Damon: “I know what kind of player I am”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Podcast on May 11, 2010 
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After last night’s game, Johnny Damon spoke like a guy who’s proud of his new team, and wants to help it reach the status of his old team.
“We need to do certain things so we’re able to measure how good our team is,” Damon said. “We know we’re good, but we want to be great. Everybody in here wants to be great. Today was a good step, but we have them for three more days, and we know what the Yankees are all about.”
Let there be no doubt, Damon has been good this year. He remains a productive big league hitter, and at 36 years old, he’s played every one of the Tigers games this season. He seems even more productive compared to the players who replaced him with the Yankees. Damon, of course, took the high road, saying he takes no pleasure in sticking it to his old team.
“I’m not that kind of person to ever do that,” he said. “I know what kind of player I am, what I was and what I can be still. I never look at it that way. I just keep going about my business and keep trying to play the game hard, and keep trying to play the game the right way.”
Here’s Damon’s pregame interview from yesterday. Pretty good stuff from him, including the fact that he occasionally wears both his Yankees World Series ring and his Red Sox World Series ring at the same time. “Not too many people can do it,” he said.
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Didn’t see the new post –
The current OF situation has a limited time period to run. I would expect Curtis Granderson back by end of the month, at which time both Thames and Winn will go back to doing what they were originally signed to do ? be backups.
We miss you as far as the plan for you to just DH and hit 2nd but as far as your girlie arm and bad defense we dont miss you one bit Damon.
jerkface-
I’m not normally an “if the Yanks do it it’s OK” kind of commenter, but if the Yanks wanted Miranda presumably they could have called him up instead of Russo. I don’t see the point of having two back-up infielders, but the Yanks evidently do.
I am very happy for Johnny. Congratulations to him.
(And Erica’s Avengers!)
Erin you live in Detroit? Snow Flurries?
Good morning Erin, even though I’m Number 2 to Mr Cano.
Good Morning Erica. Boy I wish they had found a away to resign Damon!
As for your PBF he is having a monster year. Here’s looking at him (and you)!
You’ve got to imagine the list of people with Yanks and Sox rings is pretty short, given the Red Sox didn’t win for 86 years. Is there anyone else who has both?
US KATE:
Ever heard of Hoover’s Dairy in Sanborn, NY? They still produce milk in glass bottles. Have not been yet but I can’t wait.
Erica and Erin that comment applied to both Mr. Damon and Mr. Cano.
Sherman is reporting that Miranda is being called up….
@Joelsherman1 #Yankees are calling up Juan Miranda, feeling LH bat is needed with Johnson and Granderson on DL
comet May 11th, 2010 at 10:59 am
Erin you live in Detroit? Snow Flurries?
Good morning Erin, even though I’m Number 2 to Mr Cano.
***********************
comet, I live close to Chicago. We’re not getting snow, but it is raining and windy.
Good morning to you too, BTW
comet May 11th, 2010 at 11:03 am
Erica and Erin that comment applied to both Mr. Damon and Mr. Cano.
*************************
Mr. Cano is having quite the year so far, isn’t he?
repost:
“That dropped Jeter’s numbers to .286/.324/.436, a .336 wOBA, which is certainly disappointing for the Captain after his stellar 2009 season. His performance last night prompted many comments regarding his production and his age. Jeter has still produced above average numbers, but we’ve come to expect more from him. We might get more, too. Apparently, many forget that just last season Jeter got off to a slow start, only to pick up the pace once the weather got warmer.
That line-out was Jeter’s 142nd plate appearance of the season, or about 20 percent of his season if he stays healthy. At this point last year he actually produced similar numbers. Through 30 games in 2009 he had 142 PA, same as this year. In that span he hit .266/.338/.406, a wOBA of around .350. That’s a bit better than this year, mainly because of his higher OBP. This year he’s walked a bit less, but has also hit for more power, which somewhat offset each other.”
http://riveraveblues.com/2010/…..009-28205/
I never realized how upset I was at Johnny Damon for not signing with the Yankees until I saw him play against the Yankees last night – before the HR, before he even got to bat.
Can’t wait for them to leave Detroit.
I have really never felt like that about other players who decided not to come back.
Given that most pitchers are RH, Miranda should get some fairly regular ABs while NJ is out. It will be interesting to see what he can do.
Russo can play the outfield too. Plus, Miranda can only back up 1st. He can’t play anywhere else. I’m glad Miranda is going to get a shot. I think he might represent himself well.
Joba had the best arm speed we’ve seen from him since 2007 last night. Forget the velocity. You didn’t even need the gun or to hear the pop in the mitt. His arm was fast last night -fast in ways we haven’t seen in a long time.
You could see how good his arm speed was from the swings off his slider. Hitters have been able to pick the slider better and better out of Joba’s hand. Last night his slider wasn’t thrown that much harder than he has been recently. But his arm speed was much better and hitters were having a great deal of difficulty picking it up and distinguishing it from his fastball. The increased velocity made them protect against the fastball more as well. But I don’t think they were seeing the ball as well.
He looked much more fluid in the separation between his hips and torso last night. Everything was more connected and coordinated and that translated into arm speed that he hasn’t had in a long time.
Let’s hope he can build on this. Maybe his arm is at the point now where he feels like he can be more aggressive and throw with an enhanced intention to throw hard.
rodg12 – thanks for the news. Joel Sherman does have good sources. Wonder who’s going down – Russo? If yes, then Cano’s leg/knee must be good enough.
