A-Rod back in the lineup
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Lineup on Jun 16, 2010 
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Alex Rodriguez is back in the Yankees lineup at designated hitter.
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Kevin Russo 3B
Brett Gardner LF
RHP A.J. Burnett
We can trade for Pujols to platoon with Granderson.
And Howard is slowly deteriorating as a hitter and is obviously not worth the money spent on him.
He OPS?d .225 .307 .438 .745 against lefties in his career. 1.055 OPS against righties. That is not a bad player.
2007: .225 .333 .493 .826
2008: 224 .294 .451 .746
2009: .207 .298 .356 .653
2010:.218 .269 .379 .648
See the trend?
O?Neil ended his career as a .247 .312 .386 .699 hitter vs Lefties.
OPS 1996: better than .700 1997: .766 (hit .280!) 1998: .760 (hit .280 again!) 1999: .543 2000: .836 (reverse platoon split that season) 2001: .732
Granderson career: .209 .268 .344 .612
OPS 2009: .484 2008: .739 2007: .494 2006: .671
Granderson?s current line: 200 .245 .340 .585
If he can?t get up to .700 he should probably be platooned.
–
Double Repost
basically, Granderson isn’t a good comp against O’Neil or Howard yet.
ARGH-
What happened to “A-Rod will be playing 3rd base”
Girardi is such a cheater!
It’s good to see the lineup back to full strength. Well, as close to full strength as it can be with NJ on the dl.
Jerkface June 16th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
And Howard is slowly deteriorating as a hitter and is obviously not worth the money spent on him.
***********
I think some of Philly’s logic on his signing was that he was a draw to the park and fans come see him
oneil only learned to hit lefties in the second half of his career, before he joined the yankees he was OPSing somewhere around .580 against them.
how about we let granderson get to the second half of his career.
“We can trade for Pujols to platoon with Granderson.
Romaine and Mottero are RH hitters too. just something to think about when considering platoon partners with Grandy….
hmmm that looks like a line up someone had…not me however.
We should know better than to believe what Girardi says!
Is the game gonna go tonight? Rain in the forecast…
2 hour window tonight.. will start raining after 9pm
I think some of Philly?s logic on his signing was that he was a draw to the park and fans come see him
–
Ruben Amaro Jr could be stupid enough to have thought that. I wouldn’t put it past him.
There was no logic in Ryan Howard’s contract extension.
Using Howard as an example as for why Granderson should start against lefties is silly.
The Phillies have the same numbers. Its not breaking news. Yet, he still plays everyday.
Why? Because the risk of sitting him against all lefties, and messing with his head, outweighs the rewards of what they get in return.
IMO, the same thing is in play with Granderson and why I don’t see them turning him into a platoon player midway through his first season in NY.
Hey guys, good luck at the softball game tonight!
Start Thames against tough lefty. Once lefty is out of game, replace him with Granderson.
Play the matchups, if it’s just some journeyman lefty, let Granderson start and get some hacks in.
That’s about it.
What are the pros and cons of Swisher vs. Granderson batting 2nd? I kind of like Swisher batting in the 2nd half of the batting order because of RBI opportunities, but I know his higher OBP might be better for 2nd. Just curious — thoughts?
Where is Doreen?
I guess it…
The Fangraph article was related to pinch hitting. it doesn’t make sense to carry a bunch of platoon pinch hitters because players underperform across the board pinch hitting. There are very few players capable of being productive pinch hitters and all of them would likely be better in full time.
Russo, I was thinking Russo but I selected Pena for the 8th spot…So close…
I like Swisher in the 2 hole. He has good bat control, sees a lot of pitches and gets on base.
It really isn’t Patrick.
Teams have all of this information yet, make these decisions.
If it was so cut and dried, why aren’t they doing it?
They aren’t because its more than just raw data. Its about how it affects the player, the team overall, the risk v. reward, etc.
It all goes into it, not just the raw numbers.
57-
Personally, I like Grandy #2 against righties and Swish # 2 against
lefties.
Grandy offers more speed out of the 2 hole but Swish offers the higher OBP.
That’s my 2 cents.
You may not just be messing with his head, but his playing ability as well.
There is a reason baseball is played everyday, why it takes some guys months from the start of ST to get locked in, why it takes guys some time to get in a groove after coming off the DL, etc.
