Pregame notes: Waiting for Granderson
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Jul 21, 2010 
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Last season, when he was on his way to a career-high in homers, Curtis Granderson was asked to be a part of the Home Run Derby. Granderson told the league he couldn’t do it.
“I can’t go up there and say I’m going to hit a home run and do it,” he said. “I’m like the worst guy to do that. When I let it happen, things just tend to happen and take care of themselves.”
That’s Granderson’s approach right now with the Yankees. He knows he’s struggling, but he trusts that his .233 average will rebound. Granderson said he’s never been one to watch a ton of video — “Everything both good and bad always seems to look the same to me,” he said — and he usually goes with whatever the coaching staff suggests as far as more or less pregame work in the cage.
“It looked like he was getting hot right before the break, and he was starting to swing the bat, but he’s struggled a little bit lately,” Joe Girardi said. “This is a guy that has hit .260, .270, .280 but right now he seems to be in a little funk. I don’t know if it was the four-day layoff. Maybe it was bad timing for him.”
Maybe, but even Granderson said he didn’t feel especially hot during that weekend series in Seattle. He feels physically fine, no linger impact from the groin injury, but he said this is longest slow stretch of his career.
“It still hasn’t locked itself in,” Granderson said. “But it’s there, I know it’s there, it just has to pull itself out.”
• Starting in left field for the Angels: Hideki Matsui.
• Girardi said he wants to be careful with some guys during this 17-game stretch. It’s hot out and he wants to give guys — Jorge Posada for example — a little bit of a breather when he can. He said he might DH both Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez before the end of the home stand.
• The Yankees have faced Angels starter Joel Pineiro twice this season, but they haven’t seen him since April. He shut them down in New York on April 14, but the Yankees scored six runs off him on April 14.
• Asked yet again about the bullpen, Girardi said he’s been happy with the improvements Boone Logan has made — much better command than earlier in the season — but he acknowledged that the team needs more out of Chan Ho Park. “He’s still a guy that we need to pitch at a higher level,” Girardi said.
• With the trade deadline approaching, Girardi said he doesn’t look at his team any differently. “I don’t think I evaluate our team differently,” he said. “You say this is what we’ve got. This is where we maybe need to improve, but that doesn’t mean you’re able to do it. Sometimes the best trades are the ones that aren’t made. We have some guys that are going to be given an opportunity.”
• Check it out, Bobby Wilson is alive and well. He’s the guy who was crushed by Mark Teixeira in a home plate collision in Anaheim back in April. It was Wilson’s first major league start, but he missed the next 21 games because of a sprained ankle and a concussion.
ANGELS
Erick Aybar SS
Howie Kendrick 2B
Bobby Abreu DH
Torii Hunter CF
Hideki Matsui LF
Mike Napoli 1B
Juan Rivera RF
Kevin Frandsen 3B
Bobby Wilson C
Associated Press photos of Granderson, and of Matsui with Jeter
Starting in left field for the Angels: Hideki Matsui.
Kevin Long: “Hit the ball to LF”
(Kevin Long may or may not have actually said this
Love the picture of Jeter and Matsui
mick July 21st, 2010 at 12:08 pm
BloggingBombers The Hideki is playing left field today. This marks the first time Matsui will play the outfield in the new Yankee Stadium.
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Maybe they are showcasing him to us for Granderson.
We can only dream
“It still hasn’t locked itself in,” Granderson said. “But it’s there, I know it’s there, it just has to pull itself out.”
Sounds like he is talking about a “thorn” in his foot or something.
????
Waiting on Granderson? He must be out doing some volunteer work with one of the 100′s of organizations that is using up all of his time
get crawford trade grandy move gardy to cf
And it sounds like he is speaking in the “third” person. Almost as if it wasn’t “Him”.
C’mon Curtis. you’re smarter than this.
Find a way to get “it” locked in please.
curtis is too nice a guy…like you mtu
Testing……
I still riding the Granderson bandwagon train….but I think my stop may be coming up soon.
…stand clear of the closing doors…
well, we better win today…but next 8 vs kc and cleve….ya gotta believe…wrong team, sorry
Joe from LI,
Cliff Lee and Joakim Soria is better than just Cliff Lee, right?
