Yankees roll past Red Sox
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Sep 24, 2011 
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Jesus Montero drove in four runs, Derek Jeter hit his sixth home run of the season and Freddy Garcia might have solidified his spot in the postseason rotation in a 9-1 Yankees win against the Red Sox this afternoon. Montero was 3-for-4 including a home run. He started the scoring with a bases-loaded single in the second inning, and Jeter’s three-run shot later that inning gave the Yankees an early six-run advantage. Montero’s two-run double chased Red Sox starter Jon Lester, who pitched a season-low 2.2 innings. Garcia cruised with six scoreless, picking up his 12th win while walking one and striking out three.
Associated Press photo
BoJo September 24th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
luis September 24th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
Who wants to trade montero now???
________
I still would trade him…as I have said all year…for Washington’s Bryce Harper.
==============
Bojo,
I would have, but not anymore
Theo needs to buy the Saber injury-prevention computer program. But Cashman is already bidding up the price.
Kontos will be in the Yankees pen next year. He has the best slider in the system since Joba. Hopefully he regains his 93-95 mph fastball as he gets further away for TJ surgery.
If anyone is wondering will the Yankees lie down for the Rays series after sweeping the Sox, be aware that they just called me to see if I would like to pitch game 1.
Kontos has a sick slider
Red Robin September 24th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
I foresee the Red Sucks will sweep.
————————————————————
Nice job, effin’ moron.
Enjoy your vacation on the Island a/k/a yer momma’s basement
“you can see a little Pujols…..a little Cabrera, a little Frank Thomas….and a little unique all his own in Montero’s set up swing. His hands at the ready position remind me of Pujols…..the easy opo power reminds me of Miggy …..hard to.watch him and.not.smile real big.”
Today will hopefully be a game we remember for a long time. It’s not even the standings, etc.
But it was the first game where Montero just dominated a game against the Yankees chief rivals.
He was utterly dominant at the plate. And he’s 21.
As Blake describes – Montero is just so sound at the plate that he’s got qualities similar to so many of the elite hitters in the game – but he’s ultimately unique.
The combination of a swing that balanced and level coupled to that kind of strength is just outrageous.
I LOVE that Montero had this game on National TV!!!
JK – I feel the same way about Kontos. He’s seen a lot of action; Girardi seems to like him.k
luis September 24th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
______
Harper still interests me more because he can play a traditional RF…rifle arm, good speed and defense…great power…LH bat in YS
Montero is hitting under .200 vs. righties? The Yankees are smart to pad his stats and place him in the optimal role for success – no catching, most AB’s vs. lefties. They’ve really played him to his splits.
That said, with Montero DH vs. righties, I don’t see the need for Posada. Chavez should DH or play 3b vs. righties (AROD DH).
The final roster spot is between Romine and Posada.
Romine is the guy they want catching in an emergency but Posada has the magic in his bat and can come up with a pivotal GW hit. That would be a bonus though. The roster should hedge against any worst case scenario which is losing Martin to injury behind the plate.
But Posada and Girardi go way back.
I’m starting to think Posada makes it and Romine is left off.
Remember when Ryan Lavarnway was called up and those of us hoping to see Montero were told that Lavarnway earned his way to the majors and has a much better chance to hit major league pitching right now?
On another note, there is no one with Fox that could have relayed the info to McCarver about why Swisher looks up to the sky?
edit: with Montero DH vs. lefties.
So the Sox used 4 relievers today and have a DH tomorrow with the two worst starters going.
“Hey, turns out Ryan Lavarnway has a long swing. Who would have thought that the player better than Montero has a much worse swing?”
CB-
just saw lavarnway’s swing for the first time . not bad if he’s trying to pull the ball twenty feet foul.
no comparison to montero’s compact balanced swing.
Just got a call from Theo…apparently he heard Yankees called me and he offered me the start in game 1 tomorrow. Theo always trying to play catch up yet again.
“Montero is hitting under .200 vs. righties? The Yankees are smart to pad his stats and place him in the optimal role for success – no catching, most AB’s vs. lefties. They’ve really played him to his splits. ”
Also helps his trade value, assuming they want to trade him for an OFer/SS/3B or starter and then sign Kemp to mash 50 bombs and sell tickets at DH for the next 20 years.
Rays already behind 2-0.
Girardi is talking about Cervelli possibly being back for postseason. You’re kidding me, right?
Girardi obviously likes Montero.
YF -
I think Girardi is just not giving anything away.
I dont’ expect Cervelli on the ALDS roster at all.
Kontos will get moved as part of a trade. He won’t start and he walks too many (before this season) and homer prone. Better off in big NL parks.
Boston is going to win this WC by default. Pathetic by the Rays… they are 2-7 against everyone not named Boston the past 2 weeks.
Villa, I will breath a sigh of relief only *after* the postseason roster is named.
Eroc September 24th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
“Montero is hitting under .200 vs. righties? The Yankees are smart to pad his stats and place him in the optimal role for success – no catching, most AB’s vs. lefties. They’ve really played him to his splits. ”
Also helps his trade value, assuming they want to trade him for an OFer/SS/3B or starter and then sign Kemp to mash 50 bombs and sell tickets at DH for the next 20 years.
**********
They’ve played to Gardner’s splits as well which inflates his rate stats and boosts his trade value. So far no takers.
I’m not sure the Yankees main objective is to pad Montero’s stats but he definitely will adjust better if he experiences early success. They’ve been careful not to expose him behind the plate or give him too many AB’s vs. righties. Sub-200 vs. righties over a full year probably might not look so pretty.
Joey Bats strikes again (#43).
Bojo,
I am little biased on this issue, because it’s the first time in my life that i am able to root for a fellow venezuelan player that has come up through the minors system ( true yankee ), and has proved that he belongs.
