The LoHud Yankees Blog

I know, I know, the weekend is coming up, and you want to get a head start. You want to take the next few hours to stay in bed or eat a huge plate of bacon or catchup on a sitcom you missed while watching outstanding World Series games the past two nights.

Save that for the weekend. For now, follow Russell Martin’s example. The Yankees catcher used Twitter to show he’s not resting just yet.

The Rangers are trying to pull even before the World Series shifts to Texas. In tonight’s Game 2, the Cardinals are going with the young lefty Jaime Garcia against the Rangers well-traveled veteran Colby Lewis. A few quick notes:

• Last night’s Game 1 was the 11th one-run game of this postseason. That’s one short of the record set in 1995, 1997 and 2003. Last year’s playoffs included only eight one-run games.

• Two-thirds of all televisions that were turned on in St. Louis last night were tuned into the World Series (a 66 share). In Dallas-Fort Worth, the game drew a 51 share.

• Country singer Trace Adkins is singing the National Anthem.

• For whatever it’s worth, I enjoyed Tyler Kepner’s story on Tony LaRussa’s desire to make sure all of his active players get in a box score during the World Series. Would you want Joe Girardi to go out of his way to make sure all of his guys got into a World Series game?

• Weird story of the day: Apparently the guy who caught Gaddafi was wearing a Yankees hat.

• Significant story of the day: Josh Hamilton is nowhere near 100 percent and says he would be on the disabled list if this were the regular season.

CARDINALS
Rafael Furcal SS
Jon Jay CF
Albert Pujols 1B
Lance Berkman RF
Matt Holliday LF
David Freese 3B
Yadier Molina C
Nick Punto 2B
Jaime Garcia LHP

RANGERS
Ian Kinsler 2B
Elvis Andrus SS
Josh Hamilton LF
Michael Young 1B
Adrian Beltre 3B
Nelson Cruz RF
Mike Napoli C
Craig Gentry CF
Colby Lewis RHP

On what would have been Mickey Mantle’s 80th birthday, LIFE magazine has published previously unseen pictures of the 1961 Yankees. As the magazine explains:

In 1961, during spring training, LIFE gave 25-year-old Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek a camera and asked him to photograph his teammates: Mantle, Berra, Maris, Ford, and the rest of the players on what would, in time, be seen as one of the greatest teams in baseball history. The resulting photos were never published (see slide 12 in this gallery for a possible reason why). Now, five decades later — on what would have been Mickey Mantle’s 80th birthday — LIFE.com presents those never-seen pictures, along with Kubek’s own insights and memories of the era, the Yankees, and his own stellar nine-year career.

Go here to check out the gallery.

Over at the Hardball Times, Chris Jaffe brings some perspective to just how young Mantle was when he died at age 63. That’s younger than Nolan Ryan is right now.

Photo from LIFE magazine

In last night’s World Series opener, the biggest hit was a pinch hit single by the Cardinals Allen Craig, the same guy who drove in two runs as a pinch hitter in the clinching game of the NLCS, the same guy who hit .318 as a pinch hitter in the regular season.

He’s the same guy who went 1-for-7 as a pinch hitter last season.

“I’ve felt I’ve done a lot better job this year coming off the bench,” Craig told the Post-Dispatch. “I’ve had a wide range of opportunities thrown at me.”

In the World Series, pinch hitting might be an underrated advantage for the National League. It’s a strategy not used very often in the American League, but used constantly in the National League. Craig had seven pinch hits this season. None of the Yankees had more than three.

No surprise, the Yankees most-often used pinch hitters this season were veterans who played largely platoon roles in the regular season.

Jorge Posada: 2-for-15 with five walks, four strikeouts, a double and two RBI
Andruw Jones: 2-for-12 with two walks, six strikeouts and an RBI
Eric Chavez: 3-for-11 with one walk, three strikeouts and two RBI

The Yankees three most-often-used pinch hitters combined to bat .184 with one extra-base hit and 13 strikeouts as pinch hitters. It’s a hard thing to get used to, which is why you so often hear regular position players complain about DHing by saying it’s like pinch hitting four or five times a game.

