Early spring training leaders
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Mar 15, 2010 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Numbers don’t often mean a whole lot this time of the year, but as of today, these are a few of the Yankees spring training leaders.
At-bats
Jamie Hoffmann
Makes sense. The Yankees have to make a decision on their Rule 5 pick, so they’re giving him plenty of chances. He’s played all three outfield positions and has 20 at-bats, one more than a list of five guys with 19 ABs. He’s hitting just .150, but he’s also struck out only once, suggesting he’s not totally overmatched by these pitchers.
Hits
Robinson Cano
Very good start to the spring for Cano. He’s batting .474 with two walks and not a single strikeout. Second most hits on the team? It’s a bit of unexpected tie between Brandon Laird and Jon Weber at seven apiece.
Home runs
Nick Johnson
Will he carry this power into the regular season? No idea, but he’s hit the ball hard and he’s hit it consistently since he got into camp. Johnson has three home runs — no one else has more than one — and he’s also tied for the team lead with five RBI. The other player with five? Greg Golson, of course. He’s actually looked really good down here. He can really move.
Stolen bases
Eduardo Nunez
You were expecting Brett Gardner? Nope. Gardner hasn’t stolen a single base. Nunez has taken two of them. Golson, Colin Curtis and Ramiro Pena have one stolen base each. So does — you guessed it — Nick Johnson. Who’s clogging the bases now?!
Innings pitched
Alfredo Aceves
This is what happens when you keep throwing strikes. Aceves has been under the same sort of pitch restrictions as everyone else, but he’s the only pitcher to have reached double-digit innings. He’s the only Yankees pitcher with at least four innings and no walks.
Strikeouts
Sergio Mitre
This is what happens when you’re a little farther removed from Tommy John surgery. Mitre has said he feels much stronger this spring than he did last year, and the results have been encouraging: Seven strikeouts and two walks through nine innings. Javy Vazquez is second with six strikeouts.
Walks
Joba Chamberlain
It’s been a rough first few weeks for Chamberlain, and it shows in his six walks through 3.2 innings. Only one other Yankees pitcher — CC Sabathia of all people — has more than three walks this spring. Chamberlain has pretty much lapped the field.
Wins
Amaury Sanit
Of course. Who else would it be? Sanit has pitched three times and gotten two wins. On the other end of the spectrum: Chad Gaudin has pitched three times and has two losses.
Uselessness: Gardner.
I’m just saving my breakaway speed for the season, y’all.
NJ might be like Paul O’ Neill in terms of power – I would kill for that. Even without power, Nick the Stick is a terrific hitter.
Gardner is not a great baserunner nor a great basestealer; I can’t say I’m surprised.
Cano will very likely still get off to a slow start (as he does traditionally), but I expect a big year from him. I’m willing to give him a shot in the #5 spot as he’d be perfect if he can overcome his bad habits.
Chad, does Golson have a minor league contract? I can’t imagine him making the team, but if he could do anything at all, perhaps he could help later in the season.
Betsy,
He doesn’t need to try and steal bases in ST. Really, he’s not a great baserunner? Come on.
Take the stats with a grain of salt. They don’t mean anything unless you believe Amaury Sanit has locked up a spot in the rotation because he has won more than CC Sabathia this spring.
Yay Betsy, you have come around to the idea of Cano batting 5th
Hoffmann was chosen by Baseball America as the Dodgers farm’s best defensive OF and best plate discipline!
Gardner is not a great baserunner nor a great basestealer?
Cano doesn’t traditionally get off to a slow start. He was just awful throughout most of 2008 until the last month. In 2009 he was batting .314 for the first two months of the season before he hit a snag in June, the proceeded to pick it up again from July until the end of the season (.339 BA).
SJ, I don’t make that comment because of his ST stats. There’s a difference between being fast and being a good baserunner; as Bernie Williams. Gardner gets picked off a lot……and no, I don’t think he has great instincts.
