The LoHud Yankees Blog

One nice thing about Twitter: Every now and then it answers a question before the question is asked. Today, Joba Chamberlain provided an unsolicited update on his Tommy John rehab.

60 ft 50 throws today! Went great. 1 step closer to getting back on the bump! Thanks for all the support

Just in case you need a translation: That’s 50 throws from 60 feet. The last time I remember talking to Chamberlain was a little less than a month ago, and he had just started making 30 throws from 30 feet. Building the arm strength is a process, and Chamberlain’s going through it.

But so far, so good, and that should mean he’s still ahead of schedule. He’s expecting to throw off a mound by spring training. If he’s able to pitch in a game soon after that, then the bulk of the Yankees 2012 bullpen might be in place, with plenty of options for the late innings.

Closer: Mariano Rivera
Setup: Dave Robertson
Setup: Rafael Soriano
Setup: Joba Chamberlain
Lefty: Boone Logan
Middle: Cory Wade
Long: Hector Noesi (or any number of veteran free agents or upper-level prospects)

If you’re the Yankees, and you knew you’d have that bullpen on June 1, wouldn’t you sign up for that? Sign a veteran lefty or an experienced long reliever/spot starter to audition until Chamberlain is healthy, then adjust accordingly.

Assuming Soriano doesn’t opt out — hard to believe he will given his injury shortened regular season — the bullpen shouldn’t be a massive priority this winter. Add some pieces for spring training depth (see: Ayala, Luis) and call it a day.

Associated Press photo

Today, Red Sox starter Jon Lester went on the record about the various clubhouse issues that have stirred such public debate since the end of Boston’s September collapse.

“There’s a perception out there that we were up there getting hammered and that wasn’t the case,” Lester told Pete Abraham at the Boston Globe. “Was it a bad habit? Yes. I should have been on the bench more than I was. But we just played bad baseball as a team in September. We stunk. To be honest, we were doing the same things all season when we had the best record in baseball.”

As a follower of the American League East, everything that’s happening in Boston is fascinating for many reasons. Check out the Lester interview. It’s interesting to finally hear a player’s take on the situation.

“I’ve heard what people are saying in Boston,” Lester said. “I can tell you that guys were in the weight room. Guys were doing their shoulder (exercises) and guys were prepared to pitch. If we win a few more games in September and make the playoffs, none of this comes out. But we didn’t and that’s on us as a team and on me personally. I take a lot of the blame for this, a lot.”

When I was watching the game last night, I couldn’t help thinking about Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, and the timing of their free agency.

Reading the coverage this morning, I couldn’t help thinking about the Yankees, and the timing of their early postseason exit.

At no point this season did the Cardinals look like the best team in the National League. Even when they were winning all of those games in September, making a sudden push for the postseason, they were clearly behind the Phillies and the Brewers in terms of pennant favorites.

Then the Cardinals beat both the Phillies and the Brewers. The Cardinals beat two teams that seemed to have better rotations — isn’t that all that matters in the postseason? — and seemed to have deeper lineups. The Cardinals won the NLCS without a single starting pitcher lasting more than five innings. They won it with their ace on the disabled list (Adam Wainwright), their second baseman suddenly sidelined (Skip Schumaker) and their Opening Day center fielder in Toronto (Colby Rasmus). Their winning pitcher last night was Marc Rzepczynski, who I don’t remember ever seeing pitch particularly well when he was with the Blue Jays.

Give credit wherever you want — great bullpen management by Tony LaRussa, a lineup getting fairly healthy, roster pieces finally falling into place, a lucky squirrel — the bottom line is that the Cardinals played well at the right time. They got some big hits and some big outs, and they’re going to the World Series.

The Yankees did not do that.

Teams are built to win through a 162-game season, but winning in the playoffs is all about timing. The Cardinals learned that fun way. The Yankees learned it the hard way.

If you follow the Yankees, it was hard to watch last night’s NLCS Game 6 and not think about the potential availability of Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols.

Fielder is all but certain to hit the free agent market, Pujols might be there with him, and those are exactly the kind of impact free agent the Yankees notoriously target. They’re two of the very best hitters in the game, still in their prime, and one of them could be had for the right price.

But the Yankees don’t seem to have room for them. Not this time.

