Is Martin’s back good … or just good enough?
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Jun 13, 2011 
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Every day Joe Girardi checks in with his players before posting the lineup card and you can bet he’ll be paying extra close attention to what Russell Martin has to say during today’s conversation.
Yesterday, Martin played for the first time since hurting his back on Tuesday. After going 0-for-4 with two double plays, Martin admitted that he still feels discomfort. “It’s still there a little but something I can play with,” Martin said. “I can run, throw, hit, even though I didn’t hit today, I can do enough to get the job done.”
Admirable as that sentiment is, Girardi may have a decision on his hands. Catcher isn’t a position to fool around with and it’s physical demands are intense; having a starter who is isn’t as close to 100 percent as possible isn’t ideal when it’s only June (and not, say, October). Girardi said during his postgame press conference that he’ll be interested to see how Martin’s back responds to a day back behind the plate.
Is it worth giving Martin a little more time off? Maybe. If he says he’s all ready to go, it’s hard to argue but no one should be surprised if the Yankees play it cautiously. Martin has been struggling since the end of April, and his average has dropped all the way to .232. Trying to play hurt might only magnify whatever bad habits have seeped into his swing.
Then again, rustiness isn’t much help at the plate either.
“It’s been a while since I had an at-bat,” Martin said yesterday. “I was swinging at pitches that I knew I was going to get, I just couldn’t do anything with them. Maybe it’s just not having an (at-bat) in a little while, probably takes me a day or two to get used to it. Come back stronger tomorrow.”
The Yankees certainly hope so.
* That’s an AP photo of Martin.
comet June 13th, 2011 at 9:07 am
MTU we continue the quest as prices continue to drop. Off to Palm Desert in CA, in November, to look again. Looking forward to that visit although it will only be a week in duration.
Good to read that all is well with you. My neighbour Kate and I are enjoying a lovely respite from what has been a cold wet spring here. Hopefully we’ll have another WS in the bag by then.
Comet-
Best of luck and I hope your right.
Give Martin some more time off and bring up Montero.
If he’s swinging the bat without fear of “tweaking” his back, keep him in the lineup. Why would anyone want to see the most exciting hitting/power prospect[Montero] the Yankees have had since Mickey Mantle, brought up to the bigs??
Nice pictures, MTU, of the bobcat taken by your friend.
YT-
Glad you enjoyed.
Better yet. Keep Martin in the lineup, send Cervelli down, and bring up Jesus to replace him.
Baseball is a funny game. At the beginning of the year, the Yankees had riches at catcher. Now, with Martin still hurting and Montero still having eye issues and Romine out for at least ten days with a concussion, they have no decent back up catcher. If it weren’t for bad luck . . .
Austin-
Jose Gil has been doing really well at AA.
Looked at the Yankees and Red Sox scedules from now until the ASB.
Sox play Brewers, Pirates, Padres, Phillies, Astros in IL play.
Yankees play Cubs, Reds, Rockies, Brewers, Mets.
Which person/persons made out the schedule this year? Red Sox fan?
YT-
Who’s gonna get Colon’s next start ?
Martin will have plenty of 0′fers. Bigger concern was the Tribe going 5 for 5 on stolen base attempts. Not sure that happens if he’s in top health.
Surprisingly the Pirates are looking for a catcher, as they don’t think SJ’s nephew is ready yet-Tony Sanchez.
Mell-
Those stolen bases were really more on Garcia.
YT-
We’ll send ‘em Romine for McCutchen.
upstate kate-
When I was in grad school in New york state, I worked as a writer for a small nature center. We had video of a pack-a mother, father, and 2 babys-of wild cats taken on the center’s land. We sent the video in to the state for verification and we got a letter back saying (paraphrase) “It is the states position that this breed of wild cat does not exisit in the state.”
I’m not that impressed by the Yanks’ opponents. The best of the lot is probably the Brewers, and the Red Sox get them too.
Indians had great jumps on Garcia.
Who’s gonna get Colon’s next start ?