Cano ditched the slow starter label last year. He was smoking out of the gate. I see big things for him this year.
Gardner + 500 AB’s = .280 / 40 SB’s / 90 Runs and several dishes of piping hot “crow”.
Chad,
What happens to Mitre/Gaudin if they do not get that #5 spot? As I understand it, they can’t be optioned to AAA. It seems to me that they could end up losing a couple of pitchers who would have given them depth, if nothing else.
I’m assuming Aceves has an option left? (Not that he’ll be sent to AAA.)
But I am wondering what the Yankees’ options are at this point, if the end-up scenario is Hughes AND Chamberlain going north with the team.
Um, yes, that’s what I said, M. Please explain why he’s a great (and you guys think he’s great) baserunner and basestealer; just because he’s fast? I don’t buy it.
Kate, not really. I’m still very skeptical – I need Cano to show me first before I believe he can do it. I’m willing to give him a shot, but reluctantly.
Hoffman not striking out much won’t help him – he hasn’t shown he can hit, period.
He doesn’t get picked off a lot.
He goes from first to third on almost anything and for a rookie, he did a nice job stealing bases last year.
He is a MUCH better baserunner than Bernie Williams was at the same stage of each others careers. Bernie had no baserunning instincts. Gardner’s instincts are quite good.
Doreen,
Since Gaudin can start and relieve and Mitre is only comfortable starting, I suspect they will keep Gaudin and either release or trade Mitre.
Aceves has a roster spot locked up.
The team is just about set.
He’s not great as in Carl Crawford/Ellsbury great.
But he hasn’t had the number of opportunities he’s had.
I’m going to keep an open mind on Gardner because I think with time and experience he can be a good, not great, player.
SJ44 -
I sure wish they could keep Mitre. I just have a feeling about him, which I know virtually nobody shares. Though, Gaudin showed positively last season, and of course we know the threat of Gaudin is even better than him actually pitching!
I know Ace has a spot; just wondered what his situation was.
SJ, he seems like he gets picked off an awful lot to me. He’s not that aggressive either. Remember the time Joe basically ordered him to go and he got scared and he didn’t run? To me, that’s Gardner.
Gardner was successful 84% of the time last year stealing. 86% for his career. Why do you think he’s not a great baserunner?
sheets got absolutely tee’d off on today. 10 runs without recording a single out. Anyone watching that game?
Barring injuries or trades, the team is shaping up as follows:
12 pitchers: CC, AJ, Andy, Javy, Hughes, Gaudin, Aceves, Robertson, Chamberlain, Park, Marte and Mo.
13 position players: Posada, Cervelli, Tex, Nick Johnson, Cano, Jeter, Pena, Arod, Gardner, Winn, Granderson, Swisher, and either Thames or Hoffman as the RH OF bat off the bench.
Not a lot of suspense for a lot of spots at this point.
I’m fine losing Mitre. If they want to keep him for depth, fine, but I’d much rather keep Gaudin.
Now Swisher is a bad baserunner.
Sheets not looking so hot thus far..gave up a 10 spot today without recording an out.
Torre used to refer to Bernie’s baserunning mistakes as “Bernie being in Bernieworld”.
Joe, IMO, he’s not aggressive enough in terms of stealing bases. I think people overrate him in this regard because he’s fast.
Blake, I didn’t say Gardner was bad, I said he’s not “great”.
SJ44
What roles will Aceves, Gaudin and Park play? It seems they are all basically the same guy. Is it wise to carry that many of the long man / spot starter types over a Melancon or a 2nd lefty (specialist)?
Betsy -Romine wasn’t built in a day
March 15th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Um, yes, that’s what I said, M. Please explain why he’s a great (and you guys think he’s great) baserunner and basestealer; just because he’s fast? I don’t buy it.
————————————————————–
In 2009, his SB% was 84% success rate. In 2008, it was 93% in far limited attempts.