A huge part of hitting a baseball is about timing.
Giving multiple days off a week to a guy who has played very close to 162 games every year of his career could hurt more than help.
SJ44,
They aren’t platooning Granderson because there is nobody on the team to platoon him with…
Teams have all of this information yet, make these decisions.
–
Teams are fallible.
That’s not true Patrick.
They aren’t platooning him because they see him as an everyday player, despite his struggles against lefties.
They could have played Randy Winn more when he was here. They could have played Thames before he got hurt (he rakes against lefties). They could have played Russo.
Yet, they haven’t.
Why? Because they see him as the everyday CF and I don’t care who they acquire at the deadline, I don’t see a situation where they are going to turn him into a platoon player midway through his first season in NY.
Especially since his struggles against lefties hasn’t hurt the team at all.
“Oops, I didn’t realize “sigh” was an argument. How silly of me!”
Because it wasn’t. It was commentary. The argument preceded it. Look again.
“When you make a point that begins to be responsive to my earlier argument”
Which is what exactly?
‘By the way, one bat in a line up can make a huge difference.”
Quantify it.
“Huge difference” has meaning.
Support that claim.
Teams are fallible…
So are fans who get too wedded to numbers and think that’s all that should go into decisionmaking.
Randy Winn and Marcus Thames are not acceptable platoon options for Granderson. Thames is not a gaurantee vs Lefties at this stage in his career and has no value elsewhere.
Same with Randy Winn.
They do not have anyone to platoon him with, thus he is not platooned.
SJ44,
We both know Winn can’t hit lefties.
Thames was used to platoon for Gardner until Granderson got hurt. Then it became apparent that Gardner could hit lefties. When Granderson came back, Thames got hurt. I think we would have seen Thames start more in place of Granderson against lefties had Thames not gotten hurt.
So are fans who get too wedded to numbers and think that?s all that should go into decisionmaking.
–
Great so we’re all fallible, that takes away the “Teams don’t do it so it must be right” argument. Perhaps the Phillies would win more games with a platoon. Maybe they wouldn’t. “No one will do it because they don’t do it.” is not a valid response, tho.
The Yankees didn’t trade Austin and Coke for a platoon player. They are gonna give Granderson the start every day. They may pick a day against a tuff lefty to rest him but that’s it.
Marcus Thames is hitting over .300 against lefties and has an .854 OPS. That’s not good enough?
Who do you think you are going to get to platoon with Granderson?
The reason Granderson isn’t being platooned is the Yankees have no interest platooing their starting CF.
The reason Granderson isn’t being platooned is the Yankees have no interest platooing their starting CF.
—
Just because you’ve assigned Granderson the label of “Yankee Starting CF” doesn’t mean the Yankees view him that way as well.
How do you know they have no interest in this?
When has a player of Granderson’s caliber ever been platooned?
When has a platoon in general really worked out?
People calling for a platoon right now are getting too caught up in the statistics in the age of video games and fantasy baseball.
In the big picture and real world MLB, the benefits of this theoretical platoon are not going to put some like Grandy on the bench full time against LHP.
If the internet was as prevalent as it is today when the Yankees acquired O’Neill the same exact things would have been said about him.
If fans and blogs ran the team back then O’Neill would have been benched his first season with the Yankees.
How did that work out?
The Yankees saw something in Nick Swisher the numbers didn’t suggest, and didn’t panic when Nady went down. They were rewarded for their foresight and patience.
The Yankees saw something in Brett Gardner most fans did not. They were rewarded for their foresight and patience.
The Yankees didn’t push the panic button in early 2008 with Cano. They were rewarded for their foresight and patience.
The Yankees didn’t push the panic button last year when Posada AND Molina went down. They were rewarded for their foresight and patience.
The Yankees are going to exhibit patience with Curtis Granderson. Like all of us, the saw his career numbers when they acquired him and saw something they thought they could work with. They aren’t going to jump ship like a rat based on 50-something ABs.
I suspect they’ll be rewarded for their foresight and patience.
Frankly, I think the position of seeking a platoon option for him smacks of fear and cowardice.
Small Sample on Thames this season, and he hasn’t hit a HR against a lefty in a while. They aren’t platooning (even a semi-platoon where they rest him vs all but the worst lefties) because they do not have anyone to platoon him with.
