gardner should be in CF and Granderson in left is a fool’s dream. Granderson will make both Gardner and Swish look good.
Gardner is a Yankee so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. But I will be as anxious as other posters on this same subject. Especially when he comes up to bat with Yankees on base and it is two outs.
I “Knude” it was a lie.
“Gardner can not go back on a ball with the skill that Ellsbury and Coco can.”
% = Fielding Percentage?
You really think that is a revealing defensive metric?
I’m not sure what SB have to do with defense.
I really don’t feel like wasting my time with this, but checkout Gardner and Ellsbury’s respective career UZR:
Gardner: 27.6
Elllsbury: -10.6
That’s why Ellsbury is being moved to LF.
If that means nothing to you, think whatever you want.
should’ve been 28…thanks for the JINX!!!!
JOHNNY DAMON!!!!!!!!11JOHNNY DAMON!!!!!!!!11JOHNNY DAMON!!!!!!!!11JOHNNY DAMON!!!!!!!!11JOHNNY DAMON!!!!!!!!11
“Good grief! Anyone with baseball “eyes” could see that Jeter had tremendous talent. No way does a light hitting, can’t go back over his head outfielder show the same potential as Jeter. Apples to orange, oranges, oranges.”
At the time (assuming you’re old enough to remember it), Jeter as the SS was NOT a no-brainer … at all. It was widely debated and discussed and I believe there was even division within the Yankee organization itself as to whether Jeter should get the job, given that he was “unproven” on the ML level.
Bear in mind this was a team with a LOT less offensive firepower than the current one. The 1995 Yankees scored 749 runs, won 79 games and got bounced in the first round of the AL Wild Card series. They hadn’t won a division in 14 years and had a VERY unproven manager in his first year.
This was NOT the year after the 103 win, world series winning juggernaut.
And that sir, is what is called perspective.
The Yankees carrying an unproven rookie (any rookie) that year was a LOT bigger gamble that year that it is this year.
If Jeter didn’t hit .314, the 92 win ’96 team might not have made the play-offs.
In 2010, Brett Gardner could literally never swing the bat all year and finish the year at .000 in 600 AB’s and the Yanks will still likely make the post-season.
The POINT is, sometimes you have to try out unproven players. The LARGER point is, these Yankees are uniquely positioned to absorb whatever occurs, even the worst case scenario… which makes all the hand-wringing over Gardner all the more silly.
Erica = Whatever
She’s obsessed with the guy!
Good bye Johnny !
January 16th, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Erica = Whatever
She’s obsessed with the guy!
******************
Ummmm- actually no. I have the nerve to stick my name on what I post
I remeber Derek’s first year. I remember thinking oh great a skinny little, light hittig, shortstop. Just what the Yankees didin’t need.
I try to remember that, whenever I start thinking I have this game figured out.
“The LARGER point is, these Yankees are uniquely positioned to absorb whatever occurs, even the worst case scenario… which makes all the hand-wringing over Gardner all the more silly.
”
I disagree regarding the Yankees outfield being “uniquely positioned to absorb whatever occurs”. On the contrary, the outfield is at bare minimum. No depth, no margin for error.
Geanderso is an All Star, that hardly qualifies as a bare minimum.
Granderson and Swisher will hit 60+ homeruns next year, in all liklihood. The outfield doesn’t have much depth, but it definitely has talent.
How dismaying. Here I thought that Gardner would be one of our best defenders and I find out he’s really not all that good.
Chad: This is why Joe Girardi is manager, and you are not. He has the forward thinking to make his number 28. You are still stuck on 27!
I would have brought it…I wonder if I was one of those 27.
People seemed to like my piece on Bob Sheppard last year:
http://yankees.lhblogs.com/200.....ripe-blog/
The pinch hits series is a bore