By the numbers: Yankees vs. Rangers
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Oct 13, 2010 
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Just looking at a few numbers between the Yankees and Rangers.
The Good
A.J. Burnett vs. Heart of the Order
There is only one Rangers regular with better than a .250 batting average against Burnett is David Murphy. As a team, the Rangers have a .207/.291/.351 slash line against Burnett. Ian Kinsler, the star of the division series, is 4-for-20 with a home run and four strikeouts against Burnett.
Derek Jeter vs. the Rotation
Combined, Jeter is a career .431 hitter against the Rangers four-man rotation. He’s faced Tommy Hunter and Colby Lewis a total of nine times, but he’s 5-for-14 with three walks and a home run against C.J. Wilson. The numbers are even better against Cliff Lee: Jeter has a .417/.488/.583 slash line against the Rangers ace.
Dave Robertson vs. Josh Hamilton
The Rangers top left-handed hitter might be the MVP of the league. The Yankees have one left-handed reliever to throw at him — Hamilton is 0-for-3 against Boone Logan — but Robertson has been a pretty good matchup in a handful of at-bats. Robertson has held Hamilton 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
The Bad
Michael Young vs. the Yankees Best
The Rangers have just one career home run against the Yankees closer — Bengie Molina hit it — but they’ve been pretty successful getting hits against him. As a team, the Rangers have a career .319 batting average against Rivera, and Young has hit him pretty well with a solid sample size. He’s 7-for-22, a .318 average. Against the Yankees ace, CC Sabathia, Young is a .316 hitter with four doubles.
Neftali Feliz vs. the Circular Lineup
Feliz is a rookie, so sample size is certainly going to an issue with his numbers. But so far, he’s been very good against the Yankees. They have a total of 24 plate apperances against him. Lance Berkman is the only one to draw a walk, no one has more than one hit and Feliz has never allowed more than a single. The Yankees have 10 strikeouts and five hits against him.
Vladimir Guerrero vs. Kerry Wood
No home runs, but Guerroro is 8-for-15 in his career against the Yankees primary setup man. He also has three walks and a triple, good for a .533/.611/.667 slash line. The only other Ranger with more than three career at-bats against Wood is Jeff Francoeur who’s 2-for-4 with a strikeout.
2 Days, 10 Hours, and 52 Minutes utnil Game 1 of the ALCS
BloggingBombers Curt Schilling picks the Rangers over the Yankees? Shocking.
I’m not sure that AJ’s past stats are very predictive. He’s a different (inferior) pitcher right now.
Someone in my office brought in a Yodel Cheesecake.
I think they were reading this blog……
MTU,
I agree that Amaro was crazy for letting Lee go….he could have created a dynasty that would have at least almost guaranteed him multiple trips to the WS….that said, I do give him some credit for realizing the error of his ways and going out and trading for Oswalt. Not as good as Lee, but still better than what they had.
Blake-
Fortunately, he blew it. Oswalt is no Lee and he’s a righty.
So there is a specific “batting order” for the 33 ascending Chilean miners.
#21 is Yonni Barrios who apparently has his wife and his mistress waiting for him on the surface. They did not know of each others existence until meeting at a candlelight vigil.
If I was Yonni Barrios I would definitely be trying to trade down my position on the ascension schedule.
108 stitches October 13th, 2010 at 9:10 am
I look for Tampa to move to Charlotte NC. Tampa is a depressed area now and besides the team is playing in St Pete. It will be hard to maintain a team there. Also, I think Garza gets traded (or is he a FA too?).
(re-post)
Champ809:
I’m kind of curious about your analysis here.
Josh Lueke, for starters, other than being a scumbag, is going into his Age 26 season with 0 major league innings. He strikes out a lot of guys, but also walks a lot. Lueke doesn’t throw 98-99 that I’ve ever heard of before, he’s can touch the high 90s but sits in the 93-95 range. Still impressive, but it’s not 99.
Blake Beaven is nothing more than organizational depth – he’ll never be more than a 5th starter. While he’s still young and has good control, he strikes people out at a rate familiar to pitchers like John Lannan and Mike Pelfrey. He also had a 5.00 ERA at AA and a 6.47 ERA at AAA after the trade last year. Is he more valuable than McCallister? Maybe, because he’s younger – but he’s never had a year as good as Zack’s pre-injury time in Trenton.
Matt Lawson is yet another piece that is little more than organizational depth. He’s a scrappy Eckstein-type player with minimal power, but a good eye at the plate. He has no plus tools and is going into his Age 26 season and hasn’t played above AA.
None of those guys ranked as Top 15 or Top 10 prospects for the Rangers (at Baseball Prospectus or Baseball America respectively). Let’s not pretend this trade was about anymore than Smoak vs. Montero.
Look I like the Smoak Monster, but let’s calm down in the evaluation of the guy. In 471 plate appearance in ‘09 he hit a whopping 12 home runs; another 9 through 225 in ‘10. That isn’t the stuff of all world home run title power. He hit 13 in 397 big league plate appearances. Obviously he has great projectability and potential – but he hasn’t really realized it. He’s definitely a solid defender at first but is said to be an extremely poor base runner and has had his effort questioned by scouts in the past.
Quite frankly, Smoak bombed in his first year in the majors. Of course he can improve but .218/.307/.371 is piss poor for a first baseman – especially one as highly touted as Smoak.
I think the big aspect of the trade worth mentioning is that Zduriencik will be receiving Smoak through his prime seasons – he’ll be under team control until he’s 30. Montero would, likely, be a free agent at Age 27 meaning his prime would probably be spent elsewhere.
(repost)
The Yankees shouldn’t be too upset if Cliff Lee wins a game or maybe two in this series. When he becomes a Yankee in 2011 he’s otherwise known as addition by subtraction. No need to face him again until his 1st live batting practice session against Yankee hitters at Steinbrenner Field in late February.
Erica
what is a yodel cheesecake? It sounds yummy
everyone is entitled speculate on when Burnett will pitch in the ALCS but it’s going to be game 4, you don’t rearrange your rotation in the playoffs because the other team’s ace is pitching. You put your best against the other team’s best and figure it will work out. And pitching CC in game 4 on short rest and Burnett in game 5 also doesn’t make any sense unless you think that CC on short rest twice is better than pitching Hughes a second time. Just pitching CC in game 4 on short rest because there is concern about Burnett is a waste of time.
CompassRosy -
No offense, but your post wasn’t even worthy of a lengthy response from me. I’ll just describe your “better competition” philosophy in one word: Abhorrent
______
SJ44 has nailed the Lee trade on the head with his usual eloquence:
“#21 is Yonni Barrios who apparently has his wife and his mistress waiting for him on the surface. They did not know of each others existence until meeting at a candlelight vigil. ”
It appears as if Yonni Barrios is going to go from being shafted to being shafted…
See what I did there..?
“I do give him some credit for realizing the error of his ways and going out and trading for Oswalt. Not as good as Lee, but still better than what they had.”