The rest of the Yankees pinch hit appearances this season:

Chris Dickerson: 1-for-4
Curtis Granderson: 1-for-4
Eduardo Nunez: 0-for-4
Russell Martin: 1-for-3
Robinson Cano: 0-for-2
Francisco Cervelli: 1-for-2
Austin Romine: 1-for-2
Nick Swisher: 1-for-1
Brett Gardner: 0-for-1
Greg Golson: 0-for-1
Jesus Montero: 0-for-1
Ramiro Pena: 0-for-1
Brandon Laird: 0-for-0*
Alex Rodriguez: 0-for-0*
Mark Teixeira: 0-for-0*

* Drew a walk in only pinch hit appearance

Based on its analysis of the Yankees draft class, Baseball America seems to be among those who are coming around on top pick Dante Bichette Jr.

Seen as a mild reach on draft day, Bichette turned in an MVP season in the Gulf Coast League, and he’s looking more and more like a strong choice for an organization that needs power bats. From Baseball America’s analysis:

(Bichette) got off to a slow start, but his natural timing and bat-to-ball skills took over… The Yankees believe Bichette not only will stay in the infield but will be an asset defensively at third with solid hands, a plus arm and the agility to defend bunts.

Baseball America picked college relievers Mark Montgomery (51 strikeouts in 28.1 innings) and Branden Pinder (0.68 WHIP) as players who could move quickly, but the review also noted that Bichette could move faster than most high school hitters.

Check out the link for some nuggets on outfielder Jake Cave, power-hitting catcher Greg Bird and the missed opportunity of Sam Stafford.

Today is round two of the Yankees pro scouting meetings, that mean Brian Cashman, Billy Eppler and  the Yankees team of scouts are sitting around a room going over every little detail of the Yankees minor league system and the potential trade and free agent targets who might make the team better next season.

How much would you love to be in that room?

Divulging exactly what is said would be in the best interest of no one involved. Sure, we’ll get bits and pieces of the conversation, but we’ll never get the full story. It’s one thing for opposing scouts to give their opinions — those are certainly helpful in forming our own perceptions — but in terms of the Yankees decisions moving forward, it’s the opinions in that room that matter most.

Wouldn’t you love to know…

What exactly the Yankees think of Jesus Montero behind the plate
The Yankees say publicly that Montero can catch at the big league level, and I’ve heard some opposing scouts say the same– heard some others disagree — but the Yankees were clearly hesitant to use him behind the plate in September. How the Yankees handle their catching situation in 2012 and beyond could seriously depend on just how much faith they have in Montero’s ability to play defense.

Whether the 2011 ups and downs are a sign of things to come
The Yankees don’t only scout other teams, they also scout themselves. I’m sure they’ve been talking about everything they saw in the Bronx in 2011. Did they see second-half changes that suggest Derek Jeter can remain productive? Was Curtis Granderson’s power display a sign that he’s truly turned a corner to be a middle-of-the-order threat? Is Mark Teixeira’s offensive decline fixable, or is he no longer one of the best all-around hitters in the game? Can Alex Rodriguez be himself after all these injuries? Is Ivan Nova’s success real? Is 2010 or 2011 more indicative of the real Phil Hughes?

How much CC Sabathia’s weight gain affects his performance and value
Sabathia’s a big boy, that’s no secret, and he’s pitched well at a heavy weight throughout his career. But he’s also had some knee problems, and after reporting to spring training noticeably thinner, the weight went back on through the course of the season. Obviously Sabathia can pitch well when he’s also eating well — and Joe Girardi dismissed his weight gain as a non-issue — but how much does Sabathia’s size factor into the Yankees willingness to commit more money and more years if he opts out?

Which unexpected free agents have grabbed the Yankees attention
This winter, signing Andruw Jones made some obvious sense — everyone knew the Yankees could use a right-handed outfielder with a history of success against left-handed pitchers — but guys like Eric Chavez and Freddy Garcia weren’t so obvious. A corner infielder made obvious sense, but Chavez was coming off a series of injuries and the Yankees must have had him on the radar. A starting pitcher made sense, but was Garcia the first name on your mind? Equalling as interesting… Which “obvious” free agent targets are quickly dismissed.

How many minor league starters are on the cusp
It was Phil Hughes in 2010 and Ivan Nova in 2011. Even after the struggles of the young 2008 rotation, the Yankees have proven they’re willing to give young starters a shot in the big leagues. It’s also well known that the Yankees have a ton of young pitching talent. Which of those have truly grabbed the Yankees attention? For obvious reasons, the Yankees are going to speak highly of Hector Noesi, Adam Warren, David Phelps, D.J. Mitchell, Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, etc. What would be interesting would be a true ranking of which of those upper-level starters the Yankees honestly believe could open the season in the big leagues.