——————————
I think they should bring up one of Phelps/Warren/Mitchell, whomever GB feels is ready to be placed in bullpen as long reliever, and pitch Noesi today against the Indians-he’s been off since last Tuesday. Then you can move everyone else’s start ahead one day so that you’re not getting one of those 3, feet wet against one of the toughest lineups to face in the Rangers on the Thursday that Colon would have pitched.
YT-
And we’d even be willing to part with Cervelli for Jonathan Sanchez.
The stolen bases were on Garcia and not Martin. Garcia is very slow to the plate and Martin had no chance. He didn’t even try to throw on at least one stolen base.
The Brewers are a very formidable opponent.
Those stolen bases were really more on Garcia.
======================
I didn’t see ‘em all, YT. Did notice that in Garcia’s 1st 10 starts, only 7 SB’s were attempted, so he doesn’t seem to be a guy runners have been taking advantage of. Maybe the Tribe saw something yesterday.
YT-
I like that idea. Noesi would seem to be a good choice.
One thing is for sure. We are getting the opportunity to evaluate some of our AAA arms before they get moved in trades.
Joe-
I think the Yankees have the harder opponents to face in IL play. After all Theo will get a chance to trade for Heath Bell, for a pittance, from his good buddy Hoyer, when the Sox play the Padres!!
I think this decision is easy if he’s still having discomfort and its a thing that rest will heal…..its June….put him on the DL and get him 100%…..that’s much better than it lingering all season or even potentially getting worse.
The Brewers are a very formidable opponent
======================
Yeah, they’ve been playing well of late. Greinke, Gallardo and Marcum are a nice little trio the Brew Crew can throw at you.
7 hits in 4 games, gonna be tuff, hope jeter gets it at home,
i dont think jeter should be leadin off this yr and its obvious that hes not what he once was, but ‘overrated’ is not a word anyone should use with jeter, or arod for that matter
Kei Igawa pitched pretty well for SWB yesterday- 1 earned run in 6.2 innings in a 5-4 win over Syracuse. Montero not used.
Will we see the next lefty called up in Igawa or Flores?
Give Martin some more time off and bring up Montero.
=========================================
Gustavo Molina will come up before Jesus…Molina has major league experience behind the plate. Besides the Yanks must save Montero for a trade.
Yankee Trader June 13th, 2011 at 9:42 am
Kei Igawa pitched pretty well for SWB yesterday- 1 earned run in 6.2 innings in a 5-4 win over Syracuse.
************************
The Brewers can hit…..that lineup is really good. That’ll be an interesing matchup for both the Sox and Yanks……they passed the Cards this weekend.
What a joke. Those 136 innings of “major league experience behind the plate” that Gustavo has really make a big difference. Ha.
Give Martin some DL time .. get’em healthy
If they are gonna keep Montero under wraps, and Romine is unavailable I would rather see Jose Gil than the fake Molina.
Or even PJ Peliterre instead.
So, is everyone smelling the not-so-sweet scent of Yankee reality?
I’ve said it all offseason and season: if the Yankees don’t acquire a front line starter, their season is not going to end holding up a trophy.
Colon’s injury only reinforces that.
So, is everyone smelling the not-so-sweet scent of Yankee reality?
========================
I thought that was my sneakers.
Whew!
Until later. Have a good day all. Want to see very good AJ tonight!!
montero isnt exactly tearin it up in AAA, why bring him up to face better pitchers and destroy his confidence? the quality of pitchers in the minors vs the majors is a huge difference,
plus if the yankees want to use him as trade bait, its better to keep him in the minors for now
My concern is this will be what we come to expect from Martin.. good ability but never quite healthy enough to be consistent.
Colon shouldn’t miss too much time and honestly this could be a blessinin disguise if it allows him to rest his arm mid season and have a strong 2nd half. He’s pitched like a legit #2 this year….and the stuff has been that good as well.
I think Liriano is going to be the target…..now whether the Twins will be realistic in their asking price is another story.