“I have really never felt like that about other players who decided not to come back.”
Not sure “decided not to comeback” is an appropriate characterization of things. Seemed pretty clear he was interested in coming back and equally clear that the Yankees were interested in having him back. The two parties simply could not agree on terms of the union.
Anyone put a timetable on Johnson yet? Wrists can be pretty bad news.
Hinske has both rings, I feel like there was a 3rd person… can’t come up with it right now.
Kevin Cash?
Comet
I don’t know where Sanborn is
rodg12 – thanks for the news. Joel Sherman does have good sources. Wonder who’s going down – Russo? If yes, then Cano’s leg/knee must be good enough
___
They have Pena for the IF replacement 2b and SS and Cervelli can play 3rd. Also Miranda, Posada and Swish can play first. Im sure in a freak situation, joe can figure out a combo to run out there.
Wave,
They brought up Russo as insurance for Cano’s injury. Now that Cano seems to be fine I fully expect them to send Russo down and call Miranda up. Not sure when it will happen but if it doesn’t I’d be pretty shocked.
I disagree with Jerkface, Thames does deserve to be on this team. But not in the field, he is awful out there. Let him DH vs lefties and that’s it. The team can survive with Winn as the everyday LF. Then you let Miranda DH vs righties or maybe Posada with Cervelli catching. There are still lots of options, but I’m not convinced Thames’ bat helps more than his terrible fielding. I’m happy with basically any combination as long as Thames stays at DH or on the bench.
US Kate so you’ve never heard of Hoovers.
http://local.yahoo.com/info-11.....ed-sanborn
“Hinske has both rings, I feel like there was a 3rd person… can’t come up with it right now.”
Ramiro Mendoza?
There’s no doubt Damon would have been the ideal DH. Sadly he thought he could do better elsewhere. He still might come back in a trade. I’d trade Romaine for him, especially if he would sign for another year. I think Montero is two years away as far as his catching skills go
Babe Ruth won it with both
CB,
Joba certainly looked good out there. Made me wish he had started the game rather than Mitre. Obviously I know that wouldn’t have been possible, just wishful thinking
Hello again,
I haven’t posted all season.
I heard the Braves inquired about reacquiring Javier Vazquez. I think that’s hilarious. Vultures…
The Braves want Javy back? Can we have Heyward?
Javy for Arodys +
Also, the biggest surprise so far has been the play of Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli. Nick Swisher seems like a mainstay for this next dynasty. I expected this kind of year from Robinson Cano minus the plus power. I think he’ll hit 30 HR.
Patrick-
The Yanks got off to a 21-9 start, mostly on the road, with Thames playing LF against lefties. I know his defense isn’t optimal, but there was a reason Girardi wasn’t running Winn out there (less of a reason why he wasn’t running Gardner out there, but that’s a different issue).
Miranda would have been called up earlier had he not been hit on the elbow with a pitch.
They had to wait until he was ok before calling him up.
A Thames/Miranda platoon at DH is ok for now.
They can get by with that and it keeps Thames out of the OF.
There’s no doubt Damon would have been the ideal DH. Sadly he thought he could do better elsewhere. He still might come back in a trade. I’d trade Romaine for him, especially if he would sign for another year. I think Montero is two years away as far as his catching skills go
___
Trade Romine for Damon. Absolutely not.
Simly put, 3 players killed the Yankees yesterday and directly resulted in that loss… 1) MARCUS THAMES, 2) RANDY WINN 3) BOONE LOGAN.
CASHMAN DID A TERRIBLE JOB THIS OFF-SEASON WITH ALL HIS STUPID ACQIUSITIONS AND HE SHOULD BE FIRED.
whatever…
Billy D -
We can nitpick semantics, I guess, but Johnny chose to sign with someone else for what on the face of it appears to be a deal not as good as the Yankees offered (at least in terms of years) rather take a pay cut from the Yankees. Plus he and his agent pretty much offered the Yankees an ultimatum – “x” amount of dollars or don’t bother. I will agree that both sides had their terms and no agreement was reached. But for a guy who all he talked about was how much he wanted to come back to NY, about how it was such a good fit for him, about how loved being a Yankee and wanted to finish his career in NY, his bottom line was different.
Patrick-
Joba was throwing pretty easy last night. It didn’t look like he was generating velocity through muscling the ball up or overthrowing. It was interesting watching him throw after Zumaya.
Just for the record, Miranda is not hitting right-handed pitching in AAA this year. His success has come in limited ABs vs lefties. I’m not sure the way Miranda is hitting a Thames-Miranda platoon is going to be very helpful.
Second best record in the majors. Man you would come here and think we were in last place.
I never liked the Nick Johnson move. I’m pretty much against a Thames/Miranda DH situation. I feel none of those 3 really needs to be on the roster with Posada getting up there in age. I’d prefer they extend Posada’s career by DH’ing him. If he can really focus on his swing, he will be productive for an extra year or two. I think Cervelli should be catching full time but I’m sure that idea has been shot down on this blog.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Posada DH in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He and Pena can help mentor Cervelli, Montero and Romine at catcher and backup catcher.
with winn and thames, we’ve saved money…….
One could say that Arod’s bad throw had something to do with the loss as well….
It’s one game in a looooong season. Back at it today.
