Day off for Swish
Posted by: vmercogliano - Posted in Misc on Sep 05, 2011 
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As he stated yesterday, manager Joe Girardi plans on giving a different starter a day off in each game moving forward, and today is Nick Swisher’s turn. With the left-handed Brian Matsuz on the mound for the Baltimore Orioles, Andruw Jones will take Swisher’s place in right field, and Jesus Montero will get another start at DH. Here’s the rest of the lineup:
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones RF
Russell Martin C
Jesus Montero DH
Brett Gardner LF
Giving 1 or 2 regulars a day off for the rest of the season shouldn’t affect their record this yr like in past yrs because as we discussed yesterday, this team has a more than solid bench.
Great article by Chad on Mr. And Mrs. Robertson. Must read.
http://www.lohud.com/article/2...../109040354
Was # 628 the lamest of Alex’s HR? Not often a guy screams an F-Bomb on contact and the ball leaves the yard. Love that jet streak to the scoreboard in RCF.
It’s pretty obvious he won’t get his 14th straight 30 HR, 100 RBI season, but he has a shot at his 16th straight 20 HR season.
Mariano now 4 saves from 600, 6 away from becoming # 1 All-Time. Hope it doesn’t happen on the road trip.
A HR is a HR. Does it matter if he dent think I’d go out? It’s not a short porch for nothing.
REPOST from previous thread:
“Ken Phelps September 5th, 2011 at 8:00 am
Am i the only one who wants to talk baseball and not listen to or read the epic debate and fight between Trisha and west coast Yankee fan??? Come on guys it’s old….settle your differences or just ignore each other…”
As a frequent reader but rare poster to this blog, I felt I should step in and defend Trisha here. WCYF seems to be that rare combination of sociopathic and functionally retarded, and is quite clearly the weak link in what is otherwise a fun and articulate group of commenters on this site. In addition, as an expat NYer living in LA myself, I’m doubly offended by WCYF’s BS, because he/she confirms every negative stereotype about Southern California that the rest of the world holds. He/she makes Kim Kardashian look like a freaking Nobel laureate.
So…Trisha, keep up your great posts and keep coming here, and Ken and everyone else, look at the drama on here with a critical eye and pressure Chad, et al, to remove the real problem (WCYF).
Holy iPhone autocorrect. Didn’t and it’d. Sigh.
Keep writing Monteros name in there Joe!
Randy,
Really? I thought everyone in Boston was a Sox lover.
If Montero keeps ripping it through the hole on the left side, its gonna be pretty hard to keep him out of that line up.
Everytime I see Montero at bat it’s dejavu all over again. Green’s Presser “He is who we thought he was”
I hope he’s in lineup just about every day, though Jorge and Chavez need at bats vs RHP
Montero seems more athletic than he’s been portrayed… runs well out of the box
Would like to see him catch once or twice… Nova most likely
86w183 – I thought the same thing. He actually seems pretty quick (or maybe he’s just quicker than the ogre behind the plate he was portrayed as) and very athletic.
Bo knows September 5th, 2011 at 10:07 am
Everytime I see Montero at bat it’s dejavu all over again . . .
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Everytime I see Montero at bat it’s dejavu all over again as his bent knees stance is so reminiscent of Bernie Williams. Now, if he only has Bernie’s career.
On the Manager’s Report, Girardi said he was reluctant to start Montero in a game as catcher, but would look for opportunities to let him catch later in a game (I assume games he’s comfortable with the lead).
However, I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point he could catch Nova and Garcia, both of whom he has caught fairly recently. I think Joe just doesn’t want to commit to things publicly at times.
nobody will ever be bernie williams, they broke the mold after that one!
I think it makes a lot of sense to let Montero acclimate to the big leagues at DH. Hitting is what he does best, so let him feel as comfortable as possible this season. There is no pressing need to have him catch, Martin and Cervelli are doing a very good job.
That having been said, an occasional late inning stint at catcher will probably happen. From what I understand, Montero is also catching all the pitcher’s bullpens; a smart move.