Associated Press photos

The Yankees aren’t playing, but I’m guessing a lot of you will still be watching tonight’s World Series opener. It’s a chance to see what C.J. Wilson can do in a big spot, and a chance to see what Lance Berkman has become after his so-so brief stint in pinstripes.

Here are the lineups for Game 1.

CARDINALS
Rafael Furcal SS
Jon Jay CF
Albert Pujols 1B
Matt Holliday LF
Lance Berkman RF
David Freese 3B
Yadier Molina C
Nick Punto 2B
Chris Carpenter RHP

RANGERS
Ian Kinsler 2B
Elvis Andrus SS
Josh Hamilton CF
Michael Young 1B
Adrian Beltre 3B
Nelson Cruz RF
Mike Napoli C
David Murphy LF
C.J. Wilson RHP

A quick Google search for “World Series bullpens” shows why the Yankees should have been custom-built for this Fall Classic. From national publications to wire services to completely uninvolved cities, the focus leading into this World Series — the story of how the Cardinals and Rangers got here — is relief pitching.

Didn’t the Yankees spend their offseason building an unbeatable bullpen? Wasn’t that still a unquestioned strength even after injuries to Joba Chamberlain and Pedro Feliciano. Didn’t the Yankees have a bullpen to matchup against any other in the game?

In the division series, the Yankees relievers pitched 23.2 innings — counting Ivan Nova’s Game 1 appearance — and those pitchers allowed a .185 opponents batting average for a 0.93 WHIP. Those are better numbers than the Rangers relievers have this postseason, and only slightly worse than the Cardinals. Dave Robertson, Rafael Soriano, Boone Logan, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera combined for one run on four hits and no walks through 12.2 innings.

Know which team’s bullpen allowed the lowest opponents batting average this postseason? The Rays. The first team eliminated.

You really can’t predict baseball.

The Rangers and Cardinals played in postseason series in which relief pitching was key. The national narrative is right, those teams wouldn’t have gotten this far without their bullpens.

But that doesn’t mean bullpens make all the difference. Not always, anyway.

The Yankees’ division series didn’t hinge on the bullpen, it hinged on the Yankees needing a key hit in a big spot. Without that hit, all the scoreless eighth innings in the world weren’t going to make any difference.

The Yankees were equipped to follow the Rangers’ and Cardinals’ path to the World Series, but they didn’t go that route. They might have been built for this Fall Classic, but every game is different, and every series is different, and the Yankees are still waiting for that big hit.

Associated Press photo

This one had to be an easy call.

The Yankees today announced that they have declined their option on Damaso Marte. The often-injured left-hander actually pitched in 76 games for the Yankees — much more than I would have guessed — but he missed all of 2011 because of shoulder surgery, and he would have been a hard-to-justify, $4-million gamble next year.

Aside from his contributions in the 2009 postseason, Marte’s time with the Yankees was a flop and the trade that brought him to the Bronx a mistake. He came over from the Pirates in 2008, a deal that failed to get the Yankees into the postseason and cost them four young players who have shown legitimate promise and production in Pittsburgh.

Xavier Nady was also part of that trade, and he played only seven games for the Yankees after that ’08 season. Marte’s greatest contribution came from his four scoreless appearances in the 2009 World Series, otherwise he never pitched very well or very often for the Yankees.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, saw Jeff Karstens pitch to a 3.38 ERA this season. Daniel McCutchen has emerged as a dependable and often-used relief pitcher for the Pirates, Jose Tabata is their everyday left fielder at 23 years old and Ross Ohlendorf has been good when healthy.

During tonight’s World Series opener, Major League Baseball will debut a new ad campaign for Stand Up To Cancer. The ad will feature several postseason veterans, including the Yankees own Andy Pettitte.

“I don’t think any of us really have to go very far whenever we start talking about cancer and it affecting our lives some way,” Pettitte said.

Click here to see some behind-the-scenes footage of the filming. Pettitte is shown holding a card that reads, “I stand up for my wife’s mom.”

According to a press release from MLB: Ron Darling, Tony Gwynn, Jimmy Rollins and Brian Wilson will be among those featured in tonight’s television spot.