Montero: “I’ve got to do my best, that’s it”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Sep 02, 2011 
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Jesus Montero could have been here in April. When Francisco Cervelli was on crutches in spring training, the Yankees top prospect became an early favorite to break camp as the team’s backup catcher. But he didn’t earn it. Then he went to Triple-A and put up underwhelming numbers in the first half.
“I think anytime a guy fails in the minor leagues and gets to the other side, I think it’s important,” Joe Girardi said. “I don’t want a player to fail the first time in the big leagues. I want him to have to fight through something to get to where he’s at, whether it was a long slump, or an injury, or whatever it was. I want them to have to really go through a tough experience and have to get to the other side before they get here.”
It’s a familiar idea in the minor leagues. Failure is part of the process, and it’s considered an important part of the process.
“I’m here now,” Montero said. “Now I’m ready. They think I’m ready. I’m not going to tell you three years ago I was ready, because I’m not. But now I’m ready. I want to help the team to win, and that’s it.”
Girardi acknowledged yesterday that Montero could hit his way onto the postseason roster, which means there’s at least a chance that Montero is here to stay. He’s had enough success in the minor leagues, that hitting in the big leagues has been a forgone conclusion, but Kevin Long cautioned that immediate success is not a given.
“The reason I say that is because I don’t think you’re facing Lesters and Prices and we’re about to face Romero,” Long said. “There’s none of those guys in Triple-A. Obviously it helps to have faced and had success against lefties, but these are going to be a little bit different pitchers than he’s accustomed to seeing… Right now, it was more about getting accustomed to your first couple of at-bats in the big leagues.”
So the transition begins, from potential to performance. Montero has another chance to earn his spot. He wasn’t here in April, but he could be here in October.
“There can be a chance,” Montero said. “I’ve just got to do my best over here, talk to everybody, learn from everybody over here on the team. I’ve got to do my best, that’s it.”
Associated Press photo
justsaying September 2nd, 2011 at 9:05 am
MG September 1st, 2011 at 11:47 pm
devcon13 September 1st, 2011 at 11:45 pm
A lot of Red Sox fans lost a lot of $$$$ tonight….HA!!!!!!!
——————–
not to mention that famous blogger, Vineyard Yankee Hater, who finds the need to post over and over how much money he (allegedly) makes by betting the over every time Burnett pitched. I’m sure his absence tonight is directly related to Burnett pitching pretty well.
MG, hadn’t you noticed? WCSF wasn’t here last night either! They,re good “buddies,” you know. They came on late – at about the same time – after they got back from the “concert.” No doubt VY needed the ride home, in WCYF’s pocket, of course, after losing his shirt, his car and who knows what else – oh, yeah, the house he bet on AJ losing to the Sucks.
Exactamundo Jesus.
Just do your best.
Montero has a nice inside out swing that will play well in YS this weekend. He didn’t look rattled last night and the strikeout pitch from Lester was nasty that even Pujols and Bautista would have struck out on that one.
BTW: I heard on espn this am that Jeet is the hottest hitter in baseball since he returned from the DL, and here is the article:
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-yo.....300-doable
YT-
I hope the Yankees do not have a let down after beating the Sux.
They need to continue to drive for the finish line.
upstate kate-
Thanks for the link. That was a very in depth analysis and worth the read.
YT-
When Montero was up with the bases full I was hoping he would do a Daniel Nava.
Wouldn’t that have been something ?
Unlike Teixeira, Montero hits to all parts of the field and teams will not be setting up a special shift for him. Once he squares up, his well documented moon shots will be seen.
108-
My expectations for Montero are modest.
My hopes are a different matter entirely.
hope the Yankees do not have a let down after beating the Sux.
They need to continue to drive for the finish line.
—————————————
MTU-
The Red Sox get the Rangers and Beltre is back now off the DL, ready to begin hitting doubles off the green monster, plus the Rangers added a lefty in the bullpen-Mike Gonzalez to face all the tough lefties down the stretch.
The Yankees will probably be without Tex tonight against strikeout pitcher and righty Morrow. Maybe Girardi will tinker with the line-up and have a reason to bat Tex lower in the line-up against righties, upon his return.
Hopefully A-Rod comes back soon, ready to contribute.
YT-
Girardi is not moving Tex down.
Looking forward to A-Rod down the stretch.
When Montero was up with the bases full I was hoping he would do a Daniel Nava.
———————————————-
That grand slam. last year[i looked it up] was against Joe Blanton. Had Montero been facing him with the bases juiced, I have no doubts the results would have been good!!
MG September 2nd, 2011 at 8:45 am
MTU September 2nd, 2011 at 8:41 am
MG-
I don’t agree. The Sux are not just another team to me.
They are our arch rivals. I always hope to see them crushed.
———————
MTU, I understand, it’s a generational difference in perspective-when I was growing up the Sox were irrelevant and the Yankees won the pennant each year so it was more a matter of which team (O’s, Tigers, White Sox, etc) were in 2nd place as opposed to a rivalry.
Besides, the Giants and Dodgers were still in NY until I was 10, that alone was enough for a season’s worth of arguing
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I agree MG. I was a little too young to have followed the 49 pennant race, but I grew up in the 50′s when the Bosux were really pretty much irrelevant. That remained the case until the 78 pennant and playoff. I just didn’t grow up with any special hate towards any other team – well, maybe a little bit for the Dodgers! (I have admit now that they had some great teams, didn’t they?)
They were some great days, weren’t they? Mickey, Willie and the Duke.
Loved that Gonzo was still complaining after the game about the call.
Sorry dude, it was a close pitch and it was getting called on the Yankees all night.
A good series for the Yanks, and a good day for Burnett..
Two of the next three against lefties – do we see a lot of Jesus in this stretch? Will he fill the DH spot against lefties and leave Jorge to face the righties? Jorge has decent numbers versus RHP, and I don’t see Chavez really sticking as a DH – more like the guy that gives A-Rod days off when he is back.
Tex is now batting .218 with a .465 slugging average, when facing righties.
Maybe a tinkering is in order.
Bobby Cox is a no doubt HOF’er, but IMO was too loyal to his players in the postseason and would not alter the lineup. Wasn’t it 12 successive postseason appearances and only one WS title, that was won by Glavine and Justice in a 1-0 victory over the Indians?
Did Swish ever explain the bunt thing?
Shame Spencer September 2nd, 2011 at 9:34 am
Did Swish ever explain the bunt thing?
———————————————————
I heard that he didn’t realize that there was already an out. Very stupid play – luckily it wasn’t costly in the end. At least he has been red hot lately…
Yeah he did in the post game Shame. He forgot there was already one out. He thought Jones could hit a long fly ball to score Robbie.
YT-
I understand what you are saying I just don’t think Girardi would do it.
That’s all.
Tex needs to retool that left-handed swing in the OS.
Just caught his first AB on the encore. I hate to say it like a Bostonian but that was definitely a wicked slider that got him.
I’m going to the game tonight. Hope he gets the nod again.
Swisher had a brain fart ?
Not enough Red Bull last night ?
Yanks61-
The Red Sox had Bill Monbouquette and Gene Conley the NBA star, plus Yaz n 1961
Jeers-
Morrow is a righty.
Montero looked comfortable despite an 0 for 3 night and didn’t seem out of place. That’s all I could ask for. As much as there are a lot of high hopes for Montero, I simply want to see him succeed. It’s been fun watching him play in Scranton, but I personally hope he isn’t in Scranton ever again (as is likely).
Shame Spencer September 2nd, 2011 at 9:34 am
Did Swish ever explain the bunt thing?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He didn’t need to explain. He knew it before he got back to the dugout and his teammates didn’t rag on him for it. He was too caught up in the emotion and will learn from it.
yanks61
I think you forgot about the RS 67 team.
If not for Gibson I think they would have won that year.
I feel a little badly if Montero is only going to be DHing because that’s not the role he’s used to playing and while I realize it’s theoretically easier to DH it also not usual for people to take some time to adapt..
Thanks for the info on Swish. What a bone headed move I’m glad we can all forget since we won
Montero has crazy good batspeed and an opposite field approach right now. He let the ball get really deep before swinging, which is a lot like derek jeter. As he settles in I expect line drive singles/doubles to the opposite way with a bomb or two and then some serious crushed shots pulled.
MTU September 2nd, 2011 at 8:49 am
MG-
I’m probably near your age but I still intensely dislike the Sux.
Remember I’m the guy who used to catch baseballs outside of Ebbets field as a kid.
—————–
MTU, I had forgotten about that-I grew up 2 miles from Ebbets Field in a small housing development called ‘Dodgertown’ by the builder-all it was were attached row houses, nothing special at all except for the name
Will Nova come up big yet again ?
The kid has been nothing short of fantastic.
I’d love to see him win ROY.
Shame
What a bone headed
———————————————————————–
But that’s why you love him.
yanks61 September 2nd, 2011 at 9:26 am
I agree MG. I was a little too young to have followed the 49 pennant race, but I grew up in the 50?s when the Bosux were really pretty much irrelevant. That remained the case until the 78 pennant and playoff. I just didn’t grow up with any special hate towards any other team – well, maybe a little bit for the Dodgers! (I have admit now that they had some great teams, didn’t they?)