DL Martin, bring up Montero, when Martin is 100% you have had some eval time for Montero and you can make a decision on whether he or Cervelli goes back down. Playing Martin hurt shouldn’t happen…..he’s too important. They need to get him healthy if he’s hurting.
blake…
thats a good idea, see if montero can play when it counts,
I think Liriano is going to be the target…..now whether the Twins will be realistic in their asking price is another story
==========================
They may not have to be as realistic as you think, Blake. Yankees won’t likely be the only ones who come knocking.
RSM – wrong about owning businesses. Happy to discuss the Yankees financial capabilities at anytime. I’m well aware of their operating expenses, debt, etc. They are also worth double what the Red Sox are; the second most valuable franchise. You know as well as I do that if the Yankees wanted to spend an additional $15M on a left fielder; etc., they have the means to do so without suffering financially. As I said before, Kei Igawa didn’t halt the train at all. Thanks.
The Giants may try Sandoval at catcher on a part time basis. He came up as a catcher, or at least played there in the MiLB.
blake June 13th, 2011 at 10:02 am
I think Liriano is going to be the target…..now whether the Twins will be realistic in their asking price is another story.
____________
What exactly does that mean (“he is going to be the target”) if the Twins are reluctant to deal Liriano to a perennial play-off rival? Does it make sense for Cashman to dwell on Liriano or should he be casting a wide net instead? If a wide net, who are the other pitchers he will attempt to land?
Personally, I again don’t think there is any need to land so-so stuff that is available and I like our rotation with Colon and Hughes coming back.
If we continue to lose people, I might try to land Santana (if he proves healthy) or Greinke (if Brewers fall)…but I think the chances for either are slim.
Mell,
If he keeps pitching well they have to trade him because as you say….there are a lot of teams in need. The Red Sox probably will be in as well Id imagine. They can probably get the most for him right now that they ever will……but I don’t think he’ll demand top prospects and I doubt any team will pay it either…..which is what I meant by realistic……
Bojo,
It means that he may be the only potential impact arm available …..so Cashman will probably focus there. (Unless there is something off the radar we dont know about) If the Twins demand Montero or Betances/Banuelos then he’ll move on. Just my guess…..I could be wrong.
I think casting a wide net is counter productive…..they don’t need mediocrity they need specific things. They need a high end arm for the rotation and they need a left handed reliever……if those things aren’t out there then they need to stand pat.
If he keeps pitching well they have to trade him because as you say….there are a lot of teams in need. The Red Sox probably will be in as well Id imagine.
===============================
Yup. Could also see the Rangers and Cardinals get involved as well.
blake June 13th, 2011 at 10:16 am
I think casting a wide net is counter productive…..they don’t need mediocrity they need specific things. They need a high end arm for the rotation and they need a left handed reliever……if those things aren’t out there then they need to stand pat.
_____________
I agree they don’t need medicrity…I think of Colon as better than Liriano and a solid #2, and Hughes a good #3…so I think of them as being our mid-season improvements. As for LOOGY, I think Logan will now improve with the extra work, and I think we’ll look at what our minors can give us for support. I can’t think of any LOOGY that is particularly appealing that would be available unless Chicago makes Matt Thornton available…I do like some of the Oakland kids but don’t think they are available either.
If I am the Twins GM, I would probably try to trade Liriano out of league…to Cards or Brewers or Braves
Yea…you know the Rangers will stick their nose in…..but would they give up top prospects again for a lesser pitcher than Lee? I doubt it. Liriano is a high end arm but there is a lot of risk and other factors that will scare teams off a really high price tag IMO. The Yanks have things in excess that the Twins should like…..catching …..starting pitching….etc…
I’d like to see Hughes pitch a game for us again before counting on him to sure up our rotation.
Bojo,
In theory yes…..but Im not sure they can depend on what they’ll get from Hughes. He may come back an dominate but until we see him actually pitch and see that the stuff is back then its tough to bank on that. I think he’ll be ok long term…..but these things don’t always resolve in the same season.