This way of breaking him in is to me, clearly an organizational decision and not a Girardi one.
again, i have to point out that calling up a catcher and not starting him (when the main competition is cervelli) speaks volumes about what the organization thinks about his catching.
something tells me that he ends up in the OF somehow.
“Really? I thought everyone in Boston was a Sox lover.”
blake-
over 50% of boston’s population are people of color.
count the number of people of color in the stands on any broadcast at fenway.
yes, it’s partly economics because red sox tickets are really expensive, but the red sox because of historical reasons do not have a large minority fan base while the yankees do have a very diverse fan base as can be seen on any home broadcast.
the red sox of course would never let a national league team in boston or anywhere in new england. of course the yankees would equally oppose another team in the ny/nj/ct area.
but i’m juts saying if baseball really wanted to put some life into their product, a national league team in boston would do that.
Ys Guy September 5th, 2011 at 10:23 am
nobody will ever be bernie williams, they broke the mold after that one!
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So true, but his stance is eerily the same. As awkward as it looks, I can’t think of a better role model than Bernabe Figueroa Williams. El Caballo Boricua!!!
I think young position players that come up with the Yanks have an advantage over some other organizations…..sure they have to deal with the big stage and the media in NY…..but they also have HOF examples of how to be great to follow as well.
I think a lot of young players come up with other teams and just aimlessly try to find their way in the big leagues……the good ones eventually get there but sometimes it takes longer.
Montero has HOFers and all stars everywhere to show him what it takes to be successful…..all he has to do is pay attention.
Randy,
Interesting thought.
Villa, I agree, especially Montero catching Freddy. I see no problem with his catching Nova, since they are already familiar with each other, but they are conservative to a fault, and probably would want the veteran pitcher in there for the kid’s first taste.
Great to see Montero live this weekend, after having not seen him since his Trenton days. He is way slimmer than he was, and there’s definitely more of an ease and fluidity getting down the line. His bat is as effortless as ever, going with the pitch, laying off pitches he can’t do anything with, taking his time in the box and putting that gorgeous swing in play…the buzz in the crowd when he comes to the plate is really neat to see…
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We are starting to look like we did in 2009, in that we’re seemingly turning it up a notch for the stretch run. We have so many weapons…it’s nearly comical that Nunez is inserted and he’s smacking line drives into left, plays a nearly seamless SS and 2B, Jones, having been used judiciously, is having great ABs and seems to have an extra spring in his step….Nick’s making all the plays in RF and continues to hit, and timely ones, too…Cano is himself….Alex is even able to slip in and contribute without the game hanging in the balance on his ABs…now if Tex could just get ‘er going….C fairly painlessly ejecting a very good Toronto lineup under a blue Bronx sky…just an embarrassment of riches…I don’t even care that we’ll face Verlander…and we will, because we’re not going to look back, here…Very enjoyable weekend in the Bronx…
“Montero seems more athletic than he’s been portrayed…”
i’ve said it often on here that he’s got a lighting quick upper body and a slower lower body.
graig nettles at a different position was the same way. it happens with athletes.
an athlete can be very quick with his hands , but not his feet.
this was why i thought montero would have no real problems catching . he has quick hands.
no matter how this season ends, the yankees will still be looking to aquire a #2 starter this offseason and the fa market is very thin. therefore it is somewhat likely we will see an offseason trade to get one. and with the pieces they could put into a package, they may not need to include jesus. thats why i think we may see montero in RF next season.
remember when the young LF alfonso soriano came up? who saw him playing 2B?
YsGuy, I don’t see Montero in the OF. Even our RF, and even with his strong arm, would be too much of a challenge for him.
He was never the buffoon the Keith Laws of the world have claimed he is behind the plate when I saw him in Trenton. Did you see him back then, since you go to Thunder games? He’s looking very svelte these days, so I imagine he’s progressed beyond his Trenton days back there. Garcia made a point of complimenting his catching when he was at SWB rehabbing.
