Cashman on scouting in Japan: “It’s more than just what you see”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Nov 01, 2011 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
“It’s not as simple as seeing the obvious talent from the stands.
It goes a lot deeper than that.”
Those are Brian Cashman’s words, talking about the Yankees approach to scouting in Japan.
Even with CC Sabathia locked up, Cashman made it clear this afternoon that pitching — especially rotation depth — will remain the Yankees focus this winter. With a limited free agent market, Yu Darvish might become the best starter available.
Of course, there’s also the chance that he could be another Kei Igawa.
“Like anything else, you try to take steps backward to find out where you missed and why you missed,” Cashman said. “I think when you’re scouting Japan, it’s more than just what you see from the scout’s perspective in the stands. You’ve got to understand the game a lot more: the equipment that they use, and their conditioning programs, and their schedule, and their travel and obviously their culture and stuff like that. And trying to factor that into what you might see transpiring over there. Does it perfectly translate over here? There can obviously be some variances because of that.”
The Yankees have seen it go wrong. Doesn’t necessarily mean they think it would go wrong again, just means they’ve lived through the cautionary tale.
“I think we’re more prepared today than we have been in the past in terms of how we evaluate players over there and what risks we’re willing to take,” Cashman said. “… We’ve gotten a lot more educated by our past experiences as you would expect. That doesn’t mean we’re going to shy away. That doesn’t mean we’re going to be more aggressive. That just means I think we’ve gotten more educated, that’s all, and that’s a good thing.”
Associated Press photo
Get Darvish, Cashman! Also make Joba a starter again tia
I just read Sweeny Murti’s analysis of Cash’s press conference. I thought it was a good take.
champ809 November 1st, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Blake
I hear you I just prefer Bartolo’s stuff to Freddy’s and think his wearing down had more to do with being out of shape for a full season and needs to build up his stamina.
As far as Grady I wouldn’t offer him a bench role but more of a utility OF role with a chance to displace Gardy as the starting LF on a championship caliber club.
In the scenario that I set forth if everybody stays healthy and plays up to potential that Gardy becomes the 4th of’er based on merit/ability but could still see 300-400 ABs with Grady/Grandy and Beltran getting about 120-130 games in the field to keep them healthy and potentially maximize their performance.
Brandon McCarthy is guy I would take a look at this year.
A’s have a surplus of SP, McCarthy is a FA at the end of next year, and he would come via trade MUCH cheaper then Gio…
I would not give up much for him but he could probably be pryed away pretty easy. He was pretty damn good last year, espcially down the stretch. Pitched a lot of good games against good hitting teams including the Yankees.
The guy was a big prospect coming up. Durability is his issue which is why again I would stress not giving up much in return. If he can stay healthy which he appeared to be last year he could be a nice sleeper addition and he wouldn’t cost a 50 Mill posting fee.
He is 28 so he is entering his prime + he will be pitching for a contract after next season.
I would take a long look at McCarthy if I were the Yanks. Might be a steal.
The Yanks don’t have the cajones necessary to deal the media uproar of making Joba a starter again.
It’s sad because they absolutely should take this rehab time to do just that and unleash him when he’s a finished product even if that means he spends all of ’12 down on the farm building up his arm, innings and finetuning his mechanics.
Joba’s future as a SP will only occur when he finds himself with another organization that can take the risk without the perceived backlash of going through the process.
Maybe in a couple of years he’ll be a Twin or an Astro and become the ace of their staff.
Oh well at least by that time we’ll still have CC/Dellin/Manny @ the front of ours…
JF,
I like your plan from the last thread.
Champ,
If I’m Sizemore then I try to find an everyday job with as much playing time as I can get so that I can build my value back up…..I’m not sure the Yankees can offer enough for him…..but if he would accept the type of role you are suggesting then I’d be all for that.
“This is what Cashman said about the offense. Seems that a few people ignored the last 7 words of the last sentence.
“BloggingBombers Mark Feinsand
Cash: “I don’t anticipate a bat being a need at all. Offense is not a problem with this club despite what happened in the Detroit series.””