So it’s a good thing that trade “fell through”, correct?
Now for the interesting part.
I keep saying that Greinke is their franchise guy and they must keep him and build around him while cutting costs because they’re leaking money terribly, as you stated.
Greinke’s salary doubles next season but they must keep him AND account for his raise.
That’s a problem for KC but they can solve it by using Soria as a vessel to dump an additional contract and further slash payroll – either Guillen or DeJesus.
I think they prefer to use Soria to dump Guillen.
They know the Yankees can finance Guillen because the Yanks were willing to take on Lee’s salary, right?
But the Yankees “source” is leaking that they’re unwilling to take on Guillen’s salary if the Royals try to dump him with Soria, right?
Are the Yankees positioning themselves to expand the deal to include David DeJesus instead?
We have plenty of minor league arms to fill out that deal for KC and possibly Joba.
testing
What are they waiting for?
Grandy is merely continuing his downward trend from last year. It’s not just a 1\2 yr sample size, it is a 1 1\2 year one.
Cash saw it as an aberration, yet it looks more like a trend now.
How is Ajax doing in Detroit?
Now I know why Jamie Hoffman never answered my letter.
It’s because he does too much volunteer work that Granderson isn’t hitting right now? You learn something new every day.
whatever you say about cash, he is not usually ahead of the curve…
picking up cc and tex were nobrainers.
his pitching pickups have been atrocius, always wondered who advised him about K. Brown, AJ etc…now it looks like he was fleeced for grandy.
Now I know why Jamie Hoffman never answered my letter.
==============
good one nick, clever as usual…:)
He shut them down in New York on April 14, but the Yankees scored six runs off him on April 14.
________________
Wow, talk about a Jekyll and Hyde performance from Pineiro! Shut down and pounded all in the same day by the same pitcher! lol.
Was it a double header?
Nick in SF July 21st, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Now I know why Jamie Hoffman never answered my letter.
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time for pre game nap…enjoy the win, altho pinero will be tough
Matsui is playing left field. I wonder if that will be a game changing factor in this game.
When I think of him in LF, I think of the game when he broke his wrist, OUCH!!!
RiverAveBlues Manuel Banuelos just pitched out of a bases loaded, no out situation by striking out the side. 2 IP, 5 K.
The Granderson trade looks pretty bad at this point in time, I hope he can turn it around.
test again.
Don-I have faith in Granderson. He has not found his stroke for the majority of the season, but I still believe he can help the Yankees win games.
Test 2
“Greinke’s salary doubles next season but they must keep him AND account for his raise”
They’ve got one. Don’t pay $12M to Guillen next year. That takes care of Grenike’s raise two times over.
I don’t want to give up on Joba
Am I going to have to add Grandy to my “birds with broken wings” club ?
I’m no where near ready to give up on him. Why should I ?
Talk to me after he has had the off season to work with K Long intensively, and after half of next year’s season.
Offer KC lower level prospects, and Joba. Keep our top prospects, then consider taking Guillen’s contract. Joba may do much better in a situation that is not as high profile as NY.
Then you have Robertson for the 7th, Mitre as the long man, after Andy returns, and that would make the bullpen so much stronger than it is now, or has been in a long time.
Tampa-
I haven’t totally sold myself on the idea yet but maybe Joba would benefit from a change of scenery ?
Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta is in the mix along with Florida’s Wes Helms as potential bench options for the Yankees, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the prices on Jose Bautista and Ty Wigginton are too high.
-MLB TR
The Granderson trade was a bad trade. He has always struck out a lot, has never had lefties, has never had a high avwerage with runners in scoring position, and never has driven in many runs. There was concern about his defense last year. Austin Jackson, Phil Coke and even Ian Kennedy have all made a positive contribution this year. Granderson’s contribution is limited to the public service work that he does.
Don — You’re right. And Granderson is only a mediocre outfielder. He also strikes out way too much. This year he’s been Steve Kemp with speed. Definitely a bust thus far.
Joba isn’t going anywhere.