I wish they’d just pull the trigger and get his career at C started.
“Was # 628 the lamest of Alex’s HR? ”
Most players can get all of it and hit one out. It takes special talent to not get all of it and it still go out.
y’s guy-
i don’t really see the need to go after a number two starter. why pay free agent money when the starting pitching is quite good?
Randy I –
I was talking about Montero’s legs. He gets out of the batter’s box very well for such a big guy.
The economics discussion is a complicated one, but it is absolutely true than an NL team in Boston would thrive. It’s by far the best one-team market in the game, followed by Philadelphia. There are others big enough for two like Dallas and Houston.
An NL team in Boston would not be in the Red Sawx interests, but it wouldn’t be all that damaging in my opinion. Greater NYC could financially support four teams, but it’s never gonna happen. Not before those cities get a second team anyway.
NYYanksFan September 5th, 2011 at 10:42 am
“Was # 628 the lamest of Alex’s HR? ”
Most players can get all of it and hit one out. It takes special talent to not get all of it and it still go out.
——————–
I watched the Mick do the same thing several times, also to right center field in the old Stadium-these guys are incredibly strong and don’t always feel like they get it all.
I also like the Montero’s first few hits have been of the singles variety. It may not be so, but it at least seems to me that’s someone who is not trying to do to much in order to impress. Just get hits.
Ys guy, Soriano was a SS when he came up…
j alfred, i’m not buying it, if they thought he could catch at this level, they would start him, but instead, they brought him up and said straight-up that he probably wont start and may not catch at all.
also, if they thought he could catch, they would have brought him up earlier than call-up time, the competition is not very good.
september is the time to find out what guys can do at this level while resting your regulars and they dont even want to see what he can do at this point. in fact they tried to sell the press on the idea that catching bullpens would be ‘valueable experience’ which to me says ‘no way this guy can catch in a game.’
i want jesus to have a great career in NY and it would be nice if he could catch, but all signs say otherwise right now.
Ys guy —-
What are you talking about with Soriano??
He was an infielder throughout his minor league career. He moved to the OF in 2006.
Villa, yep that’s why he’s going to start hitting the ball out soon. Like Manny, he’s going to hit them out because he makes a great deal of quality contact, plus he just has tremendous ability to make the ball travel once he does. Yankee fans can now see what those of us who have had the opportunity to watch him in the minors have seen: he makes no tradeoffs at the plate to achieve the power his bat generates..he’s going to hit for average and hit for power for a long time.
J. Alfred
The silver lining in Jesus not catching is that, with Cervelli making the most of his playing time, he has increased his worth to the team. Cisco is helping the team win now and later. When the year started not sure how much he was worth on the trade market. Now he’s he’s a nice little trade piece.
If Montero couldn’t catch, I would think that at some point they would have at least tried in the OF. As far as I am aware, they have not done that.
The Yankees are stronger with a good hitting average catcher than a good hitting average OF.
mg, he was a ss in the minors but he played LF in ST then they moved him to 2b because knobby forgot how to throw to first.
Montero is young. There is more than enough time for him to develop in the catching role while picking up DH at bats. Martin will be back next year as starting catcher and if Montero shows enough with the bat this September then Cisco will most likely be a trade piece.
Montero will get some time behind the plate during this last stretch run. The Yankees will want to see how he handles both jobs, they will break him in slowly.
The San Antonio/Austin area has well over 2 million in population. Yet, their is no chance to get a team since the Astros and Rangers block any such ideas. It seems silly to me that cities 150 plus miles away act as if they are our home teams.
The Red Sox have built up a fan base over the last 100 years. Who is all of a sudden going to start rooting for another team in the area. The only way I could see it happening is if the Sox became a last place team and this new team had success and then young kids growing up would flock toward that new team but that would take a very long time to develop
I think the plan for Montero has pretty much been etched in stone, that’s the way it seems to me anyway. He will DH and catch very occasionally the rest of this year. Next season he will replace Cervelli as Martin’s backup and get some time in at DH as well.