I don’t know if Harper has already made it to the Bigs, and i don’t doubt for a second that he is the real deal, it’s just that i love rookies suceeding at the mayors, and you need to replace the core of the team, and as history has taught us, that core has to come from within, not a hired gun from the outside. JMHO
I wouldn’t read into Montero’s splits against righties. They ahve been playing him mostly against lefties, because that is what they need for the post-season.
If they trade Montero, there will be a fan uprising the likes of which has never been seen. They have let the genie out of the bottle. Montero is amazing to watch at the plate. I am not an expert, but it is so easy to see how phenomenal a hitter this guy is and he is only going to get better.
Combine that with ARod on the backside of his career, Montero is a keeper.
yankeefeminista -
I totally understand!
GreenBeret7 -
If that’s the case, Kontos is doing well enough to get some good return.
Looking forward to the Wakefield/Lackey tandem manana – a/k/a
2 more wins.
You know it took me a bit to figure out who Joey Bats is! LOL
Luis–
Actually, I would love to have both Montero and “Juan Luis” Harper…in middle of order after Grandy and Cano.
This whole notion of Montero having some kind of definitive split hitting RH pitching vs. left handed has gotten completely blown out of proportion.
It’s another example of how people – teams including – misinterpret statistics in baseball.
For much of his minor league career Montero had a “reverse split” where he was better against RH pitching than LH. People had questions about whether the could hit LH pitching because of this “reverse split.”
As expected – that proved to be temporary or just an anomaly.
Now it’s the exact opposite story?
It’s generically true that RH hitters will do better against LH hitters and if the Yanks want to break a 21 year old kid in by putting him in the best possible context to succeed that’s reasonable.
But that doesn’t mean Montero has any out of the ordinary issues hitting RH pitching.
The main thing you want to see in a young hitter when judging if he’s going to have a platoon split isn’t statistics. It’s his swing. How balanced is it? Where are the holes? How deep does he allow the ball to travel in the zone? Does he use all fields to hit the ball or is he pull heavy? What are his front side mechanics like? Does he stay closed effectively?, etc.
Those are the kinds of things you worry about – not a limited sample size of at bats in AAA when a large number of variables are in play as a player develops.
There is no indication in any way that Montero will do anything but crush RH pitching.
Is Joey Bats the nickname for Jose bautista??
The Yankees definitely need a righty considering all the lefties they could face in the playoffs. I still would rather have Chavez in there vs. righties over Posada whether Chavez is the DH or plays 3b with Arod the DH. If the Yankees played it smart they’d keep Cervelli or Romine for BUC but then the odd man out is Jorge Posada. I just can’t fathom Joe leaving off Jorge.
Montero has 4 HRs vs RHP in 32 at bats.
He also isn’t hitting under 200 vs them so don’t let Bret fool you
luis September 24th, 2011 at 7:32 pm
Is Joey Bats the nickname for Jose bautista??
_________
It’s my nickname for him…I like to save on typing.
Really? I thought Montero has 3 HR vs. RHP, 2 against the same guy.
And his OBP vs. righties is below .300.
Just like I call Hellickson “Hellboy”
BoJo September 24th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Luis–
Actually, I would love to have both Montero and “Juan Luis” Harper…in middle of order after Grandy and Cano.
==================
On that we can agree wholeheartedly!!!
As I said, I am so not an expert, but you can look at Montero and see a hitter at the plate. He is so relaxed. His approach is good. He is not unnerved. He will hit both RH and LH hitting.
The Yankees have a particular need for him to hit lefties, so that’s what’s going on now. But that’s not an indication of how the Yankees view him; just how what they need FROM him right now.
TB is down 2 already… anyone want the WC???
Speaking of Harper and the Nats…Wang has been pitching like crazy good lately. Good for him. Seems to be back.
LGY -
Exactly!
Kontos will be an add-in to a trade….a trade that doesn’t include Montero and Romine. One (maybe two) of DJ Mitchell, David Phelps or Adam Warren will be traded as will Laird (unfortunately) and others will all go this winter for someone useful.
All 4 of Montero’s home runs so far this season have been against RH pitching, IIRC.
There is no way to do any kind of valid subgroup analysis on Montero’s performance given how few plate appearances he’s gotten. His splits to date in the majors tell you basically nothing.
4-0 O’s, we might get HFA tonight!!
Bret
Did you miss his oppo shot today?
CB
Here, here! Nice post.
Looks like Garcia just won game 3 start.
Bojo,
Thanks for the clarification
Going back to Cervelli, given his time off, he would be rusty batting, and his bat is not all that impressive, even though he was batting better. I hope Girardi doesn’t put him on the roster in place of Montero.
I think Texas has to also lose for us to clinch HFA, and I think they won today.
His splits in AAA in 2011 show weakness vs. righties as well. Playing him to his splits has the intended or unintended effect of inflating his stats. I can’t complain about that. I also believe DH’ing him rather than putting him through a crash course behind the plate is helping him focus more on hitting. Again, that break from the wear and tear of catching is also inflating his stats and helping him get more comfortable early on. I can’t complain.
Heh. Blow Jays earning their name.
CB -
I thought they were. thanks for the confirmation. He’s done pretty well for himself, I’d say.
GreenBeret7 -
It will be unfortunate that Laird will go, but where will the Yankees use him? It will be better for him, and hopefully the Yankees can get a nice addition for all those pieces. All good pieces!
luis September 24th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Bojo,
Thanks for the clarification
_________
What? You didn’t know “Juan Luis” Harper was a Venezuelan player?
Bret The Hitman September 24th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
Really? I thought Montero has 3 HR vs. RHP, 2 against the same guy.
And his OBP vs. righties is below .300.