Oswalt pitched much better after getting to Philly than anyone could have reasonably expected. For the year and a half leading up to the trade, Oswalt’s ERA+ was barely over 100 (2009–100; HOU2010–113). He pitched to a 232 ERA+ in Philly. If he pitched closer to his expected performance level, things would be much uglier for Amaro now. If they win another World Series, all will be forgiven. Still, it will be interesting to see how things go for them over the next few years.
upstate kate October 13th, 2010 at 9:26 am
Erica
what is a yodel cheesecake? It sounds yummy
***************
Its a chocolate cheesecake (no bake), constructed with cut up pieces of Yodels on the bottom and on top
I can mine the humor from any situation…
Stuckey
2 zingers in less than a minute…you have out done yourself
champ809 October 13th, 2010 at 9:31 am
The Rays will be just fine next season.
They have more than enough arms in their system to make up for the losses of Balfour, Choate and Soriano with guys like Jacob McGee and Matt Moore as well as J.P. Howell who will be back next season….he was one of the top 2 arms in their pen before he went down with the injury.
They will most likely explore bringing Benoit back and Qualls is addition by subtraction type of thing.
Desmond Jennings will replace Craw in LF and although he won’t duplicate Craw’s ‘10 season #’s his skillset is very similar and he will contend for R.O.Y. in the AL next season.
They have more than enough chips to be active in the trade market and depending on what they do and how much $ comes off the books they could explore something like Sheilds + Tim Beckham type deal for Prince Fielder…or B.J. Upton to San Diego for Heath Bell.
The point is that do not count out the Rays next season.
Please tell me too about Yodel cheesecake???
Just wondering – but what are the sample sizes for your analysis Chad – I’m assuming it’s just this year? It’s difficult to garner any meaningful use from them with the ups and downs this team has had. If they remain hot, then you can throw those stats out the window and watch the Yankee beat down commencing. Even if they cool off a little, it’s hard to see if those numbers will actually mean anything.
DocTodd October 13th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Please tell me too about Yodel cheesecake???
************
See 9:29
And please note: I am behaving myself and did not eat the Yodel cheesecake
“And pitching CC in game 4 on short rest and Burnett in game 5 also doesn’t make any sense unless you think that CC on short rest twice is better than pitching Hughes a second time. ”
I’m going to once again remind people that whoever pitches game 3 will be on full rest by game 7 under any circumstances. Worst case scenario IF the series goes 7 games, you have the OPTION of Sabathia on short rest and/or the game 3 starter on full rest, to use however you see fit.
Pitch Sabathia game 5, you don’t have that OPTION.
No brainer.
Can’t count the Rays out next season but guys like Soriano and Crawford can’t be replaced.
No matter how good their replacements are, you’re talking about two elite players at their position and it’s going to be a real challenge to get anywhere near that kind of production.
The rotation behind Price has to improve from the last couple of months and guys like Upton and Pena have to really step up and pick up some of the slack (that is, if they return).
Lots of question marks for that team. Crawford and Soriano are irreplaceable (for 2011, anyway).
I was just thinking about my comparison of Peter Gammons to a parasite. It was not accurate.
A parasite benefits at the expense of the host. Peter Gammons does anything but benefit at the Red Sox expense. Gammons actually does the opposite; he provides nourishment to the Red Sox at the expense of himself. That’s why he looks like he’s 100 years old, but is only 60+. Because he has spent all these years nourishing the Sox at his own expense.
What game is cheescake starting?
Thanks for the yodel cheesecake idea, I grew up on yodels, funny bones and ring dings….Yum!
Yodel cheesecake? Disgusted yet intrigued.
You don’t lose Crawford, Pena and Soriano, replace them with rookies, and cut the payroll by at least 20% (which they are doing), and be “just fine”.
They may be “just fine” in 2012 and 2013 but, 2011 is a rebuilding year for the Rays and everybody around that teams knows it.
That’s why they poured all of their resources into this years club.
Rookies, regardless of how talented they may be, don’t replace all stars and not miss a beat.
“everyone is entitled speculate on when Burnett will pitch in the ALCS but it?s going to be game 4, you don?t rearrange your rotation in the playoffs because the other team?s ace is pitching.”
I certainly agree that A.J. will pitch Game 4, but I don’t think it gives them the best chance to win this series. When you think about how the Yankees could lose this series, what comes to mind? For me it’s two things, A.J. Burnett and Cliff Lee. Starting Burnett in Game 4 would give the Rangers a great chance to win Games 3, 4, & 7. Obviously that isn’t a certainty, but it would mean the Rangers would only need to take one other game. Matching Burnett against Lee and starting CC in 1, 4 & 7 would give the Yankees the best chance to win 4 of the first 6 games. Hopefully there wouldn’t be a Game 7, but if so at least the Yankees would have their ace on the mound too.
RayVT October 13th, 2010 at 9:23 am
108 stitches October 13th, 2010 at 9:10 am
I look for Tampa to move to Charlotte NC. Tampa is a depressed area now and besides the team is playing in St Pete. It will be hard to maintain a team there. Also, I think Garza gets traded (or is he a FA too?).
(re-post)
……………………………………….
Good point Ray. The AAA franchise of the Rays is in Raleigh-Durham so they have somewhat of a fanbase there. Just a matter of relocating the AAA team and adding seats in Durham and some pending lawsuits from the City of St. Pete for breaking the Tropicana lease.
Garza is not a FA but like Upton and Jason Bartlett, he’s arbitration eligible and would win his case much to the dismay of Stuart Sternberg. They’ll both be gone to retool the team.
DocTodd
me too…and also those snowball things…and mallomars
Champ809:
Tim Beckham’s stock has taken a major hit – he for the 3rd year in a row got significantly worse. .258/346/.361 at A+ after .275/.328/.389 in ’09 at A ball is not the production expected of a former #1 overall pick. No chance Milwaukee accepts an offer of Shields (2 years from free agency) and underachieving Tim Beckham for for Fielder. A Fielder package starts at Hellickson or Davis and Moore or Jennings – they have every right to expect a haul better than the M’s got for Lee.
Guys I have known Compass Rosy forever and she is really good people, as well as my west coast sister. About keeping Lee in the AL West I believe she was saying that it makes that division a more competitive division and if the other teams want to keep up maybe they will have to do a lot more to make themselves competitive. As it is, they are looked upon as the weak sister and unless some of the teams really make moves to become better, with the unbalanced schedule all they do is beat up on each other. That’s why the comparison to the AL East is always there and that’s why commentators say that at least the first 4 teams in the AL East could contend in the other divisions, and I am hearing commentators say that same thing about the Orioles under Buck. It doesn’t do the other divisions a lot of good (for themselves) if they can beat each other but not anyone else.
While I don’t have a whole lot of confidence in AJ, I am not ready to just write off his game. Who knows, he could rise to the occasion, and he will definitely be on a short leash.
SJ,
Do you think Pena is gone as well? He’s the one guy among that trio who I think has the only realistic chance to return next season.
I’m getting hungry for cheesecake all of the sudden.
The media can go ahead and give Cliff Lee game 3 all they want….I for one wouldn’t be shocked to see Andy Pettite match him at the stadium.
Good Morning.
How do you correct reverse polarity on your compass?
mallomars: the seasonal cookie.
“While I don?t have a whole lot of confidence in AJ, I am not ready to just write off his game.”