Further down the road, 2013 and beyond, whether Montero becomes our starting, everyday catcher will pretty much be determined by how he performs behind the plate.
idk about boston specifically but the hartford to boston area is ripe for another team. but the RS will do anything in their power to protect their new england fiefdom, and i cant blame them.
austinmac September 5th, 2011 at 10:48 am
The San Antonio/Austin area has well over 2 million in population. Yet, their is no chance to get a team since the Astros and Rangers block any such ideas. It seems silly to me that cities 150 plus miles away act as if they are our home teams.
*************
It has always been that way in baseball. Is an example, in the Midwest, die-hard fans of the Cardinals and Cubs lived hundred of miles away.
Ys Guy September 5th, 2011 at 10:46 am
j alfred, i’m not buying it, if they thought he could catch at this level, they would start him, but instead, they brought him up and said straight-up that he probably wont start and may not catch at all.
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Well if that’s their conclusion, and I have no idea if it is, that’s a remarkably stupid one. It seems Girardi has the lowest opinion of all of Montero’s ability to catch. Interesting that Garcia, who has no agenda in the matter, spoke highly of his skills after actually throwing to him.
sp-As
The Orioles got a bunch of cash when the Nationals moved in. The Astros and Rangers would be compensated if a team tried to go to San Antonio as would any other team whose “market” was encroached upon.
When 11 MLB franchises are averaging fewer than 25,000 per game serious discussion about relocation should take place. 7 of the 11 are under 22,500 and 3 (Oakland, Tampa, Florida) are below 19,000
Triple, it is true though that it’s a white heavy crowd at Fenway, and one that likes to level epithets at black players, perhaps most famously, Gary Matthews Jr. He didn’t merely say, the fans said some offensive, raunchy things to me, he said, they ALWAYS have something racist to say…not that we need this, it’s a very racially polarized city, always has been…Jim Rice is now the apple of their eye up there, but he went through tough times…Philly is racially divided, too, but the crowds down there appear more mixed and the parks around the stadium over the years always have a mix of kids in Philly jerseys…HOward and Rollins are stars of that infield…both African Americans, too, not Dominicans, etc…
you can count kc, and florida out of the relocation discussions, both have brand new leases that will keep them drawing sparce crowds for decades to come. and when the newness of the twins beautiful new crib wears off, they will likely be in the same category.
oakland is going to move, the only question there is, to where…they seem fixated on san jose and the giants seem fixated on keeping them out. tampa will not build a new stadium in these econoimic conditions, so they will be moving sometime in the not too distant future.
No, on the Manager’s Report, Girardi said that right now there are no plans to have Montero start a game at catching, but that he could get into a game and he could see him getting into a game. He sounded more non-commital than anything else. Again, Joe G does not like to give out more information than is necessary and is not going to get bogged down into specifics of when Montero will catch.
He is catching bullpens to familiarize himself with the staff. Doesn’t sound like they don’t want him catching at all. They are gonna pick their spots and there is nothing wrong with that. I can see the logic in not wanting a rookie catcher back there when they have no need for it. Cervelli is doing fine as the backup right now and Martin is doing fine.
idk if fenway is any ‘whiter’ than nys, but certainly the lower deck couldnt get much more caucasian.
They aren’t going to throw a kid behind the plate in the middle.of a pennant race when he has never caught in the big leagues and doesn’t know the pitchers…..they will ease him in next year and use Martin as a buffer I think.
Ledger_Yankees
Eric LeGrand in the house. Yankees found out he’s a big fan so they have him here watching BP. Gonna watch the game in a suite. #nyy
YankeesPR
The Yankees welcome Eric LeGrand out to the stadium today #inspiration http://yfrog.com/h4i75zej
oh and of course add pittsburgh to the list of low drawing teams that will not be moving anytime soon as they got a gorgeous, basically freebie new ballpark courtesy of the citizens of pennsylvania that has a 30 year lease i believe.
how many of you saw Teix and Arod on Entourage last night along with Amar’e and Strahan?