He’s still a Cashman favorite and he’s considered one of the “core” guys in the clubhouse. I also don’t think Cashman would have the heart to ship him out to Kansas City if he was going to ship him anywhere at all.
Again, I want to direct everyone to Rob Neyer’s last blog entry on ESPN. What people largely don’t realize because of his ERA this year is that Joba has pitched quite well this year. His FIP is 2.66. He’s been horribly unlucky, and that coupled with some poor pitch sequencing and mental implosions has bloated his ERA to the point where it virtually can’t be corrected.
MTU July 21st, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Am I going to have to add Grandy to my “birds with broken wings” club ?
I’m no where near ready to give up on him. Why should I ?
Talk to me after he has had the off season to work with K Long intensively, and after half of next year’s season.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I don’t believe KLong will be able to turn Granderson around. His history is showing a steady decline, and what you see, is what is going to be Curtis, period. Gardner is a much better CF, so, like many others, I prefer Crawford in LF next season, and Granderson elsewhere.
Another apt comparison: Jesse Barfield
MTU-What Joba needs is to dedicate himself 150% to each and every appearance he makes for the Yankees.
He needs to mentally focus at all time, not some of the times.
Why Joba has not learned these tricks of the trade by now, considering Mo is sitting near him in the bullpen every game, leads me to think that Joba is his own worst enemy.
Every pitch needs to be what he is concentrating on
Every hitter is what he needs to think about before thinking of a game plan to get the batter out
“He’s still a Cashman favorite and he’s considered one of the “core” guys in the clubhouse.”
lmao
Man
The Angels prior to that game last night had lost 7 of 8 games on the road including getting swept by the White Sox and losing 2 of 3 in Oakland
They show up and could do no wrong last night on both sides of the ball
Go figure.
“I also don?t think Cashman would have the heart to ship him out to Kansas City if he was going to ship him anywhere at all.”
You’re delusional. If Cashman doesn’t have the heart to trade Joba, then Cashman isn’t worth squat.
In other words, to expand on my last post, don’t expect Cashman to sell low on him.
His value is as low as its going to ever be because of his ERA right now and the questions about his mental “makeup.” The point is his velocity is back, he’s striking out a hell of a lot of batters, and has given up just TWO home runs all year. His walk rate is about the same as it was when he was a dominant pitcher in 2008.
I still value Chamberlain as the equivalent of a fivestar prospect. If I had to rank the Yankees under 25 players in the organization, I’d go:
Hughes
Montero
Chamberlain
Betances
Brackman
“Joba isn’t going anywhere.”
Royals wouldn’t take him anyway. If they were to move Soria, they aren’t looking for arb eligible guys in return.
“What people largely don’t realize because of his ERA this year is that Joba has pitched quite well this year”
I think “pretty decent” is a more apt adverb and adjective than “quite well”.
Mac – we knew we were in trouble when they scratched Kazmir and brought up some new rookie who throws changeups and has a straight fastball.
Cashman will trade Joba is Joba’s poor performances continue. Could be as soon as this month, could be next year. Who can actually say for certain.
Joba needs to get mentally tougher out there on the mound.
He needs to stop thinking he can throw his fastball anywhere and the hitter will swing and miss. He needs to throw more breaking balls and those breaking balls need to be thrown for strikes.
Even I can lay off his slider that goes about 50 feet and never comes close to the strike zone.
Joba has pitched quite well???? Yeah, if you’re viewing it from the perspective of the opposing team, maybe. Even the outs he induces are hard-hit.
Perhaps this goes unsaid but is there anyone in the Yankee blogosphere any more annoying than Steve Lombardi?
The guy always finds a way to put a negative slant in every piece he writes. Good grief.
Dude, if your life sucks that bad, go find yourself a street walker and be done with it.
“You’re delusional. If Cashman doesn’t have the heart to trade Joba, then Cashman isn’t worth squat.”
He’s got the heart to do it, but also the brains not to do it right now. Why would he sell low?
“lmao”
_______________________________________
Don’t know what’s so funny.
Joba is a core guy in the clubhouse. He played a big role in recruiting Sabathia to New York, among other things, and is as respected as anyone in there.