They were some great days, weren’t they? Mickey, Willie and the Duke.
——————-
we’re from the same era, my first baseball memory (faint as it is) is the ’52 and ’53 World Series.
I became a Yankees fan because I asked my father who won the World Series and he said ‘Yankees’ lol
American League National League
Type Name Stat Name Stat
AVG Norm Cash DET .361 Roberto Clemente PIT .351
HR Roger Maris NYY 61 Orlando Cepeda SFG 46
RBI Roger Maris NYY 142 Orlando Cepeda SFG 142
Wins Whitey Ford NYY 25 Warren Spahn MLN &Joey Jay CIN 25
ERA Dick Donovan WSH 2.40 Warren Spahn MLN 3.02
SO Camilo Pascual MIN 221 Sandy Koufax LAD 269
SV Luis Arroyo NYY 29 Roy Face PIT & Stu Miller SFG 17
SB Luis Aparicio CHW 53 Maury Wills LAD 35
1961 leaders. What a great year for baseball and the Yankees yanks 61!!
MG-
Those were some great times. Grew up on Sullivan Place. Apt. life.
“Montero has crazy good batspeed and an opposite field approach right now. He let the ball get really deep before swinging, which is a lot like derek jeter.”
I was just getting ready to post something similar…..he was late some last night….but it didn’t look like he was getting beat so much that he was letting the ball travel deep before comitting. His swing is money …..if they are patient with him it’ll pay off.
I seriously am on sort of high. I just want to see montero play regardless of results
Cc Grandy and martin have led this team all year. Without those 3 where would yanks be?
MTU September 2nd, 2011 at 9:40 am
Jeers-
Morrow is a righty.
——————————————-
A wise man once said something about expectations and hopes being something entirely different.
MG,
From earlier…..yea Aceves does look thinner……I also don’t remember him touching 95 2 years ago either.
MTU September 2nd, 2011 at 9:49 am
MG-
Those were some great times. Grew up on Sullivan Place. Apt. life.
—————–
Sullivan Place was right next to Ebbets Field, right?
Brooklyn was a great place to grow up in the ’50s…
If Tex and A-Rod are out tonight, Montero might still DH with Posada at 1st and Chavez at 3rd??
Jeers-
Enjoy the game.
I hope you get your wish.
And if not at least I hope you get to see a win.
Maybe both.
Does montero play now that tex is out? Jorge at first…. Montero DH?
MG-
Walking distance.
blake September 2nd, 2011 at 9:52 am
MG,
From earlier…..yea Aceves does look thinner……I also don’t remember him touching 95 2 years ago either.
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I looks to me like whatever back problems he had last year motivated him to get in better shape.
I don’t know anything but maybe he wasn’t the hardest worker on the Yankees staff and that is why they didn’t give him a major league contract this year. It’s too bad, I have always thought he would be a good guy for the rotation because he really knows how to pitch and has good stuff.
Swish at 1B and 2 of Gardner/Jones/Dickerson in the lineup?
Gotta go. Last night was a nail biter. I even had to call 911 to cancel the ambulance after MO finally got out of the inning. I’m much improved now
Just kidding.
Good day to everyone. Yanks on a good roll now all the way to clinching the division!!
MTU September 2nd, 2011 at 9:56 am
MG-
Walking distance.
—————————
To be a Yankees fan living that close to Ebbets Field must have gotten you in some pretty good fights as a kid.
In my neighborhood we just argued all the time about who was better, Mickey or the Duke-not many Giants fans in Brooklyn in those days…
MG-
It was an attitude thing with Aceves.
We’re having an old guys rejuvenation led by Ortiz and his buddies. Hmm
Chemistry is a wonderful thing, speeded up metabolism? Papi is also a lot trimmer, take a close look at him. Jeter on the other hand, adjusted his mechanics.
Montero needs to be kept going now.
It’s not going to serve his development nor our need for him to hit for us if he suddenly is a platoon player. His relaxation at the plate, understanding of the strike zone and how he was on pitches was evident last night, even without getting a hit. Long can try to manage expectations all he wants – let the kid go and he’ll hit, and soon. He’s a dangerous, dangerous hitter is comfortable in the batter’s box, no matter what league it is – he’s going to really upgrade the offense.
Besides, there’s no time to inch him along; if they sit him down they’ll do what they effectively have done to Posada: just play him infrequently enough to keep him from getting back his timing and really having a shot to contribute. Posada, they made a judgment about and are executing a phase-out plan they’ve obviously had from the beginning, by the very way they’ve used -or haven’t used – him.
I think that’s been stupid, because he can certainly help us, ESPECIALLY as a LHB in Yankee Stadium. But he’s 40 years old, on his last year of contract, and doesn’t have a true position to play, so that’s how they’re playing this: by pulling him for a few games, his lack of hitting due to rust and trying to regain timing becomes “Oh, you see – he can’t hit anymore.”
With Montero, who’s here forever and is a flat out stud, there’s no good reason to put reins on him as a hitter. Makes no sense to platoon him, especially if they envision him as the full-time DH for the rest of the season, as per those “undisclosed sources” in the organization have said.
He has not much time to get into a groove; just pencil him into the lineup and see where his bat takes us.
MG,
Hindsight is 20-20 I guess….
Yanks have to feel good about that series.
MG September 2nd, 2011 at 9:56 am
blake September 2nd, 2011 at 9:52 am
MG,
From earlier…..yea Aceves does look thinner……I also don’t remember him touching 95 2 years ago either.
—————————-
I looks to me like whatever back problems he had last year motivated him to get in better shape.
I don’t know anything but maybe he wasn’t the hardest worker on the Yankees staff and that is why they didn’t give him a major league contract this year. It’s too bad, I have always thought he would be a good guy for the rotation because he really knows how to pitch and has good stuff.
========
I seem to recall having read somewhere that his attitude and work ethic, as much as his back, were part of the reason why Cash let Aceves go. I thought that it was a mistake at the time, and I still do. The man can pitch.
Gardner
Jeter
grandy
Arod
Cano
Swisher
Montero
Podada
blake September 2nd, 2011 at 10:00 am
MG,
Hindsight is 20-20 I guess….
Yanks have to feel good about that series.
————————–
usually, except for some of the posters on this blog, they are at 20-200 even when it’s right in front of their eyes.
The Yankees definitely have to feel good about this series having faced both Beckett and Lester.
If not for the Mo blown save on the last trip they would have won the last two series up there.
MG-
I wasn’t a Yankees fan back in those days. I’m of much more recent vintage when it comes to that.
And by the way, you’re right. Growing up in Brooklyn in those days was great. Entirely different.
Have anyone noticed that Mariano only needs 7 more saves to have the all-time saves record?
Lineup should be something like that I hope don’t know who else plays.
Gone unnoticed was that Jorge may have seen Boston for the last time as an active player in a Yankee uniform. If the game had been a blowout, Girardi might have tried to get him one last at bat in sillytown, U.S.A. for the sake of memories past.
Russ probably will catch Nova
MTU September 2nd, 2011 at 10:02 am
MG-
I wasn’t a Yankees fan back in those days. I’m of much more recent vintage when it comes to that.
And by the way, you’re right. Growing up in Brooklyn in those days was great. Entirely different.
———————————-
MTU, that explains your Sox perspective.
In the ’50s and early ’60s the only thing on your mind when the Sox came to town was how many hits Ted Williams would get, the rest of the team was pretty bad.
I agree J. Alfred, I’m worried Montero isn’t used to this type of role. He’s used to playing D, being in the field. People always assume it’s easier to DH but vet players have trouble adjusting so it wouldn’t surprise me if Montero does as well.
““I think anytime a guy fails in the minor leagues and gets to the other side, I think it’s important,” Joe Girardi said. “I don’t want a player to fail the first time in the big leagues. I want him to have to fight through something to get to where he’s at, whether it was a long slump, or an injury, or whatever it was. I want them to have to really go through a tough experience and have to get to the other side before they get here.”
It’s a familiar idea in the minor leagues. Failure is part of the process, and it’s considered an important part of the process.”
very interesting quote there when you consider ian kennedy. kennedy didnt ever fail till he got to the yankees, then failed miserably, got shipped out and has now overcome it.
Shame,
Maybe he would not be used to DHing 24/7, but Montero has always hit very well as a DH in the minors. Usually higher than as a catcher.
Montero is going to be a beast offensively…..he faced some tough pitching last night in a hostile enviornment…..and he waits and thinks opposite field. He needs to follow Arod and Derek around like a puppy dog when at the park and soak up everything he can. The tools are there…..if he puts in the work it’s a matter of time before he starts raking.
Jerkface – That is interesting! Well then I guess I don’t have as much reason to worry as I thought I just figured it’d be more of an adjustment for him.
here’s my concern, they are basically saying jesus wont catch much if at all this month. so what are the chances they can use him as the buc next season if they dont trust him now? i just dont see where he fits on this team if he cant catch, i think alex will have to dh more than play 3rd next year and for the rest of his career as he seems to be breaking down physically. that makes nunez your 3bman and alex your dh and if montero cant catch, what is he going to do, pinch hit?
im very high on his bat but very concerned about his glove.
here’s my totally unscientific look at the pace of the last 2 games:
381 total pitches last night, 38 baserunners, 266 pitches the night before with
21 baserunners.
last night’s game lasted 33% longer than wednesday night’s, there were 43% more
pitches last night, 81% more baserunnners. also there were about 7% more
pitches per minute last night than the night before.