Very funny episode with series finale next week.
And Curb Your Enthusiasm had a big role for Billy Buckner that was hilarious, absolutely hilarious…
Tar September 5th, 2011 at 10:47 am
J. Alfred
The silver lining in Jesus not catching is that, with Cervelli making the most of his playing time, he has increased his worth to the team. Cisco is helping the team win now and later. When the year started not sure how much he was worth on the trade market. Now he’s he’s a nice little trade piece.
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Tar, I’m happy that Cervelli is contributing, but I don’t care for Girardi’s rhetoric on Montero’s catching…I’m also going to reserve judgment, though, and assume they want to keep things under the radar…if we could get something for Cervelli (in a package, of course), that would be dandy
. I admit I want him out of here, though, lest the manager is making his calls in part due to bias…Cervelli cannot be the reason, IMO, that Montero’s catching career gets delayed…
Shame, et al… Montero has lost a lot of weight and has worked really hard on his agility/flexibility. His body is nothing like the body he had two years ago. As a result he has improved his step and appears more athletic than he used to be. But he does have a “heavy” lower half as per Randy. I still don’t see him as a candidate for playing the OF. Great fun to see him live though, and to get to watch him continue to develop. He is having solid AB’s, but can’t wait until he gets even more solid contact on the ball. But he has been taking what he’s been given. It’s coming. I doubt he starts a game behind the plate, as per Girardi…in spite of comments from Garcia (recall this too, Prufrock) to DRob about Jesus’ proficiency behind the plate, Yanks just don’t trust him there right now. Still, not liking that we will carry essentially 3 catchers in the playoffs b/c we didn’t integrate Montero earlier…
Helluva game by C. I believe he threw almost as many sliders as FB’s vs. Toronto, and did a great job of handling their hitters, who have very solid splits vs. lefties. Have to say, nothing like seeing C. pitch live. Total dominance.
Love that we are distributing the rest among starting position players. Keeping us fresh down the stretch is a necessity.
Why does that first SI playoff game have to be in Brooklyn? Rotation = Mitchell-Tracy-Oliver. Predictable with HFA, but I wanted to see Bryan Mitchell pitch! Why can’t YES network televise these games?
I can’t imagine that Montero will not even develope enough behind the plate to have him be a serviceable backup catcher 1 – 2 games a week. If he becomes average to above-average behind the plate then that is just a bonus.
In the next 2-3 years (as I assume thats what the Yanks will sign Martin for) he just needs to not be a complete butcher back there. His 1-2 days behind the plate will not only spell Martin but also Arod or whoever else needs days at DH.
The only thing not really clear here will be what the Yankees do with Cervelli who has been great lately. Solid D from this guy but where he has been really standing out is swinging the bat, I never thought I would see the day where Cervelli was really driving the ball. I don’t know what the exact stat is but the announcers mentioned he has been hitting in the .350 range since mid-June.
I doubt the Yanks could get much for Cervelli in a trade but especially with Romine & Sanchez in the future, it does not appear that he has a future with the Yanks. I would have to have him stuck in AAA as an insurance plan.
The Boston Braves left for Milwaukee after the ’53 season. The ship has sailed for 2 teams in Boston. John Henry would use whatever clout he has to prevent another team to challenge his ticket sales.
The next move could be the Rays leaving for Charlotte.
blake, but, but… they *could* have acclimated Montero earlier…
The question is where did all the Boston Brave fans go? Did they switch to the Sox, become Mil fans or did they just lose interest in baseball?
I think Cervelli wil have value as part of a package, or to obtain some draft picks and/or prospects.
I think Yankee fans underestimate Cervelli. He’s not Johnny Bench but IMO he is nowhere as bad as many think. His numbers the second half have been pretty outstanding.
I always thought Portland and or North Carolina would be viable markets
Yankfem, C throwing 96 and then coming back with 83 mph slider yesterday….comically good, he was, once he got into a rhythm against a lineup that likes to swing but is good at making solid contact…agree there’s really nothing like watching C live….his sheer mound presence just doesn’t come across on the broadcast, and his ability to locate to both sides of the plate at his velo is something to behold….