They have no interest, because they have no one to do it with. Doesn’t mean they wouldn’t, if they did.
When has a player of Granderson’s caliber ever been platooned?
–
Guys that have a sub .600 OPS vs lefties are platooned quite often.
If the Yankees had followed Chip’s advice and traded Joba for me then they would have a platoon partner for Granderson.
Nice too see Philly Phitten must have found a bridge to jump off. Doc this Doc that. No cure for what the Yankees got. Oh Yeah!
Why do I sense another epic “old” school vs. “new” school battle coming on here ?
Patrick,
As I’ve said, I have no doubt they will sit Granderson against certain lefties.
I just don’t think the Yankees are going to turn the guy into a straight platoon player midway through his first year in NY.
I don’t even think its on their radar to be honest.
“Guys that have a sub .600 OPS vs lefties are platooned quite often.”
———————–
That completely avoids the question.
When has someone who puts up the line that Granderson does at the end of the year and plays stellar defense ever been platooned?
Why wasn’t O’Neill platooned 2 months into his Yankee career?
I don’t even think its on their radar to be honest.
—
I do think it’s on the radar.
I guess argument over?
Why wasn’t O’Neill platooned 2 months into his Yankee career?
—
Because he hit lefties at an acceptable rate as was previously shown by Jerkface or Wave your hat I forget who
SJ44, I’d have to agree on Granderson. He’s got too much power to be just a platoon player. They will sit him vs. guys like Lester and see where he is at the end of the year to determine what to do in the playoffs.
“Why do I sense another epic “old” school vs. “new” school battle coming on here ?”
————————–
Do I fall under old school?
Yikes, have I aged that much in the past year? Time to cut back with school and work.
Marcus Thames has a career of hitting LHP. Its not just his numbers this year.
If they wanted to platoon Granderson, they had opportunities to do it. Especially since Gardner can play CF.
They didn’t do that because they don’t want to platoon the guy.
Patrick,
I’m not the only guy labeling him the starting CF of the Yankees. The manager did that pretty early in the process when he wouldn’t move Granderson to LF, despite a lot of people wanting that to happen.
Let’s give Long some more time with Grandy and he will end up dandy. There will be no platoon this year. Love it or hate or whatever that’s just the way it is.
“Start Thames against tough lefty”
Thames should never start for the Yankees playing in the OF…he’s that bad!
They paid enough for Grandy, so at this point, cashman will insist on him being an everyday player unless and until he becomes a liability. Batting him second will, at least, allow him to see more fastballs (since he does not hit breaking balls from lefties)
Also, its time to consider having Gardner bat 1st and moving Jete to the 2nd spot.
Looking at Royce Ring’s performance at SWB this year, its been hard to fathom why he’s not been given a shot in the BP, especially against predominant lefty lineups like the Phils. I realize that he’s not on the 40-man but there are a few that should be moved…starting with Chad Gaudin.
“Just because you’ve assigned Granderson the label of “Yankee Starting CF” doesn’t mean the Yankees view him that way as well.
How do you know they have no interest in this?”
——————————————————–
common sense, Patrick
Patrick,
I’ll bet you a beer he isn’t a platoon player for the Yankees this year, regardless of what he hits against lefties the rest of the year.
Deal?
“Because he hit lefties at an acceptable rate as was previously shown by Jerkface or Wave your hat I forget who”
——————————
His OPS vs LHP was sub .600 his first year with the Yankees.
He was just as bad as Granderson his first year.
eboland11 Jeter getting sarcastic applause from some teammates and Kevin Long as TV interview went long, causing him to be tardy for start of BP
“Just because you’ve assigned Granderson the label of “Yankee Starting CF” doesn’t mean the Yankees view him that way as well.
“How do you know they have no interest in this?
“But, Granderson was acquired to be our everyday CF and that is our expectation.” – Brian Cashman, Feb. 16 2010
http://nomaas.org/2010/02/the-.....n-cashman/
I know, I know. This is the internet. Patrick won’t say he was wrong, he’s just going to reply:
“Well, how do you know he think that now”…
Old School was a laugh riot of a movie.
First of all, as I previously described, the Yanks had no opportunity to platoon Granderson because they initially thought Gardner was a weaker hitter vs LHP. Which is why we saw the Thames/Gardner platoon early on until Granderson was injured.