Given Alex Rodriguez’s injury concerns, Jesus Montero’s emergence, and Mark Teixeira’s long-term deal at first base, the Yankees roster doesn’t have space for another first baseman/designated hitter. Even someone in the Fielder/Pujols category doesn’t necessarily fit.

It’s a timing issue. Back in 2008, the timing was perfect for the Yankees make a huge splash with Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. This winter, the timing isn’t quite right. Two big bats could hit the market, and neither fits the Yankees needs.

As Joel Sherman pointed out this weekend, this winter the Yankees seem likely to stay — for the most part — within the organization. If they go on a spending spree, pitching will be the target, not hitting.

There will be fans calling for a Fielder-sized signing, but the timing and the roster make that sort of addition unlikely.

All the more reason that the Yankees need a healthy year from Rodriguez, a bounce-back from Teixeira and an as-expected impact from Montero.

Assocaited Press photo

It’s well established that, after the all-star break, Derek Jeter’s season went one direction and Alex Rodriguez’s went the other. Jeter was hurt, spent the time off tweaking his swing, and came back a different sort of hitter. Rodriguez was hurt, spent the time away trying to get healthy, and just never seemed to get there.

What about the rest of the Yankees regulars?

Russell Martin
First half: .220/.323/.384
Second half: .259/.325/.438
One key difference for Martin, his first-half batting average on balls in play was .225. In the second half, his BABIP normalized a little bit to .288.

Mark Teixeira
First half: .244/.352/.519
Second half: .253/.326/.464
Can’t help wondering if Teixeira became focused on trying to raise his batting average and stopped taking as many walks or hitting for as much power.

Robinson Cano
First half: .296/.342/.521
Second half: .309/.358/.547
Not as much of a difference as you might expect. Despite roughly 50 fewer at-bats, Cano actually struck out more times in the second half than in the first half.

Derek Jeter
First half: .270/.330/.353
Second half: .327/.383/.428
Still an incredible difference. Hard to believe it’s the same player.

Alex Rodriguez
First half: .295/.366/.485
Second half: .191/.345/.353
Ditto the comments for Jeter: Incredible difference, hard to believe it’s the same player.

Brett Gardner
First half: .265/.348/.394
Second half: .252/.342/.341
More runs, more stolen bases and the same number of RBI in the second half as in the first half. Eight more extra-base hits in the first half.

Curtis Granderson
First half: .269/.361/.575
Second half: .254/.368/.523
There seemed to be a perception that Granderson fell off sharply in the second half. Even with a power dip, that second half slugging percentage is still awfully impressive. His best month of the year was August. His worst was September.

Nick Swisher
First half: .249/.367/.416
Second half: .273/.382/.486
It went a little bit unnoticed just how good Swisher was in the second half. From June through August he hit .305/.418/.556. That’s three months of MVP-type production.

Jorge Posada
First half: .230/.318/.398
Second half: .246/.310/.398
Not exactly the kind of consistency Posada was hoping to show this season. His month of June: .382/.419/.588 . His month of July: .217/.284/.250.

Associated Press photo

I first mentioned Wake Forest outfielder Kevin Jordan back in February, and even though his connection to the Yankees no longer means very much, his story is still pretty amazing.

Jordan was the Yankees 19th-round draft pick in 2010, but he decided to go to college instead. He left knowing about a severe autoimmune disorder, and within a few months of joining the Wake Forest team, Jordan badly needed a new kidney. His parents weren’t a match, but Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter was tested and volunteered to be the donor.

This month, Jordan is back at practice.

“This was the best day of my coaching career — by far,” Walter said on the day practice opened. “Just to see him back out here and doing what he loves to do. This is what this has always been about.”

It’s barely a Yankees story, and it’s only partially a baseball story, but it’s an awfully good story.

“This is what I’ve been doing for the last decade or more,” Jordan said, “And I don’t know what to do with the free time. And I really don’t know what I would do (during) the summer without baseball.”

Not much excitement in the Yankees universe this past week.

There was some early speculation that Brian Cashman might hammer out a contract, but that speculation was quickly replaced by reports that Cashman and the Yankees had not even begun negotiations. Now we know those conversations will begin this week.

Everything seems to be heading toward a Cashman return.