If I am the Twins GM, I would probably try to trade Liriano out of league…to Cards or Brewers or Braves
==============================
Braves don’t really need him and the Brewers left themselves w/ little after dealing for Marcum and Greinke. Cardinals could be players. Don’t know much about their farm beyond Carlos Martinez and Shelby Miller, but consensus seems to be it’s a middle of the road system. From a Twins standpoint, they may make the most sense, but they obviously won’t limit themselves to them.
Sabathia
Colon/Hughes/AJ
Liriano
Colon/Hughes/AJ
Would have the potential to be good enough to win a WS…..what they have now doesn’t IMO.
blake – Even with the Twins completely out of it I still don’t know that they’d give us anything of value. It might be good business to do so, but there’s some pretty bad history between the clubs and I could only imagine the reaction of their fan base if the Twins end up giving the Yanks the one piece that pushes them into another WS.
blake June 13th, 2011 at 10:25 am
“but Im not sure they can depend on what they’ll get from Hughes. He may come back an dominate but until we see him actually pitch and see that the stuff is back then its tough to bank on that.”
———
Good point…frankly Liriano’s arm scares the heck out of me. I suspect the Twins also feel that way since they didn’t try to lock him up. And with his 2 dominant performances, I think they will ask a lot for him and some dumb team will drive the price up.
It reminds me of when George once picked up Steve Trout after he had a good start…he then proceeded to stink up the stadium when he got here…moral?: Can’t judge a player by a current hot streak or past performance alone….need insight to how he will hold up physically and also how he will perform in NY.
I’d be very cautious about giving up anything of value to Twins for Liriano.
Shame,
True….and I don’t know how that dynamic would affect things. You’d think fans would just want the best return possible.
Shame:
It’s business, not personal!!!
If the Yankees are creative enough in their package, the Twins will deal with them.
Mell June 13th, 2011 at 10:26 am
________
Good points.
“I’d be very cautious about giving up anything of value to Twins for Liriano.”
Me too….and I think his arm is going to scare most teams. Which is why I don’t see anybody making a huge offer……if the Yanks can get him with a strong offer but not one involving their top guys I think think its worth the risk……if they can’t then its not. Liriano is pitching well now though….its probably now or never if the Twinkies want to even get a decent package in return.
Of course, add to this the issue that the Twins GM might not be the best in the business (IMO), and he might screw up the deal and get only so-so prospects back from a team other than the Yankees. He hasn’t really impressed me in his tenure there.
If the Yanks offered Nova and Romine for Liriano I doubt any team would top that….
Ew–be tough for me to give up on Nova for Liriano. I think the kid still has some upside, and at worst–would be very valuable in a trade for a bigger piece (whomever or whenever that may be).
I alos might be reluctant to give up on Romine at the moment until the whole future catching thing shakes out.
That is, what level will Martin ultimately settle at? Is Montero really a catcher? Is Sanchez a head case? And what about Frankie and the baby? (oops..old time serial flick fan slips out)
Bojo,
Yea it’d be tough….but you aren’t getting anybody for free. Nova is good and I like him but I like Noesi better and the Yanks have better arms coming behind him as well. Liriano has more upside and is left handed…..Romine would be tough as well…..but Im going on the assumption that Montero can catch because that’s what they keep saying.
I wonder who else will turn up unexpectantly at the trading deadline…there is usually always a surprise or two every year.
Matt Garza
Blake-
I pretty much agree with your line of thinking except that I hope someone better than Liriano comes along.
If we knew to a certainty that Hughes and Colon would hold up for the 2nd half the need would be greatly reduced.
Problem is we don’t.
MTU,
Yea I wish as well….but Liriano can be really good when healthy and he’s great against lefties…..and the lineups the Yanks will probably have to beat to win it all are Lefty heavy.
Its the kind of risk you like to take if the price is right.
blake – I’m never sure how big a role those things play either… but it must to some degree because this is the same team that took a worse package for Santana, isn’t it?