—
4 after today.
And Montero has not had enough ab’s for any splits to mean anything.
If Harper makes it to the major leagues and continues his behavior patterns, he’ll fast become the most disliked player in baseball, including his own team mates.
Texas has a worse record head to head against the Yankees, so with it being the best they could do is tie, the Yankees have HFA for them. Detroit has a magic number of one because they won the head to head vs the Yankees.
Bret- I think you’re overthinking Montero against RH pitching.
Jim Johnson is not an easy guy to hit HRs off so you can’t diminish the two Montero hit off him just because it’s the same guy.
He has only given up 5 HR in 89 innings. 2 to Jesus. That’s impressive.
Not worried at all with Jesus vs RHP.
GreenBeret7 September 24th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
If Harper makes it to the major leagues and continues his behavior patterns, he’ll fast become the most disliked player in baseball, including his own team mates.
________
I chalk it up to simple maturity issue. Put him in Yankee clubhouse, and there would be no problem. The vets would take him under their wing.
Rays make a come back. This might be an interesting game after all.
Pencil in Freddy for that game three start.
His whole body of work this season has been extremely impressive and he’s pitched well against the best lineups in baseball, including Boston and Texas.
I’m optimistic about him giving them enough to win in any October scenario.
Wilson, Harrison, and Holland will bust Montero with 93-95 MPH fastballs in and quality off-speed stuff away – making him very vulnerable.
Forget about him on the roster against the Tigers with 4 hard throwing RHP in Verlander-Fister-Scherzer-Porcello who all throw strikes and can pump FBs inside with good location.
I would trust Posada to have better ABs in the playoffs – he can hit lefties or righties, is a professional hitter, and won’t let the moment get to him.
In the playoffs, there are no Orioles relievers or Junichi Tazawa for him to pad his stats. The scouting reports will be thorough and he won’t sneak up on them. This will be too big of a moment for him – Posada has earned the start at DH as this is his farewell tour.
Brett is just upset we didn’t trade Montero for Ubaldo the great number 3 starter
Bojo,
Nope!!, i didn’t, but is a nice way to get me in to the harper bandwagon!
“His splits in AAA in 2011 show weakness vs. righties as well. ”
This means nothing. No one with a background in statistics would make much of anything out of this.
I watched his games this season in AAA. Not only were his splits far too small a sample to draw any subgroup conclusions about but the handedness of the pitcher doesn’t even tell the real story of what was going on with him.
Those statics do not support drawing valid inference from.
In fact they are causing people to reach the wrong conclusions.
The pattern of usage of Brett Gardner and the impact that platooning had on his overall rate stats have nothing at all to do with Montero.
Mark Teixeira has much bigger issues against RH pitching.
GB- what did Harper do today?
San Diego would be a likely trade partner. Not sure what the Diamondbacks or the Twins have to offer right now, but, they need help. San Francisco doesn’t realy impress me with anything of value. No reason to suggest their two yop starters and Jonathon Sanchez is not an option.
Ian Kennedy going for win #21 tonight…as Mel Allen used to say–”how about that?!”
Joe,
I like the oppo power. That will come in handy vs. righties. The swing matters. I would be curious to see how the numbers play out over a full season where most of his AB’s are vs. righties and the small sample of AB’s is against lefties – the reverse of what we’re seeing now. Right now he looks like Albert Pujols. That’d be nice.
Luis–one of the things I like best about Harper is him coming out and saying he is a Yankees fan and wants to play for them. A kid after my heart!
In the playoffs, there are no Orioles relievers or Junichi Tazawa for him to pad his stats.
————————————
Johnson is a Top 10 reliever this year and I guess Weaver is chopped liver as well.
Scherzer throws strikes? Man you really are clueless
Detroit is ruining everything with their play as of late – we’re going to end up being matched up with them in round 1.
G-C,
The chief was always a big game pitcher and it shows, he steped it up a notch tonight
In the playoffs, there are no Orioles relievers or Junichi Tazawa for him to pad his stats
—–
Very few major leaguers have been able to “pad their stats” vs Jim Johnson this year. The opposite has been the case.
He’s a very good pitcher. It’s unfair to just lump all the Orioles pitchers in together.
LGY September 24th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Jim Johnson is not an easy guy to hit HRs off so you can’t diminish the two Montero hit off him just because it’s the same guy.
He has only given up 5 HR in 89 innings. 2 to Jesus. That’s impressive.
Not worried at all with Jesus vs RHP.
+++++++++
That was one that impressed me. Taking a pitcher out twice when that pitcher doesn’t give up many HRs has to open some eyes.
The other thing about minor league slits is that so many of the minor league pitchers are not all that great. When you want to hit rather than walk, you can chase more.
Some of those pitches he hit out were good pitches as well. He is a legit hitter, and Girardi should keep him in as many games as possible to give him the exposure he needs to adjust to the league pitching.
Triple Short of a Cycle September 24th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Brett is just upset we didn’t trade Montero for Ubaldo the great number 3 starter
***********
The front office backed out of a trade for Ubaldo because they decided Colon could be the #2. We’re all wrong sometimes. Were they willing to deal Montero in that deal? Maybe so. The Rockies wanted far more than just Montero though so we’ll never know.
Bojo, Bautista’s twitter is @JoeyBats19
In looking at Montero’s AAA stats, I wonder how much a difference it makes that he is now playing DH versus catching. I have said all year that I want him DHing only so he can focus on hitting (and not get injured). I tend to disregard his AAA numbers when he was focused more on catching.
Bautista also calls himself Joey Bats. I think I saw it somewhere on a commercial or something. Or not. lol.