I don’t think it’s about writing that game off, just a matter of probabilities. Which starter puts the Yankees at the greatest risk of losing? Which starter gives the Rangers the best chance to win? I think you would have to answer Burnett and Lee. So if you can match those two up without harming the rest of the rotation, I think you should do that. If the Rangers win this series, I think it will likely be because they won both of Cliff Lee’s starts and the Yankees lost A.J.’s start.
Tom
they are a cookie for all seasons…unfortunately not always available up here
“I think the big aspect of the trade worth mentioning is that Zduriencik will be receiving Smoak through his prime seasons – he’ll be under team control until he’s 30. Montero would, likely, be a free agent at Age 27 meaning his prime would probably be spent elsewhere.”
The Mariners aren’t poor. It’s possible that they could have bought out some of Montero’s option and free agent years by giving him a contract extension like TB did with Longoria.
Mallomars, haven”t seen them in years….. feeling old here in upstate N.Y. all of a sudden
I was a big fan of Yodels growing up. Yodels and the Yankees. I liked Ring Dings as well but I think they’re pretty much the same thing.
Ho Ho’s and Ding Dongs were always secondary options. Never liked Twinkies or Suzy Q’s. Forget about Sno Balls.
In other News, NY Yankees has decided to trade CC sabathia to Boston for Jed Lowrie under the presumption that it will further strength the competitions in AL EAST.
If Cliff Lee is on, like he was in game one last year at the stadium or last night at the Trop, no one is likely to beat him. He’s obviously that good. You just have to hope in that circumstance that he beats himself and makes a mistake that we take advantage of or tires. You need to stay close, as in one run or two at the most.
Little Debbie Nutty Bars FTW…
re: the Rays in 2011. Whatever the organizations plan was for 2011 and Pena/Crawford/Soriano, I cannot imagine them deviating from it now and I could even imagine them cutting payroll further.
They delivered a pennant winner (which didn’t catch their “fanbase” by surprise this time) and still have trouble drawing fans.
Maybe their TV ratings were very strong, who knows, but this organization has to be feeling gunshy about putting money into this team until they have some sort of new ballpark solution, which isn’t even on the radar.
I’m comfortable taking the Rays outta serious contention consideration next year.
blake October 13th, 2010 at 9:54 am
The media can go ahead and give Cliff Lee game 3 all they want….I for one wouldn’t be shocked to see Andy Pettite match him at the stadium.
——————
blake, exactly, just the way he matched Smoltz zero for zero way back when until the Yankees scratched out a run and won the game 1-0. Lee is a tremendous pitcher but you don’t give away a game because you are ‘afraid’, he could also throw a stinker, all great pitcher do that at some point in time.
“I was a big fan of Yodels growing up.”
Me too. Not a Ring Ding fan though.
OT, I’m curious to see who signs Soriano.
Good: Phil’s #s against the Rangers.
MG, you and I are on the minority in wanting Phil to pitch 2x and CC not to pitch twice on short rest. CC is a great pitcher, but if the Yankees trust Phil, then it’s to their benefit to have CC not pitch on short rest twice. Thinking ahead to the WS if we get there, you want the big man as fresh as possible.
No surprise but the AL East is all about money (size of the media market) as much as any other division. Tampa is a good example, a good run for a couple of years, then the owner announces he is cutting 20 million from payroll, bye bye Crawford, Peña and Soriano.
tk
I totally understand what you are saying. I have asked for opinions on this board before about whether you match your ace vs their ace, and the overwhelming response is match your best against their best. But if Aj is going to be in there somewhere anyway, I can see limiting the damage by pitching him against a game you don’t feel confident about winning anyway.
MG, Blake – I’m not giving Lee game 3 either. He may completely dominate us – but how many times have we seen a pitcher do that only to end up with a no-decision or a loss because our own pitcher handcuffed that pitcher’s team?
Rich in NJ – Either way they’d be paying extra money for Montero’s prime. If he developed elsewhere they could sign him at 27-28 and get the benefit of his prime if they wanted. Also there’s no guarantee he wants to sign a Longoria/Tulowitzki-esque team friendly deal – maybe he chooses to go year-to-year as is his right. Right now they have Smoak’s prime fully locked up already which simply wouldn’t be the case with Montero.
OT
Watching a two-hour biography on Ray Charles in honor of what would have been his 80th birthday this past September 23rd. What an AMAZING man and talent. The man owned more than 100 suits, they were all numbered to go with certain shoes, and he was able to describe each and every one, by number. When someone asked him how he could memorize and describe 100 suits, he said that he was able to memorize the music and words to over 2000 songs, so he could certainly remember 100 suits.
Betsy, the only opinion that counts in this is that of Girardi, Eiland, et al. The opinions of a bunch of anonymous posters count for nothing, which is probably a good thing considering some of the opinions
BWOzar
Money they can probably afford, and if he remains at catcher, money better spent.
Obviously, there are no guarantees about anything, contract, health, development curve, etc.
Life carries a risk.
In sum, in terms of a cost-benefit comparison, I think it would have been a risk worth taking.
Cliff Lee is a great pitcher but as CB eluded to last night…the Rays are a very good matchup for him. A team full of low BA’s that lives on free passes and mistakes. Cliff Lee wasn’t going to walk them and they didn’t get enough hits to string together a rally.
The Yankees have hit him before…this year and Game 5 of the WS last year that everyone seems to forget about when they proclaim how he dominated them. He dominated them in Game 1…not so much in Game 5.
“A parasite benefits at the expense of the host. Peter Gammons does anything but benefit at the Red Sox expense. Gammons actually does the opposite; he provides nourishment to the Red Sox at the expense of himself. That’s why he looks like he’s 100 years old, but is only 60+. Because he has spent all these years nourishing the Sox at his own expense.”
Your remarks are of course based on the premise that the press can benefit any organization, in any significant way.
Yes, I understand. Your argument will be that Gammons touting of Red Sox prospects helps fool other GMs into making lopsided trades with the Red Sox.
This of course means you’re not really indicting Gammons, or the Red Sox, but the apparent sheepish stupidity of the rest of baseball, who in your estimation reply on Gammons columns rather the scouts in their hire.
May I assume you can type with one hand, because I can only imagine your other hand is “busy” while you’re indulging in your fevered fixations.
I’m giving Lee every game he pitches. The Yankees would be well-served to just rest their regulars, and punt the game with Gaudin or some such.
Kate, I think that is a very bad idea (no offense – I don’t mean it personally). I don’t see any way a manager can make that decision without his team taking it to mean that the manager has absolutely no confidence in them. The Yankees have beaten great pitchers before and they will again. You don’t just give up a game and send your team out there for a 3 hour funeral.
As an aside, Smoak really appeared to be the real deal when he came up with Texas, and he still might end up being just that.
The guy’s wife and mistress were there? Wow.. he really dug himself into a hole…
GF,
At one point during the season, I thought the same re: Pena.
It now seems their plan is to let him go and make Zobrist the everyday first baseman.
They also have a decision to make on Bartlett and Garza. I believe both are arbitration eligible.
There is going to be a lot of change in Tampa this off-season.