I know its a business and fans should understand that the return is worth something but recently I had this conversation with a Mets fan that went something like this:
“You guys should blow up the core, get everything you can, and rebuild.”
“But I don’t want to.”
“Why?!”
“Because I don’t want to win a championship. I know we wont. I just want to come and see Jose Reyes and David Wright play.”
At this point, I was gawking at my friend in a way that made him so uncomfortable we had to change the subject. Apparently, other fan bases aren’t as concerned with winning as we are.
Shame,
Its a fair point.
Thought this was interesting about “Platelet Rich Plasma”…seems like it could be used for a variety of things, including possibly hamstring problems…(taken from an oral surgery site)
“Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is exactly what its name suggests. The substance is a by-product of blood (plasma) that is rich in platelets. (Platelets are a storehouse of various growth factors which assist in repair, growth and stimulation of body tissues. Prominently the growth factor known as BMP (bone morphogenic protein) has shown to grow and stimulate bone growth when applied to areas with bone substitutes materials as particulate bone.) Until now, its use has been confined to the hospital setting. This was due mainly to the cost of separating the platelets from the blood (thousands) and the large amount of blood needed (one unit) to produce a suitable quantity of platelets. New technology permits the doctor to harvest and produce a sufficient quantity of platelets from only 55 cc of blood drawn from the patient while they are having outpatient surgery.
Why all the excitement about PRP?
PRP permits the body to take advantage of the normal healing pathways at a greatly accelerated rate. During the healing process, the body rushes many cells and cell-types to the wound in order to initiate the healing process. One of those cell types is platelets.
Platelets perform many functions, including formation of a blood clot and release of growth factors (GF) into the wound. These GF (platelet derived growth factors PGDF, transforming growth factor beta TGF, and insulin-like growth factor ILGF) function to assist the body in repairing itself by stimulating stem cells to regenerate new tissue. The more growth factors released sequestered into the wound, the more stem cells stimulated to produce new host tissue. Thus, one can easily see that PRP permits the body to heal faster and more efficiently.
A subfamily of TGF, is bone morphogenic protein (BMP). BMP has been shown to induce the formation of new bone in research studies in animals and humans. This is of great significance to the surgeon who places dental implants. By adding PRP, and thus BMP, to the implant site with bone substitute particles, the implant surgeon can now grow bone more predictably and faster than ever before.
PRP has many clinical applications:
Bone grafting for dental implants. This includes onlay and inlay grafts, sinus lift procedures, ridge augmentation procedures, and closure of cleft, lip and palate defects.
Repair of bone defects creating by removal of teeth or small cysts
Repair of fistulas between the sinus cavity and mouth
PRP also has many advantages:
Safety: PRP is a by-product of the patient’s own blood, therefore, disease transmission is not an issue.
Convenience: PRP can be generated in the doctor’s office while the patient is undergoing an outpatient surgical procedure, such as placement of dental implants.
Faster healing: The super saturation of the wound with PRP, and thus growth factors, produces an increase of tissue synthesis and thus faster tissue regeneration.
Cost effectiveness: Since PRP harvesting is done with only 55 cc of blood in the doctor’s office, the patient need not incur the expense of the harvesting procedure in hospital or at the blood bank.
Ease of use: PRP is easy to handle and actually improves the ease of application of bone substitute materials and bone grafting products by making them more gel-like.
Frequently asked questions about PRP:
Is PRP safe? Yes. During the outpatient surgical procedure a small amount of your own blood is drawn out via the IV. This blood is then placed in the PRP centrifuge machine and spun down. In less than fifteen minutes, the PRP is formed and ready to use.
Should PRP be used in all bone-grafting cases? Not always. In some cases, there is no need for PRP. However, in the majority of cases, application of PRP to the graft will increase the final amount of bone present in addition to making the wound heal faster and more efficiently.
Will my insurance cover the costs? Unfortunately not. The cost of the PRP application is paid by the patient.
Can PRP be used alone to stimulate bone formation? No. PRP must be mixed with either the patient’s own bone, a bone substitute material such as demineralized freeze-dried bone, or a synthetic bone product, such as BIO-OSS.