Ys
I don’t think they want to disrupt the pitchers at this point in the season, altho IIRC he has already worked a bit w/ Freddie and maybe Nova.
Don’t you think he will work w/ the pitching staff a lot more in ST so they get used to each other?
Kelvin September 2nd, 2011 at 10:02 am
Gardner
Jeter
grandy
Arod
Cano
Swisher
Montero
Podada
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I think they will switch montero and Posada
Shame Spencer September 2nd, 2011 at 10:06 am
I agree J. Alfred, I’m worried Montero isn’t used to this type of role. He’s used to playing D, being in the field. People always assume it’s easier to DH but vet players have trouble adjusting so it wouldn’t surprise me if Montero does as well.
///
Per that thought, Shame, I would have liked to see him behind the plate tonight with Nova on the mound, but they’re just not that bold. It would seem the perfect spot.
Looking forward to reading through this stuff later today. Unfortunately real life is calling. How dare they schedule real life at a time like this!
I like Nick Swisher, everyone seems to like Nick Swisher but WTF was he thinking by bunting in that situation, he is no rookie and if he didn’t know how many outs there were that is unexcusable–if they had lost the game this would have gotten a lot more coverage.
I don’t think they want to disrupt the pitchers at this point in the season, altho IIRC he has already worked a bit w/ Freddie and maybe Nova.
–
Montero has caught Nova for 2 years
well there you go, put him in coach, he is ready to play today
I think that Jones just forced himself into regular playing time. Those at bats against Lester and Aceves were unbeliveable. Just totally handcuffed Boston pitching. Lester was gone early and Aceves was just hanging on.
JF,
Who caught Nova when he got sent down?
Who caught Nova when he got sent down?
–
Montero caught Nova 2 years ago in AA, last year in AAA, and this year in AAA
El Duque September 2nd, 2011 at 10:22 am
Kelvin September 2nd, 2011 at 10:02 am
Gardner
Jeter
grandy
Arod
Cano
Swisher
Montero
Podada
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I think they will switch montero and Posada
—
Yes, and I think they’ll also have 9 hitters (not 8).
i dont buy that at all, the garcia thing proves it, he’s caught him what 3 or 4 times the past month alone, if they thought he was mlb quality behind the plate, dont you think they’d want to see him do it? there is no pennant race and they do need to know what they have with the guy before ST, but they are basically saying he wont catch.
and i still cant get past ed randall saying he has yet to meet a scout who thinks montero can catch at the mlb level. randall is going to something like 170 minor league games and talks to scouts constantly. and he absolutely is not a guy who would say something like that just to shake things up.
Tom-
One game short of a Bison burger.
Maybe when they come to NY ?
It would be nice if they have Montero catch Nova/Garcia at some point.
As far as tonight, they don’t have Tex so they have to think about who’s playing 1st, first. Swisher or Posada? Martin has been hot of late, so they definitely want his bat in the lineup.
Montero may get to play at DH tonight, though they probably weren’t planning on that to begin with. Didn’t he hit that liner off a righty last night?
They need to put their best team on the field as much as possible. Montero will catch a game eventually, probably not this week.
Sorry, JF. Misread your post.
And if A-Rod or Teixeira plays today Montero is probably out.
Montero is working bullpens with pitchers so he’s gaining experience from the staff on the side.
I heard arod will play but not Tex, we’ll see though.
Yankee Trader September 2nd, 2011 at 9:40 am
Yanks61-
The Red Sox had Bill Monbouquette and Gene Conley the NBA star, plus Yaz n 1961
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MaineYankee September 2nd, 2011 at 9:44 am
yanks61
I think you forgot about the RS 67 team.
If not for Gibson I think they would have won that year.
—————————————————————
YT, yes the Sox had some good players, of course. But in 61 they finished 6th, 33 games out.
Maine, by 67 the Yanks were irrelevant! Seriously, what rivalry I experienced between NY/Bos was of so little meaning to me that (choke, choke) I actually rooted for the Sox in that series (as the AL team.)
I think if Montero couldn’t catch at the major league level, at some point the numbers at SWB would have borne that out.
Will he be GG caliber? Probably not. Doesn’t mean he can’t catch ML pitchers. The Yankees are being conservative with a very young player. That’s the way I see it.
And I do think he will get a chance to catch a game up here. Maybe second game of a DH coming up. Maybe something else. But I don’t think they want him to primarily worry about learning pitchers and hitters. They want him to just focus on hitting.
They already said he will be catching bullpens – which is a good way to phase the kid into that aspect. Which is why I think he’ll catch, just not this week.
If A-Rod plays but not Teixeira then Chavez and Posada will probably cover 1B and DH.
To add a thought: they don’t NEED him as a catcher right this minute. They NEED his bat.
Kelvin September 2nd, 2011 at 10:30 am
Montero is working bullpens with pitchers so he’s gaining experience from the staff on the side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He’s really reacquainting himself with the pitching staff. He’s caught all the pitchers in the last 3 spring trainings with the exception of Luis Ayala and Cory Wade.
Hopefully its Posada+montero at 1B/DH tonight.
I’d say put Jesus into Cervelli’s starts behind the dish, though Cervelli is hitting nearly .350 since the break (granted in only 16 games). But since a dismal May he has been a decent backup and you probably prefer to have him working with the pitchers over Jesus.
I heard Jesus caught Garcia’s side session, so they are either working with him to continue his development, or trying to get him ready to catch a game (i.e., learn the staff).
Whatever it takes to keep winning that’s what I’d like to see them do.
Whoever gives them their best chance.
Just keep putting up the W’s.
That’s the name of the game.
Montero should catch Colon and Nova. Nova because he is more familiar with Nova than Martin, and Colon because he holds runners well and throws 90% fastballs.
Tex is like an automatic out right now when facing good teams
Ian_OConnor
Brian Cashman: “In terms of hitting ability, Montero can be a Manny Ramirez or a Miguel Cabrera…Has the potential to b a beast.” #yankees
I guess some think Montero was brought up to ‘sit’. Posada is the one who should be on the bench.
I would love to see Montero tonight but I think Andruw has earned himself some regular PT with his at bats lately.
If you are considering how this or that impacts 2012 you are over-thinking the situation.
The focus is on the 2011 postseason. 2012 is too far away and unimportant right now.
LGY September 2nd, 2011 at 10:58 am
I would love to see Montero tonight but I think Andruw has earned himself some regular PT with his at bats lately.
==
I see that you’ve really come around on Jones since early this season.
I’m not a fan of the man, myself, but he has done a pretty good job for the Yanks as a right-handed bat against lefties…
Ghost,
I’ve been a Jones fan since the winter. I wanted the Yankees to sign him as their RH OF and predicted he would OPS at least .850 against LHP.
All along I’ve preferred Jorge to be the odd man out for Montero.
Russell Martin has been downgraded from Thurman Munson to Yadier Molina:
General Manager Brian Cashman recently described him to me as “our Yadier Molina, but with power,” which is to say a defensive stalwart with some long-ball flair.
Also, the plan for Montero:
The initial plan is for Montero to be the designated hitter against lefty starters and — if he can handle that — move on to righties, as well. That would reduce Posada to zero jobs as a Yankee; probably push him off the postseason roster
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....z1WoBcwhcM
Brian Cashman: “In terms of hitting ability, Montero can be a Manny Ramirez or a Miguel Cabrera…Has the potential to b a beast.”
***********
Great. Let’s see it. Third best prospect in baseball? Fifth best? Outstanding that is awesome. Can’t wait to see that level of contribution to the offense.
Tonight? Next week? Next April? What’s a reasonable expectation? We looking at a .260 hitter? A .290 hitter? A .310 hitter? A .335 hitter? 30 home runs?
.800 OPS? .850 OPS .900 OPS? —- .500 SLG? .575 SLG? .625 SLG?
Aceves has always been a canny, tough pitcher with a full arsenal of pitches. Now Aceves is popping 95s which he didn’t have before. That fourteen pitch at bat by Jones was against Aceves.
I increasingly like the idea of a two-man catching tandem, splitting time between DH and catcher–each could catch about 80 games a year, and alternate time at DH. It would keep them both (Montero and Martin) fresh deeper into the season; it might even add a couple of years to their careers. The only question in my mind would be the effect such a platoon on the pitching staff.
Bo knows September 2nd, 2011 at 11:25 am
Aceves has always been a canny, tough pitcher with a full arsenal of pitches. Now Aceves is popping 95s which he didn’t have before. That fourteen pitch at bat by Jones was against Aceves.
===========
The good news is that Jones got to him, as tough as Aceves can be.
Last night Sterling didn’t want to say the names Montero was being compared to.
He said “Let’s just say they’re some very good hitters”
LGY -
Can Montero be on the PS roster, since he did not come up by 8/31?
I think last night was more than a win, it was the beginning of major changes for the Yankees.