To ANY Sabathia twice on regular rest proponents:
AJ Burnett in Game 4 under ANY circumstances, yes or no?
Anyone been reading the Daily News excerpts from the new biography on the Mick? Seems pretty crazy that Mickey Mantle could be standing in the Hall of Fame and no one would notice.
To quote Dennis Green: “You play to WIN the game” You do not concede anything in the post season
Can’t decide whether I like Pettitte or Hughes in game 3/possible game 7. That’s probably a good thing though.
Thought about the AJ vs Lee scenario as well but that could put AJ in game 7 as well. That’s like Kevin Brown all over again.
I’d try and keep CC away from short rest if at all possible. He’s pitched a lot this season. Actually he’s pitched a lot the last 4 seasons. With the postseason it’s gotta be over 1,000 innings.
Anything can happen. I’m not giving the Rangers any wins by walkover when Cliff Lee, and I’m not giving the Rangers any wins by default when AJ pitches.
Tampa Bay may have done us a huge favor. We may win this thing and only face Cliff Lee once. And Washington did a great job nailing it down with Lee in a 4-run game. Yes, it’s the right baseball call and you owe your ace that. Keep living like there’s no tomorrow, Ron.
tyanks36,
If your dad doesn’t want his shirt, you should take a sharpie and cross out Tampa and replace it with ‘Yankees’ and cross out beasts and replace it with ‘Kings’. Make sure the Yankees are above Tampa and Boston.
“To quote Herman Edwards: “You play to WIN the game” You do not concede anything in the post season”
Fixed.
Rich in NJ: I’m agreeing with you that they can likely afford the money for Montero. My point is more why pay for Montero with Lee and money AND miss his prime. If they want Montero’s prime they can get that without acquiring him until he is 27-28 (depending on his arbitration clock) as a free agent. They already have Smoak’s prime locked in.
Look, I think they made the wrong choice. But if Montero really can’t catch and is only a DH/mediocre 1B long term, then there is a legitimate case to be made (despite the down year) that Smoak is a better asset. If Montero was a good catcher, there would be no question about their value – but he seems to many like much more of a Carlos Delgado or Paul Konerko as a catching prospect, that is one who doesn’t actually have a major league career as a catcher.
“I’m giving Lee every game he pitches. The Yankees would be well-served to just rest their regulars, and punt the game with Gaudin or some such.”
Yankees openly concede a game or 2 like this, and they will not stop having to answer questions about it the whole series. It would dominate the discourse and be a huge distraction.
I get (if not agree with) the baseball strategy, but you’re taking a stick to a hornet’s nest in OTHER ways a team has to prepare for and deal with a postseason series.
Yes to AJ in game 4, no to game 5.
Lol! you are right. i get them confused as they both are such good coaches
It’s very premature to say Smoak has been a bust so far….he’s had 300 major league ABs and his power has shown up and he hit .350+ after being recalled in Sept.
The team made some adjustments to his swing not a total remake of his swing mechanics and he showed results after that.
Jack Z should have taken the offer he felt was best for the team and I’m sure he feels he did that.
And again I’m not discounting Leuke’s criminal record or trying to pass judgements about him or what happened but what I’m saying is from a pure talent evaluation perspective he’s a very intriguing prospect as a potential closer who when added to a bullpen with League and Aardsma(if he’s still there next season) could be formidible.
JEKIKASO October 13th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Mallomars, haven?t seen them in years?.. feeling old here in upstate N.Y. all of a sudden
*************
Mallowmars are alive and well.
But they are a winter food now.
They aren’t sold when its warm out because they melt
MG…….and Cash, lol.
The Yankees need to split in TEX, but it would be far better to take 2 games because although Lee can be beaten, it’s going to be tough. If we lose to him after splitting, we’re down 2-1 with AJ on the mound (though I still think CC could and would pitch).
stuckey
It was sarcasm.
I think they can get to Lee.
“If we lose to him after splitting, we’re down 2-1 with AJ on the mound (though I still think CC could and would pitch).”
EXACTLY.
Which means Sabathia had to PREPARE to pitch in Game 4, which means Sabathia PITCHES in Game 4.
Rich,
D’OH!
Betsy
I am very wishy washy on the subject…I can see the merits of the various options, and am glad it isn’t up to me to make the decisions. Blake is right, Lee wasn’t as good in game 5 last year, had AJ come thru that game was winnable.
Re: Cliff Lee in pinstripes in 2011?
Buster_ESPN
Cliff Lee has reinforced tonight his tremendous standing as a free agent: The guess here is he’ll get 5 years, $115 million from the NYY.
SI_JonHeyman
with the rangers’ $2-plus-billion tv deal and yankees printing money, i see lee getting cc $ (23 mil) over 6, or $138 mil, from 1 of them
**************Ouch, it’s going to cost us to get Lee. No 6th year – I draw a line there.
All I know is that no matter the match-ups if the Yankees win Girardi will be touted a genius but if the Yankees lose he will be touted a jack-ass because he did/did not (whatever the case may be).
If he ends up using AJ, as long as AJ is on a very short leash and Joe has spot starters in the ready, I’m content.
Kate, the Yanks will make it easy for you – they won’t even consider it. It’s not going to be an option for them so you don’t have to worry, lol
Shame Spencer October 13th, 2010 at 10:14 am
Anyone been reading the Daily News excerpts from the new biography on the Mick? Seems pretty crazy that Mickey Mantle could be standing in the Hall of Fame and no one would notice.
=======
Where are the excerpts located ? (section)
BWOzar
I see Montero as being a .950 OPS guy, so I think he could play C (will he be worse than Piazza?) or RF (is he worse than Dunn?) in addition to 1B.
He will be 27 when Teix’s contract expires.
That’s why I wouldn’t trade him.
All jokes aside, is that a true story Bronx?
I heard yesterday that each miner was supposed to designate up to 3 people to greet them. The first thought was that’s a good idea because it’d be weird to have the wife & the GF bump into each other.
I guess he didn’t get the memo.
Anyone remember the movie Intersection with Gere & Olin? It was grrr, but the two women in his life meet at the hospital when Gere is in a head-on collision. Such an unsatisfying ending.
Here in Jersey, Mallomars are on sale in Septmber…
Olney has Jeter at $45m for 3 and now Lee at $115 for 5.
Both work for me.
“…but you SHOULD be hoping that Lee goes anywhere BUT to one of the teams in your division as that significantly reduces your chances of winning the division.”
Thanks for letting me know what I SHOULD be hoping for
I happen to think that strengthening competition could open some eyes and light some fires in a FO that has been horribly inept and complacent over the past 10 or so years, counting way too much on a bit of fluky success instead of strengthening their weaknesses and channeling their resources too much toward nostalgia instead of the present and future. And, I’m referring to Pres and CEO, not GM.
Here’s hoping they will stay out of the way and just let Jack do his job. He’s made great strides in replenishing the farm that the previous regime depleted ~ see 8 of 9 affiliates going to the post season and 2 of those winning their respective championships. Sure, no guarantee of success in the majors ~ but when an organization has sunk as low as the Good Ship Mariner has … you gotta start somewhere.