League leading SB guy Jacoby Ellsbury had an 85% success rate in 2009 and 82% in 2008.
Ellsbury had 70 SBs in 691 Plate Appearances in ’09. Gardner had 26 in 284.
Betsy,
He was a rookie last year. Rookies are going to make mistakes. Phil Hughes was awful in the post-season last year. He was so bad, Girardi had to stop using him in the late innings. Do you believe he is a risk to play and will never get better? I don’t think so.
The guy has a stolen base success rate in the majors and minors of over 80%. That’s pretty darn good for a guy who isn’t a good baserunner.
Nobody is saying he’s an all star. He’s just better than you are giving him credit for.
“Yeah March 15th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Uselessness: Gardner.”
I losed
Ben Sheets rules.
Every year people try to read too much into the results a player puts up in spring training. Spring training evaluation is much more about process than results.
The sample sizes are just too small to derive meaningful inference and nearly as important – the competition faced is far too variable to generalize it to the regular season.
So what can you learn based on spring training? Nick Johnson is a good case because he’s had one of the more important and insight producing spring trainings on the team.
When healthy Johnson has usually shown moderate to good power. But last year that power disappeared. Johnson got on base at a great rate when he was healthy – but overall he had an off season because he didn’t hit for much power at all even when he was healthy.
There was a possible reason for this – his wrist. He injured his wrist in 2008 and it often takes over a full year to recover power after a serious wrist injury. That said, you can’t know that was the particular cause of Johnson’s lost power. He has to prove it again.
Part of the risk the yankees took in signing Johnson instead of Matsui was a potential power drop off – especially if Johnson couldn’t drive the ball better than he did last year.
Both the process and outcome of Johnson’s performance this spring are very, very encouraging because they suggest that his diminished power last season was likely due to his wrist.
Johnson’s ability to consistently square the ball up, drive it and drive it over the wall (in a spring training park with the exact dimensions as yankee stadium) are useful evidence that he’s recovering strength in his wrist and that he will hit for power again.
That’s the kind of inference spring training results are useful for drawing.
Betsy, fair enough, but I would think that’s something he could definitely improve upon. I think as he gets more time in the big leagues and better looks at pitcher’s pick-off moves he will become more aggressive. I, however, think a better mark of a great base runner would be their successful SB percentage, as that shows to me Gardner knows how to pick his spots well.
FYI, Gardner was picked off twice last year.
Park is going to be a 7th inning guy with Robertson from the right side.
Ace and Gaudin have basically the same role. Although, Ace is more durable and more consistent than Gaudin in the bullpen.
If it was me, I’d put Chamberlain in the bullpen, try and find a taker for Gaudin, keep Ace in the pen, and give Melancon the “Gaudin spot” in the pen.
Who knows, if somebody needs a pitcher, that may happen.
I say Melancon over Gaudin.
SJ44
March 15th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
If it was me, I’d put Chamberlain in the bullpen, try and find a taker for Gaudin, keep Ace in the pen, and give Melancon the “Gaudin spot” in the pen.
————————————————————-
SJ- Do you believe if Joba starts the season as a reliever, he’s done as a starter or simply delayed a year?
NJ doesnt need to match matsui’s power numbers. His average will be higher and will be on base more, which will mean more rbi for tex and a-rod. If NJ goes for the .420 obp like last year, that is .60 better than damon and tex and alex both has over 100 rbi last year.
those two may have even bigger years (obviously alex since he missed 38 games or so last year, plus the rest days).
I’m not a huge Mitre guy. Even before he got hurt, he was a sinkerball guy whose ball spent too much time up in the zone.
He’s a 6th or 7th starter at best on a good team.
To me, I’d give Gaudin, Nova or McAllister that shot before I go the Mitre route.
A lot of it centers on what they are going to do with Chamberlain. As in, whether or not they see him as a starter or future closer.