When the Yankees took Slade Heathcott out after he was drafted last year, the group that accompanied him was made up of Sabathia, Jeter, Arod, Rivera, Burnett, and Chamberlain.
That said something to me. The guy isn’t going anywhere.
“# G-C July 21st, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Joba isn’t going anywhere.
He’s still a Cashman favorite and he’s considered one of the “core” guys in the clubhouse. I also don’t think Cashman would have the heart to ship him out to Kansas City if he was going to ship him anywhere at all.
Again, I want to direct everyone to Rob Neyer’s last blog entry on ESPN. What people largely don’t realize because of his ERA this year is that Joba has pitched quite well this year. His FIP is 2.66. He’s been horribly unlucky, and that coupled with some poor pitch sequencing and mental implosions has bloated his ERA to the point where it virtually can’t be corrected.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
I’ve seen some excuses for Chamberlain but this tops them all
Core guy, what is he a core guy with, what has he done to be a core guy in the clubhouse
How do you explain Chamberlain
allowing men on base in 28 of his 40 appearances
59 baserunners in 39 innings
1.51 WHIP
.287 batting average against
Boy he has been one unlucky setup man indeed or has he.
Game Post up
Since when can an 8+ type ERA be attributed to “luck”? I think some might be buying too much into the FIP business. Sometimes, performance has to be taken at face value.
1. mick – I respectfully disagree. Kevin Brown was George’s idea – George asked Sheffield, who had just signed on, who was the best pitcher in the NL, and he answered Kevin Brown, who was coming off his last good season with the Dodgers. George then told Cash to get him. The cost was Jeff Weaver, who, honestly, was not exactly tearing it up here. As far as AJ goes, he did win some very big games in the playoffs, and helped make that 3-man rotation a success, despite the concerns the pundits had over it. And, when AJ signed, the choice was him or Derek Lowe. You can say you want Lowe, that’s your opinion, but AJ has lived up to his billing – either very good or very bad.
Granderson – has not had a good year, no kidding. I still think it’s too early to write him off though, his clock is ticking.
2. Bret – Yeah, I could see a deal with KC working, for those reasons. Whether it’s Dejesus or Guillem would depend more on whether the Yanks want a table setter or a power bat. Also, while Guillen I think would be more of a this year only guy, if they target Dejesus I would think they see him as more longterm.
Maybe Ivan Nova, who’s opening eyes at AAA, coupled with an IF?
YankFanCA–I agree with you. Joba gets hit hard almost every appearance. His heater is over the middle of the plate, up and as straight as a string. He fools no one, including himself, which is precisely why he throws so many 3-2 breaking balls. He knows his heater is going the other way faster than it is coming in.
macfan – joba has a .391 babip. that’s about as unlucky as it gets.
Macfan – You are right, Joba has not been unlucky, he’s been terrible. That’s like saying Granderson has been a great hitter, except the balls have been caught.
“# ET July 21st, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Mac – we knew we were in trouble when they scratched Kazmir and brought up some new rookie who throws changeups and has a straight fastball.”
+++++++++++++++++++++
You know
Pitch 1 – fastball down the middle for strike 1
Pitch 2 – offspeed pitch on the outside corner fouled off
Pitch 3 – Ball 1
Pitch 4 – weak ground out on offspeed slop
Yanks would have been betters served facing Weaver frankly who throws hard.
These are just some of the studs that have shut down the Yankees easily
Jamie Moyer (8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER)
Kyle Kendrick (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER)
Hisanori Takahashi (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER)
Rodrigo Lopes (8 IP, 8 H, 3 ER)
Vincente Padilla (7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER)
Ryan Rowland-Smith (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER)
Brett Cecil (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER), this is while Cecil was struggling big time before that start giving up 5,6,7 runs in each of his starts before that
Sean O’Sullivan (6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER)
They all have in common that they primarily throw offspeed slop
# dtaylor1923 July 21st, 2010 at 12:23 pm
How is Ajax doing in Detroit?
==============================
ONE HR, 20 RBI’s while hitting just over .300
Special thank to Paul Emmel for allow Curtis to make history tonight.