Montero – DH
Posada – Bench
Hughes – BP
Last night Montero got his feet wet, soon he’ll jump in, get use to the ML waters, and take off on a long career with the Yankees.
Unlike some here, I’ll be patient, and give him the time he needs to adjust.
In his first season, 346 plate appearances, Miguel Cabrera hit .268/.325/.468. So let’s not expect too much from Montero too fast. Not all excellent prospects have a 900+ OPS out of the gate.
Can Montero be on the PS roster, since he did not come up by 8/31?
–
Yes because of DLed players
You can’t tell much from the first few weeks of a player’s time in the Majors. It will take some time to figure out what the Yanks have in Montero, just as it took time to figure out what kind of player Shane Spencer was. Fast start, slow start—it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.
@NotHankStein
AJ Burnett & I really have a lot in common. We both like tattoo’s & taking my family’s money for doing absolutely nothing most of the time.
I’m watching the 9th inning from last night again. I hate it that now we actually have to worry a bit when Ellsbury is up. He’s had such a great season.
say what you want about aj, but he stepped up and did what was necessary last night. if not, i really don;t think he finishes his contract in pinstripes. he may not still, but now there’s that glimmer of hope that he can.
bottom line, if he pitches the way he did last night for the rest of 2011, the yankees win the division
The good news is that Jones got to him, as tough as Aceves can be.
———————————-
Yes, it is good news. Aceves is a very tough RHP and Jones fought him to a draw. Mother mechanics or whatever, his bat is much quicker now.
My point is that Jones is now a lot more than DHing against LHPs. He very well might relegate Gardner to a late inning replacement.
Jones continuing the proud tradition of Yankee OFers making adjustments to their play. He really deserves props.
“You can’t tell much from the first few weeks of a player’s time in the Majors…..Fast start, slow start—it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.”
*****************
Brett Lawrie since he was called up mid-season, has hit 7 home runs in 26 games, with 21 RBI’s and 17 extra-base hits.
He’s hitting .340/.392/.713.
Yeah, big thanks to Jones’ mom.
What does that have to do with Ghostwriter’s point?
Oh look, WCDB is attempting to troll again.
Robinson Cano hit .237 .255 .376 .631 in his first 26 games.
http://66wfan.net/showthread.p.....7#post5507
Yeah, Ellsbury is good this year. But he only had 1 hit last night, and the bottom of the line up didn’t get a hit. I think that made the difference. You can’t let the scrubs beat you and the pitchers didn’t last night. So it gave the sox few chances to get rallies started.
The hobbit did the most damage last night as AJ’s nemesis. If he pitches the way he did last night, but limits Pedroia then those are games we can win.
Getting AJ right is crucial for this team to be successful for the remaining of this season and beyond. The fact that he worked with Larry and was able to pitch this way at fenway just 3 days later is very hopeful.
Winning the games that CC & AJ started is HUGE.
You can tell a great deal about a player from their initial performance. Unless one thinks that kind of performance in the AL East – a 1.105 OPS in 26 games and 100 AB’s – is likely to be a fluke.
The point is, it’s not always true that you can’t tell a player’s potential right away. It depends on the player. Especially if their big league performance starts out to be consistent with their minor league performance. In 2011 in AAA Lawrie hit 18 home runs and drove in 61 runs while slashing .353/.415/.661/1.076
jacksquat September 2nd, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Oh look, WCDB is attempting to troll again.
************
That’s a shame that intellect and logic intimidates you. Try harder.
The key word in Cashman’s quote is potential. Looking for projections as far as result and timetable would be asking for clairvoyant skills that no one here has proven to have.
Jones AB against a righty was impressive. He’s really stepped up and is not just a guy who’s there to offer a coke and a smile
Can’t wait to get A-Rod’s bat in the lineup.
Montero needs more ABs. If he starts to hit well, I wonder who they would sit during the post to get Montero in. Does Posada make the post? He is the one who is the best to sit. But his history as a yankee, makes me wonder if they would do that.
You can tell a great deal about a player from their initial performance.
–
Not really. You’re trying to suggest that you know that Brett Lawrie is going to succeed because he is hitting well now, but that is entirely missing the point. He could easily crash and burn, and even if he does succeed there are lots of players that hit well in the minors, hit well initially, then don’t amount to anything.
Performance from jump street is great, but guarantees nothing.
It’s a shame that your grammar sucks.
There is nothing intelligent and logical about using a players 26 game sample to suggest they are great, when the evidence you’re providing doesn’t contradict what Ghostwriter has said because LAWRIE HAS ONLY PLAYED 26 GAMES.
I was really impressed by Montero’s debut against Lester, arguably the top lefty in the Majors.
Hi Jesus, the good news is you finally get to play in the Majors, the bad news is that you face Lester in Boston. Good Luck.
West Coast Yankee Fan September 2nd, 2011 at 12:09 pm
You can tell a great deal about a player from their initial performance. Unless one thinks that kind of performance in the AL East – a 1.105 OPS in 26 games and 100 AB’s – is likely to be a fluke.
===========================
The point, blockhead, is that you can’t make any kind of probabilistic statements with such a small sample size. Lawrie’s performance might be a fluke, and it might not be a fluke. It’s too soon to tell.
Incredible. Mr. “I don’t make predictions” can make deterministic statements about a player after 100 ABs. 10 ABs!!
A.J. Great job last night. His curve was outstanding. That led to a lot of swing and misses. When A.J. can get called strikes with that curve, as opposed to the hitter’s laying off the pitch for a ball, it makes a world of difference.
I realize he only lasted 5 1/3, but he was very good last night and let’s face it, a lot better performance compared to Phil Hughes.
Look at Jeremy Hermida, .975 OPS in AAA, 1 OPS in his first season in the majors (23 games), out of baseball
Well you can now hope for Lawrie to crash and burn and point it out to me Jerkface.
The point, blockhead, is that you can’t make any kind of reliable probabilistic statements with such a small sample size. Lawrie’s performance might be a fluke, and it might not be a fluke. It’s too soon to tell.
Well you can now hope for Lawrie to crash and burn and point it out to me Jerkface.
–
I don’t have to, Brett Lawrie succeeding or not succeeding does not change that what Ghostwriter said is correct.
Here’s a question from someone (me) who responds emotionally to baseball and tends to not figure in statistics. This is for anyone who cares to comment:
It seems to me that Mo has more difficulty closing out against the Red Sox than he does other teams. Is it because he’s experiencing an age-related decline? Or could it be that the Red Sox have seen him so frequently during his career that they have him figured out a little bit? He still gets the job done more often than not, but it just seems like the odds of him having a 1-2-3 9th inning against them aren’t as good.
Thoughts?
Jerkface September 2nd, 2011 at 10:43 am
Montero should catch Colon and Nova. Nova because he is more familiar with Nova than Martin, and Colon because he holds runners well and throws 90% fastballs.
“““““““““““““““““
Agreed on Colon – I think his reliance on the two-seamer makes him an ideal starter for Montero to catch (especially since it doesn’t end up in the dirt). Nova is a different story – I assume they are familiar with each other, but he is more challenging to catch.
At least we know he won’t be catching Burnette!
West Coast Yankee Fan September 2nd, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Well you can now hope for Lawrie to crash and burn and point it out to me Jerkface.
=================
He doesn’t have to any such thing. That’s the point. There are probably dozens of counter-examples. Shane Spencer is the most obvious one that comes to mind.
Damn, ‘Face, you are a fast typer!
Spot on again. Great minds…
Basically, the point is, Lawrie succeeding or not succeeding means nothing about Montero succeeding or not succeeding based on his first 26 games.
There are lots of players that were hot to start their career but faded (Hermida), or were not good at all (Pedroia) and then turned into very good hitters, or hitters who were merely average their first taste in the big leagues (Jeter)
West Coast Yankee Fan September 2nd, 2011 at 12:10 pm
jacksquat September 2nd, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Oh look, WCDB is attempting to troll again.
************
That’s a shame that intellect and logic intimidates you. Try harder.
—
I can’t find the intellect or logic in your post. It looked like you were foolishly posting very small sample stats from one single player, probably to start an argument for the sake of starting an argument (troll) which you seem to like to do.
Montero could catch CC & Colon and pray that D-Rob doesn’t get an inning.
No way does he catch AJ at this point. Last night, even his CU has hard downward tilt with mustard. Won’t even discuss the curve. Martin did a great job last night. He was in the zone behind the plate.
montero should catch once a week IMO,
martin has been great and was the hero of last nights game, ofensivly and defensely,
we should try to take away games from him for someone still tryin for their first hit,
montero will get plenty of ABs
shouldnt *
I can post lots of examples of players who came up to the majors and raked right away too. I’m not interested in playing that game. Some prospects fail, some succeed, some take time, some do it right away. But to try to say with any certitude that you can’t tell anything from a players initial performance is nonsense. No one knows that.
In the mean time, a player like Lowrie’s performance helps his team immensely.
What you can tell with certitude is that a player shone or stunk in their first 26 games.
But to try to say with any certitude that you can’t tell anything from a players initial performance is nonsense. No one knows that.
–
lol just like you don’t know if their initial performance is an indicator of anything. Aka the point he was making.