No offense, but your post wasn’t even worthy of a lengthy response from me. I’ll just describe your “better competition” philosophy in one word: Abhorrent
No offense taken.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree – see above
“Ouch, it’s going to cost us to get Lee. No 6th year – I draw a line there.”
You’re going to be prepared to possibly face Lee in the postseason from 2011 to 2015, because you’re concerned about the payroll implications in 2016?
You’d better be very, very certain the 2016 team is going to be very good
Betsy October 13th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Re: Cliff Lee in pinstripes in 2011?
Buster_ESPN
Cliff Lee has reinforced tonight his tremendous standing as a free agent: The guess here is he’ll get 5 years, $115 million from the NYY.
SI_JonHeyman
with the rangers’ $2-plus-billion tv deal and yankees printing money, i see lee getting cc $ (23 mil) over 6, or $138 mil, from 1 of them.
——–
Good info. thanks for that.
“Mallowmars are alive and well.
But they are a winter food now.
They aren’t sold when its warm out because they melt”
Good point. I went to the candy store I go to in Newport because they sell all the oldies – sky bars, mallo cups, etc. I love marshmellow and chocolate so bought some mallo cups. I tried opening them and the marshmellow was melted and stuck to the paper. I tried freezing them and I still ended up eating paper!
# Tom in N.J. October 13th, 2010 at 10:23 am
Here in Jersey, Mallomars are on sale in Septmber…
*****
that woul be a 2 hour drive for me,lol
RiverAveBlues RT @bkabak: In 2000, Denny Neagle pitched G1&5 of the ALCS. In 1996, Kenny Rogers started G4. This whole AJ thing is so overblown.
Tim in Trenton:
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....l_abu.html
Betsy,
The Yankees aren’t blinking at the numbers or the years.
They knew what the numbers were going to be when they were trading for the guy. Nothing has changed.
They want the guy and, until shown otherwise, when they specifically target a FA, they get their man.
Here’s a tough one to swallow…
Lee vs Hughes/Pettitte in game 3 ends up with Texas coming out on top. That’s certainly plausible.
And now AJ is starting game 4. It’s not ideal but not impossible to overcome.
“I have asked for opinions on this board before about whether you match your ace vs their ace, and the overwhelming response is match your best against their best. ”
kate,
If Lee were available for Game 1, then I think that strategy would be fine. It wouldn’t make sense to move Burnett up to Game 1 and risk not having CC available to pitch as many games. However, as it stands, Burnett is going to pitch either Game 3 or Game 4. I fail to see how throwing him in Game 4 helps the team’s chances. Sure, the Yankee starter could pitch great and match Lee, but if they do that they would be even more likely to win a game in which Lee wasn’t pitching. Lee could even get shelled. If that happens, then maybe they steal a win with A.J. on the mound. Like you say, this isn’t a popular strategy, but I think that’s because people equate it to giving a game away. How are you giving a game away, by starting A.J.? If that’s the case then they’re going to give Game 4 away. I think this is the perfect opportunity to match A.J. with Lee. If A.J.’s on he can dominate too. If he’s off, he’ll probably allow more runs than the Yankees would score, regardless of who’s starting.
Stuckey, huh? Payroll implications? I’m sorry, I never said that. I don’t want to give the guy a 6th year………I barely feel comfortable giving him 5 years.
BW
Fielder’s stock is down off of a down year, 1yr of control left , 18mil salary and no defensive value to speak of…
Hellickson and the like wouldn’t be in the convo and the Brewers know that….Davis may be a guy the Rays would trade but I’d imagine that they’d want to move guy making money and going to arb so that would be Shields or Garza and I think Garza is their #2 going into the season.
Beckham’s stock may be down but he’s still 20yrs old a former #1 pick and a toolsy infielder with power potential…the kind of player that the Brewers are short on in their system so the match would be right.
And again if the Rays traded for Fielder and Bell to replace Pena and Soriano they may actually be improved as Fielder is a better hitter than Pena and Bell is just as good as Soriano.
As far as counting on rookies we had our “rookies” in Hughes and Gardner ( not true rookies but 1st year starters) be major contributors to our team this year and imo opinion Hellickson and Jennings are just as good or in the case of Jennings and Gardner better so I think they’d be sufficient replacements next season.
Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....l_abu.html
“RiverAveBlues RT @bkabak: In 2000, Denny Neagle pitched G1&5 of the ALCS. In 1996, Kenny Rogers started G4. This whole AJ thing is so overblown.”
I think Ben is looking at it wrong. The real issue is that the Yankees signed Burnett to be a #2 and right now he’s a #7.
SJ, you don’t think the Yankees have any concerns about Lee as he gets close to 40 years old? They could be stuck with an unwieldy contract.
Tom in N.J. October 13th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Thanks for that, couldn’t find it in the paper.
AJ will be on a short leash, it is way overblown.
CC/Hughes/Pettitte/AJ/TBA
“RiverAveBlues RT @bkabak: In 2000, Denny Neagle pitched G1&5 of the ALCS. In 1996, Kenny Rogers started G4. This whole AJ thing is so overblown.”
Erin, in ’96, Cone wasn’t available until game 3, Key until game 2 (and you didn’t consider pitching Key on short rest) and Pettitte (who started, and got BOMBED, in Game 1), was a second year pitcher who hadn’t yet arrived (that happened in Game 5).
The point is, that year, the Yankees didn’t have viable options for Game 4. This year they do.
JEKIKASO October 13th, 2010 at 10:14 am
To quote Dennis Green: ?You play to WIN the game? You do not concede anything in the post season
______________________
How is starting A.J. vs. Lee conceding the game? If starting A.J. is the same as conceding, why wouldn’t you “concede” the game that would already be the most difficult to win?
Now that said, they’d take their chances that Lee can help bring another WS or two while he’s here – I agree. I’m just very nervous about handing out long-term contracts to pitchers (Lee is older than CC). Of course I can say that now, but if the Yankees signed Lee and gave him 6 years, I would still probably be celebrating. It’s easy to say now that we should draw the line, not so easy to do – I admit that. Plus, we need him. Lee should be our last major SP FA signing for a long time.
How does Fielder’s salary fit into a team trimming at least 20% off their 72 million dollar payroll this off-season.
They aren’t trading for Fielder because they can’t afford him.
It is what it is. He’s having a rough year, deal with it the best you can, and move forward.
Tim, you’re welcome!
“They could be stuck with an unwieldy contract.”
Betsy – we’re already stuck with a couple of those, and it hasn’t stopped anyone from doing business.
“Stuckey, huh? Payroll implications? I’m sorry, I never said that. I don’t want to give the guy a 6th year………I barely feel comfortable giving him 5 years.”
Fair enough.
What’s your hesitation then?
What are you concerned about in 2016 (the hypothetical 6th year)?
Betsy,
Nope. Cliff Lee has Mariano-like mechanics, no history of arm problems, and is not “old” by any logical thinking.
They know how much it’s going to cost to acquire him.
Nothing has changed in the past 4 months.
tk
I think many of us are not confident in AJ this year for good reason. But I see your point as well…as I have said, I can be swayed either way.