Doreen – that reflects what the prevailing opinion of this matter was – namely, that Damon, like other players, would not return to their team for less money, and only take less from another team. And that’s exactly what happened. He and Boras specified no pay cut from the Yankees, and the rest is history. No reason for people to keep rehashing. Well, sensible people, anyway.
Doreen – GTLU Stuff & Photos May 11th, 2010 at 11:07 am
I never realized how upset I was at Johnny Damon for not signing with the Yankees until I saw him play against the Yankees last night ? before the HR, before he even got to bat.
Can?t wait for them to leave Detroit.
I have really never felt like that about other players who decided not to come back.
************
Now you understand my emotions these last few months
Small sample sizes of minor league stats isn’t always an accurate indicator of anything.
Miranda has always hit righties well. Which will probably be his role here. At least to start.
Ah Patrick.. I’m glad to see some of us from the “Joba should still be a starter” club still exist lol.
BM May 11th, 2010 at 11:38 am
with winn and thames, we?ve saved money??.
************
Yes congratulations. You saved money.
I go back to my original metaphor that you can buy lots of really cheap pairs of jeans that do nothing for you or one really awesome pair of quality jeans that are worth a lot more money.
SJ44-
I’m the first to agree generally on small sample sizes. However, if Miranda hasn’t hit righties so far this year, I’m not sure he’s going to get hot all of a sudden against major league pitching.
I’m more inclined to think his success against lefties is attributable to small sample size.
Anyway, I think the Yanks’ problem, to the small extent they have one, is in LF vs LHP, not at DH.
I really liked how Mitre pitched last night. His defense let him down. That 2-seam fastball was working for him early in the game. 1 bad pitch to Damon. What can you do?
It was only 1 game.
The world is not going to end and the season is not quite lost either.
Everybody just take a deep breathe and relax a little bit please.
Also, I would not deal Javy unless the Yankees first lay the groundwork for a blockbuster deal for a top pitcher. Greinke will probably hit the trade market pretty soon. His salary escalates to 13.5 million next year and the year after, his final 2 years as a Royal. They aren’t projected to compete in the next 2 years so maybe they’re close to cashing in Zach for a boatload of key prospects. I know they like Gardner. I wonder if they like Jesus Montero.
Zack Greinke rhp
4 years/$38M (2009-12)
4 years/$38M (2009-12)
signed extension with Kansas City 1/26/09 (avoided arbitration, $4.4M-$3.4M)
09:$3.75M, 10:$7.25M, 11:$13.5M, 12:$13.5M
If Montero or Romine were ready to be the backup catcher, we could totally get away with posada DH’ing full-time and starting Cervelli. It’s not like we actually need 9 great bats in a lineup to win a game.
Wave,
Straw man argument. Just because Thames was playing LF for that period doesn’t mean it’s the best team the Yanks could have fielded.
Patrick-
No more straw man than most of the arguments around here.
Irreverent Discourse,
True but Romine might be able to make a jump to sharing duties with Cervelli out of ST next year. With Posada at DH, Cervelli/Romine would be the only weak spot in the lineup.
Bret – welcome back.
I wouldn’t trade for Greinke for the Yankees. If you think Vaz has problems with stress, can you imagine Greinke and his history pitching in NY?
Wave,
Yeah but I expect better from posters like you, SJ44, CB, etc. Thats why I reply to you guys and ignore most of the nonsense.
I still think that over the course of the year, Damon’s power stats would have been better playing 81 at NYS, so if he wanted to make the most money over a multi-year time horizon, making a little less with the Yankees in 2010 would have made him more money in the long run.
Joe,
Hey Joe!
Found a girl. Think she’s the one. Planning a proposal. Got a nice blue diamond in mind.
shhhhhhh
Back to the Yanks…
Moose was a mental case too. He was OCD to the extreme. I see Greinke on this team as the equivalent to trading for Moose in his prime when he was an Oriole competing for the CY award every year.
# gfd May 11th, 2010 at 4:12 am
Flying under the radar of the Yankees great start is the fact that Derek Jeter has been significantly under par. After going 0-5 Monday, Jeter’s line .286/.324.436.
The most startling aspect of Jeter’s game this season, is that he’s going up to the plate and hacking at everything. His BB% is a microscopic 4.2%. Entering Monday’s game he was swinging at 53.5% of total pitches, compared to his recorded career avg of 48.1%
What really jumps off the page is that he’s swinging at 33.9% OF PITCHES OUTSIDE THE STRIKE ZONE, which is a huge jump over his recorded career avg of 19.7%, and also 11.7% higher than last season.
Perhaps this is the reason his line drive rate is down 8% and his ground balls are up 13% from 2009– he’s not waiting for a good pitch to hit.
Data source:fangraghs
==============================
Not much for sabremetrics but this jumped off the page.
Simply put: I have also noticed Jeter jumping at the 1st pitch, having little patience, the opposite of what you’d expect from a leadoff hitter.
You don’t need stats to tell you what your naked eye can see.
I have never knocked Jeter before, ever.
As he goes, we go.
“I wouldn’t trade for Greinke for the Yankees. If you think Vaz has problems with stress, can you imagine Greinke and his history pitching in NY?”
Great talent, but you really do have to wonder how a young man with his history would fare under the scrutiny being a Yankee brings.
Bret – They would both (Montero and Romine) probably outhit Cervelli, but the runs Cervelli will save us over the course of the season with his defense might outweigh the younger stars bats. The problem is squatting a developing player on the bench instead of having them playing every day in the minors :/
at least we don’t have to go through this whole Johnny Damon melodrama against next yr.