I missed a great game. just heard the score update in the top of the 9th. Actually, I didn’t hear the score, just that the Yankees were a couple of outs away from beating the Sox. I heard the starter got knocked out after 2.2 innings. Missed the name of the pitcher.
But Chad’s got the latest, yay!
Go, TB. Go, Angels.
Bojo,
Yes!!, i read the interview as well, you got me now for sure!
Bret- a homegrown version of Albert Pujols? I’d sign up for that, lol…..
Hey, let’s dream up some trade possibilities for Harper. Did someone suggest trading AJ?
Oh, yeah. Posada in. Montero is the backup catcher. Romine on call.
Verlander has looked a little more human the past couple of outings. He gave up 4 runs in his last outing too, but the Tiggers made a comeback to win for him.
Take care everyone. Terrific game today.
Montero is on his way to being the heart of this team. Today was another step forward as he absolutely crushed a Red Sox team that was playing a must win game and throwing it’s nominal ace.
For a 21 year old to own this kind of game is remarkable.
Baseball hasn’t seen this kind of hitter enter the game since Cabrera.
Yankee fans should appreciate what we have to root for. This has been a great season – one in which the team was functionally written off because the Sox were going to have one of the great teams of all time.
Yogi Mantle September 24th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
LGY September 24th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
The most impresive one was the second, an offspeed pitch down and away and he still drove it way back to the bleachers, that’s power guys!
I’d love to move Tex but that no trade clause makes it impossible. As bad as he his, SF would probably jump all over his power potential. Put Montero at 1b. The minute they signed Tex, they were barring Montero from 1b for a loooong time. It was unnecessary. I didn’t cry when they signed Tex but I wasn’t shaking my pom poms either. Would love to dump him.
Joe from Long Island September 24th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Mark Teixeira has much bigger issues against RH pitching.
GB- what did Harper do today?
————————————————————————————————————————-
Evening Joe. Hope all is well on Joe Island with you and Mrs Joe.
Harper hasn’t done anything today, but, his attitude this year stunk. Even as just a kid, you have to learn something after being told to step it down a few notches with the mouth and the strutting around. Washington is making a big mistake in how they treat both Harper and Strasberg, with the almost non-availability to the out of town media. Vets on their own team will not take to it kindly, regardless of the talent they have.
I’m waiting for FakePeteGammons to mention that the Sox strategy was to get Lester out early today so he is rested for next start on Wednesday–to clinch the WC.
Bret The Hitman September 24th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
I would be curious to see how the numbers play out over a full season where most of his AB’s are vs. righties and the small sample of AB’s is against lefties – the reverse of what we’re seeing now.
—
Before today, Montero had 18 ab vs lhp and 30 ab vs lhp. He is not getting most of his ab’s vs lhp.
The Yankees can carry all three of Posada, Montero, and Romine if they only go with an 11 man pitching staff.
A 12 man staff is pretty unnecessary in a short series.
Anyway, I’m outta here. Enjoyable game thread today. Have a nice night everyone and Go Rays!!
Wilson, Harrison, and Holland will bust Montero with 93-95 MPH fastballs in and quality off-speed stuff away – making him very vulnerable.
Forget about him on the roster against the Tigers with 4 hard throwing RHP in Verlander-Fister-Scherzer-Porcello who all throw strikes and can pump FBs inside with good location.
———————
If those pitchers pitch the way you described, then none of our hitters will hit them, not just Montero.
Can you imagine Tex against those kinds of pitchers, especially the Tigers ones? Yikes!
Joe from Long Island September 24th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Bret- a homegrown version of Albert Pujols? I’d sign up for that, lol…..
Hey, let’s dream up some trade possibilities for Harper. Did someone suggest trading AJ?
__________
Let’s send them AJ, all the extra AAA players, WCYF, VY, and a box of Wheaties to be named later.
Bautista is called Joey Bats by his team, he uses that on his twitter account.
30 ab vs *rhp*
The front office backed out of a trade for Ubaldo because they decided Colon could be the #2.
————————————————-
I think it had more to do with the fact that the Rockies were asking for a number 1 starter type return and the Yankees viewed him as no more then a number 3. Even if you say they viewed Colon as a 2 well Nova has taken that place.
Man, Montero is a nice confident kid.
I wouldn’t put too much weight on Montero’s 2011 righty splits. His 2010 righty splits were very good–almost equal to his lefty splits but with a slightly lower OBP, and Montero’s 2009 righty splits were better than his lefty ones.
The Rangers are the less of the 2 evils. Not sure that Texas has a 1-2 punch. And Wilson has shown he can crack on the mound. Rangers offense and ballpark are more dangerous, though.
Still would be happy to see the Sox miss the playoffs. For all kinds of reasons.
Bret–
You do such an interesting revisionist version of history that I would to hear your account of Genesis some day.
luis September 24th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Yogi Mantle September 24th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
LGY September 24th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
The most impresive one was the second, an offspeed pitch down and away and he still drove it way back to the bleachers, that’s power guys!
++++++++
Absolutely! Almost like today’s HR. Today’s was like an excuse me type swing too. That boy was mis-named. Should have been Samson. lol.
Yes but they were wrong when they calculated Colon could handle game 2 above Ubaldo. They sat around and came to that conclusion which was wrong. I agree that the asking price on Ubaldo was too high but I’m not ready to dismiss Ubaldo. He’s a tremendous talent. You don’t put up a 168 ERA+ by mistake.
CB September 24th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Have a good night!, at the start of the season i put in my blackberry handle the logo of the yankees with the frase “underdog’ right next to it, now i’ve changed it too “underdog, no so much, lol” , i did it both times to stick it to my brother who is a die hard sux fan. this season has been for the ages and as you say so sweet to prove everyone wrong!
Bojo,
There was an article where the front office basically admitted that they all sat around the table and asked “Colon or Ubaldo” and everyone said Colon. How does that decision look now?