When that’s done, the priorities will remain the same: Pitching, pitching, pitching. There will be inevitable discussion and speculation about hitters who could fit the lineup or the bench, but the Yankees offseason truly begins with CC Sabathia. That’s the first noise that truly matters.*

Is there any chance he’ll decide not to opt out? Can the Yankees get him re-signed before he hits the open market? Will another team push his demands and force the Yankees to give more years and more money? At what point would the Yankees have to turn away and begin desperately looking for a Plan B?

This offseason will become truly interesting once the Yankees start answering those questions. Until then, a quiet offseason is probably a good offseason.

Here’s all we’ve learned so far:

• Sabathia isn’t giving any indication about what he’ll do with his contract, but he’s still dropping hints about how much he enjoys New York.

• Cashman and Joe Girardi both agree that pitching should be the Yankees focus, with little indication that there will be a significant lineup change.

• Two of Cashman’s top advisors — Billy Eppler and Damon Oppenheimer — are possibilities for GM openings. This is nothing especially new, but the chance of losing one of them does feel more significant this time.

• Aaron Laffey, Raul Valdes and Scott Proctor are gone.

• Reegie Corona is off the 40-man roster, but still in the minor league system.

• Justin Maxwell has been taken off the 60-day disabled list, and it looks like the Yankees are — at least for now — going to try to hold onto him.

• No matter what happens, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees offseason generating nearly as much noise as Boston’s.

Associated Press photo

* Obviously, if these Cashman negotiations get messy, the situation will be a little different than expected. A quick, easy contract for Cashman will be quiet and expected. An ugly, lengthy back-and-forth will be exactly the kind of offseason noise the Yankees want to avoid.

Eduardo Nunez did not have overwhelming stats this season. In fact, it’s pretty easy to argue that a .265/.313/.385 slash line is underwhelming for a player who also committed 20 errors in a part-time role. The Yankees, though, have touted Nunez as a potential everyday player. Did the lack of regular at-bats contribute to his only so-so production?

There were really two periods when Nunez got regular playing time, and the statistics suggest Nunez really was a better hitter when given regular at-bats. When he was playing regularly, he was especially good in the last week of steady at-bats, a sign that the regular work really did let him adjust and improve.

When Derek Jeter was on the disabled list
June 14 – July 3
Nunez hit: .339/.381/.525
Last seven games: .400/.423/.640

When Alex Rodriguez was on the disabled list
July 8 – August 25
Nunez hit: .282/.336/.371
Last seven games: .333/.429/.417

Joe Girardi has indicated that the Yankees plan to give Nunez additional playing time next season, which might keep his bat more productive.

“I think Nuney’s a guy who can play all over for us,” Girardi said. “He might even play more positions for us next year.”

Associated Press photo

* Rodriguez technically came back on August 21, but he sprained his thumb immediately, and Nunez kept getting regular starts through the 25th.

Care to guess which position player had the fewest regular season at-bats with the Yankees this year?

It was Gustavo Molina, a guy who actually made the Opening Day roster, stuck around for almost the entire month of April, and still played in only three games with six at-bats. His only hit was a double.

Who pitched the fewest innings?

It was Steve Garrison, the lefty who — in the final few days of spring training — suddenly seemed to have a legitimate chance of breaking camp with the big league club. That last bullpen spot was between Garrison and Luis Ayala, and as a consolation prize for not making the team, Garrison got exactly two-thirds of a big league inning. He retired both hitters he faced.

What I hoped to do with this post was answer the question, which Yankee did the most with the least this season? Truth is, though, there’s no good answer.

The five Yankees who got fewer than 50 at-bats this season were Molina, Greg Golson, Austin Romine, Brandon Laird and Ramiro Pena, and none of them hit better than .190. They totaled five RBI, four of them by Pena. There were 10 different pitchers who threw fewer than 10 innings, but it’s hard to think of a big contribution from any of them.

Their names: Garrison, Jeff Marquez, Dellin Betances, Andrew Brackman, George Kontos, Kevin Whelan, Sergio Mitre, Amauri Sanit, Raul Valdes and Buddy Carlyle.

Maybe the answer is Brian Gordon. The journeyman jumped into the Yankees system out of nowhere, then landed on the big league roster for two starts. One was pretty good, one was pretty bad, and Gordon managed to turn that into a chance to make some money in Korea. Good for him.

Associated Press photo

The big league Yankees are finished, but some of the minor league guys are still playing ball out in the Arizona Fall League. At least one of them could make an impact as early as next season, and the rest are certainly worth keeping in the back of your mind.