Wave,
How do you draw a conclusion Miranda can’t hit righties because of a slow start this year when he’s hit righties his entire career.
Francisco Cervelli was hitting .190 in AA, has never been much of a hitter against good pitching at the minor league level, and has hit ML pitching ever since he got to NY.
Miranda is a much better hitter than Cervelli.
To conclude he can’t hit righties at the major league level because of a slow start this year, is more an emotion based conclusion than a statistical based one because it goes against everything the guy has done his entire career to date.
Miranda getting called up makes sense. Though I think that a more interesting option would be Colin Curtis.
The Yankees could use Curtis in the OF with Winn and Gardner and use Swisher at DH and maximize their OF defense.
I wonder if the Johnson injury turns out to be something long term whether the Yankees would express any interest in either Delgado or Dye.
I want to stress that my next point is unrelated:
Mariners are going to ask Griffey to retire so that they don’t have to release him.
SJ44 – someone said earlier that Miranda took a nasty HBP on his arm, which is also not helping him hit I would imagine.
Has anybody heard about the Yankees possibly making a roster move today?
If they were, what kind of move are we talking about?
my lineup today would be.
jeter
gardner
tex
arod
cano
posada
swisher
miranda
wynn
Bret – Good for you! Hope things work out for you.
I hear you. It would be great if Greinke’s numbers would translate, but, I don’t know. I would trust the Yankees to really scout this one out.
Warning Track Power – I’m not sure, but I thought for sure someone would be overreacting to it by now…
Maybe they just aren’t pitching to Jeter, with no one to protect him like a Damon, just saying.
Just an aside – any update on the health status of Chris Garcia?
Erica -
I do understand how you feel. Much like you, though not to the same extent, I “picked Johnny out” to be on the Yankees when he was on the Red Sox. I was super elated that he was here, and I was encouraged that we didn’t have to worry about him ever leaving us.
After the off-season, I do what I always do – process things logically and try and move on. And as soon as the Yankees leave Detroit I will be able to continue to move on and wish him well. But it’s kind of took me by surprise how visceral my reaction was to see him come up to bat against the Yankees last night.
Irreverent Discourse,
I agree again. I don’t think it works this year because Romine needs more time but next year he could split equal time with Cervelli and not toil away on the bench. I see Cervelli as the starter based on maturity and experience and CHUTZPAH but I don’t think he’s an everyday starter yet which is why it’d be nice to have Romine to split equal time with him at catcher. This way, the Yankees keep the system stable and develop Romine at the same time. It’s a tall order for Austin Romine but maybe he can handle it?
I certainly don’t want Posada catching next year and neither Montero nor Romine is ready to catch full time on the ML level. With Posada DH’ing and Cervelli the starter, the only spot for Romine or Montero is at backup where they split equal time with Cervelli. Montero is worth much more in a trade. I’d love to get Greinke in the offseason.
“Damon’s power stats would have been better playing 81 at NYS, so if he wanted to make the most money over a multi-year time horizon, making a little less with the Yankees in 2010 would have made him more money in the long run”
If his 2009 numbers netted him no multi years offers, there’s probably not a lot of reason to believe doing the same in 2010 would either, is there?
I’d love to get Greinke in the offseason.
==========================
Are you sure Greinke could handle it here?
Bret -
Welcome back and that sure is good news you just shared. Best wishes.
Billy D May 11th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Anyone put a timetable on Johnson yet? Wrists can be pretty bad news.
—————————————————————-
Would you be surprised if he missed the rest of the year? The way he was hitting would you even care if he didn’t come back? “DL” Johnson was a black hole in the lineup anyway, I’d give Miranda or some other minor leaguer a chance, I’d also ask Jermaine Dye to start swinging a bat and running some laps just in case the minor leaguers don’t pan out..
My comments are vanishing, I don’t know why. SJ44 and Patrick are just going to have to wait for my cogent responses to their points.
Mariners are going to ask Griffey to retire so that they don’t have to release him.
======================================================
Would Griffey fit here?
mick -
Could you imagine if he fell asleep in the clubhouse HERE???
Don’t overanalyize Jeter. He’s in a slump. He was in a similar slump last May.
If Derek Jeter is the biggest “problem” on this team, they are in good shape.
Garcia had TJ Surgery for the second time and is out for a year.
In other words, unfortunately, he has no future with the Yankees.
# Wave Your Hat May 11th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
My comments are vanishing, I don’t know why. SJ44 and Patrick are just going to have to wait for my cogent responses to their points.
======================================
Had a similar problem.
Perhaps they are installing a new improved super filter.
Doreen
That wouldn’t happen here, not in the Big Apple, maybe he is bored and needs a change.
His way of telling them, get me outta here.
Someone mentioned Colin Curtis. If he was healthy, he may have gotten a look but it’s tough from the DL. Nice to see Miranda getting a shot before September:)
SJ44-
I didn’t say Miranda couldn’t hit righties, I said he is not currently hitting them and I didn’t see why being promoted to the majors would change that. Your Cervelli argument is obviously incorrect, just because one person who was hitting poorly in AAA hit well when called up does not prove everyone will, it merely proves it isn’t impossible.
Would you be surprised if he missed the rest of the year? The way he was hitting would you even care if he didn’t come back? “DL” Johnson was a black hole in the lineup anyway, I’d give Miranda or some other minor leaguer a chance, I’d also ask Jermaine Dye to start swinging a bat and running some laps just in case the minor leaguers don’t pan out..