CompassRosy
I think the red sox were helped by competition w/ the Yankees, so I can see your point about the AL west.
How is starting A.J. vs. Lee conceding the game? If starting A.J. is the same as conceding, why wouldn’t you “concede” the game that would already be the most difficult to win?
**********
Not what was meant. i was saying never conced anything. you still pitch A.J. However you don’t rest your regulars unless there is a n injury @ this point, IMO
I don’t see AJ pitching game 4 unless the Yankees are ahead in the series…I just don’t. They aren’t going to risk going down 3-1 and having to win 3 straight games.
m October 13th, 2010 at 10:32 am
It is what it is. He?s having a rough year, deal with it the best you can, and move forward.
***************************
Totally agree.
“It is what it is. He’s having a rough year, deal with it the best you can, and move forward.”
I don’t know if you are referencing my post, m, but if you are, I think AJ’s problems are about more than one year. It think he is in a full-fledged decline unless he can command another pitch, and I don’t think that’s going to happen because he has given it lip service for too many years.
If you’re not, nevermind.
If Cliff Lee helps the Yanks with another couple of rings in the first half of his contract, they’ll be plenty happy to live with the implications of decreased production the last year, whenever that is.
That’s the free agent premium in today’s market, and the Yankees are one of the team’s with the resources to pay it, AND not be hamstrung during the down year(s).
If the Yankees don’t exercise the advantages they have, then they don’t have any advantages.
Simple market politics.
# SJ44 October 13th, 2010 at 10:12 am
GF,
At one point during the season, I thought the same re: Pena.
It now seems their plan is to let him go and make Zobrist the everyday first baseman.
They also have a decision to make on Bartlett and Garza. I believe both are arbitration eligible.
There is going to be a lot of change in Tampa this off-season.
———–
If that’s the case, the Rays really are going to have a tough time winning 90+ games in 2011.
Pena’s not exactly a strong contact hitter, but he’s still one of their best run producers they’ve ever had and we certainly can’t overlook how good he is on the defensive side.
Pretty tough hill to climb for TB next season if that scenario does indeed pan out.
I think CC’s AAV of $23MM will be the bidding floor for Lee. He won’t get CC’s 7 years, more like 5 or 6 probably. If the term is less than 5 years then the AAV is going to go up even more.
Shame, having a bad contract with a pitcher is not ideal……..We can all speculate, but no one knows how Lee will age.
“Not what was meant. i was saying never conced anything. you still pitch A.J. However you don?t rest your regulars unless there is a n injury @ this point, IMO”
My mistake JEKIKASO. I certainly agree with that.
5/115 would be fine for Cliff IMO. That’s only 30 million more than they are paying AJ and he would turn 37 in the final year of it. Nothing is guaranteed but given that he was a relatively late bloomer and his mechanics and work ethic I think its very reasonable to project that he would be a really good pitcher over the life of the contract and an elite one at the front end of it.
The thing I remember most about Neagle during his time in pinstripes was the train whistle sound he used to make.
Outside of that, his Yankee tenure was rather forgetful.
Stuckey, just once bitten, twice shy with pitchers. On the other hand, if it meant winning another WS or two, I would take that risk. As I said, it’s easy for me to say walk away for 6th year now…………..but it would be a different story when FA time comes. At that point, I know myself – I would want Lee regardless, lol.
SJ, ok – well I hope the Yankees bag their man!
“Pretty tough hill to climb for TB next season if that scenario does indeed pan out.”
Especially when you consider that the Red Sox should be healthier and better for next season.. man I hate our division.
Obviously you can’t predict injury, but if we assume he doesnt get hurt, I think Lee will age just fine. His game isn’t based on velocity. He throws 91-94 now, but I think he’ll be very effective when he’s throwing 88-91 in his later years. It’s all about location for him. He’s a lot like Pettitte in that regard.
Stuckey, I agree……………….Ok, I’m off the 6th year thing. I want this guy.
Cashman has said many times in the past, you don’t play games with the free agents you target.
You get aggressive with your offer and realize there is no “bargain” or “savings” for the top guys like Lee.
Fans will be more freaked out than the Yankees will be on the terms of Lee’s deal.
Rich,
There are too many good things for me to dwell on AJ.
He’s having a rough year. He was just fine in the beginning if the year, and he basically fell off the table.
I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
He may be in decline like you fear, but really what can you do? I can’t spend the next 3 years worrying about it.
CC, that’s true as well. Let’s hope Mrs. Lee and Mrs. CC get to go house hunting for real in the off-season.
Betsy, I agree with you and I’m also (if I were in charge I mean..) hesitant to sign pitchers to expensive, long term deals like the one Lee will get. But then I think of Kei Igawa….and then Carl Pavano… and I stop caring lol.
We can swallow whatever money Lee eats up pitching poorly or being injured. The hope is that he contributes to another World Series title or two before he slows down.
SJ, he did say that and I do agree with that. Question: will they make a CC-like offer to try and forestall a bidding war?
m
I’m not dwelling, I’m merely responding to a post as I’m held captive at home to the guys refinishing my wood floors.
Anyone remember the special edition yodels with white icing on the outside????
“Stuckey, I agree……………….Ok, I’m off the 6th year thing. I want this guy.”
Now if I can get you to watch The American President one more time (it’s on cable ALL the time), may work is done.. lol
Upton is a terrible player. He can run into one very so often, but that’s about it. A bunch of strikeouts and popups.
I’m glad he’s not our problem.
The Rays will definitely be competitive with their starting pitching . But I doubt they will come within striking distance of Yanks and Bosox next year.
You can’t lose the best EIG and Closer statistically wise in the AL , one of the best LF in Crawford and a power bat like Pena and to expect the same level of playing field as the big boys. Yes, they have nice prospects in those areas, but they will need time to develop.
Haha, Rich. The varnish is seeping into your brain.
The only thing that will make this series annoying is having a bunch of reporters constantly asking both Cliff Lee and the Yankees if he’ll be pitching for us next season.
I was sure when the playoffs began the “annoying factor” would be generated by TBS running a million commercials for Conan’s new show.. but I’ve been pleasantly surprised that not only are the commercials actually amusing, but they aren’t going the “Frank Calliendo” route and literally showing two or three at every commercial break.
Gotta wait till Game 5 to pitch AJ. Gotta bring CC on short rest in Game 4 so that you have him available for Game 7 if you want.
m
You make it sound like that’s a bad thing…
Stuckey, maybe after the season, lol.
M, Upton is not a terrible player by your ML average standard in CFer offensively and defensively.
He is a terrible player to his own potential.
Asides from running into occasionally, he also had 38 dbl and 4 triple to go with those dingerz, not awful IMO.
Minwax Dark Cherry – that’s some good s**t right there…
What are the numbers for a series actually going 7?
I’m hoping we don’t go 7. With positive results if course.
I say you stick AJ in the most benign spot. To me, that’s 4th.
“I say you stick AJ in the most benign spot. To me, that’s 4th.”
Being down 3-2 is MUCH more benign than being down 3-1.
He must have had a bad go of it down the stretch. But that’s what I meant, he has not lived up to the hype.
Rich, you like pumping gas, too?