Are there any contraindications to PRP? Very few. Obviously, patients with bleeding disorders or hematologic diseases do not qualify for this in-office procedure. Check with your surgeon and/or primary care physician to determine if PRP is right for you. “
Blake-
Yes. That could be one of them.
I’d try to get the price down from Romine and Nova.
Maybe one but not both packaged with a few other AAA guys (i.e Phelps, Warren, Mitchell, etc.).
Not exactly sure of the Twins needs.
If Mauer is suspect at Catcher then Romine would certainly be of interest.
We do have some arms that would seem to fit the Twins mold.
If push came to shove I would probably do the trade you suggested as long as Liriano was the best available out there and the need continued to exist.
He’d have to pass an extensive physical.
Geez Bojo. Next time just include the link.
MTU–
Opps!
Bojo-
The info. is good.
The other part of that proceedure is the thing that Colon got where
stem cells are harvested from the bone marrow and augmented by the PRP.
Seems to have a multiplier effect.
If that combo proves to be safe and effective on a wider scale I think we see it become prolific in it’s use.
Dontcha just love modern medicine.
Blake–
I wish Mickey Mantle had this stuff early in career.
The Twins have been winning, and they believe they can get back in the central division race. As bad as the division is, I don’t really disagree. Therefore, I don’t think Liriano is available. Since the White Sox are also winning, I think Danks stays put. I would look into Garza, but his contract is not bad and I don’t know about his availability either.
These are among the reasons the Yankee prospects better be able to contribute in a big way.
2 other ballplayers who had PRP are Saito (elbow), and Nady(elbow).
It seemed to help Saito as I think he avoided surgery but the result
with Nady was less fortunate.
Figures that it would be the Yankee. Nothing bad ever happens to the Sux.
Austin-
You may be right but personally I think the Twins have very little chance of making it all the way back.
They really dug themselves a hole.
They will have to win the division. No WC coming out of there.
I would love to see Joba get the same PRP and stem cell procedures to augment his TJ surgery. I wonder what impact it could have…
MTU–
It seems IIRC that the Twins have been in this position before and come back from big deficits before…that certainly must influence their decisions on seller vs buyer role.
Bojo-
It might help. Call Joba up and suggest it to him.
Bojo-
I think your right but this year the hole is even deeper and I don’t think they are as good.
Let them knock themselves out if they think so.
No skin off our nose.
Liriano’s not the only fish in the sea.
Yankee Trader June 13th, 2011 at 9:57 am
Until later. Have a good day all. Want to see very good AJ tonight!!
Got anything recorded on DVR?
Later folks..Have a great day!
Same here. later.
YankeesPR A second Paul McCartney show at Yankee Stadium has been added! Tickets on sale now!
Torre used to give guys an extra day even when they said they were fine. I think it would be more wise to rest him. There’s no rush with his offense and cervelli is a gamer, he can handle the workload.
The thing with the Twins recent surge is that they are playing very well now but the Indians have also hit a nose dive. If they were 9 games behind Cleveland ok…..they might be 9 games better than them…..but they aren’t 9 games better than Detroit to make that up most likely.
There is an article in Newsday about Montero. Does anyone have access?
Erin – I got my tickets to the first show last week. SO excited.
Shame-how cool!! I want a full report
He’s playing a couple of shows at Wrigley too-I’m going to try to get tickets. Wish me luck. lol
YankeesPR Yanks training duo Monahan/Donohue to be inducted RT @FoleysNY Join us tom @ noon for ’11 Irish American Baseball HOF Induction Ceremony
Shame Spencer June 13th, 2011 at 10:25 am
I’d like to see Hughes pitch a game for us again before counting on him to sure up our rotation.
///
I’ve heard of shoring up a rotation, but if Hughes can sure it up, we won’t need to make any outside moves.
Afternoon Ha Ha’s:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com.....otogallery
New Post: “I’d be lying to you if I told you I hadn’t been thinking about it”