You made the accusation…so I ask you…where is the revision?
The spoiler Orioles are beating Detroit 5-0.
Good night all…time for wife to take command of the laptop!
Bret, I think they also had huge concerns about Ubaldo’s health, and given how he pitched after the trade I know I’m very glad they passed on him.
The Baltimore Spoilios. They might earn a winning record if they change their name.
Yogi,
We can call him Jesus the Samson Monstero, alias Herman!!, LOL
They said it was “unanimous” that everyone at the table said Colon is the best choice to be the #2 guy. They came to that conclusion while Colon was pitching in uncharted territory. Without Nova, banking on Colon to be a #2 was….optimistic, to put it lightly.
Ubaldo hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. I’m comfortable with the Yankees’ decision on that. Colon helped get the Yankees to this point. If he can go no further, I’m okay with that. I think the Yankees are okay with that.
If you’re looking for perfection, on or off the field, you are never going to be happy.
Montero is sharing at bats against RHP with Posada and Chavez. That’s why he sits against them more.
30 at bats is an incredibly small sample size. 2 more hits and no one would notice anything.
Not to mention all of his power thus far has been against RHP.
And you have to think about what it might have cost the Yankees to get Ubaldo. totally not worth it.
3 of Montero’s homers have come with 2 strikes. That’s pretty impressive for a rookie with 52 at bats.
At the time Colon was pitching like a number 2 so they were half wrong in saying that come Oct he would still be that number 2 but its not like Ubaldo was pitching like an ace at the deadline and then regressed. He was putting up average stats the whole year and continued to do that after he was traded
Even if Nova didn’t emerge Ubaldo wouldn’t have been a good number 2 guy
I’d rather have colon than what it would have taken to get Ubaldo.
Bono- that sounds like a fair deal to me
GB- we’re well, thanks. Hope you’re enjoying the evening. Had a late lunch at a nice Greek restaurant in Astoria, with the son and his girlfriend. And the yanks clobbered Boston. All is well.
You’re right, Nats are not doing the right thing by sheltering Harper and strasburg.
Yogi,
My point is that the front office miscalculated on Colon regardless of how Ubaldo pitched after the trade…so far.
I’ll be glad they passed on Ubaldo if he never again pitches like he pitched in 2010. He’s still young enough so I can’t really judge for sure yet. One thing is for sure, Colorado’s asking price seemed too high. But I’m not going to sit here and act like Ubaldo isn’t an enticing talent based on his recent struggles alone.
Regarless of what happens with Colon going forward, not trading for Ubaldo was the right move, there is no reason to empty the farm for a pitcher without clean mechanics, he is an injury waiting to happen
The 1 huge blunder you can get on Cash for is not getting Haren which has been discussed to death on here.
With how chatty Cash has been lately about trades I find it very strange that he hasn’t addressed the Haren issue much
GreenBeret7 -
Wow – that’s very impressive.
Luis,
Maybe so. We’ll see if he can string together some healthy years.
Triple,
Let’s not talk about Haren.
I’m curious to know if fans want Garcia back next year. I’m assuming Colon is a no-go. Do fans still want to give Freddy a 2 year deal? Maybe he’ll pull a Lance Berkman and sign for one? The trade deadline 2012 will be the time to strike for a top notch pitcher with so many approaching free agency. The winter is going to be dull.
I think Cashman said something like, “Is Ubaldo better than what we have at #2 right now?” And at the time it was no.
I certainly wouldn’t want Ubaldo pitching #2. And for what they wanted from us, #3, 4 or 5.
Right now, Ubaldo is just a big name. He may regain form. Or heal whatever ailment he has. Or adjust to the league.
But he’s not helping us this year.
raymagnetic September 24th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
I’d rather have colon than what it would have taken to get Ubaldo.
+++++++++++
AMEN.
Brett,
Yes, time will tell, but by then the B’s will be on the rotation probably making the point a moot one
Your best bet to get Ubaldo, is to trade for him this off-season. Cleveland will be much more reasonable because they aren’t pitching away an “ace”. Didn’t I see the Rockies GM gloating after they unloaded him? Basically got an ace haul for someone who’s not an ace? I could be wrong on that.
Looks like we play Det in the ALDS.
Not what they were hoping for.
Bret, while it may be fine to say that Colon isn’t pitching well now, as he isn’t, neither is Ubaldo, so you still think the Yankees should have given up so much talent for a pitcher to be a “number 2″ who ends up pitching like like number 5? I just don’t get what your beef is about the Yankees not trading for Ubaldo when Ubaldo wouldn’t have been much help.
The Rockies were smart to get rid of him when they did. His value will probably continue to drop.
The Rockies front office does appear to be…difficult. That was a slap in the face to Cleveland after they dealt him. I think Greinke is a better bet to remain durable over Jimenez. Upside is not the same but Greinke is as solid a #2 as there is in baseball IMHO.
What’s going to happen though is a bandaid move in the winter to get the team to the 2012 trade deadline. If the market is still thin…you just wait out the remaining half season for Cole Hamels or Matt Cain.
Considering Ubaldo has a 4.62 ERA, I’d say the decision not to trade for him was sound.
Bret,
I would give Colon another look next year, because i think his issues right now are workload related, remember that he hasn’t pitch 150 innings since 2005 if i’m not mistaken.
On Garcia i would give him another invite along with Colon, remeber that next year the competition is going to be really hard with Hughes, AJ,Noesi,Garcia and Colon fighting for a spot, with probably some others making their cases
The two league batting titles will be up for grabs over the next 5 games. Michael young is two points behind gonzalez. young deserves a lot of MVP votes, especially after the crap he went through this winter and spring. Without him, Texas wouldn’t be leading the Angels.