I think the team being pretty confident that they will pitch AJ as their 4th starter shows that they are pretty confident we can win 2 of 3 to start off. If they’re confident, I’m confident.
Stuckey , here is an strange , say if you are 2-0, would you match AJ up with Lee and see what happens and then match up Hughes , CC , Andy to their ‘inferior’ counterparts.
*strange idea.
Game 4 isn’t benign if you’re already behind in the series. The Yanks will either have to win both games in Texas or beat Cliff Lee (both possible) to have a lead going into game 4.
The Rays will certainly take a hit next year as their owner has publicly stated the Rays’ payroll will drop to $50MM or less next year.
In losing Crawford, Pena, Soriano and Burrell the payroll will drop by $36MM to around $37MM in 2011. So they have money to spend after losing those guys to get to around $50MM.
Crawford’s loss will be an enormous blow, but the Rays ought to be able to replace Soriano internally, while losing Burrell will be a good thing, and Pena even with 28 HRs had a disappointing season.
They will promote Desmond Jennings and Matthew Joyce, and Jeremy Hellickson will emerge in the rotation. Jennings had a somewhat disappointing year, but the sky is the limit for him, and Joyce could replace Upton if Upton goes.
Plus, their staff is young and is more likely to improve than not.
So, the Rays while maybe not as good in 2011 as they were this year will still be a dangerous team. Their minor league system is just so strong.
Stuckey , here is an strange , say if you are 2-0, would you match AJ up with Lee and see what happens and then match up Hughes , CC , Andy to their ‘inferior’ counterparts.
–
No. Cliff Lee isn’t going to throw a CG vs the yankees (well he might) You hope you can get a lead or be within 1 or 2 and get to their bullpen.
If you did do this plan you’d have to throw CC in Game 4 and plan to throw him in Game 7.
If the Yankees are ahead in the series heading into Game 4 then throw AJ against their #4 hoping for a good performance and knowing you have CC at home on full rest for Game 5.
If the Yankees are behind going in to Game 4 then there is no way you throw Burnett…you can’t risk going down 3-1 and having to win 3 straight games (two of which are in Texas)
That’s how I’d play it anyway.
So now AJ only pitches if we’re not behind?
stuckey. I’m thinking straight up. In my scenario AJ pitches only once and the games played up to that point would add up to 3 if he’s the 4th starter.
If they are down 3-0, then it’s through no fault if his own, and we may see another pitcher in that case anyway.
Jerk, I had in mind of CC going 1.4.7, with AJ starting in game 5. The only equation that changes here is Hughes and AJ switching spot. The idea is obviously matching your worst with their best and hope your best is incrementally better than their rest.
If you are up 2-0 , just an idea, I know it’s unconventional.
stuckey –
“May I assume you can type with one hand, because I can only imagine your other hand is “busy” while you’re indulging in your fevered fixations.”
Sick, sick, sick. This is a family blog. There is no place for that on here. Have a soul, man, and say something less obscene, like advocating violence
“Your remarks are of course based on the premise that the press can benefit any organization, in any significant way. Yes, I understand. Your argument will be that Gammons touting of Red Sox prospects helps fool other GMs into making lopsided trades with the Red Sox.”
That was not my assertion. You’re trying to interpret meanings that just aren’t there again, stuckster!
# m October 13th, 2010 at 10:14 am
Anything can happen. I’m not giving the Rangers any wins by walkover when Cliff Lee, and I’m not giving the Rangers any wins by default when AJ pitches.
Tampa Bay may have done us a huge favor. We may win this thing and only face Cliff Lee once. And Washington did a great job nailing it down with Lee in a 4-run game. Yes, it’s the right baseball call and you owe your ace that. Keep living like there’s no tomorrow, Ron.
tyanks36,
If your dad doesn’t want his shirt, you should take a sharpie and cross out Tampa and replace it with ‘Yankees’ and cross out beasts and replace it with ‘Kings’. Make sure the Yankees are above Tampa and Boston.
_____
m
my dad didnt buy a shirt but im seriously contemplating buying one and making some “adjustments” to it. That is, if they still have them in the stores maybe I can get one on clearance.
___
as for all the talk about wanting to move the Rays out of state: as much as I dislike them, I like having the chance to go see the Yankees in the regular season besides just a Spring Training game or two.
“If the Yankees are ahead in the series heading into Game 4 then throw AJ against their #4 hoping for a good performance and knowing you have CC at home on full rest for Game 5.”
Whenever CC Sabathia walks off the mound Friday night, when does he prepare for starting again?
Tuesday or Wednesday?
Because that affects what he does Saturday, Sunday and Monday…
Everyone talks about how smart the rays and twins are in developing talent (or trading for it) but has anyone seen what the Cleveland Indians have brought up or traded for (or traded away)in their last 10 years or so? If they had New York Yankee kind of money where they could have kept their players they’d be the new baseball dynasty..
Manny Ramirez
Jim Thome
Victor Martinez
Franklin Gutierrez
Chin Shoo Choo
Grady Sizemore
Casey Blake
CC Sabathia
Cliff Lee
Fausto Carmona
Carlos Santana
Brandon Phillips
Not a bad team if they could have kept all or most of these players
Wave
And in that scenario they would have the room to say trade for Fielder and still field a very competitive team for around 50mm..
If they had entertained trading for him midseason i’d bet they will kick the tires on him with it costing them less now and with a ton of $ coming off the books this year.
Bartlett
Zobrist
Longo
Fielder
B.J.
Joyce
Rodriguez
Jaso
Jennings
is a pretty good lineup and comparable to what they had this year with Prince being an actual upgrade
“Sick, sick, sick. This is a family blog. There is no place for that on here.”
Wasn’t this you, late last night?
“OMG! OMG! OMG! I love it!”
Sorry dude, what’s obvious is obvious.
“That was not my assertion.”
Fair enough.
The Red Sox organization benefits from Peter Gammons writing and MLB Network appearances how?
Stuckey,
That’s a good point. Prepare him to start Game 4..then if you don’t have to then fine. I would prefer just planning on him pitching game 4 from the start but that may not be what they are thinking.
# SJ44 October 13th, 2010 at 10:46 am
Cashman has said many times in the past, you don’t play games with the free agents you target.
You get aggressive with your offer and realize there is no “bargain” or “savings” for the top guys like Lee.
Fans will be more freaked out than the Yankees will be on the terms of Lee’s deal.
———————–
The sportswriters will be the MOST freaked out of all.
Of course the game I have tickets for is the game AJ is pitching. That’s just how it always works.
If they pitch AJ for Game 4, who’s pitching the potential Game 7??? This really seems like a bad idea.
AJ has pitched well vs the Rangers this year and the Yanks have said they would prefer CC not to pitch twice on 3 days rest. So it seems pretty likely to me that AJ will start game 4.
Normally, the Game 3 starter starts Game 7.
“The sportswriters will be the MOST freaked out of all.”
One can only hope when Cliff Lee announces his decision, he puts out a statement saying “I’m taking my talents to the South Bronx”.
Ironically, we may have LeBron James to thank for setting a precedent the Yankees will simply be emulating rather than creating.
champ809 October 13th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Wave
And in that scenario they would have the room to say trade for Fielder and still field a very competitive team for around 50mm..