_____________________
trisha – true pinstriped blue November 1st, 2011 at 3:37 pm
It could also be that Cashman remains conservative and does nothing. There’s a possibility that in watching the Detroit series he too lent some credence to the rain out affecting CC’s performance, the rain-in doing a number of Jeter and Cano’s AB, and the performance of Gerry Davis resonating in his mind. In other words, he might have considered the lack of clutch hitting unfortunate but doesn’t see that as the be all and end all, especially if Montero is part of next year’s team, which is appears he will be.
Just something to think about.
_____________________
That was without reading Feisand or hearing what Cashman said.
If I were to tell members of my family that I was heavily imbued with the common sense gene, they would feel my head to see whether I had spiked a very high fever.
But when it comes to figuring out the Yankees, man alive I have it knocked.
When you take emotion out of your thinking, you end up with common sense and more-often-than-not the right response – unless of course you’re an idiot by nature.
I’m not so sure why so many people look at Cashman as a poor GM. I think as the years have gone on, he has learned and grown with the company, and realizes more and more everyday what it takes to win a championship. He realizes that big, proven names like CC and Teixeira are needed, but we also need to utilize the farm with guys like Robertson, Cano, and Nova. I like that he acknowledged that regardless of being more prepared and having more accurate scouting reports taken over at Japan, that they will not shy away from getting a player, nor will they be more aggressive.
champ809 the Yankees are not trading Montero for love or money.
“I’m not so sure why so many people look at Cashman as a poor GM.”
Probably because they majored in Monday morning quarterbacking and have no tolerance for any ideas except their own?
I don’t think that many people think Cashman is a bad GM
GB, if you be around, thanks for the tip on RealPlayer. Something called Roxio came with my laptop and I got tired of having to be a computer Rhodes Scholar to figure out something as simple as saving a CD to my hard drive! So I fixed them. I removed Roxio from my computer altogether, downloaded RealPlayer, and saved the CD to my hard drive in about a minute.
Buster Olney
Buster_ESPN Buster Olney
NYY figure a lot of their winter work will be in trade discussions, because they’ve got prospects to deal — and they will talk pitching.
4 minutes ago
Buster_ESPN Buster Olney
Yankees have had dialogue about bringing back Freddy Garcia, who they liked for his production and competitiveness;he is very open to return
31 minutes ago
On Darvish-
Darvish’s father, Farsad, was also reached for comment and said that he hasn’t heard anything about Darvish wanting to play in the Majors next season.
“We haven’t planned [any family meetings]. He hasn’t said anything about playing in the Majors,” said Darvish’s father. “If he has interest, he’ll tell me. I’m sure he’ll also approach the team. But he hasn’t said anything.”
Today is the first day the Nippon Ham Fighters can post Yu Darvish. The weak american dollar might influence the teams willingness to allow him to post this year.
http://yakyubaka.com/tag/yu-darvish/
•Agent Peter Greenberg says there’s mutual interest between the Yankees and free agent Freddy Garcia in working out a new deal, according to Mark Hale, George A. King III and Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees would likely offer the Type B right-hander arbitration.
Yea I just offer him arbitration….if he accepts good….if he doesn’t good…it’s win win.
Blake-I see the Yankees offering Garcia arbitration, which he might decline, looking for 2 years guaranteed.
trisha,
I’m not a pessimist. I’m proud of what Cashman has done, and expect to be proud in the future. But when people express doubts, it doesn’t mean they’re not just as pure a fan as you are. Like you, I expect the Yankees to make the right decisions, but they are going to make some mistakes, like everybody else. I’d like them to take a flyer on Paul Maholm, for instance, but they probably won’t. People here (except trolls) want the best for the team, and don’t deserve belittling, or “I told you so”s. Predictions are predictions, stats are stats, make of them what you will. But fans are fans, with their own opinions, as am I and so are you. Growing up in a Sox family must have been tough, but don’t take it out on others when you’re right.
Well it looks like we’re all on the same page about Garcia.
Cash back in ’99
http://mycrains.crainsnewyork......ashman.jpg
wow that picture of Cashman….is wow
All this nuance sounds to me like the Yanks are talking themselves out of signing Darvish. Hope I’m wrong.
It appears the Yankees want a little more certainty with their staff heading into next season.
I wonder if they try to deal Hughes.