Kemp is about 4 points behind Reyes and tied with Pujols in the homer race. Will be interesting to see if he can get the Triple Crown. It’s been about 75-80 years in the NL.
What do you guys think of Brandon McCarthy? Might he be a realistic band-aid target? He’s got good stuff if healthy and he’ll be pitching in a walk year in 2012. Oakland needs offense. They’d probably want a guy like Eduardo Nunez.
Something wasn’t right with Jimenez. Not worth what colo wanted.
Of the two, I think Garcia would be a better bet to return than Colon.
He was terrific. But his velocity is down and he’s not giving us those magical outings anymore.
Gah. *Colon* was terrific.
m,
You think Colon’s issues are health related more than workload related?
I was never on board for dealing for Jimenez or for a Cliff Lee rental. Not worth trading Montero for any of them. Cash should not have and still should not deal Montero. Home-grown and our present and future.
Zobrist goes yard, 3-2 Rays.
How about “long layoff from baseball” related.
Don’t forget, he is OLD. There’s a reason why guys like Clemens and Pedro wanted to pitch half-seasons. Not enough bullets.
RAYS!
“What do you guys think of Brandon McCarthy? Might he be a realistic band-aid target? He’s got good stuff if healthy and he’ll be pitching in a walk year in 2012. Oakland needs offense. They’d probably want a guy like Eduardo Nunez.”
Shoot higher – GIO.
Jesus + Gardner + Warren for Gonzalez and DeJesus
Jesus + Gardner + Warren for Gonzalez and DeJesus
=========
ridiculous
# Jerkface September 24th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
Considering Ubaldo has a 4.62 ERA, I’d say the decision not to trade for him was sound.
———
Indeed. And not at all unexpected from those of us not named Bret.
Beane’s not trading Gio Gonzalez. The Yankees are salivating over him though if Joel Sherman is to be believed.
What did Col say about the Indians after the trade?
Now Ubaldo’s career’s over, huh?
Ok, missed that memo.
Triple,
They smeared Ubaldo after he became an Indian.
Definitely bad blood.
I can’t see any scenario where Montero is traded.
Any holes can be filled without him be traded.
Team with best record should be able to choose the team they want to play.
yankeefeminista September 24th, 2011 at 8:20 pm
Spot on, Jesus should be untouchable…there is no doubt now that he can handle mayor league pitching.
m,
Good point.
If Yanks sweep boston and TB they could play the Angels.
According to Pat M., Montero is the only guy the Rox and Yankees could decide on. According to Pat’s connections in MLB, the Yankees definitely made Montero available. That’s as far as the talks got supposedly because the Rox were unreasonable about the other players involved. The Yankees didn’t even want to include Nova with Montero, let alone Betances/Banuelos. But they did offer Montero…supposedly.
luis, thing is , there was never a doubt. The doubt was with his catching ability, but with that bat you make it work. You can also DH him, and having Alex locked into a long term deal should be a non-factor in making that decision.
Guys,
Please stop this crazy trading ideas….Jesus Montero should be untouchable, no one is worth montero ( Kershaw maybe but that’s it )
It’s never going to happen but it would be beautiful if they could send Teixeira in a navy suit aboard a sailboat and float that sucker right into McCovey Cove.
Cash didn’t want to make a splashy deal and trade the farm. I overheard him say so. No way that trade was his idea.
I don’t think anyone said Ubaldo’s career is over, just saying that he is over rated for what he’s done and his mechanics are not sound. That combination isn’t a very good one. I think Cleveland way overpaid for him for what he can give them. They are fortunate that they play in the weak division.
If they didn’t see Ubaldo as a number 2 on the team then why offer Montero + for a number 3 guy with bad mechanics?
A better choice of words would be…ship out Teixeira dressed in a navy uniform aboard a sailboat and float that sucker right into McCovey Cove. He’s not Barry Bonds but he’s better than what they have.
Yankeefem,
I know, it’s just that most of the posters that wanted to trade montero argued that he was a prospect, that he hasn’t prove anything on the MLB level, that’s not the case anymore. If he catches (which i think he will ) it’s just the cherry on top of the icecream
I could care less if Montero catches or not. Sign me up for a 15 year DH career and I’ll be happy
I don’t recall that at all.
I think it’s ridiculous that an hour after the Yankees make short work of the Red Sox, with Montero providing much of the fire power, we’re discussing freaking trades that didn’t happen and won’t happen.
Can you not be happy with this Yankee team for a nanosecond Bret?
Bret, I think the Yanks would have to be overwhelmed to trade Nunez. They really like his bat, speed, and overall athleticism. Plus, they’re looking at getting him 350-400 ABs while resting jeter and Alex in the field.
As far as McCarthy, I think Noesi has more upside. Just my two cents.
The Yankees have a player who can hit the ball, rather effortlessly, out of their stadium. He took Jon lester to the base of the wall 400 ft to center. They really shouldn’t trade that kind of hitter.
Joey Bats HBP. Torres’ control there looked pretty bad, but gets out of the inning. Ray’s still leading 3-2, bottom 5th.
Melky doubles – @ 198 hits.
Detroit is coming back, 5-3 Orioles.
I could see cash teasing Jesus for lee, with a ws at stake.
But now, after what we’ve seen, and no lee equivalent available, I really would be very surprised to see Jesus leave nyy
I am watching Verlander pitch, he allowed 5 runs, but he has settled in, what a way to locate and the movement of his pitches is incredible
My name may not be Martin Luther King but I still had a dream.
To see the Boston Blowsux completely eliminated from PS competition.
5-4 cabrera just homered
MTU,
Isn’t that every Yankee fan’s dream!!!