If they had entertained trading for him midseason i’d bet they will kick the tires on him with it costing them less now and with a ton of $ coming off the books this year.
Bartlett
Zobrist
Longo
Fielder
B.J.
Joyce
Rodriguez
Jaso
Jennings
is a pretty good lineup and comparable to what they had this year with Prince being an actual upgrade
*****************
Decent lineup – but i would be weary of their super scrubs having to play on a regular basis…- also if your going to use up all your “freed up” money on prince fielder (plus they’d have to give up alot of talent to get him) what happens to the bullpen and starting pitching? 75% of their bullpen will be free agents or arbitration eligible so that means most – if not all of them will be gone- you’re gonna have to pay a few players to pitch innings 6 – 9…no? lastly, prince fielder in represented by none other than Scott Boras (as is soriano) – so you know if they trade for fielder it’ll be just for one year – and they ain’t paying him $20 million a year for 7 years to resign him…
lets just be happy in the fact that Joe Maddon will have a close to .500 team on his hands next year….lets see how smart he is next year…
i wonder what t-shirts they’ll come up with for next years team…something like
” Tampa Bay Rays, much lower payroll, average team, wait until 2020 when we’ll get 7 out of the next 10 #1 picks and we’ll be relevant again”
stuckey -
““OMG! OMG! OMG! I love it!”
Referencing that I now love the word sycophant – as it adequately describes Peter Gammons.
“The Red Sox organization benefits from Peter Gammons writing and MLB Network appearances how?”
Id rather not go in depth on this one at the moment, but Gammons will do anything for that organization – from laying down on train tracks for them to cleaning Fenway Field’s toilets with his toothbrush.
Preferring not to, and leaving the option there are different though Wave. They might PREFER not to , but it might be necessary. I think its in the Yankees interests to hope for the best but plan for the worst.
If CC dominates his first 2 games, and AP or Hughes struggles , wouldn’t you want the option to throw CC with AP/Hughes on backup?
The only way CC would pitch twice on 3 days is if 1) it went and 2) they chose to pitch him the 2nd time on short rest.
If they pitch Sabathia in game 4 then it will either be to go for the kill and hopefully prevent a game 7 or to prevent going down 3-1 or a sweep.
Even if CC pitched game 4 they still would have the option of the game 3 starter on full rest.
Cash said it on Monday, and someone here mentioned it was confirmed (?).
I know it’s a scary prospect for people to have AJ anywhere near the mound, but we need him to pitch just once. It will be okay.
Cliff Lee like Roy Halladay and Andy Pettitte will age gracefully due to their work ethic of being the 1st guy in and last guy out in work preparation. Conditioning is vital to them. Joba Chamberlain should take note.
It’s good to see Cliff Lee sprint off the mound when he finishes off the last out of an inning. He’s a master at painting the corners and stingy with the free passes.
I don’t think that the Rays are going to trade away their future for one year of Prince Fielder.
Ledger_Yankees TBS broadcast team for ALCS: Ernie Johnson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), John Smoltz (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter).
Has anyone given any thought if the Yankees go to game 7 and the Phils sweep to line up their rotation against the Yankees? Could be a difficult series… But I’m being presumputous here…
Prediction: Burnett rises to the occasion and holds court giving the team every possible chance to win the game.
I’m not saying he will allow 2 hits over 8 innings and strike out 10. But he will show everyone that he can be an elite pitcher when everything falls into place.
Just my gut feeling.
Raising Hope has really gotten significantly better.
Garrett Dillahunt is just extraordinary!
“Let me walk out of here and nobody has to pay finance charges!” LMAO!
“Id rather not go in depth on this one at the moment, but Gammons will do anything for that organization – from laying down on train tracks for them to cleaning Fenway Field’s toilets with his toothbrush.”
I don’t suspect either gives the Red Sox any competitive advantage, so I’ll regard both as irrelevant.
If you’d rather not explain your meaning, that’s is your right. Seems like an odd use of time on a message board, however. Say something that makes no sense and leave it hanging.
But whatever.
sunny,
I thought of it briefly. We gotta get there first. And if Andy & Hughes keep putting up binary digits, we’ll be okay.
Has anyone given any thought if the Yankees go to game 7 and the Phils sweep to line up their rotation against the Yankees? Could be a difficult series… But I’m being presumputous here…
–
If CC doesn’t pitch in Game 7 then the rotation is lined up. Also I think the talent gap between the Yankees and Rangers is greater than the Phils and giants.
FYI, the Arizona Fall League started yesterday and the Yankee prospects play for the Phoenix Desert Dogs.
Romine, Pirela (a SS) and Laird (on the roster as an outfielder, and the starting LF, interestingly) all went 1-4 yesterday.
Manny Banuelos gets the start this afternoon.
Yankees in 6 against Rangers, and Yankees in 5 against Giants, finish 11-3 in Postseason with Champtionship Number 28 !
A lot of this will come down to the bullpen’s ability to hold a game, anyway.
If they’re in lockdown mode, then we’re gold.
I thought so too m.
hmm… true Jerkface… i don’t see how the Giants can overcome the rotation of the Phils, but hey, anything can happen… and I really do hope the Giants do make it.
New Post: All quiet at Yankee Stadium
stuckey – This isn’t the time for me to go too far in depth on the matter. There is little point in doing so anyway, as you would disagree with me on just about any subject, feverishly, with one hand on the keyboard.
So Ill make it simple for you: The light in which the Red Sox organization is viewed in has an effect on free agents. The media undisputedly affects (either positively or negatively) the way in which the Red Sox – or any organization – are viewed.
RayVT -
We spoke of this before, and I hope you’re right, and Tamps moves to NC. That way I get to see the Yankees 9 times when they play the Rays.
I do believe AJ starts game 4, Cashman all but spelled it out.
I think Girardi goes with the same 3 pitchers as in the ALDS, and the same order. If this sets up Hughes for a possible game 7, I believe he’s up tp winning that, or any other game he pitches against Texas.
Cliff Lee, IMO, will get $22 M for 5 years, with a 6th year option.
CC will be house shopping with Cliff, right after the Yankees sew up #28.
Unlike some fans, I do not fret over how much money the Yankees offer Lee, or how many years he gets. That’s a Yankees business decision, not mine. And no, what ever deal is made, will not affect my life one bit.
Those that continue to be concerned on this blog, as if it were their money being spent, I find you amusing.
all of you who think the Yankees can move their rotation around based on the outcome of the previous game(s) just don’t understand how starting pitchers prepare.
Pitchers throw bullpen sessions two days before a start, that would mean CC would be throwing a bullpen on the day of game 3 if he were working on 4 days rest. Once he throws that bullpen he can’t pitch on short rest. So, technically, the Yankees could decide after the 2nd game to pitch him in game 4 but that is the last opportunity to make that decision. There is no way to wait for the outcome of game 3 to decide to throw him in game 4, it’s just not feasible.
The Yankees will decide what to do before game 3 starts. If they lose 2 in Texas I’m guessing he’ll go on 3 days rest but that isn’t something to look forward to seeing.