If you know he’s trying to start an argument, why take the bait?
jacksquat September 2nd, 2011 at 12:20 pm
I can’t find the intellect or logic in your post. It looked like you were foolishly posting very small sample stats from one single player, probably to start an argument for the sake of starting an argument (troll) which you seem to like to do.
**********
Wrong. I am pointing out that outstanding performance right out of the gate can tell you a lot about a player. It tells you they have the physical tools and abilities to perform at the MLB level. Nothing in life is guaranteed.
Everybody just needs to leave Montero alone.
This kid can break into this team in 2012 and the #9 hitter for all I care.
A year later he can maybe move up to #7 and so on and so on.
That seemed to work for Cano, so why can’t Montero follow a similar path.
Montero is not needed to bat in the middle of this line-up or carry this team. For
that Yankee fans should be grateful.
As for catching, let the kid catch a lot of bullpens this month so he can get familiar with
the starting staff. I say two weeks from now he might get a start behind the plate. Of course that is contingent on whether or not he’s producing at the plate. Time will tell.
Tarheel
my thought is that the red sox hitters have an advantage in knowing Mo so well
Wrong. I am pointing out that outstanding performance right out of the gate can tell you a lot about a player. It tells you they have the physical tools and abilities to perform at the MLB level. Nothing in life is guaranteed.
————————–
Not really.
Playing MLB is a constant game of adjustments. If you can’t make those adjustments a blazing start means squat.
Tarheel -
I agree with upstate kate. The Red Sox have seen Mo a lot over the years.
Villa Nova-Ya September 2nd, 2011 at 12:28 pm
If you know he’s trying to start an argument, why take the bait?
////
My guess is, because they can’t believe what a poseur he is and how pompous he is, and they like watching him hang himself. But I’m with you – it just results in more self-congratulations and more hollow sounds one has to scroll through….
////
Did Girardi ever address Swish losing count last night? I can’t see why they didn’t get his attention during the AB, unless they just assumed he was trying to draw the infield in or something. I never saw any comment about it, but I guess because it didn’t cost ultimately, the writers lost interest…I would have liked to have heard the comments. The players’ expressions were priceless…
Jerkface September 2nd, 2011 at 12:28 pm
just like you don’t know if their initial performance is an indicator of anything.
************
What an inane statement. If a player hits 18 home runs and drives in 61 runs while slashing .353/.415/.661/1.076 in AAA . . .
And then starts his career in the show hitting 7 home runs with 21 RBI’s and 17 extra-base hits. with a .340/.392/.713./1.105 . . .
You don’t think that’s an indicator that “just maybe” he’s an excellent ballplayer?
As if the Yankee world (me included) wouldn’t be dancing in the streets anointing him the next coming if Montero started off that way.
JAP,
Glad to see that real life didn’t intrude for long!
Even if Swisher did lose count last night I have no idea what he is thinking trying to bunt there.
It was a stupid double whammy from Swish.
One can only guess, had some idiot on this board been evaluating Mickey Mantle, when he first came up, we’d had given up on that great talent, because he didn’t bust out the gate with great numbers.
WCYF should be posting on the RS blog, where his hero’s reside, what a troll! Everything RS is great, everything Yankees is suspect, LMAO.
J. Alfred Prufrock September 2nd, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Villa Nova-Ya September 2nd, 2011 at 12:28 pm
If you know he’s trying to start an argument, why take the bait?
////
My guess is, because they can’t believe what a poseur he is and how pompous he is, and they like watching him hang himself. But I’m with you – it just results in more self-congratulations and more hollow sounds one has to scroll through….
////
Did Girardi ever address Swish losing count last night? I can’t see why they didn’t get his attention during the AB, unless they just assumed he was trying to draw the infield in or something. I never saw any comment about it, but I guess because it didn’t cost ultimately, the writers lost interest…I would have liked to have heard the comments. The players’ expressions were priceless…
———-
The funniest were Jeter and A-Rod. Jeter just gave him that look and seem to break the silence as to what the heck were you doing out there. And A-Rod looked like he came from the other end of the dugout he was so confused at what Swish did. That was very funny.
JAP
I don’t recall if Girardi said anything on the post game, but on Swish’s post game he admitted he forgot there was one out. He thought Jones could score him w/ a long fly if Robbie was on 3rd.
I don’t think Montero needs to sneak up on anyone. He’s a ridiculous talent who knows what he’s doing at the plate. Sure, he’s going to undergo a learning curve because it’s his first taste, but he’s a pretty laid back, confident kid.
Anyone hear what he said to Jones last night when she tried to set him up to gush about warming up Rivera? Something like “yea, uh..I have caught him in ST…it was fine….”
Also said something like, it’s good Girardi “knows who I am….” Hahaha! We don’t need to hold Montero’s hand…
J Alfred -
Kim addressed it with Swisher, but I don’t recall any questions to Girardi about that. It was pretty clear right away that his teammates let him know about it. Could have been costly.
Even IF he was right about the number of outs, Cano was in scoring position and Swish has been hot. Why give up the out if a single can score the run and then Jones is still in a position to drive in another one.
that wasn’t very clear, I meant Swish thought Jones could hit a long fly ball and Robbie would score, as Robbie would be on 3rd after the bunt.
tomingeorgia September 2nd, 2011 at 12:37 pm
JAP,
Glad to see that real life didn’t intrude for long!
///
LOL tom, it keeps trying, but I am just out of my shoes with having just played in Fenway and now looking at seeing Jesus live this weekend!
Prufrock,
That was hilarious. Kim got all excited setting up that question and Montero just looked at her like what is wrong with you lady??
BIG AL September 2nd, 2011 at 12:37 pm
One can only guess, had some idiot on this board been evaluating Mickey Mantle, when he first came up, we’d had given up on that great talent, because he didn’t bust out the gate with great numbers.
////
I think Mays was 1 for his first 41. He told Durocher it was no use he couldn’t hit ML pitching (after he opened at like 0 for 21) and Durocher told him he was the best CF he’d ever seen and he was his CF and the rest is history….something like that, any way.
If Jesus has his moment of doubt in the desert (couldn’t resist), similarly we should tell him you’re going to mash for us for the next 10 years, don’t sweat the small stuff…
J. Alfred Prufrock September 2nd, 2011 at 12:39 pm ====
J,
Montero has been waiting for this moment for a while. he wants to help and knows he has the ability to do so.
I loved that comment regarding mo. He had a ” so, i caught mo before moment” I loved that comment
I noticed that last night.
OMG I am late. Thanks Kate, Villa for Swish info. Yea I was none too happy to see Swish bunt in any circumstance but at least with no outs there was some logic….Inge, Jeter’s face and Alex was hilarious….
Good one, folks. Hope Jesus gets in there tonight…GO NOVA!
There were some wicked good battles at the plate. Some we won, some we lost. But they all contributed to getting Lester out of the game early, and Bard in to “clean up” a mess in the 7th.
And Robertson, despite the 4 pitch walk, was bringing some heat last night.
Benny, love the kid.
GO YANKS
Montero looked like he belonged.
The results weren’t there, but he had some good at-bats along with some pretty good hacks. I predict pitchers will fear him one day.
While he went 0-fer, I’m glad he was able to contribute to the win by getting on base and scoring the insurance run. Watching him on the base paths he is pretty fast. Almost caught up with Dickerson.
1-0 in the Jesus Era.
Prufrock comparing Willie Mays to Montero. I love this blog!
Everybody not firmly on the ‘kool aid, rah rah bandwagon’ is a Sux Fan, yeah sure right.
Reality is that some just can’t handle the objective truth.
Reality? It’s just baseball.
Kate & Villa, thank you for your responses. That explanation is the one that makes any sense at all to me. Between all of the regular season games plus the post-season games—and so many of them are save situations—they sure have seen a lot of Mo. I think it stands to reason that they’ve made adjustments to him.
Montero has as much natural ability as Cano does…..what he does with it we’ll have to wait and see…..let the kid play and let’s see where it goes!
Grandersom starting to get a lot of traction in mvp talk…hearing mire and more talking heads put him atop their lists and I think that play he made last night could help wash some of the UZR silliness out of voters minds.
Boston’s one through five are probably the best I’ve seen in OBP and power, the grinding at bats. Going through that lineup four times is beyound tough. Add to that Becket and Lester plus the two BP arms and that’s a powerhouse. The Yankees BP top three are as good as it gets and it was a hell of a grind.
Some claim AJ Is now the greatest because he had one decent start. Reality is he still stinks till he can show he can put together several good starts in a row. Emphasis on several for AJ the career . 500 pircher.
Blake
That was my thought on Grandy as well. The fact that A-gon hit so poorly against Yanke pitching helps Grandy’s cause as well.
Some? No one here from what I’ve seen.
All I’ve seen is some people who absolutely hammer AJ day in and day out come out and give AJ some credit for pitching better.
Ellsbury doesn’t make that play Granderson made.
m September 2nd, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Some? No one here from what I’ve seen.
All I’ve seen is some people who absolutely hammer AJ day in and day out come out and give AJ some credit for pitching better.
*************
Fan’s are prone to pointing out the obvious and it’s obvious Burnett is up there with the worst acquisitions in Yankee history. We are paying someone $16 million plus a year to have achieved a 32-35 record with a 4.85 ERA.