===============================
Where is David Justice when you need him?
Maybe after the AllStar break.
mick -
Besides, Griffey, Jr. has made it crystal clear he has no interest in playing for the NYY.
it was awesome watching Joba pitch last night.
it reminded me of how ridiculous some of the writers and announcers can be when they make proclamations like, “We will probably never see the Joba like he was in 2007 ever again!”
blanket statements like that, especially when your name is not Michel de Nostredamus, are just absurd.
Hi Doreen!
Oh she’s special! I tell her she’s the one and only love of my life. But I won’t tell her that I love her because I want to say it as part of the proposal. I plan to do it above a Wishing Well during Sunrise at a place in the mountains. A few months ago, we both made wishes over the well and mine was that I wanted to marry her. However I didn’t exactly wish for it, I silently barked an order into the well and said to (whoever is in charge of granting/not granting well wishes), I’m MARRYING her’.
She doesn’t know about that epiphany but I will reveal it during the proposal.
Chutzpah should be measured on fangraphs, I’m going to write them an e-mail.
I think Cervelli is enough of an everyday starter that Posada can catch once or twice a week and just DH the rest of his contract. I wouldn’t rush the kids up, give Montero another year (2011) to try to be a catcher and if that doesn’t work he comes up when Posada retires. Romine should be ready by then to take over full duties if Montero isn’t, otherwise we trade the extra.
Greinke is certainly a headcase, but maybe if his team actually… had his back… I think he’d be OK
I am going to lunch with my parents, so I am going to open GTLU a little early today. Better early than late, and better late than never, right?
Today’s Guess The Line Up is Now Open For Business.
Good luck!
# Doreen – GTLU Stuff & Photos May 11th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
mick -
Besides, Griffey, Jr. has made it crystal clear he has no interest in playing for the NYY.
=============================================================
Wasn’t that when he was a kid they wouldn’t (Billy Martin) let him play in the dugout or clubhouse?
He might have gotten over that.
The short porch in Right is inviting.
Joba was amazing last night. He was over-powering the tigers hitters with his fastball.
The ESPN announcers were also impressed with how he threw the ball last night.
Wave,
Not hitting righties right now gives no indication as to whether or not he will hit in NY because there are too many variables involved. Its an emotional argument. Its not a baseball argument.
Perhaps he got off to a slow start because his mechanics were off. Perhaps he was a little down because he saw his career at a possible dead end in NY.
Perhaps he just started slow.
However, based in his career and the way he swung the bat in the spring, and in September for that matter, its clear the guy can hit righties and has done so successfully in his entire career.
Just because he hasn’t hit for a few weeks doesn’t mean he can’t in NY. Especially hitting in a much better lineup than he has in Scranton.
He will probably see more good pitches to hit in his first game in NY than he would in 3 games in Scranton.
If some of you believe that Griffey can help the Yankees, give it a rest already.
Griffey is looking worse that ortiz, and we all have seen how awful ortiz has been at the plate
this year for the sox.
No chance Griffey comes to the Yankees.
No chance Griffey will play for any other team but Seattle this season.
Put a fork in him. Griffey is done.
Patrick-
I don’t think really think I was making a “straw man” argument. Instead, I was making a “don’t mess with success” argument. I admit that’s not a strictly rational argument but I do think it has some force.
I believe our real argument lies in our differing estimation of Winn’s ability to hit LHP. You think last year was just an aberration while I don’t.
Finally, I never wanted Winn. I wanted a fourth outfielder who could hit both LHP and RHP some rather than a defensive whiz. That’s influencing me some.
mick -
One would think a person would get over that and grow up, but I thought I heard he didn’t he want to come to Yankee Stadium during the All-Star game a couple of years ago. If I’m remembering correctly.
I dunno Doreen, maybe you are “misremembering” as the Rocket would say.
Ok Doreen, I have no idea about today with Miranda being a call up but I’ll take a stab at it:
SS Jeter
RF Swish
1B Tex
3B Arod
2B Cano
DH Posada
LF Winn
C Cervelli
CF Gardner
Put a fork in him. Griffey is done.
————
the sad thing is, you could have posted this at this time last year, and it would still have been a valid statement.
I was somewhat shocked that Seattle brought him back this yr. the fact that he’s been hitting him fifth shows exactly how anemic their offense it.
Miranda’s numbers against righties so far this season haven’t been eye popping BUT he’s 27 years old (we hope) and he may realize this is his shot to stick in the majors. We’ve seen other players in similar ruts in the minors rise to the occasion.
I’m more intrigued by the fact that he’s hitting lefties rather well at AAA this season.
He deserves his shot right now. Nick Johnson could be gone for the season knowing his history and the Yankees need to determine if they are going to have to give up talent for another bat or not before the deadline.
If Miranda comes up and gets the job done, you can sit tight and wait for Granderson and Johnson (perhaps) to return and infuse the lineup with some talented bats rather than trade for something….unless of course a special bat becomes available that fills a need here.
I’m pulling for Miranda. That shot he drilled in Tampa last year was a rocket. He’s got power. He’s a LH hitter. If he can put it together, he’s going to thrive and be an asset to this team.
If he flops, we start targetting DH/OF candidates. At this point I’d much rather look at guys who are actually playing right now than the likes of Dye and Delgado.
Irreverent Discourse,
I like your plan!