Trisha,
You’re most welcome. If it looks like you’ll enjoy using Real Player, I suggest later on that you get a one time delux version if you plan on storing a lot of music. It allows you to convert most music to an MP3 format. I had a lot of vimyl that I wanted loaded and needed to change the format. It also codes a lot of your CDs to save disc information on it. It costs about $20 one time and you can load it on as many computers as many times as you want.
remember that it wouldn’t be all that wise of the Yankees to proclaim themselves to be that interested in Darvish at this time…….it’s a blind bid and them admitting interest only can drive the bids upward. It’s best for them to remain ambiguous about their interest right now one way or another.
Blake-
I mentioned Martin Prado earlier who might win 4.4M in arbitration. Frank Wren now has around 10M to spend since he unloaded Lowe. Supposedly they are interested in Josh Willingham for LF and signing/trading for a SS. Although MLBTR’s mentioned he might be non-tendered, I doubt that.
Any scenario that you could see him in pinstripes as either a 4th OF’er sub at 3rd/2nd?
Trader,
If they non tendered him then absolutely …..I don’t know…I like a lot….just don’t know if a trade matches up though…..
Pretty good read on Darvish:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs.....t-daisuke/
pgammo Peter Gammons
@ @Ken_Rosenthal only the Orioles could refuse to give a potential GM autonomy
GB-
Is that why LaCava turned down the Oriole GM post to stay as assistant GM in Toronto. Maybe the Orioles are only offering an internship GM position?
pkyankfan69-
Read the article on Darvish. 25% sliders, 19.5% whiffs on sliders. One concern might be the stress on his elbow relying on the slider too much.
With CC signed, getting Garcia locked up would reduce the chance that the Yankees would seem desperate for a starting pitcher. CC, AJ, Nova, and Garcia make a good baseline of starters. Hughes and Noesi are in-house options to compete for that last open slot, and a further acquisition would/could then push either of them to the pen.
Good options there.
Speaking of the pen, with Mo, Robertson, and Soriano as locks, that leaves Logan to possibly compete with another lefty, and 1 or 2 other spots for right-handed pitchers.
All will be worked out by end of ST, whether they be internal or external options.
LGY November 1st, 2011 at 7:29 pm
It appears the Yankees want a little more certainty with their staff heading into next season.
I wonder if they try to deal Hughes.
———-
I think that would be foolish. We were successful last year because of our depth. Trading Hughes doesn’t help that cause, and I can’t imagine trading Hughes for a significant upgrade.
It’s also quite amazing how Yankee fans just can’t handle Gardner in left. He was one of our best hitters in the post season, he’s about to win a gold glove, and we know that he brings speed to the table, plus he’s cheap.
Yet we fantasize about spending money on a guy whose last good season was in 2008? Give me a break.
I just finished watching A-Rod video from the first part of the 2011 season and then after he returned……Two different hitters, and when he comes to camp healthy in 2012 watch out……I really think if he gets about 35-40 games away from 3rd he can be lethal for at least 2 maybe 3 more seasons…..He did look real good in October with his lateral movement on the field……
pkyankfan69 November 1st, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Pretty good read on Darvish:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs…..t-daisuke/
——–
Thanks for that, good stuff.
Tom NJ,
Cash 99 pic creepy, hah, looks like 80s pic
The yankees have cc
burnett
hughes
nova
noesi & about 4 or 5 other pitchers in the minors that can step in & take a rotation spot from hughes or burnett if they falter.
They don’t have room for colon,darvish,garcia,maholm,mccarthy.
The more pitchers they sign,the less chances noesi,warren,phelps,mitchell get.
They need a number 2 starter to slot behind cc.
If they sign just garcia alone,who is not in the rotation,starting the year?
It will be noesi,until hughes or burnett falters,if they do or there is an injury.
So if we get a real good starter like darvish,cain,king felix,noesi will be on hold til an opportunity opens & if we do sign a so so pitcher like colon,garcia,etc…,how do we know they will be better than noesi?
We saw it with the 6 man rotation.
Cashman should get the best number 2 starter he can get,wether that is darvish or trading for one.
If he can’t get one,wait til after the 2012 season & sign one.
Our offense was fine but struggled against rh pitching,wich is not good because most pitchers are rh.
That has to change,at least a little.
Whether Darvish is signed or not, the Yankees have spent far more time scouting him extensively than any Japanese player before him. No more Igawa mistakes.
Oh tomingeorgia puh-lease. Nobody named you by name, nobody called you out. Now this is twice I’ve had to hear you tell me this, so I’m thinking it’s you with the problem, not me.