It’s necessary to give these guys a day off here and there given the nature of the schedule, so Joe is doing a good job.
Here’s hoping Freddy can shut the O’s down again today
Montero is 21, catchers take longer to develop, as in Posada. He is exactly where he should be. He hasn’t been overmatched against Lester and Romero, two tough lefties. All is good.
Some bright GM is going to swoop in and get Cervelli for fifty cents on the dollar. He has been putting in quality at bats, lately with power, for a while.
blake September 5th, 2011 at 11:03 am
They aren’t going to throw a kid behind the plate in the middle.of a pennant race when he has never caught in the big leagues and doesn’t know the pitchers…..they will ease him in next year and use Martin as a buffer I think.
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I see no great harm in giving him a start against a weak opponent with say, Freddy on the mound. We have the kind of lineup that can put any hiccups in the rearview mirror.
“I was talking about Montero’s legs. He gets out of the batter’s box very well for such a big guy.”
86w183-
i haven’t see him run yet, but that’ll be good news what you’re seeing.
people should really pay attention to how many so called experts said he didn’t have the athleticism to be a catcher.
of course this is from people who barely have the athleticism to sit in their chair in front of their keyboard
I loved the Dave and Erin Robertson story.
Chad’s a good writer – probably should be using some of his talent toward something other than baseball. Leave baseball to the “ok” writers!
Prufrock, Betances is at only 126 innings. He had excellent splits, esp. his numbers vs. lefties in AAA in a small sample, but he always has done well vs. lefties. I still think they should give him some pen work on the big club going forward. He is after all on the 40 man.
the problem with cervelli is the less he plays the better he is.
he gets exposed when he plays too much.
he’s a perfectly good back uo though for most teams.
it’s just that when you have a montero on a team as the back up and dh there’s no room for cervelli except as triple a which would not be a bad place for the yankees to put him as insurance for next year.
Triple Short of a Cycle September 5th, 2011 at 11:13 am
The question is where did all the Boston Brave fans go? Did they switch to the Sox, become Mil fans or did they just lose interest in baseball?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In their final years the Braves didn’t draw as much as 500,000 fans a season in Boston. New England simply cannot support 2 teams.
Like anyone else, Montero will have to earn his position. It won’t be given to him. Spring Training 2011 was an example of that.
yankeefeminista September 5th, 2011 at 11:24 am
Prufrock, Betances is at only 126 innings. He had excellent splits, esp. his numbers vs. lefties in AAA in a small sample, but he always has done well vs. lefties. I still think they should give him some pen work on the big club going forward. He is after all on the 40 man.
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Yea he is very effective against lefties, and I think he will continue to be if he can command his fastball. When he’s right, he comes inside against lefties and then they really have no shot when he puts that CB off the plate. I am sorry I missed my chance to go his his next to last outing, but Irene took me out of the mix. Hope he gets a taste, especially in a home game I’m at
.
# MG September 5th, 2011 at 11:07 am
how many of you saw Teix and Arod on Entourage last night along with Amar’e and Strahan?
Very funny episode with series finale next week.
And Curb Your Enthusiasm had a big role for Billy Buckner that was hilarious, absolutely hilarious…
—————————————————-
Yea that episode is very funny. I’m upset that the show is ending
I was driving home after yesterday’s game. In a good mood after the victory, I was letting fellow drivers into my lane as we merged onto the Harlem River Drive. Second car in a row that I let in–a Navigator. Guy gives me a “thank you” wave with his hand out the driver side window. I notice a big ring, and think that ring is too big, looks like a World Series ring. Then a inadvertent glance at the license plate, which reads, “NY Stick.” Sure enough, I see that longish white hair of Gene Michael in his sideview mirror. Damn, those WS rings are big (even from a car length back)!