Maybe I’m feeling a lil trigger happy in my preemptive campaign for Zach Greinke because I see Javy leaving next year and possibly Pettitte if he can’t stay healthy with the elbow. Even with Cliff Lee, we could be short a starter for 2011. But perhaps the timing is best for the Royals and Yanks after 2011, right before Greinke enters the last year of his contract, Romine is ready for FT duties with Cervelli and Montero’s trade value skyrockets even higher with another year in AAA. Also, the extra year allows the Yankees to evaluate the direction of Romine and Montero. Maybe Romine flops and Montero becomes a defensive wiz? It’s better to wait. But I want Greinke NOW (don’t take that the wrong way, CR9 if you’re reading this).
hardwired-
i thought Griffey was done about 3 yrs ago.
just look at his numbers? they are awful.
no power
no production
if he was not a future HOF, he would have gone unsigned this spring or would have been
released by now.
the situation is difficult for seattle because the fans adore Jr. and he will be a 1st ballot HOF.
total PR nightmare for the team.
Column (linked below) by Klapisch today on David Wright made me think how it pertains to the Yankees. I usually trust my eyes more than stats so if I’m calculating something wrong, feel free to correct me but….could lower power numbers be attributed to a different plate approach?
Cano has never been thought of as “power hitter” but this year if projected out for a full season his Ks/162 are up as are his power #s.
Tex is a little below pace for avg Ks (22 this year /124 over 162) and Alex is even more below his avg pace for Ks/162 (17/129) and his power #s are down. The team in general (despite the Jeter conversation) appears to be working counts more and swinging at Strike 1 less.
If it is a change in approach that is making the difference, would you prefer the Yankees free swinging for power more with possibly an elevated K rate or putting the ball in play with less power and possibly a higher OBP?
http://www.northjersey.com/spo.....038;page=2
Bret,
Greinke is a great pitcher, but he’s a pitcher who had emotional/mental issues and had them in KC which by all accounts is a feather bed compared to playing in NY in the AL East.
I’m not sure I’d go all in for a guy who has already shown emotional instability on a small market team.
Griffey? Really? He’s completely done.
There’s no need to do anything right now. Every loss doesn’t mean it’s time for a personnel move. They’ll have Granderson back soon. That’s the real key. I’d bet my children that NJ will be back on the disabled list before long.
Jeter is jumping at the ball and not consistently staying back. Not the first time in his career and when he’s in a slump that’s usually why. Has happened peridoically in his career…doesn’t mean decline…just going through a rough patch. He will be fine.
The hitters told you all you needed to know against Joba last night…he hasn’t overwhelmed hitters like that in quite some time.
SJ44-
I agree that career stats usually give a better indication of a player’s abilities than a player’s recent ABs. If you are willing to take that point of view consistently then I believe you and I have made real progress.
I also believe that which side of that argument we take is often influenced by what our inclinations are to begin with.
In Miranda’s case, sure, give him a shot. He probably will hit RHP as well as Thames, although I wonder if he will hit it better, though he might. My only point is that Miranda is not doing so now.
However, the real issue isn’t at DH vs RHP, it is in LF v LHP. The Yanks have a band-aid for nick that is DH vs RHP, they have nothing for the gaping wound that is LF vs LHP.
Wave,
Fair enough but I still don’t agree on the “don’t mess with success”. You can always improve the team and Thames playing the field is a weakness that can be improved.
I don’t necessarily think Winn’s numbers vs Lefties last year was an aberration, I mean just watching him hit righty is painful. He looks awful; like a fastball would knock the bat out of his hands. But that being said I think he can produce better than last year but not quite as good as his career norms.
My main point is, if you put Thames in LF I guess you want either Miranda at DH or Posada at DH with Cervelli behind the plate. I just don’t think you are gaining much offense over Winn but you’d be losing a ton of defensive value.
Anyways, I’m just repeating myself at this point, I think we understand each other’s arguments.
(I never wanted Winn either but he could be useful)
Griffey was always one of my favorite non Yankees…if this is the end I hate seeing him go out this way.
G. Love,
But look at that WHIP!
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....yerId=5883
It hurts so GOOD.
Speaking of Jeter, this is what Jerkface said yesterday, “Jeter is at a career low in BB%, P/PA, LD%, OBP. Career high in GB, swinging at 10% more pitches out of the zone, swinging 10% more in general.”
Kind of troubling. It’s not just his swing that’s messed up, his entire approach is worse.
Still, I think he’ll be fine.
I bet Teixeira gets a DH day. Miranda’s first day up, put him in the field to keep him focused on the game.
The Royals have no desire to trade Greinke.
Its not about them being “competitive”. They know they aren’t competitive and won’t be anytime soon.
They get over 15 million dollars a year from the revenue sharing pool. Zack has a very friendly contract, and is a great home draw for them in the summer.
He’s not going anywhere anytime soon because its not in the best business (forget the baseball side of it) interests of the Royals to trade him at this time.
GTLU
Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Miranda DH
Gardner CF
Winn LF
Thanks Doreen!!
Thames was pissing me off last night. He had plenty of good pitches to hit, drive into the gaps, and he missed each and every one of them. Perhaps he was trying extra hard to impress his former team.
With Granderson injured, I don’t mind having Thames DH occasionaly and Winn playing LF. That might not be our “best team” out there, but this is what we have to do until Granderson returns from the DL.