Secondly, you are misremembering SJ44. Girardi said he would try both guys in LF and CF and if Gardner was a significantly better fielder he’d make a change but if not he’d stick with Granderson in CF.
And I don’t care what CG’s label is. He can’t hit lefties, therefore he sits vs lefties. It’s really pretty simple.
Neither of us have anything new to add to this discussion. You are repeating yourself. I am repeating myself. Argument over
LGY-
all kidding aside. There definitely has been a change in you and in the way you post.
I am not saying you no longer like the numbers but you seem to see more limitations in their application than you used to ?
That is just my unsolicited opinion, and I apologize if I am wrong or have offended you.
But it has not gone unnoticed at least with me.
LathamJoe June 16th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
“Start Thames against tough lefty”
Thames should never start for the Yankees playing in the OF…he’s that bad!
They paid enough for Grandy, so at this point, cashman will insist on him being an everyday player unless and until he becomes a liability. Batting him second will, at least, allow him to see more fastballs (since he does not hit breaking balls from lefties)
———————-
If Granderson keeps putting up a sub-600 OPS against lefties, you’ll need to start Thames, who is the better hitter by miles.
Just hope only a couple of balls get hit to him for about 6 innings.
They did not trade Jackson, Kennedy, and Coke so that they can platoon Granderson. That’s just silly.
Granderson is an every day player and should play every day with an occasional day off.
“Old School was a laugh riot of a movie”
————————————–
the part in the Toy store, was hilarious.
Ditto for the Vivica Fox and diapers, scene
thank you. Had completely forgot of that movie
“And I don’t care what CG’s label is.”
Of course you don’t, because the Yankee general manger doesn’t agree with you.
So can we stop framing this argument as what the Yankees are thinking and call it what it is, what YOU want…
MTU,
You are very much correct. I have become much less enamored with the numbers, particularly in their application by many fans.
Nice pick up
Girardi also said there was a 5 man competition for the fifth starters slot. You still believe that?
Granderson was always going to be the starting CF and he’s not going to be turned into a platoon player in his first year in NY.
O’Neill was platooned to start of his Yankee career:
You’ll notice that he wasn’t in the starting lineup most days they faced a LHSP (scroll over the date to find out the SP’s name:
http://www.baseball-reference......ders.shtml
SJ44-
I don’t think numbers are all that go into decision making.
However, in baseball numbers are hard things to ignore.
If Granderson were just struggling this year against lefties I would be totally sympathetic to your argument. But the fact is, he is hitting lefties this year exactly the same as he has hit them his entire career. That is a huge point, an unavoidable point.
Granderson knows that. You think he doesn’t understand his problems against lefties? If the team says Curtis, we think it’s best for the team to let someone else play when we are facing a lefty it’s going to destroy his self-confidence? I don’t.
I’m sure the Yanks hoped they could turn Granderson around when they got him, but he’s the same hitter against lefties he always was.
Right now, there’s no compelling reason to platoon him, IMO, because the hope that he does improve IMO outweighs the benefits of playing Russo or Hoffman in place of him.
However, if the Yanks got a RH hitting OF who could play defense some, then the equation changes. I think the Yanks are trying to get one.
Why? The Yanks got a huge advantage in the post-season last year taking advantage of Howard’s and Kubel’s weakness against lefties. The Yank management is smart.
And while we are on the subject, the Marlins just called up Stanton (to Chip’s disappointment I am sure). What about the Yanks trying to get Codey Ross?
Granderson is the worst hitter in the lineup against tough lefties. Platooning him may not be realistic, but there is a legitimate argument to be made especially if his performance does not improve.
Personally I’d just start Thames as the matchups dictate, tough lefties don’t really come by often.
Paul O’Neill vs LHP in his first season with the Yankees:
.230/.279/.319 .598 OPS
Funny how that worked out.
Go back to 1993 and if this blog existed just substitute O’Neill for Granderson.
Frank the Tank!Frank the Tank!
We’re Going Streaking!! Through the Quad and Into the Gymnasium!
LGY-
The force is now with you and you have come over from the Dark Side young Master Luke.