Who is on the bubble on the bench for the Yanks for the playoffs? Jones? Posada? Dickerson? Chavez? Nunez? . Seems like Chavez and Nunez are locks. Jones can play alot of places and runs the bases well. Cervelli is the backup catcher. My feeling right now Jorge is the odd man out.
Prufrock, I contemplated going to SWB, but ended up opting to see C and the Jesus. I’d watch the archive, but any PNC Field feeds are hardly worth watching. Did some one post earlier that SWB may play at Rochester next year? I hope not; interminably far away. Even further than Moosic, PA. Although, maybe the Rochester feeds would be better.
I noticed Christian Garcia has been called up to Syracuse (Nats’ AAA) and is coming out of the pen. Pitched two nice innings. May he stay healthy!
randy, QFT!
randy l. September 5th, 2011 at 11:26 am
the problem with cervelli is the less he plays the better he is.
he gets exposed when he plays too much.
he’s a perfectly good back uo though for most teams.
it’s just that when you have a montero on a team as the back up and dh there’s no room for cervelli except as triple a which would not be a bad place for the yankees to put him as insurance for next year.
======================
That really wouldn’t be fair to the kid in my view. He’s been a solid team player, and has done everything that was asked of him. If the Yanks can’t use him, they should ship him to a club where he might have a shot at staying at the ML level (subject to getting a decent return for him). He doesn’t deserve to be demoted–you, yourself, just said he would be a good backup for most teams. Strictly speaking, of course, the Yanks don’t owe him anything, but in a larger sense, they kind of do…
yankeefeminista September 5th, 2011 at 11:33 am
I was driving home after yesterday’s game. In a good mood after the victory, I was letting fellow drivers into my lane as we merged onto the Harlem River Drive. Second car in a row that I let in–a Navigator. Guy gives me a “thank you” wave with his hand out the driver side window. I notice a big ring, and think that ring is too big, looks like a World Series ring. Then a inadvertent glance at the license plate, which reads, “NY Stick.” Sure enough, I see that longish white hair of Gene Michael in his sideview mirror. Damn, those WS rings are big (even from a car length back)!
///
Nice.
He better be careful waving out the window on the HRD, he may lose the jewelry. OTOH, someone finds that ring it could feed a family for several weeks. Nice to see Stick is clued into road travel etiquette…some of these bozos don’t even acknowledge it when you let them in…always seems like a nice fellow when I see him at Trenton…
I know it sounds insane, but it’s not actually out of the question that A-Rod gets 30HR this season. I wouldn’t count out the possibility of one of those 15HR in 20 game stretches like he had a few years back at the start of the year (ended with 54).
One reason not to let Montero catch is how hot Cervelli is. The Yankees are trying to win a world championship and there is absolutely no rush with Montero. It makes sense to play the hot hand.
* In his last 10 games Cervelli is 12-29, a .414 BA.
* Since the All-Star break, Cervelli is 17-47, a .362 BA with a .434 OBP and .966 OPS.
Not too shabby for a backup catcher.
J Alfred,
I don’t really see a problem with it either with the cushion they have…..but that just doesn’t seem to be their MO….now had they took the opportunity to bring him up sooner as yankeefem suggests then they would have had more time.
charlestonchew, if Alex were more in a rhythm, I might agree with you, but I haven’t seen that/or the power we all know and love as of yet. He looked really gimpy running the bases on the HR yesterday. I hope his legs continue to get stronger come playoff time.
I noticed Christian Garcia has been called up to Syracuse (Nats’ AAA) and is coming out of the pen. Pitched two nice innings. May he stay healthy!
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Amen, but this is killing me. I know the 40 man thing just exhausted their patience, but it’s so very hard to have lost Vizcaino and Garcia. Garcia and Betances are the best pure arms I have seen in the system, when you consider raw ability, and complement of plus pitches to go with a crazy good fastball. Dellin throws harder of course, both insane curveballs, Garcia with one of the the nastiest changeups I’ve probably seen anywhere, at any level…Dellin’s is also now a plus pitch…bodes well for the future….
Prufrock, I think the ring could feed a family for more than a few weeks. Maybe more like a year and a half, no?