Not sure why we were able to hold done Gonzalez. Hopefully other teams were paying attention.
Here is the credit, he pitched OK last nite. Time to throw a party because he had his second decent start in two months. I don’t think so.
Even though he pitched OK last nite he is still a career . 500 SP.
WCYF,
Not sure what your point is, but I was pointing out VY’s hyperbole.
blake
why is all the blame on swish for the bunt?
after the 1st failed attempt why didnt girardi or thompson ask him what he was doing?
another thing, wouldn’t a bunt sign come from the 3rd base coach?
VY,
I didn’t ask you to give credit.
I was simply pointing out that all I’ve seen so far is that some people gave credit to Burnett. If you want to show me where someone claimed “AJ Is now the greatest because he had one decent start” that would be great.
it was obvious from what Swish said that the bunt was his idea
are these guys on their own?
figure swish to get a sign….again after the 1st failed attempt, why didn’t anyone talk to him?
did they all think there was none out?
Jeet bunts on his own plenty of times
Only Jeter and Gardner should be bunting on their own. Everyone else needs to swing away.
My issue with the bunt even with 0 outs, is that there’s no chance of GIDP, so you might as well swing away. Anything to the right side of the infield or a long fly out or a hit moves the runner over.
I wish we had run more in this series.
But the real fail was hitting with RISP.
swish is not jete
you do have to wonder why a guy who has hit so many HR lately would even consider bunting
i guess nobody knows why the Mgr didn’t ask what swish was thinking after the 1st bunt….amazing he bunted twice…the 1st was a mistake which should have been caught by someone on the bench or the 3rd base coach who never gave the sign which would have come from girardi…oh well , wonders never cease….no explanation
M
You seem you take offense to my posts about Burnett. In a nutshell if we get anything positive from him great, after this year forget him.
I am of the opinion that he has had more than his share of chances to prove himself and or redeem himself. He hasn’t panned out, so I am in the camp that say trade (if possible) or get rid of him. There are plenty of high quality pitching prospects in the Yankee pipeline who can step up and see if they can claim a spot in the rotation next year.
I’m getting antsy…I wanna see the line up!
mick,
Girardi probably just figured that Swish was taking a pitch and showing bunt to try to rattle the pitcher a little.
I was surprised after he showed bunt once that Thompson didn’t come down and ask him what the hell he was doing/thinking.
I agree with Villa-Nova-Ya it’s bad baseball even with no outs.
Swisher has been very productive of late and should have been swinging away. He made a bonehead play trying to bunt and not knowing how many outs there were.
I want to see AJ repeat his mechanics as he did last night in a few more starts before I start to give him credit. That being said I really hope he does continue doing w
VY,
No, I took offense to the “koolaid” comment. I also wondered out loud in a roundabout way why people get so uptight about baseball. You were the one that brought up AJ using exaggeration. I questioned that, too. Look I have no problem with you. But don’t lump all of us together as koolaid drinkers.
Here:
Everybody not firmly on the ‘kool aid, rah rah bandwagon’ is a Sux Fan, yeah sure right.
Reality is that some just can’t handle the objective truth.
*doing what he did last night. Ugh.
Vineyard
Who are your posts directed at? Who is throwing a party or claiming AJ is the greatest?
Shame Spencer September 2nd, 2011 at 1:30 pm
I want to see AJ repeat his mechanics as he did last night in a few more starts
=================
So you are in favor Shame of AJ staying in the rotation and Phil to the pen?
Wonder when that announcement will come?
Mick,
Yea I think they probably just showing bunt to try and draw a ball…..guys do that all the time. Gonzalez did it most of an AB last night…..they probably had no idea he would actually bunt.
m September 2nd, 2011 at 1:12 pm
WCYF, Not sure what your point is, but I was pointing out VY’s hyperbole.
***********
Back off, he’s my sock puppet. Stay out of my drawers.
There was very little chance that AJ was leaving the rotation.
Before anyone starts flaming me, I’m not saying that’s the right thing.
If AJ can pitch well in September, he’ll be part of the rotation. If not, I think they’ll go with CC/Colon/Garcia first round and CC/Colon/Garcia/Nova in a possible second round.
Girardi probably just figured that Swish was taking a pitch and showing bunt to try to rattle the pitcher a little.
=============
LGY
Did the 1st bunt go foul or did he just miss it?
Either way that should have been questioned by Thompson, who would have given the sign,
unless they ALL thought he was just fooling around up there.
I’m not sure I have a preference. I was hoping (like the Yankees, I believe) that Phil would take the spot but he just hasn’t.
They’ll probably have Phil caddie AJ’s starts.
If AJ can pitch well in September, he’ll be part of the rotation. If not, I think they’ll go with CC/Colon/Garcia first round and CC/Colon/Garcia/Nova in a possible second round.
=========================
M—Nova is the #2 , he’s not being left off the ALDS.
AJ would have to beat out Freddy or Bart , who are both much more reliable than he.
Hope that doesn’t happen but you never know with him.
The Yanks have set up a “walk year” situation for AJ and he usually does well in those.
I think people are giving AJ credit strictly for one night. I don’t see anyone thinking that some sort of miracle has occurred. Of COURSE he has to maintain the changes and positive results. If not, they cross that bridge.
In the meantime, as a Yankee fan, an effective AJ Burnett from this point on only helps the team, so why not root for that to happen. Doesn’t mean it will or it won’t or that the person who is rooting for it is a delusional kool-aid drinker.
mick,
Swisher pulled back on the first pitch and it was called a ball. There was no reason to think in that situation that Swish was actually bunting.
Like blake said, hitters do it all the time. Cano will show bunt at times when he wants to take the first pitch.
By the way -
I was also rooting for Hughes to have a good start. The more pitchers pitching well, the better for the Yankees.
They haven’t let AJ hang out to dry all season and won’t start now.
Fact is, if the conspiracy theory of an “audition” were true, AJ outpitched Phil in their starts in Boston.
Phil’s greater value is in the pen now anyway and gives the Yanks leeway to leave aj off the PS roster unless he pitches his way on it.
Why the heck didn’t they bunt Chavez, the #9 hitter?
He hits into a DP, served them right.
Jeter doubles right after
M
Without pointing fingers I’m sure you know what and who are ‘kool aid’ drinkers and what I am talking about.
When others post their opinions here and are not in the majority they almost automatically get labeled as Sux Fans.
AJ and Phil are equally inconsistent.
I love Martin, always have….even when he was struggling terribly offensively.
Montero will have his good and his bad moments; debuting against Lester is a thankless task.
As to the rotation, I still don’t want AJ to sniff the rotation, mostly
because I don’t think Garcia or Colon have done anything to lose their positions.
Also, AJ still has a lot to prove. However, he took a very good step last night.
West Coast Yankee Fan September 2nd, 2011 at 1:35pm
BTW, the Red Sux series is over and the Blue Jays are in town tonite, so I have changed from a red sock with a white stripe to a blue sock with a black stripe.
I am not in the middle left drawer any longer, I am in the lower right hand drawer now. Get with it, I thought you put the laundry away yesterday.
The only regular here that I’ve seen been called a Red Sox fan is WCYF and it’s because he bent over backwards to point out this or that in the name of reality.
The rest of us are just casual fans and don’t get caught up in labels. We don’t drink the koolaid and we aren’t sycophants and we are all independent thinkers.
So as much as certain fans don’t like being called Sox fans, the rest of us don’t like being called koolaid drinkers, which is something you keep riding.
Maybe it started as a joke, but it’s not funny after the 100th time.
Neither is the sock drawer/puppet stuff. It’s actually creepy.
Like I said, I have no problem with you. I only speak up when things aren’t civil or there is a logic fail.
The Yankees would be beyond stupid to have Phil just sit around waiting for AJ
to implode – how’d it work out with Wang? Let him be the long-man at this point, period.
Shame Spencer September 2nd, 2011 at 1:30 pm
I want to see AJ repeat his mechanics as he did last night in a few more starts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I concur. Repeating his mechanics is key. Rothschild will watch his next bullpen session like a hawk to make sure he learned from this game.
Also, he threw a few changeups which helped instead of the same predictable fastball / curveball. He seemed to have eliminated the side to side motion at the strong suggestion of Rothschild.
Give him another 2 games to see if it’s all for real.
Did it seem like the Sox hitters were in shock last night? Seems like they were depending on the scouting reports and video. Wondering why they weren’t drawing walks.
Can anybody else use a “day off” from baseball after the
grueling 3 game series vs the sux??
I can.
The game last night was 4 1/2 hours.
Mentally I can use a day off to rest up before the Yankees play again, LOL!!
I think Tex gets the night off. Aceves really nailed him.
I don’t know who is more tired, the players or the fans.
Prolly the fans…
Chavez to 1st tonite, Alex @ 3rd?
Mick,
The jays are throwing a righty.
So my guess is
Chavez at 3rd,
ARod at DH
Swisher at 1b
Dickerson in RF
???