Does Kevin Russo play a good 3b?
wave,
We aren’t in total disagreement. I just don’t think they are going to make the guy a platoon player. I think they will sit him against certain lefties but, not all of them.
I think they realized when they got him, he was an imperfect player and needed work from the left side.
I also think they believe by working with him and sitting him against certain lefties, they can get him to being a .240-.250 hitter against lefties. Which, may be attainable.
Make him strictly a platoon player? I’ll believe it when I see it. I don’t see that on their radar this year.
Cody Ross is a good player. Right now, the Marlins are sitting Cameron Maybin and playing Ross in CF.
I know Cody a little bit and he would LOVE to play for the Yankees.
I don’t know though if the Marlins are set on dealing him just yet because they aren’t sure about Maybin.
O’Neal wasn’t a .260 hitter like Granderson
O’Neal was a clean up hitter on a dynasty team.
Also O’Neal didn’t strike out a lot
LGY-
I once drew to an inside straight. Think I should make a practice of it?
Wave-
I think you should but just not on betting on getting one.
SJ44-
I agree, the Marlins’ views on Maybin would be the key to getting a Ross deal done. Right now Maybin is struggling, but you have to think the Marlins still have high hopes for him.
“If Granderson were just struggling this year against lefties I would be totally sympathetic to your argument. But the fact is, he is hitting lefties this year exactly the same as he has hit them his entire career. That is a huge point, an unavoidable point.”
As in the fact the Yankees knew of this when they acquired him and he hasn’t even had two consecutive months of ABs yet.
You know the difference between .200 and .250 in 50 ABs. 2.5 hits.
If a couple of times Granderson drive the ball against lefties (and he has) found holes, this conversation wouldn’t be taking place.
“Right now, there’s no compelling reason to platoon him, IMO, because the hope that he does improve IMO outweighs the benefits of playing Russo or Hoffman in place of him.
“However, if the Yanks got a RH hitting OF who could play defense some, then the equation changes. I think the Yanks are trying to get one.”
Circular logic if there ever was any.
The Marlins organization is 50-50 on him.
That trade has turned out to be a disaster for them. They trade Cabrera, which they didn’t have to do, and got Andrew Miller and Maybin (along with 3 other guys that didn’t work out) in return.
Two “can’t miss” prospects. Miller is pitching to a 9 ERA in AA and can’t find the plate, and Maybin has really scuffled.
I could see the Marlins moving Cody in the off-season. In season? Hard to do with Maybin being such a question mark.
“Circular logic if there ever was any.”
And it is circular because?
“That trade has turned out to be a disaster for them. They trade Cabrera, which they didn’t have to do, and got Andrew Miller and Maybin (along with 3 other guys that didn’t work out) in return”
———————————————–
SJ: wow. That looks even worse then the Bill Smith – Santana trade.
Poll question:
If Grandy continues to hit lefties poorly he should be:
A) Platooned against all lefties
B) Platooned against only select lefties
C) Never Platooned
D) Traded as soon as possible. He has the loser gene and just stinks.
“I could see the Marlins moving Cody in the off-season. In season? Hard to do with Maybin being such a question mark.”
I tend to agree, but if the Marlins fell out of it it might be worth looking into. Ross would fit well with the Yanks. Even if the Yanks don’t ever platoon Granderson they still need a DH/OF.
MTU (aka GBURL) June 16th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Poll question:
If Grandy continues to hit lefties poorly he should be:
A) Platooned against all lefties
B) Platooned against only select lefties
C) Never Platooned
D) Traded as soon as possible. He has the loser gene and just stinks.
———————–
Taking B, which is basically what they’re doing right now anyways.
The Bill Smith Santana trade was worse. Carlos Gomez is a glorified pinch runner, and that’s about all he got out of that deal.
MTU,
Ill go with B…we all know if it was D that you could cure him.
I think the Yanks view getting lefties to hit lefties as one of Kevin Long’s strengths.
Kay is giving his opinion on the Yankees;
Team needs a reliever. Just one reliever is what Kay feels the team needs.
Phil the Thrill-
If Kevin Long teaches Granderson to hit lefties, then whatever Kevin is being paid, he isn’t being paid enough.
Blake-
You think so ? Shouldn’t we give Long his shot first ?
Only good thing that came out of that trade for the Marlins Vinny was including Dontrelle Willis in the deal.