Yea….Alex would need 15 homers in less than a month. It’s not impossible but highly unlikely……what really matters is him getting right for October. This lineup could be scary good if it can every click on on cylinders.
blake, their ultra conservatism drives me nuts, because it has cost them some talent in the past. They give a guy a narrow window and then pull the plug on him (they did it with Melancon, who not only was used too infrequently to make an impact, but whose outings were so far apart that rust and nerves were part of his inability to get any level of comfort, IMO). Joba is the poster boy example, of course, but another time for that (I’ll be interested to see what happens next year on that front).
As for bringing him up earlier, yes been shouting myself hoarse on that front for months now here and in other forums…they were not able to get the deal they thought was worthy of him…thank god…
Cervelli might be a back up now. However, he lost a development year to a broken wrist and then was rushed to the Majors due to injuries on the big club. I don’t think he has topped out developing.
Personally, I don’t understand where in a situation like NY with a young kid as backup they don’t do a 100/60 split. They are not doing themselves any favors by playing Martin that often. Martin has worn down at times this year and could have used two off days to rest up.
yankfem, indeed! many five star meals, at that!
Bo Knows, yep, Martin is 28 or 29 I think, but his body is “older.”
All the more reason to get Montero some reps back there. Despite Cervelli’s higher level of play recently, I do not want to have him be the guy in the postseason if Martin were unable to play. I’d want Montero’s bat.
Also, we’re not getting HFA in the WS. I really don’t want to be looking at Montero out of the lineup for potentially four of seven against Philadelphia, especially since he will abuse that ballpark if he’s in there….
Montero needs to get some catching action…
charlestonchew September 5th, 2011 at 11:39 am
I know it sounds insane, but it’s not actually out of the question that A-Rod gets 30HR this season. I wouldn’t count out the possibility of one of those 15HR in 20 game stretches like he had a few years back at the start of the year (ended with 54).
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I also would like to see him get to 30 HRs this year, but it really seems quite impossible. He would have to get insanely hot to get there. The best month of his career that I could find was August 2003, when he hit 15 homers–in the entire month. Taken another way, with about 27 games remaining, he probably has about another 108 ABs remaining in the season. This implies that to reach 30 homers on the year, he would have to hit a homer every 7.2 ABs–which would be beyond Ruthian.
However, I really like your optimisim!
Bo knows September 5th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Cervelli might be a back up now. However, he lost a development year to a broken wrist and then was rushed to the Majors due to injuries on the big club. I don’t think he has topped out developing.
Personally, I don’t understand where in a situation like NY with a young kid as backup they don’t do a 100/60 split. They are not doing themselves any favors by playing Martin that often. Martin has worn down at times this year and could have used two off days to rest up.
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Spot on.
“They aren’t going to throw a kid behind the plate in the middle.of a pennant race when he has never caught in the big leagues and doesn’t know the pitchers”.
what’s the chance that the yankees won’t need a third catcher next summer a some point.
cervelli coud jump right in without skipping a beat. that’s depth.
the yankees would be crazy to let that get away. it’s a valuable insurance policy against injury.
cervelli will have a 12 plus year mlb career as a back up .
it’s an honor to be a yankee. i think he’d like to be one as long as possible.
just one more observation about montero catching, the only people i’ve read who insist he CAN catch are people on here, who are not scouts. i still have yet to hear from any scout who says he can.
wrong quote on my cervelli comment, should have been:
“That really wouldn’t be fair to the kid in my view. He’s been a solid team player, and has done everything that was asked of him. If the Yanks can’t use him, they should ship him to a club where he might have a shot at staying at the ML level ”
what’s the chance that the yankees won’t need a third catcher next summer a some point.
cervelli coud jump right in without skipping a beat. that’s depth.
the yankees would be crazy to let that get away. it’s a valuable insurance policy against injury.
cervelli will have a 12 plus year mlb career as a back up .
it’s an honor to be a yankee. i think he’d like to be one as long as possible.