Nice work by Buck and John Farrell to have their teams play contenders tough this month.
Good night, all. Yankees win, and Boston loses.
Tomorrow…….
Luis-
I sure hope so.
Luis-
The other part of the dream was the Yankees sweeping the Phillies in the WS.
Good Night Joe, i am leaving as well…..Perfect day!!, enjoy the rest of the evening guys!!
yankeefeminista -
198 hits for Melky? Great for him! I really wish things could have been different. But since they weren’t, I’m glad he finally made changes for the better for himself.
Let’s go Tigers!!
MTU,
HAHA!!! i wish we could, have a good one!
luis September 24th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Guys,
Please stop this crazy trading ideas….Jesus Montero should be untouchable, no one is worth montero ( Kershaw maybe but that’s it )
///
luis, as tempting as Kershaw would be, I don’t make that trade, either, because it doesn’t address the Yanks’ big need: a mid-order, heavy OPS bat that can effectively replace Alex as he ages. I know I don’t need to sell you, of all people, no Montero, but look at the way he put the game out of reach today. That’s what he can do for us on many nights.
Kershaw can only help me every five days. There’s not a pitcher out there whom I would deal Montero for. The Yanks also are not strapped for SP – not next season.
If you were talking about pitching for pitching, then that would be different, IMO. But those kinds of deals don’t happen very often.
JAP,
That settles it, no way i trade Montero for anyone, very good argument!!, thank you.
Good night, or my wife will kill me!!
Better get going Luis.
Have a good night.
Verlander with 120 pitches tonight
I guess Girardi isn’t the only one who likes to ride his horse.
Villa Nova-Ya September 24th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
yankeefeminista -
198 hits for Melky? Great for him! I really wish things could have been different. But since they weren’t, I’m glad he finally made changes for the better for himself.
////
Melky is hitting .300 from both sides of the plate, so he’s not just a switch hitter in name.
In addition to that and nearing 200 hits, he’s three away from 90 RBI as a 2-hitter. The ballpark he plays in discourages power, and most of his homeruns – career high 18 – have come on the road, where he has very good numbers. I think he has 45 doubles or so, too. Melky has arrived. He’s always had hitting talent. He was unhappy in Atlanta, but he seems to have found a home in Kansas City.
Having watched him since his Trenton days, and having predicted he would hit in the majors and having been met with nearly unilateral skepticism on that, I am extremely happy for the Melkman, and proud of him.
He’d probably have 25 homers playing here.
Felix Hernandez with mileage soon-to-be making 20 million has now become far less of a commodity than he was when Jack Z was bragging about how he can win by building a team around the ace. Him and Smoak.
luis September 24th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
JAP,
That settles it, no way i trade Montero for anyone, very good argument!!, thank you.
Good night, or my wife will kill me!!
///
Get going then, we don’t want to lose you
.
Good night.
# Bret The Hitman September 24th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Now Ubaldo’s career’s over, huh?
Ok, missed that memo.
————-
WTF are you talking about?
Never said his career was over. Didn’t even remotely imply it.
But some of us didn’t see him as a front line guy that you did. Too many red flags and pitching in the AL is nothing like pitching in the NL West.
His numbers since the trade are shocking nobody but you.
A former poster named Bodhi predicted Melky would one day hit .300. We both did. Every year Melky tanked, it surprised me. He just never stayed within himself because he was surrounded by so much star power. He always tried to be a HR hitter here and that approach really damaged his career as a Yankee and limited his potential.
Anyways, Bodhi, if you’re out there, good call.
Good night, luis.
Villa, Pruf, check that; Melky just got another hit. Kid is en fuego. Now at 199. Very happy to see him doing so well.
Good for Melky, but you’re not going to see him have this kind of season again.
Bret,
Bill Massey, a manager of Melky’s in his minor-league days, predicted he’d one day win a batting title. While that may be out of reach, hitting .300 has always been within his upside grasp, I would say.
Melky has always been tremendously talented. And he loves baseball. My favorite story about him is that his mom used to supposedly flip on him whenever he left home after school without doing his homework. She would scold him but he’d continue out the door and say “Mom, I’m going to be a baseball player.” Well Melky, you’re not just a baseball player, you’re a damn good one. 200 hits is not an easy feat.
Adrian Gonzalez : ” I think when we get into the playoffs, whoever we play better watch out because we’re going go in being the underdog,” he said after today’s loss. “We’re not playing good baseball now, but we will be going all the way to the World Series . Period . ”
- Red Robin, from Rabbit Island
sent from phone
977364303807880000
On the contrary, GF, the season is likely not an anomaly at all, but a player finally tapping the talent that has been predicted for him by some sharpies. He just turned 27 this year, so he’s just entering his prime years.
Pruf,
I remember hearing that prediction. Melky is just a well-rounded ball-player. He’s a line-drive hitter with good contact, pop, decent glove and good baserunning (not basestealing). He’s always had good tools and nothing to show for it until this year. KC must love him and he must be happy judging by his numbers.
yankeefeminista September 24th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Good night, luis.
Villa, Pruf, check that; Melky just got another hit. Kid is en fuego. Now at 199. Very happy to see him doing so well.
///
Alex Rodriguez “begged” the Yankees to re-sign him. And Al Knows Hittin’.
# J. Alfred Prufrock September 24th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
On the contrary, GF, the season is likely not an anomaly at all, but a player finally tapping the talent that has been predicted for him by some sharpies. He just turned 27 this year, so he’s just entering his prime years.
———
I wouldn’t bet on it. This has been, by far, the best season he’s ever had.
He’s not likely going to be that kind of player consistently.
J Alfred -
I just wish he wouldn’t have needed a wakeup call to do the hard work. He worked overtime last winter to get to this point. I always liked him as a player, loved his enthusiasm and absolutely loved his knack for getting those late-inning hits. But it took his career almost tanking to take it to the next level.