Winter leagues haven’t started just yet, but the Yankees will have a few more recognizable names playing in places like Venezuela and the Dominican Republic once those leagues get going.

For now, these are the Yankees currently playing down in Arizona.

RHP David Phelps
This year: Had a 3.19 ERA as a Triple-A starter.
Next year: Should be in that mix to be the Yankees sixth starter/long reliever.
Of the seven Yankees in the Fall League, Phelps is probably the closest to the big leagues. His season was cut short by injury, so he’s getting a few more innings down in Arizona (a notorious hitters’ league). His first two starts lasted just three innings, but this is more about getting work than getting results.

RHP Dan Burawa
This year: Had a 3.64 ERA between Low-A and High-A.
Next year: This was only his first full pro season, so a return to High-A might be out of the question.
The thing that stands out to me is the 2.24 groundout-to-flyout ratio this season. He was a 2010 12th-round pick out of St. Johns, and he’s one of several college pitchers from that draft moving quickly through the Yankees system. He’s been a multi-inning guy for the Yankees, and half of his first four Arizona appearances have been more than an inning. Opponents are hitting .346 off him, though.

RHP Preston Claiborne
This year: Had a 3.11 ERA and a .248 opponents batting average out of the Tampa bullpen.
Next year: Having skipped Low-A Charleston completely, he could push for a Double-A job.
His walk totals rose as he got deeper into the season, but overall, the results were encouraging for Claiborne’s first full season as a pro. He’s another of those college relievers moving quickly since the 2010 draft. He didn’t allow a home run in his last 11 regular season appearances — averaging well over an inning per appearance — but he coughed one up in his first Fall League outing.

RHP Chase Whitley
This year: Had a 2.47 ERA with 77 strikeouts and 29 walks between High-A and Double-A.
Next year: The Yankees have been aggressive with Whitley, but a return to Double-A seems entirely possible. It will be only his second full season as a pro.
Hard to ignore this guy because the Yankees have been so aggressive with him. Yet another college reliever from the 2010 draft, Whitley skipped Charleston, opened this season in Tampa and got to Trenton before the end of June. High-A hitters managed just a .233 average against him, but Double-A batters hit .280. He regularly pitched two-plus innings at a time this season, and through his first 4.1 scoreless innings in Arizona, he’s allowed only a .188 batting average.

INF Corban Joseph
This year: A typical Joseph-type season in Double-A where he hit .277 with 38 doubles.
Next year: In line for a promotion to Triple-A and the possibility of serving a big league utility role in the near future.
Reminds me of Kevin Russo, maybe with a little more pop. Joseph can play second and third, he could probably handle the outfield if necessary, and my guess is he could play a passable shortstop in an emergency. He’s never put up overwhelming numbers, but he’s a steady hitter with a career .284/.363/.418 slash line (Russo hit .287/.348/.382 in the minors). Joseph might not be a star, but he could hit enough to play a role, kind of like Russo did for a little while in 2010. He’s started hitting again after a fairly slow start in Arizona.

UT Ronnier Mustelier
This year: Playing second, third and all three outfield spots while hitting .333/.378/.524 in High-A Tampa.
Next year: He’s already 27, so the Yankees could get aggressive and push Mustelier to Double-A after just 31 High-A games.
A Cuban defector, Mustelier primarily played the outfield corners, but he showed plenty of defensive flexibility and an intriguing bat. It’s easy to see why the Yankees sent him to Arizona. He’s really something of a wild card in the organization. Kind of like when Juan Miranda came over, Mustelier hasn’t played much the past two years.

3B/OF Rob Segedin
This year: In his first full season, hit .287 with seven home runs and 55 RBI between Low-A and High-A.
Next year: His slow second half suggests a return to Tampa at least to start the year.
Primarily a third baseman, Segedin has started to see time at the outfield corners to increase his versatility. He raked in Low-A Charleston, but hit just .245/.311/.309 after a midseason promotion to High-A Tampa. He’s gotten off to a similarly slow start in Arizona (.227/.346/.273 through his first six games, five of which were spent in the outfield). He was a third-round pick in 2010, so he’s still fairly new to pro ball, and obviously still fairly highly touted. He just hit his first Arizona home run on Friday.