Other than that, it was a disaster. This from an organization that usually has a great eye for talent in the minor leagues.
I remember when Andrew Miller was drafted. He pitched at North Carolina and was dominant.
Scout friends of mine though hated his long arm action and felt he would have command issues at the professional level.
The Tigers took him and paid him a ton of money to sign. A year later, one of my scout friends who gave me the heads up on Miller, took a job with the Tigers.
Next thing I know, he’s included in the Cabrera deal.
My first thought was, “he was in Dombrowski’s ear”.
The Marlins have tried everything with Miller and nothing has taken so far.
Can you imagine how good the Marlins would be right now if they had Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera and Mike Stanton?
They wouldn’t be having the trouble they are having selling seats to their new stadium, that’s for sure.
Be glad to answer your question Wave if you answer me two short, simple ones.
1.) The difference between .200 and .250 for Granderson right now is less than 3 hits.
Y/N?
2.) You genuinely believe the Yankees are actively looking to give up prospects and scuttle their publicly expresses plan for Curtis Granderson to be their everyday centerfielder based on that margin?
Y/N?
Sure hate that Cisco isn’t in the starting line up tonight.
Read that Gm Ruben Amaro (Phillies) is in talks with Pedro Martinez, so he’s admitting he made a huge mistake letting Lee go. Philly are 4-8 in June 2010.
MTU,
Of course, I’m just saying that if its determined that he has caught the “loser gene” then we may have to call in the specialist.
SJ-
Whatever happened to Miller? All I remember hearing if how he was one of the most major league ready pitchers of that loaded ’06 draft (which is close to my heart lol) out of UNC and he was a lefty to boot. How did he go from such a great draft prospect to still not being in the majors?
On the comparison between Granderson and Ryan Howard I’ll make you a deal:
When Curtis Ganderson wins an MVP award then you can say that because the Phillies don’t platoon Howard the Yankees shouldn’t platoon Granderson. Until then, let’s agree that they’re not on the same level.
Blake-
I’ll be ready but I doubt I ever get the call.
Sj,
Haha I see that you answered my question a few posts up. Didn’t know about his long arm action as admittantly I’ve seen him pitch like twice but the scouting reports were so glowing about him I guess I just bought into it.
Even in the year he won his MVP, Pujols was better.
Can you imagine how good the Marlins would be right now if they had Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera and Mike Stanton?
———————-
Marlins would never expand their payroll enough to pay both Han-Ram and Miggy.
chip – that is a very valid way of arguing. my car is red, so lets call it an apple.
also, way to completely miss the point on the marlins. lol…
Tyler,
Can’t find the plate. Its the dangers of reading too much Baseball America during the draft.
You look at some guys, and you see warning signs.
With Miller, it was his mechanics.
Once he got in the minors, they tried everything with him.
Kept him as he was at UNC? Didn’t work.
Tried to refine his delivery more 3/4? Didn’t work?
More over the top? Didn’t work.
To be honest, I don’t even know what they are doing with him now.
I saw him in the Spring and I asked someone if he had Steve Blass Disease. He was that bad.
I was told, “no”, and that he just has trouble finding his arm slot and repeating his mechanics.
I hope he didn’t spend all of the 6 million Scott Boras got for him when he signed with the Tigers. It may end up being the only big money he makes in the game.
SJ-
That would be one scary talented young trio.
Irreverent Discourse June 16th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
also, way to completely miss the point on the marlins. lol?
———–
I got the point, but it’s a silly one to make. It’s not that the Marlins traded Miguel Cabrera because they were trying to improve their team and it blew up on them. They traded Miguel Cabrera because they didn’t want to pay him. If they hadn’t traded Cabrera then they would have trade Ramirez…point is, under no circumstances would they still be teammates.
Congratulations to Today’s GTLU Winners:
Patrick from CT
Unknown
Thank you all for playing. You did very well while I was away.
I apologize for being MIA today.
I left for Bayonne early this morning, with almost no time to get ready and had to go directly from there to White Plains. (Filled out application for an apartment for daughter)
Got home at 4:15, had to find and fax documents to apartment leasing company and then I went through to process GTLU.