I believe if joba is back in the pen, he is done as a starter. another back and forth would not help his development and at this point, he seems to not have the same uumph that he brings from the pen. In the pen, he can channel his 96-99 mph fastball again. I wish he would work out as a starter, but he just cannot seem to get his speed and accuracy back as a starter.
And i was a joba starter supporter.
I’m not a big Twitter guy.
But, I was checking out Gordon Edes’ Twitters.
He either has a sardonic sense of humor that I’m missing or he is so far into the Red Sox pocket, he should be on the payroll.
Even Peter Gammons didn’t slurp the Sox as much as Gordon is doing now that he works for ESPN. Man, I can feel the sunction all the way in South Florida!
CB, Johnsons performance has been very encouraging thus far. If they can keep him healthy I don’t think Career highs in several categories are out of the question with the ball park and protection he will receive.
Maybe so, SJ. I admit I do not like Gardner as a player (this has nothing to do with him personally). I keep thinking of this wide receiver the Bears used to have named Willie Gault. If I recall correctly (from what I’ve read), he literally had sprinters speed and that’s why he caught up to so many balls – he actually wasn’t that great as a receiver. To me, Gardner is like that – he’s got the speed, but that’s it.
Is Aceves experimenting with a pitch like Phil? If not, the comparison is specious to this point.
Gardner is not comparable to Phil Hughes. Phil had a very bad post-season for whatever reason, but we know how talented he is and what kind of potential he has. For me, Gardner is extremely limited. I’m not saying he’s a bad baserunner or even that he’s not good – just that he’s not great, for all his speed.
And here i thought it was a dumb idea to name my sons middle name Amari. I should start early in making my investment demands.
Mansion
Rolls
Private jet
Hot maid(women and man. only fair for my wife)
Daily messuese
The only glitch i see is he hasnt touched a baseball or a basketball all of his 6 years. I guess football needs an Amari.
Did i miss anything.
Nick Johnson had a slugging % of .400 last year. .400. He had an ISO of .114.
Those are terrible power numbers. He didn’t hit for power at all.
It’s not a matter of expecting to produce the same power as Matsui. It’s hoping that he will hit for some power and do so at closer to his career rates.
Matsui and Johnson are very different players. But that doesn’t change the fact that a Nick Johnson who puts up a .400 slg % with a .114 ISO is a very different player than the player Johnson has been over his career.
SJ, then I suggest you not visit ESPN Boston – ugh. The mediots are all in the Sox’ pocket – it’s really unbelievable.
Gardner is a very good base stealer and with his speed a valuable baserunner. I do recall a good number of base running mistakes, often out of overaggressiveness. He was a rookie so rookie mistakes of this nature don’t worry me. me
His hitting? I cross my fingers.
Joe, good points. Well, hopefully he will improve in terms of aggressiveness…
The resolution of the Johnson v. Matsui “debate,” may well turn on which one stays on the field more.
Nick the Stick always had wrist issues – I’d like to think he’s over them. If he hadn’t had these problems, he’d never have been traded.
Even Peter Gammons didn’t slurp the Sox as much as Gordon is doing now that he works for ESPN.
======
lol SLURP. SJ, is it o.k. if i can get copyrights to that word in a sentence? Ill make sure not to miss spell it or use it wrong in my repotiore.
Why isnt Missippi State not in the tourny!! They lost by 1 to the #2 team in o.t. twice!
I thought Gordon did work for the Sox. seriously…he has chats on Espn that just fields red sox questions.
Why are they different aside from the fact Phil is your favorite player and Gardner isn’t?
Hughes was terrible in the post-season. Yet, you want to give him a chance to be a starting pitcher.
Under the same review, you think Cano shouldn’t be hitting fifth and Gardner isn’t a good baserunner.
How is that equal from a criticism standpoint?
The reality is, all players are going to struggle from time to time. Good one’s, bad one’s, and great one’s. Nobody escapes struggling in baseball.