If Alex is even ready, I think he DH’s. It’s either Nunez at 3rd/Chavez at 1st or Chavez at 3rd/Posada at 1st if he’s not ready.
not sure about starting dickerson….could be po @ 1st, chavez @3rd, al dh
? is if alex not ready then nuney 3rd, chavez 1st, po dh??
nuney over dickerson…
m,
According to a Sox employee in the Yanks locker room area, Tex was limping badly and could barely get on the team bus.
I’d expect him to miss a couple games.
Mick,
I forgot about Posada(OUCH).
He is an option at 1st(if Tex can’t go).
I think Alex is ready to hit, not sure if he is ready to play the field. Nothing wrong with breaking him in slowly, especially vs a righty.
Montero can sit tonight and play tomorrow vs the lefty.
Judge in the Clemens hearing is talking like he’s leaning toward double jeopardy which would disallow the Prosecutors from re-trying.
The exact Tex text message:
“Dude Tex could barely walk onto the bus!”
hey boston dave-You just reminded me of something the NESN broadcasting crew said in game 1 of this series about the Yankees and Aceves.
They went on for a bit on how well Aceves has pitched this year for the sux and went on and on about how/why the Yankees gave up on Aceves.
Maybe those chowder-heads should do their homework before making the Yankees look bad on NESN.
Aceves was let go by the Yankees because he was injured.
The Yankees are definitely not getting their 55 million dollars worth out of Teixeira and AROD. It’s disappointing. If the middle of the order is founded on these two bats long term, the Yankees are making a mistake IMHO. They need to sign Prince Fielder.
should be 4 leftys in 5days after tmw…lots of jesus
Humor is a good thing.
The Yankees are definitely not getting their 55 million dollars worth out of Teixeira and AROD. It’s disappointing. If the middle of the order is founded on these two bats long term, the Yankees are making a mistake IMHO. They need to sign Prince Fielder.
–
1 year later: “The Yankees are definitely not getting their 80 million dollars worth out of Teixeira, A-rod, and Fielder!”
BD,
A year ago you would have held on to that little nugget until lineups came out.
Hopefully it heals up quickly.
Anyone hear Ortiz swear when he fouled the ball off his shin?
It hasn’t been in the cards for me to get much computer time this week, and now I find I need a new laptop (a 4-year-old pounding on the keys might have contributed; my laptop isn’t even two years old) and a muffler, and I still have “no-power” hurricane company.
But even if it’s way past the fact I want to say how awesome it is that AJ pulled what he did out of his hat. On every level, last night was a dream come true. Beating the Suxers, beating Kitty Lester, and having AJ pitch the game he did? I am so proud to be a Yankee fan and an AJ holdout – for as long as I did anyway. I just love the guy because his attitude last night was the same as it has been all along – neither too high nor too low. I know it annoyed people when he said he still believed in himself – and the most relevant thing of all, he said his manager, coaches, teammates and family still believed in him, so that was all the support he needed. Pretty profound statement. It helps me to believe that the fans are so on the periphery of what motivates these guys because if they had to rely on fan support for their stability, well you know the rest. You all read this forum during games and at other times.
Deja vu all over again will never matter. People on the forum will say “game over” prematurely/incorrectly every time; fans will whine about Yankee hitters taking too few pitches; far from grown-up comments will fly throughout the game, the kind that really appear to come from the antithesis of fandom. But life goes on, and the Yankees continue to get the job done.
Let’s hope AJ can build on what he did last night. I heard him say he had been working on making some mechanical changes a la Rothschild so if that has made the difference, bully for both of them! And the Yankees! And us!!!
A shout out to AJ. Though it should never be predicated on winning, we still have your back!
GO YANKEES!!!!
BLOW SUX!!!!!
1 year later: “The Yankees are definitely not getting their 80 million dollars worth out of Teixeira, A-rod, and Fielder!”
——
You forgot one thing. They need to sign Matt Kemp!
‘I forgot about Posada’
=========
Probably a good thing, Swisher or Chavez can play 1st.
Warning Track,
No doubt about it.
In hindsight, it was a bad move.
But back injuries are tough to predict. Cashman did in fact want Ace back, he just didn’t want to use up a spot on the 40 man given his injuries.
Maybe if the Yanks had a weak farm system like BOS, they’d have more free roster spots?
They don’t tell you that though.
Boston Dave – how do you stand the negativity in game threads? Lots of credit to you. My tolerance level for that stuff is obviously much lower.
I seriously wish I had something better to do today -
So they get Prince Fielder and ARod and Tex do what?
Fielder does not want to DH anyway.
I still don’t think not signing Aceves was a bad move…
i know old men who railed against the Yankees…they have been fans since the 20-30-40-50′s….does that make them less of a fan?
No chance at all the Yanks sign Fielder. Zero.
funny how ultra positivity= negativity
Betsy-
At the time of his injury, there was no room for him on the roster. The Yankees had plenty of pitching depth, so like BD said, the sox had a need and were willing to wait for Aceves
to get healthy.
My point was, the sux announcers should have known this.
You knew it. I knew it. BD knew it.
Hearing the comments just irritated me so much that night.
Dude. Fielder lost a lot of weight. I see a lot of redundancy with Fielder. Expensive redundancy.
We had heard stories about Alfredo’s obstinance when he was here, wouldn’t be surprised if that and the injuries took him off the board for the Yankees.
But seeing how vindictive he appears to be, I’m glad he’s not here. In this league you should never close the door on any team.
My point was, the sux announcers should have known this.
You knew it. I knew it. BD knew it.
========================
They knew it…
sox will burn aceves out…
The Sox scored Crawford AND Gonzalez, and they’re crowing about Aceves?
I liked Aceves when he was here. But his back just wouldn’t cooperate.
I agree with Betsy, not having Aceves is not hurting us. I don’t like that he’s helping the Sox, but I would imagine that most of those 9 wins came the way they did with the Yankees. As a result of his team getting to the other team’s bullpen.
It definitely sucks that our two big bats are not worth the money they get. 55 million for AROD and Tex stings.
Who says the Yankees aren’t getting their money’s worth out of A-rod and Tex? Even w/ his hitting problems this year, Tex has 35 HR and over 100 rbi. His defense alone makes him valuable, or have we forgotten the Giambi years? A-rod had knee surgery this year, it happens. He is still a valuable player.
sux do not care if they burn aceves out. he is cheap and the vulture. if the yanks had aceves and not the sux, yanks would have 3 more wins and sux 3 less. aceves is huge in regualr season. he is so versatile, no fear, etc…
people do not evaluate tex right., michael kay and others say his power #’s are right there etc. it is a product of the team. the guy is hitting 218 against right handed pitching that is horrible.
tex is a great fielder but 247 is not acceptable power numbers or not…
If Aceves was here who would be the odd man out? Right now it’s Mo-Ro-So + Logan. I guess he could have been used in the middle innings of a tie game, but otherwise he’d be doing what he did when he was healthy with us. I seem to remember Aceves pitching in his share of garbage time. It was actually frustrating at the time.
Anyway, my point is that we’ve got a great bullpen without Aceves. Or Joba even.
tex can have a good week and get up to 275, is that enuf for the naysayers?
just forget about his 40/120 that counts for naught.
2 Year Plan
2012:
-Sign Fielder and Reyes
-Trade Gardner for Andrew McCutchen
-Trade TEH Jesus for TEH #2
2013:
-Sign Kemp
-Sign Hamels
1B: Fielder/Tex
2B: Cano
SS: Reyes
3B: Jeter/Alex
RF: Kemp
CF: Granderson
LF: McCutchen
DH: Alex/Fielder
CC
TEH #2
Hamels
Banuelos
Nova
Mo
Robertson
Soriano
Joba
Soria
Betances
Expensive LOOGY
Manager: Robot programmed to never sac bunt or add “ey” to the end of people’s name.
BOOOOYAAAAA!!
Anyway, my point is that we’ve got a great bullpen without Aceves.
=====================
It will get better w/Hughes in it…he can be an Aceves type
mick,
good point.
Is it my imagination or does Aceves walk a lot of batters?
Aceves is not here anymore because The Yankees had their fill of his back issues and didn’t want to give him a raise to keep him.
Stuart you are so smart. It was definitely the team hitting tex’s 35 hr. Not him. Just terrible.
aceves finally lost some weight…got some sense he didn’t have here
M- does that red X work for you vs the spinning wheel?
The Yankees had their fill of his back issues and didn’t want to give him a raise to keep him.
–
He wasn’t even arbitration eligible, they could have kept him for league minimum.
the Yankees stance with Aceves would be fine if it wasn’t applied solely to Aceves. if you really let him walk because of his back then why sink all that money into Feliciano? he may never throw a pitch for the Yankees but hes guaranteed close to $10MM over two years. his health concerns weren’t a secret either. almost everyone saw this coming.
“I know old men who railed against the Yankees…they have been fans since the 20-30-40-50?s….does that make them less of a fan?”
It makes them ungrateful, spoiled a-holes that don’t probably deserve to root for the Yankees – same as the two-year-olds on the forum that rail against the Yankees. Anyone can call themselves a fan – just like anyone can make a baby. It doesn’t make them worthy of being fans, anymore than having a baby makes someone worthy of being a parent.