Sorry, but right is right. And I only speak the truth. This is a whining, complaining, petty, ungrateful forum at times. And check this out buddy. Anybody who trashes Yankee players who aren’t doing well and plays the roll of two-year-old spoiled brat deserves to be called out. And I will do it every time.
If you don’t like my posts, scroll on by.
Last time I will talk this topic with you.
Maybe you should learn the difference between “expressing doubts” and tilting at windmills.
And by the way, growing up in a Sux household wasn’t tough at all. I didn’t have crybaby siblings.
ron, at this point I am thinking the rotation is (in no order) CC, AJ, Nova, Hughes, and Freddy. But even if it isn’t Freddy, Freddy sure isn’t a bad insurance policy. I am all for keeping the kids in AAA until they are more than ready to be in the Bronx. We’ve seen the disastrous results of bringing minor leaguers up too soon. If they need another year under their belts, all the better for when they do come up.
Do you think that any of them (all of them?) have had enough innings in the minors to join the rotation? I admit I like veteran pitching until someone has really put in enough time – whatever that is – in the minors. Again, I’m probably very gun shy because of the 2008 season.
Hey GB, Trisha -
I don’t comment much on all of the Yankee happenings, but computers are what I do and what I have been doing for many, many years. Saw a bit of your back and forth about RealPlayer, and had to offer my 2 cents. My experience has led me to stay far, far away from anything from RealNetworks. Their player has historically been intrusive and almost spyware-like, and just today I saw a story about them killing off one of their DRM formats — which means any songs purchased from them with that DRM will no longer play, unless you burn them to a CD (in CD format) and then re-rip them to MP3, before they kill the DRM servers. Sure this particular issue won’t really affect Trisha, but Real is one of those companies that always seems to do the wrong thing by their customers — at least in my experience.
Just a reminder, catch Cano, Grandy & Co. take on Taiwan’s national team! Game 1 on MLB network, 9pm EST.
stanzy, I am not at all proficient in some of that stuff, but I had a heck of time trying to figure out how to copy the CD to my hard drive via one of my programs like Windows Media Player. Every time I tried to do it Roxio opened up and I swear to God had some kind of screen that was impossible to figure out. I don’t know what their gig is, but I spent a heck of a long time trying to figure out how to use Roxio. Finally I got so annoyed with it that I merely removed it. It had come bundled with the other software when I purchased my new Dell.
I did find that after I downloaded Real Player I was able to do a simple task and that was to save what was on the CD to the music library on Real Player.
I don’t do anything intricate at all and have to tell you that I am such a novice with this stuff that I don’t even know what it means to re-rip, nor do I know what a DRM format is.
Thank you for the tip though. Maybe I’ll try to see if I can save the CD to Windows Media Player – which is what I typically used until Roxio intruded!!!
DJ thanks.
trisha,
I don’t think you can find a post by me that trashed anybody. Now your’e calling me out, pal, or buddy, if you prefer, just saying that you are relentless, not wrong, but relentless nonetheless. People have opinions. Let them be. I certainly won’t pass by your posts, because I like your optimism. And i agree with it.. But others may differ. And so it goes..
tom, but that’s the point. I never mentioned you by name, did I. In fact I didn’t mention anyone by name. I don’t even know who the lemon suckers here are, by and large. When I read posts, I generally read them for content without paying great attention to the authors. And when I see a trend, I mention it.
Am I relentless? I am relentless. My father used to say I was like a drop of water on the head (a reference to Chinese water torture, I’m sure.)
When I crow about being right – and whether you believe it or not, I don’t take myself so seriously, I just play like I do – I am hoping that whatever else I am offering might take with some of the people who waste their lives worrying and typically end up being wrong. I actually feel bad for anyone who goes through life like that. If I was off the deep end, I’d hope someone would attempt to throw me a life line.
My father also said if you teach a monkey enough, it learns. Well maybe some of the monkeys here can learn to hold back on the negativity!
My father always used to say, where there’s life, there’s hope.
My dad was a wise man. I wish I had listened more!
So anyone who disagrees with you is a monkey?
Grandy!
Is anybody else intrigued by Cashman using the words “if he’s with us” in regard to AJ? Could this be addressed by the bloggers?