I realize both Winn and Thames did not help the team get a win last night, but they might help today or tomorrow or who knows when.
okay, i’ll give it a try with miranda in the lineup.
jete ss
swish rf
tex 1b
arod 3b
cano 2b
posada c
miranda dh
winn lf
gardner cf
Thinking long term, there will probably be some changes along the way. There usually is a mid season pickup that is influential to our success.
Along the way we will do fine, although the next 2 weeks will probably be our toughest stretch of the season.
Most teams we will handle easily as the schedule lightens up but waiting around for Nick Johnson might not be an option.
Whatever happened to the rotating DH idea?
Sure, Jeter and Arod are both done, finished, kaput. Are you people serious? When have we heard this before about Jeter? For April he was at .330 .354 .521, above his career average for OPS and now 9 games later he’s finished? Really? Really? It seems that some people around here just started following baseball. It’s a long, long season and Jeter is in a slump. Not the end of the world, slumps happen. Don’t worry about his low walk totals, Jeter never walks that much. He averaged 60 walks the past 3 season and he’ll be at 50+ this year.
On to Arod, you know the guy hitting .393 .500 .536 for May. Are you serious? He’s done because he only has 3 bombs? He’ll get his, don’t worry.
And my last point. People are complaining about our bench guys and some others such as Winn, Thames, Logan, etc. They seem to expect All-Stars as the last guy out of the pen and the 3rd guy on the bench. Sure injuries have forced our hand, but there’s a reason these guys are bench players and last guys out of the pen. Did you see that lineup that beat us last night for the Tigers? Could you imagine if we rolled out Sizemore, Laird and Everett at the bottom of our lineup on a daily basis? These guys play and play alot for the Tigers and they’re not playing because of injury, like Thames and Winn. Talk about a meltdown.
remember when Griffey Jr. burst onto the scene? he was The Kid. he didn’t take the game too seriously, and just let his talent speak for itself.
I can only imagine that if you went back and told him, “You’re going to hold onto the game for way too long, even when your skills make you look worse than your old man is playing right now” he would have laughed in your face.
in the end, though, he’s still an all-time top 10 player (imho).
SJ44,
Yeah there’s no way the Royals trade Greinke, unfortunately. It’s not even that I want the Yankees to get him, I just feel bad for Zach being stuck on such a terrible team. He deserves so much better.
Who said Miranda was called up?
If so, who was sent down to make room for Miranda?
Damon on WFAN now.
Bret,
I agree, the guy is a beast. Even knowing what we know about him, I’d trade for him if he hit the market.
I just wouldn’t be shocked if had anxiety issues pitching here and I wonder if that would color Cashman’s view of ever acquiring the guy especially after what we’re seeing Javy go through in his 2nd time around.
That said, I don’t know why KC would trade him. The quickest way back to being competitive is keeping your young franchise players in place.
It’s the same argument I have for SD. If Jed Hoyer is such a great GM, why trade a young franchise 1b for prospects when you’re going to need that kind of player to compete in the next 3-5 years.
Trading guys like Gonzalez and Greinke for question marks doesn’t strike me as the smartest way to rebuild an organization since you have no idea how well the players acquired will fare.
As for the money aspect, both KC and SD have rock bottom payrolls. They should be able to more than afford to keep these guys at market prices since the rest of the team is so cheap.
Damon just loves to talk, doesn’t he?
hardwired,
Griffey was really something when he first came up and during his Seattle years..imagine if the M’s had kept Griffey, Arod, and Randy Johnson all together…
Wave,
Here’s my point…..
DH is not a make or break situation with the Yankees this year.
They need to figure out a way to fill a hole for 3 more weeks until Granderson gets back.
If you have a Miranda/Thames platoon at DH for the next few weeks, I’m guessing it will be reasonably productive enough to survive, given both guys track records and the fact they are hitting in a loaded lineup. It doesn’t have to be 2007 David Ortiz-like production to help the Yankees. Especially now that Tex and Arod are close to heating up.
LF? It is what it is at this point until Granderson gets back. We are just going to have to live with Randy Winn. Last night was certainly painful to watch.
However, if Boone Logan could actually throw the ball over the plate, they would have had as good a shot as anybody to win the game. Logan’s foibles were as impactful in the final outcome as Winn’s last night.
Right now, they are in a bit of “survival mode” because of the injuries.
That’s why building up some early equity with these wins is very helpful.
Especially since they have been on the road for most of the season to date.
George King mentioned Miranda possibly coming up today in the Post:
“In order to strengthen the bench, the Yankees may promote left-handed hitting Juan Miranda from Triple-A. If that move is made, infielder Kevin Russo is the likely candidate to be demoted.”
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....H2DxGvTrGP
SS Jeter
RF Swisher
1B Teixeira
3B Rodriguez
2B Cano
C Posada
DH Thames
CF Gardner
LF Winn
Thanks!
I agree that Boone Logan has to throw more strikes or they need to find an alternative. Can’t have situational relievers coming in throwing balls.
I don’t think we will be seeing Thames in Left anytime soon.
The Miranda/Thames DH platoon is a nobrainer.
Looks like we are stuck with Winn in LF.
Surprised Cash picked up a player that appears to be done.
Warning Track Power May 11th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Who said Miranda was called up?
**************************
Here’s the tweet from Sherman:
Joelsherman1 #Yankees are calling up Juan Miranda, feeling LH bat is needed with Johnson and Granderson on DL
GTLU
Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Miranda DH
Gardner CF
Winn LF
Again, these should be our worst problems.