You just have to put the guys in the best positions for you to win, and see how it shakes out.
If you bury a player every time they struggle, you are going to run out of players to root for.
Any reason why the census can’t be done online?
Betsy
Gardner has the second highest stolen base percentage in the majors since he’s come up….second to Chase Utley.
Everybody gets picked off once or twice in their career…it’ll happen again.
Keep in mind that he’s never had the opportunity to play everyday allowing him to get in a rythm….point is he’s a very good to excellent base stealer who if given 500+ plate appearences can steal 50-60 bases…IMO
In 2009, Brett Gardner was put in as a pinch runner 11 times during the regular season. There were 6 occasions where he did not steal a base and was not caught stealing (I assume no attempt was made); there were 5 occasions where he stole a base – one of which he stole 2 bases – he was not caught stealing when he was pinch running.
So, about half the time, it might be assumed from the numbers that Gardner is not able to make an attempt; the other half of the time he successfully steals.
My impression before looking at the numbers was that he wasn’t that good as a pinch runner.
After looking at the numbers, I would say it might be something he has to work on, but he’s not as bad as I thought.
In the games w/o SB, he scored 4 runs and drove in 1. In the games where he did steal, he scored 3.
So, even if he’s just put in to run, and doesn’t steal, he can score for you.
I wish people here would quit slurping the Melk.
Doreen,
I think you make some great points. At the very least, the pitcher HAS to pay attention to Gardner. Because, contrary to popular belief, opposing teams probably consider Gardner a great baserunner.
very interesting.. very curious results.
Johnson- not surprising at all
Gardner, Thames, Wynn, Hoffman- you would think that they’d be doing better in this competitive battle.
Golson- who would have expected it… who even knew anything about him other than his appearance last fall.
Joba- OMG, what gives? Can we wind the clock back 30 months and restart from there?
Aceves- I’ve been voting for him to have a significant role (whatever it might be) since he first arrived on the scene.
==
On a completely different subject- Who is still around from the retired veterans/ hired consultants? And what are they doing day by day?
… I’m taking about Yogi, Reggie, Moose, etc…
“talking about”.. not “taking about”.
mel,
Longtime no chat. So i read today that there is some family fued between Kome and The Stolen One from memphis? Is this another give me the damn ball problems? Stern for ratings sake needs to make an acception and just give the Lakers two balls to play with.
Once Bernie got lost between 2nd and 3rd and Andy Pettitte had to give him a ride home.
RGK
March 15th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Hoffmann was chosen by Baseball America as the Dodgers farm’s best defensive OF and best plate discipline!
___________________________________________________
In a combined 44 plate appearances with the Dodgers (regular season ’09) and Yankees (ST ’10) Hoffmann has yet to draw a walk. He might be anxious about finding something to make contact with to avoid getting in the hole.
SoS,
It’s so damn hard to read anything you write. Are you saying Pau and Kobe are feuding?
If there’s anything to it, I’m sure they’ll work it out. They love each other like brothers.
Joba doesn’t have the demeanor to be a closer. He unravels too quickly.
Nick,
Miss State got jobbed. They would have been a tough out. Instead teams like arkansas pb(17-15) and Winthrop 19-13 have a chance to dance.
I havnt filled out my bracket but that first round Cal matchup could be one and done IMO. It all depends on which louisville team shows up. Should i ride with Washington for awhile?
Didn’t unravel when he was in the bullpen previously.
If he is that weak emotionally, which he isn’t, he doesn’t have it in him to start either.
mel,
It would help if you would just take your blinders off.
If theyre as much brothers as Kome and the diesel were, things will work out great.
Spurs are on the rise(for now). They might meet up in the second round. Dont know if they can keep this up with the brutal schedule they have remaining. Do they have Parker come off the bench when he gets back with the playoffs around the corner? Hill has done really well in his place.