If I have to explain it any further, you’ll never get it.
anyone else see a ST invite for Moyer?
m September 2nd, 2011 at 2:31 pm
“….I liked Aceves when he was here. But his back just wouldn’t cooperate. I agree with Betsy, not having Aceves is not hurting us. I don’t like that he’s helping the Sox, but I would imagine that most of those 9 wins came the way they did with the Yankees. As a result of his team getting to the other team’s bullpen.”
**********
Are you kidding me? It was a total fail on Cashman’s part. I totally disagree he’s not hurting us being gone. He can go multiple innings and was especially valuable in extra inning games after you have gone through your short guys. Not to mention he is just plain good.
Aceves is 23-3 in his major league career with a 3.12 ERA.
2008: 1-0 with 2.40 ERA
2009: 10-1 with a 3.54 ERA
2010: 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA
2011: 9-2 with a 2.99 ERA
And that’s playing in the AL playing Boston and/or NY 18 times a year.
His is back is fine. You don’t dump someone that talented based on occasional injury issues. What player doesn’t get hurt.
mick,
No. It stops the page from loading, but all I get is the left vertical ad. Usually Subway. So, I don’t use it.
tell that to my father, my best friend, my father-in-law ingrate…
M-hit refresh, then X and it should stop the wheel
WCYF,
You make some good points on Aceves. I was one of his biggest supporters. I totally hate that he’s wearing a Sox uniform now.
But I stand by what I said.
It definitely sucks that our two big bats are not worth the money they get. 55 million for AROD and Tex stings.
********************************************************************************************
“Alex Rodriguez’s gargantuan 10-year, $275 million deal has been about even value………..Mark Teixeira’s contract has been slightly overpaid as he’s earned $64.4 million in the first three years of his deal but played to a projected $55.8 million salary so far. ”
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde.....ms_do.html
all yankee fans longer than you’ve been alive…
Well, this time I got an ad for a concentration game from Target. The bananas and Paul Frank backpack is cute.
Thanks for trying, mick.
M-if you hit the red X too soon after you refresh it could bring up the ad at top of page
So you have to be deserving now to be a Yankee Fan ? Next thing you know there will be an initiation fee attached.
m September 2nd, 2011 at 2:49 pm
WCYF, You make some good points on Aceves. I was one of his biggest supporters. I totally hate that he’s wearing a Sox uniform now. But I stand by what I said.
************
You’re entitled to your opinion, I guess it comes down to believing that Wade and/or Ayala are better option than Aceves would have been.
Brian Cashman: “I offered Alfredo Aceves a minor league contract, that was it. I wasn’t going to do anything more than that.”
you guys can hate on Teixeira all you want, the guy is still one of the best first basemen in the game. this fan base is so incredibly spoiled it sickens me.
Noesi = Aceves
Vineyard Yankee September 2nd, 2011 at 2:53 pm
So you have to be deserving now to be a Yankee Fan ? Next thing you know there will be an initiation fee attached.
************
Damn it! I’m going to put a lock on your drawer! Stop posting at exactly the same time I do you are going to ruin everything!
They call it personal seat licenses (PSL’s) another con job
Shame Spencer September 2nd, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Noesi = Aceves
************
Based on what?
Uh oh, death threats coming.
Wade’s been pretty good, but he plays a different role. I guess Noesi is our Aceves (or was). He hasn’t been as steady as Aceves, or pitched in as high leverage situations. He’s also likely to start next year.
But I can see why Aceves was not extended a ML contract. He wasn’t healthy. He seemed to be on track, but then he broke his collarbone in a biking accident.
I think there was lingering bad feelings on the treatment plan for his back.
It’s good for Aceves that his back is healthy, but the saying is one you have a bad back you always have a bad back.
Deserving to be a fan? No. It takes all kinds to keep things interesting.
Is respectful and reasonable too much to ask though?
aceves wouldn’t have been as effective here as our pen is better now than it was
he lost the weight bc he knew his career was over w/ the overwork in boston, if he didn’t
they got him bc we didn’t need him anymore and they were desperate.
mick September 2nd, 2011 at 2:55 pm
LOL ! When the Giants moved from Candlestick to AT & T they sent me a PSL bill for $ 50 grand ($ 12,500 per seat) and the new seats at AT & T weren’t even close to being the same. That one got filed in the circular filing cabinet quickly.
Bret, how much will u pay for tex who of course didn’t hit for average but did hit for great power
So far, and provide gold glove D that we didnt have since Tino’s prime?
Arod gave us 30 home runs every year since he come abroad. I know this is not his best year. But it’s not like he went on a year long slump or something. He could’t hit for power because of injury. But he still hit for good average.
Martin is almost guaranteed to rake after a day off. More rest = a productive Martin.
Hopefully Montero can spell Russ a few days here and there.
aceves wasn’t good enough to start here or there
Martin is almost guaranteed to rake after a day off. More rest = a productive Martin.
–
One of the big reasons I wanted Montero up.
so will phil be aj’s aceves?
Clemens will be re-tried April 2012. Judge is considering having the governement reimburse Mr. Clemens for his wasted time and expenses. Our tax dollars at work!
i guess andy wont be back…
M- do you still lose the page if the wheel spins too long?
So have they announced Phil Hughes to the bullpen yet?
You guys playing internet spin the bottle ?
West Coast Yankee Fan September 2nd, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Wrong. I am pointing out that outstanding performance right out of the gate can tell you a lot about a player. It tells you they have the physical tools and abilities to perform at the MLB level.
—
You can’t tell anything from 26 games. Remember Shane-the-homerun-di-Spencer?
http://www.baseball-reference......;year=1998
27 games, 10 homeruns, .373/.411/.910/1.321
.752 career OPS, 95 OPS+, last major league season at age 32.
Small sample size is just that. See Shelley Duncan.
If middle relief/long-relief/spot start is the make or break for this team, the team is in big trouble.
Clemens will be re-tried April 2012. Judge is considering having the governement reimburse Mr. Clemens for his wasted time and expenses. Our tax dollars at work!
___
This is just beyond ridiculous now.
As if our government isn’t useless enough and they weren’t embarrasses enough the first time, they are going to push this again?
A-Rod has been able to field, it’s not being able to swing that has kept him out of the games, so when he is able to hit he does not have to DH.
the Yankees stance with Aceves would be fine if it wasn’t applied solely to Aceves. if you really let him walk because of his back then why sink all that money into Feliciano? he may never throw a pitch for the Yankees but hes guaranteed close to $10MM over two years. his health concerns weren’t a secret either. almost everyone saw this coming.
____
Difference here is that Aceves already showed signs of having back issues.
Feliciano obviously wasnt going to get hurt at some time, but there was no real history of it to this point.
CC was overworked too, but they didn’t let it stop them.
I was disappointed that they didn’t work things out with Aceves. I understand that it is entirely possible that there are things that happen between parties that we never have any idea about. At some point it became about more than just the back, I’m betting.
However, I would not call not signing Aceves a major fail on the part of Cashman. The chances of him having a healthy season this year were not great (he had two injury-peppered seasons with the Yankees). The Yankees’ bullpen is a strength without him. It may have been fractionally better with him but I really don’t see it.
Anyway, where’s today’s lineup???
Were Spencer and Duncan highly rated prospects?
Beckett has back issues too. It’s not the kiss of death.
WCYF shouldn’t be talking as if he knows everything that went on with the Aceves situation.
there is more to it than he’d like you to think. but it’s more convenient to just rip Cashman. I get that.
It’s not the kiss of death, but it’s difficult to stay healthy, and in Beckett’s case, in the rotation.
The Sox rolled the dice with Aceves, and came up winners. Kudos to them.
ac1 September 2nd, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Exactly right. A colossal waste of time, money and energy. Just like the Bonds trial.
BD (Boston Dave) September 2nd, 2011 at 3:31 pm
WCYF shouldn’t be talking as if he knows everything that went on with the Aceves situation.
there is more to it than he’d like you to think. but it’s more convenient to just rip Cashman. I get that.
**************
What on earth are you talking about? I am giving my opinion like everyone else here I don’t claim to have any inside information. Based on what Cashman has said he offered Aceves a minor league deal because of his back issues.
But since you say with such certainty, “there is more to it than he’d like you to think.” Perhaps you do and would like to share it with us.
ac1,
it didn’t stop them with Sabathia because he was the young, proven ace that the Yankees needed. Feliciano is neither of those things. he is an old, over worked situational lefty that the Mets let walk because they knew he was a ticking time bomb with all the appearances he made. the situation is totally different.
WCYF,
I’ve heard enough “Cashman not signing Aceves is unacceptable” and “major fail” already. You have zero information to add except to toss your “Cashman is so stupid” to the pile of crap that’s already there.
I think they should have kept Aceves and I said it from day one. But I don’t know why you think it’s ok to rip the guy for not getting every decision right.
One of these days, you’re going to realize that the high horse you think you’re riding on is really a shetland pony.
West Coast Yankee Fan September 2nd, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Were Spencer and Duncan highly rated prospects?
—
To use your own style of example, Spencer had a .967 OPS over 388 PA in the minors the year he was called up.
You can stop arguing this because I’m sure even you know that initial performance does not mean much.
Does a pitcher not being able to make it to the 2nd inning of a postseason start because his back went out qualify as the kiss of death?
is that a trick question?