Bret
nice to see you back, and congrats, hope your plan works perfectly
Griffey is one of my fav non-Yankees, and I was glad he went back to Seattle. I liked hearing the stories about him and Ichirio last year. It sounds like it is time to move on…too bad, I had high hopes for Seattle this year.
Will Miranda be joining the team today?
We have nobody in the minors better than winn and thames to play LF ? Amazing
Erin-Thanks for the info. Guess the move makes sense for the reasons already stated.
I love Miranda. Saw a lot of him this year during ST. He has a fine swing and can hit the ball out of the park.
IMO, he would be much more valuable than Russo at this point.
Winn might not be a great player, but for today, he is out best option in LF(in terms of defense). Let’s be honest here, Winn is our 25th man on the roster. How great should he be?
You cannot have a career low on May 11th.
All those numbers on Jeter are compared to his end of the season statistics.
He has had stretches in his career where those percentages have been just as bad and worse.
No offense to the poster of this today but trading Romine for Damon this year could be the dumbest thing I’ve read in awhile.
If the Tigers move him it’s because they’re out of it and they want to dump salary. They would take the proverbial bag of balls as long as they’re off the hook for the $.
There’s no chance that the Royals are going to look to deal Grienke.
If you want to talk to Dayton Moore about a pitcher though I’m sure he would listen on Gil Meche. He’s been brutal to open the season.
SJ –
Thanks for the update on Garcia. Sad news.
If Juan Miranda is infact with the team and Jorge is ready to catch back to back games then maybe Miranda is DH’n.
I’ll go with this lineup for tonight:
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Brett Gardner CF
Francisco Cervelli C
Randy Winn LF
New Post- Sherman: Miranda being called up
G. Love and SJ44,
Certainly agreed. The Royals have no incentive to trade him right this minute but if I’m the Royals and my guy looks like he wants out (why wouldn’t he when the team is miserable and a perpetual bottom basement dweller?) heading into his last 2 contract years at 14 mil per, I’d listen.
Last season Jeter had tremendous success swinging early in the count. He seemed to be making a conscious adjustment to how he was being approached in prior seasons.
This year the league seems to have adjusted back and he’s not getting the same pitches to hit early in the count.
Jeter needs to adjust back and get back to being the patient hitter he’s been for most of his career.
But this recurrent conversation about his production to date and whether or not it is a marker for the decline people have been bracing for for years is very premature.
You can’t make much out of the data unless you couple data to speculation which in turn makes data not that useful for drawing inference.
Nor does that speculation create new hypothesis as people have been worried about Jeter’s demise (move off SS, etc.) for years now.
Miranda’s arrival does several things for the Yanks’ roster. For one, it helps settle the DH and leftfield situations, plus the overall lineup picture, all of which have kind of been in a bit of flux over the last week because of injuries both minor and major. Now, Joe Girardi can employ a straight platoon of Miranda and Marcus Thames at DH and in the 7th spot of the lineup. Randy Winn can’t hit, but he catches everything he should and then some, so now he’ll get regular playing time in the outfield. It’s not the prettiest picture, but at least now everyone has a defined role and we all have some peace of mind.
An added benefit is that the Yanks will now get an opportunity to evaluate Miranda for an extended amount of time at the big league level. It’s not just an audition for a possible DH job with the Yankees next season, it’s an audition for the other 29 clubs. If Miranda performs well and the Yanks deem him expendable – remember, he’ll be out of options next season, so he has to stick on the big league roster or go through waivers – they can use him in a trade to shore up another area of the team. A fringe benefit is that it also keeps Thames from being exposed against righthanders (dude’s got just four singles since Granderson got hurt).
The bleacher report has an article on the 10 most indispensable players by rank of 2010, Yankee tops the chart….guess who/
1 Mariano Rivera -World Series Champion Yankees
2 Doc Halladay-Phillies
3 Mauer-Twins
4 Pujols-Cardinals
5 H. Ramirez- Marlins
6 Lincecum-Giants
7 E. Longoria-Tampa
8 R. Zimmerman-Nats
9 D. Wright-Mets
10 J. Werth-Phillies
What do you guys think.
Above c & p from RAB
LGY,
Correct…the “fun with numbers” around here really gets out of hand sometimes. Jeter hit 2 lasers last night…those fall in and nobody talks about this.
The player the Yankee are really missing is Granderson. Thames and Miranda in place of Johnson is just fine. Winn in place of Granderson is not so fine.
Maybe when Andy is back in the rotation, they go back to 12 pitchers and bring up a RH hitiing outfielder than can acually hit and play the field. Winn can’t hit lefties and Thames can’t play in the OF. I would like to see if Russo can get the job done in the OF.
Russo hasn’t played enough in the OF in his career to put him out there and give him regular work.
JD’s career is amazing. enough said.
What are we paying Nick Johnson? $5m? For $2m more we could have had Johnny Damon in the DH/LF role thriving in this lineup. Imagine a lineup that when you hit 7-8-9-1-2 would feature Granderson, Swisher, Gardner, Jeter and Damon to set the table for Tex, A-Rod, Cano and Posada. That lineup would score 1,000 runs. Not that our lineup is anything to sneeze at but Damon would have and could have put us in another stratosphere.
Huge mistake letting him go
The main thing I took from Damon’s comments is that he’s now able to form coherent sentences in his native tongue. Good for him.