SJ, I am not burying Gardner; I just said I don’t think he’s a GREAT baserunner. He’s fine or good – whatever. I don’t think he’s GREAT in the very best sense of the word. If you think I’m only critical of players not named Phil, then I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t think that’s fair, to be honest. I don’t get why we can’t just have different opinions on Cano without you resorting to such tactics. Cano has had PLENTY of chances in the 5th spot and he’s been awful with RISP. I am not the first person to be skeptical of him until he proves he can do it nor will I be the last. Phil has nothing to do with this. I criticized him last year, especially for walking out on the media. You don’t do that – it wasn’t a good thing. I criticized him for berating the umpire – I don’t remember who they were playing, but he got very agitated.
If I sound defensive, it’s because I hate being accused, even implicitly, of such severe favoritism that I can not be objective.
I have watched baseball for a long time and I love sports to death. I listen to sports radio and I visit sports websites. I know very well that baseball especially is a game of failure. You might see me get frustrated at a player, but I will never kill him for struggling.
That’s it, rant over.
By the way, Phil isn’t my favorite player – Mariano is and always will be. I have never criticized him in my life, never gotten angry with him and I never will. Phil and AJ can share the 2nd rung on the ladder…
Nick, LOL
S.o.S., you can’t complain about auto-bid teams from little conferences like Winthrop and Pine Bluff and Vermont; that’s how the tourney is designed.
Miss St. was worthy, but a bid for them would have come at the expense of another fringe team like Florida. Washington getting the Pac-10 auto bid and Minnesota going deep in the Big-10 tourney probably took away slots from bubble teams like Miss St. and Va Tech. Oh well, do better next year or hope the field expands.
Cal is a 1-point dog the Louisville right now, I think UW is a 2-point dog. We’ll see if the public moves those numbers during the week.
I wouldn’t rike my remaining kidney on the Bears, they can shoot Louis out of the gym or shoot themselves home just as easily. But a Cal-Duke 1993 repeat would be sweet.
If the Yanks decision makers feel that Joba is not cut out to be starting for physical or mental reasons. And Joba behind close doors makes it clear that he wants a chance to start. Do you look to trade him midseason or in the offseason to a team who doesnt know the inside info and would take a flyer on him starting?
If Joba wants to start, then he should offer to go to Scranton to work on what he needs to.
Again, Phil has mentioned that Scranton’s an option. I’m sure the Yankees have presented different scenarios to the kiddies.
(assuming of course, that Joba doesn’t win the job)
Watched Alice in Wonderland this weekend. Not a bad movie. A bit dark, dont know if i would recommend watching it with young kids. Unless your kids have seen everything like mine. Never watched the first one, so i cant compare the two.
m-
”
If Joba wants to start, then he should offer to go to Scranton to work on what he needs to.
Again, Phil has mentioned that Scranton’s an option. I’m sure the Yankees have presented different scenarios to the kiddies.”
I do not think the Yankees are going to consult with or offer options to either Phil or Joba.
They will be told what their assignment is, and IMO they will not have very much say in the matter.
The decision might be explained but that would be all.
This is not some sort of Democratic process.
Perhaps if they had more service time they would.
Nick,
I here they are talking about a 96 team tourny. Whats your thoughts on it? I think it would make the regular season obviously less miningless. My idea would be to have the #1 seeds all have a by and have 6 more teams that play before the tourny starts. Why not a big school who has played a tough schedule?
meant less meaningful or more meaningless. I think?
If Young Master Philip wants to start, he should have his valet deliver a strongly-worded letter to Mr. Cashman.
That’s pretty much what Tim Burton does nowadays. He takes old movies from people’s childhoods and gives them a darkens them up substantially. He did the same thing with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (he even changed the title slightly, and to an extent, the focus of the movie).
Depp is a great actor, but I liked Gene Wilder much more as Willy Wonka, even though Wilder’s version came out over a decade before I was born.