If I had been able to get an internet connection, I could have started the game, but I could not get one. I am really glad to know that you carried on in my absence. Again I apologize.
stuckey-
Ask me when Curtis has those hits. If wishes were horses…
The difference between a .300 hitter and a 250 hitter over 600 ABs is a mere 30 hits, less than 1 hit every fifth game. So there’s no real difference between them, is there?
And, as we all know, BA doesn’t begin to tell the story. CG has a .245 OBP vs lefties, and a .340 SLG. Not good.
But, if these results didn’t mirror his entire career, if he hadn’t been awful against LHP in 2009, those things would argue for his side.
Now, what was circular about my thinking, or would you like me to give you a pass on that? I’m a nice guy, I’ll give you a pass if you want one.
Actually, the Marlins didn’t have to trade Cabrera for money reasons. They did it because they thought they were getting a prospect haul in return.
The Marlins have made over 80 million dollars in profits the past 3 years.
They have a publicly funded $650 million dollar stadium that will open in two years. That will increase their revenues by almost 40% and their profits will soar even more.
They could have a 80-90 million dollar payroll right now and still make money because of their revenue sharing check, as well as their MLB.com, TV and Radio deals. They choose not to.
Its a profitable franchise and they missed the boat when they dealt Cabrera in a big way.
SJ:
definitely. Hanley, Miguel Cabrera, and Stanton would be warfare.
interesting on Andrew Miller and how trades are made. And it makes me hope Brackman will fare better. To tell you the truth, the perception i had was Brackman was highly regarded at North Carolina. Yet, unexperienced and unpolished. In other words, a project. Is this accurate?
SJ,
Thats pretty amazing. That’s why I was cracking up when people were going nuts over the Culver pick. People get so obsessed over Baseball America and all of these unnamed scouts touting guys as “cant miss”. He was just so dominant at UNC. Amazing he couldn’t keep it up. But as you said, alot of good scouts picked up on his delivery and mechanics and correctly picked it up that he would have trouble with control over the long run
The Tigers seem to always be willing to spend on those pitchers with good stuff but signibility concerns. A guy I played against Jacob Turner was drafted in the first round last year by them and got a big money bonus. He seems to be doing alright though. Better than Tim Melville who was one of the most highly touted players ever out of St. Louis. All of this coverage makes me regret going to school and not signing a little bit lol. It would have been amazing to just focus on baseball haha.
They were never going to trade Hanley Ramirez. They needed to sign him in order to get the politicians on their side to get their stadium deal.
The Cabrera trade actually hurt them politically since Miguel was personal friends with one of the County Commissioners (whose vote was needed to get their funding) and he blew a gasket.
Took a lot of lobbying money to make him feel better and vote for the stadium.
Whoop Whoop! I needed that win today. Now let’s crush this senior citizen tonight
Did anyone see what the http://www.bostondirtdogs.com have posted on their site? The 1st picture that comes up is a major Dis to Manny.
The Yankees are 41-23, best record in MLB, 1st in OBP and runs….Granderson is not coming out of the Lineup.
If numbers were the guiding influence on thse decisions, Texiera would probably be sitting against righties.
Jacob Turner is the real deal. If he stays healthy, that kid can be a star. Great talent.
Vinny,
Brackman played against my nephew when he was a freshman at BC. He had played more basketball than baseball at that time.
However, when you saw him pitch, you saw a lot of talent.
You also saw a kid that was raw with a capital “R”.
Unable to repeat his mechanics consistently. Not uncommon for a kid 6-10.
However, he was a hard worker, had a good rep for being a good kid, and you could see the potential. This, prior to his injury of course.
Saw him pitch again a few weeks ago against my nephew’s team and I was really impressed with what I saw. He looked completely different than he was when I saw him in Charleston last year.
Pat M’s scout friend was right. He said Brackman would be the talk of the system this year.
I think he is on his way to AA soon. If he pitches well there, I think the Yankees are going to be real excited about what they have in him.
“Thats pretty amazing. That’s why I was cracking up when people were going nuts over the Culver pick. People get so obsessed over Baseball America”
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Tyler: true.
Keith Law receives flack on this site (from myself and others). Although, in chat, when someone asked him why teams weren’t selecting the highest rated players on his list and Baseball America’s list etc, Keith Law responded: “They’re doing what they should be doing. Listening to their scouts”.
pregame
I had that lineup… except one thing.. I had Peña instead of Russo at 3B.