I fully expect that he will continue to work this hard. He has seen his career almost end after his season with Atlanta. No player with his talent would want that to happen again.
I am happy with the way the season has gone for our Yankees. I don’t dwell on what-ifs. But can you imagine if ARod was successful in lobbying Cashman to re-sign Melky? And, BTW, I don’t blame Cashman for moving on. Sometimes it works out for the best for both parties if you do.
I’m not afraid to face DET in the playoffs. Verlander can be beat.
“200 hits is not an easy feat.”
Does Gardner even have 100 hits?
I know he plays good D, but he isn;t in Melky’s class as a hitter. Melky is going end up with 70 extra-base hits.
Bret, they may move him though, since they are in love with Matt Cain’s defense.
But if they do, they’re going to get a very nice return. I think they would probably prefer to move him to a corner spot than deal him, but it just depends on whether they would consider getting rid of Frenchy. Melky’s the better player, IMO, but Francoeur has more absolute power. I know who I’d keep, though… They won’t mess with Gordon, of course… Right now, with MC in CF and the other two on the corners, they probably have the the best OF in terms of throwing arms in the AL.
I wouldn’t bet on it. This has been, by far, the best season he’s ever had.
He’s not likely going to be that kind of player consistently.
///
Disagree. I think he’s not looking back.
# J. Alfred Prufrock September 24th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Alex Rodriguez “begged” the Yankees to re-sign him. And Al Knows Hittin’.
———
And A-Rod and a few others (Damon) “begged” the Yanks the sign AJ Burnett.
That one hasn’t quite worked out so well.
Ballplayers have opinions too but they aren’t the guys making those decisions.
GF -
Melky always showed potential and then would taper off. He had the tools. It took being at the bottom of the barrel after, first, being traded from the Yankees, and then, having an abyssmal year in Atlanta, for him to realize he needed to get serious.
GF -
But in this case, ARod actually worked with Melky in the off-season.
It wasn’t just a matter of an opposing pitcher mesmerizing an entire team.
Villa Nova-Ya September 24th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
J Alfred -
I just wish he wouldn’t have needed a wakeup call to do the hard work. He worked overtime last winter to get to this point. I always liked him as a player, loved his enthusiasm and absolutely loved his knack for getting those late-inning hits. But it took his career almost tanking to take it to the next level.
///
Yea, I think he took being dealt very hard. He had spent all his ML years in the Yankee organization, since age 20 he was on the team, I believe. It’s also a different deal to be the No. 8 hitter in the NL and have the pitcher hitting behind you. & the fact that he pulled himself up is what I admire, and that he is now honoring his talent. I’m glad things have worked out for him.
New post—>
Verlander can be beaten…the O’s are doing it right now!
Yeah those dangerous Sux really showed us! But I’m sure things will change when they have their best pitcher on the mound.
Oh wait…
******************
“the orioles record speaks for itself. 25 games under .500 and the worst pitching staff in the a.l. just because the faltering competition made them look good for a couple of days doesnt cancel the fact that they are a lousy team.”
Currently beating the Tigers in the bottom of the 8th. I’m sure things would have been different if Verlander started the game.
Oh wait…
Melky always showed potential and then would taper off. He had the tools. It took being at the bottom of the barrel after, first, being traded from the Yankees, and then, having an abyssmal year in Atlanta, for him to realize he needed to get serious.
///
Yea the thing too is his HRs are usually shots. Always hit nice line drives too. Good contact hitter, quick on the inside pitch, sometimes too much of a contact guy in that he could be more selective.
DocTodd September 24th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Verlander can be beaten…the O’s are doing it right now!
///
We for some reason have done well against him. We make him throw a lot of pitches. He’s wonderful, would love to have him, but I think we can wait him out, work him, etc.
Doc Todd –
I was told today that the Orioles were nothing and just because fading competition made them look good “a couple of days” it didn’t mean anything.
This was from someone who obviously doesn’t keep currrent. Anyone who paid attention to what the Orioles did to just about every team they faced in September wouldn’t have made such a transparently ridiculous statement.
I find the night crew to be better informed about reality in baseball than the day crew. Generalization, but at least today I felt that way.
And A-Rod and a few others (Damon) “begged” the Yanks the sign AJ Burnett.
That one hasn’t quite worked out so well.
Ballplayers have opinions too but they aren’t the guys making those decisions.
///
Well sure but you’d kinda have to say, looking at the kind of season he’s had, that Alex had a point, no?
Bret The Hitman September 24th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Melky has always been tremendously talented. And he loves baseball. My favorite story about him is that his mom used to supposedly flip on him whenever he left home after school without doing his homework. She would scold him but he’d continue out the door and say “Mom, I’m going to be a baseball player.” Well Melky, you’re not just a baseball player, you’re a damn good one. 200 hits is not an easy feat.
///
Never heard that one. Haha. I heard she wanted him to be a doctor, though. Hear, hear on the 200 hits. One more & he’s got it.
# J. Alfred Prufrock September 24th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Well sure but you’d kinda have to say, looking at the kind of season he’s had, that Alex had a point, no?
———
Maybe. But the Yanks are also now paying a lot of money for an ineffective Burnett.
You win some and you lose some.
GF, maybe Burnett will just have that curveball spinning and strike out 10 in Game 3, if he gets the call. Of course, he could do that and still have a nightmare inning. But he can occasionally dominate and win a game for you. You never know with AJ. He did win what I consider the swing game in the World Series.
Romero left in too long. 3 run homer for the Demon Damon.
Damon’s stance looks a bit odd, he always was pretty open, but the way he is moving his right foot seemed awkward.