*I meant to delete “gives them.” whoops.
Keep it. Wasnt the original called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or was that the book? I also like the original more than the remake. I also like the kid in the original better than the new one.
Not sure if youv seen A Nightmare Before Christmas. That was a pretty good Burton flick.
mtu,
You’re absolutely right. Except, Phil managed to finagle a spot on the 25 last year.
I think the signs are pointing toward’s Joba not being a starter.
If he really, really wants to be a starter then he could at least lay that on the table, and offer to do whatever it takes to be a starter. Which in my opinion means going back and reworking his mechanics.
Phil got demoted, and spent the time wisely, I think. It’s not the end of the world, but post-all start break to present doesn’t give me a lot of confidence in Joba as a starter. I’ll give Joba a pass for his spring results because it’s spring and he was sick. But I think others have taken advantage of the opportunity at hand, which is to show that they can be starting pitchers.
As for David Price, I don’t know how much of his comments about not being a reliever are true. But I think if one of our guys said that, it wouldn’t be appreciated. There are ways to make your wishes clear. And some of them don’t involve stomping your feet.
If Price had a CC, AJ, Andy, Javy in front of him with a Phil and Aceves in his rear-view, he might not have any kind of diva attitude.
S.o.S., I haven’t really thought about the expansion proposals, but my initial inclination is that the tourney is ok as it is, they already have the right mix. Maybe they could expand it by 4 or 6 or 8 teams with a few more of the Wednesday-night play-in games (maybe one for each #1 seed) without changing the overall character of the field too much.
96 teams, it’s like you said, what is the regular season about? Probably almost every team from a power and with a winning record would qualify… if they do expand, it would just be about money anyway, not improving the quality of the product.
And if you expand, then what are you doing to the NIT, the CBI, and the collegeinsider.com tourneys??????
Speaking of remakes.
Tron and Clash of the Titans are coming out soon. Didnt like Tron but i cant wait for the Titans to come out. Loved the original and the trailer for the new one looks to top it.
Maybe they could expand it by 4 or 6 or 8 teams with a few more of the Wednesday-night play-in games
========
I think we’re on the same page. It would take another 6 teams to accomplish that. I would also maybe give the #1 seeds in the conference tournaments more of an advantage. Maybe one or two bye’s. Therefore there is less of a chance that some average team wins it. Its not fair to the smaller conferences to have to win the regular season and the conf. tournament. It would also keep some good bubble teams in the hunt(i.e. Miss St. and V tech).
m-
“The best laid plans ….”
The Yankees spent all of last season preparing JC to be ready to pitch up to 200 innings.
I am sure as a result their preference would have been for him to have secured the #5 job.
With the way things are going right now that outcome is uncertain.
Personally, I think the Yankees could afford to do as you suggest with Joba but I do not think they will.
His future as a starting pitcher is in jeopardy.
Wierd.
Joba’s pitching changing dramatically in moving to a starting role. The plus-plus-fastball and nasty slider made a solid reliever. It is possible that a frank sit-down could help determine his future direction, but a lot would depend on his mental flexibility and resiliency.
As far as the Gardner debate, it all comes down to it being a test case. I think that there really wasn’t much doubt about him starting, so we’ll see if he can keep the gig. I’ve seen some numbers thrown around, but is there a solid ‘success line’ that would indicate he’d done a good job to the majority of posters? Is it .270, .280, what?
Same with Cano. What level does he need his RISP to be at for it to be a success in the 5-hole?
New post >>>>>
And 96 teams in the NCAA tourney would be fine. The top 32 have a bye, and everyone else has one do-or-die qualifier game to see if they get into the tourney. Since it’s only 1 game, the 32 teams eliminated could still make the lower-level tourneys with some decent scheduling.
Melky > Gardner.
Chad, I love your propensity to simply report without injecting some sort of fake expertise and prediction into your writing. Thanks for keeping us posted so well.