Granderson goes deep again
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Nov 29, 2011 
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Curtis Granderson was aiming for the fences again yesterday, this time dedicating a new playground in the Bronx by participating in a home run contest with a big red Whiffle ball bat.
“A lot of pressure, just like playing in the Bronx,” he said.
Of course, he was asked about the MVP vote, with his former teammate Justin Verlander winning the award ahead of Granderson and (my pick) Jose Bautista.
“You look at a lot of different reasons why the person should be voted in that,” Granderson said. “And Verlander did anything and everything to help his team win as many ballgames as possible. ?Being a former teammate of his, a friend of his, I just have to give congratulations to him — not only for that, but for the Cy Young Award. It couldn’t have gone to a better guy.”
Associated Press photo
The Grandyman can
Granderson is fast becoming the new face of the Yankees. Jeter used to do these events…
Love the big red bat. As teens we used to allow one AB per day-long Wiffleball game with it. Many a multirun lead disappeared because of the big red bat…
Off topic Christmas TV alert:
Rudolph is on CBS tonight.
Carry on.
just don’t see Bautista as the MVP. Toronto would have finished 4th without him. Just like a third place stumbling team like Boston placing 3 in the top 10. How valuable could they have been?
How valuable can any one player be? 1 out of 25. That is all.
Irreverent Discourse November 29th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Yeah – b/c Martin has been a beacon of health and durability . . . .
Actually, he has. He only has 1 injury shortened season.
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He had a back injury in June this year – and he may have had the injury the whole season and played through it.
It also does not help that his past two seasons seen injury situations – 97 games played in 2010 – and only 108 games at catcher in 2011.
Erin November 29th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Off topic Christmas TV alert:
Rudolph is on CBS tonight.
Carry on.
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On TV again? Is Rudy Guliani running for office again?
@jonmorosi: #Mariners would make Justin Smoak available via trade if they signed Prince Fielder. They already moved Josh Lueke. #CliffLeeTrade
Here is another one – how many games were Russell Martin and Francisco Cervelli starting in the same lineup in 2011?
#Mariners would make Justin Smoak available via trade if they signed Prince Fielder. They already moved Josh Lueke.
___
Jack Z: what a deal he made for Cliff Lee. Too bad he could have had real pitching prospects AND a power catcher. Oh well….
stoneburner – I don’t understand what you’re trying to get at here… how many catchers in baseball go through an entire season without being hurt once? Martin only has 1 injury shortened season (2010, the 97 games you quoted). That is the only season of his career that he has caught less than 120 games. He plays more than most catchers.
when one catcher happens to be the primary DH, it would be beyond stupid not to carry a third catcher. If the catcher gets hurt, do you want to see the pitchers hit in 1-4 times in a game?
GreenBeret7 November 29th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
On TV again? Is Rudy Guliani running for office again?
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Different Rudy.
how many games were Russell Martin and Francisco Cervelli starting in the same lineup in 2011?
I’m gonna go with zero, possibly one.
Erin November 29th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
GreenBeret7 November 29th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
On TV again? Is Rudy Guliani running for office again?
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Different Rudy.
————————————————————————————————————————-
OH. You’re talking about the favorite target of the Texas Ranger players…the one with the W.C. Fields nose.
when one catcher happens to be the primary DH, it would be beyond stupid not to carry a third catcher. If the catcher gets hurt, do you want to see the pitchers hit in 1-4 times in a game?
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As dogface pointed out in the last thread, Martin had to leave one game last season due to injury. I looked it up and that game was in September which comes with the benefit of expanded rosters.
So over the 162 games last season at no point did this situation arise.
Even if it did one maybe two or three times next season that’s worth burning a roster spot for? Just manage it like any normal National League game and use a pinch hitter.
Irreverent Discourse November 29th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
stoneburner – I don’t understand what you’re trying to get at here… how many catchers in baseball go through an entire season without being hurt once? Martin only has 1 injury shortened season (2010, the 97 games you quoted). That is the only season of his career that he has caught less than 120 games. He plays more than most catchers.
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Martin is trending in the wrong direction – he has caught LESS than 120 games in each of the past seasons – roughly 89 games in 2010 – and 108 games in 2011.
The point is – you are not going to carry Montero as the PRIMARY BUC and have him also serve as the PRIMARY DH – with Martin as your starting catcher – when his last two seasons have seen some injury concerns. In general you are not going to have your primary DH serve as your BUC and only catcher on the bench. . . .
GreenBeret7 November 29th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
OH. You?re talking about the favorite target of the Texas Ranger players?the one with the W.C. Fields nose.
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He’s not trending in any direction, now you’re just making stuff up.
Montero is not going to be the BUC, it’s that simple.
LGY November 29th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
when one catcher happens to be the primary DH, it would be beyond stupid not to carry a third catcher. If the catcher gets hurt, do you want to see the pitchers hit in 1-4 times in a game?
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As dogface pointed out in the last thread, Martin had to leave one game last season due to injury. I looked it up and that game was in September which comes with the benefit of expanded rosters.
So over the 162 games last season at no point did this situation arise.
Even if it did one maybe two or three times next season that’s worth burning a roster spot for? Just manage it like any normal National League game and use a pinch hitter.
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And what if Montero had to be pinch run for and come out of the game – then you have Martin in the game with no catcher on the bench at all. Girardi is not going to take that chance – or even put his team in that position – he would be deplored by this board if it happened, the press – and more importantly – by management.
Irreverent Discourse November 29th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
He’s not trending in any direction, now you’re just making stuff up.
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89 games caught in 2010
108 games caught in 2011
These are not exactly numbers showing a trend of health – so I am not making it up – especially when he had back problems from May on that affected his hitting
AND I am the one arguing that Montero will not serve as the BUC – Cervelli or someone else would – so we are at least in agreement on that – I think
You can “what if” yourself until you are blue int he face, it’s not going to change the fact that the yankees can get by with just martin/montero. i don’t think they will, but this is why montero needed to be a catcher or get the hell out.
KayShowESPN Curtis Granderson with us NOW live at MSG ESPN NY 1050, http://ESPNNY.com, XM 219 & SIRIUS 93 talking about his new book, All You Can Be!
So now BOTH Martin and Montero have to leave the same game early?
The Yankees can carry an actual useful player instead of someone to ride the pine except for a doomsday scenario.
Stoneburner – Those 2 numbers do not mean anything (let alone the fact that 2 numbers do constitute a “trend”), especially since you purposely misquoted them to attempt to help your argument.
Before 2010 he had no injuries, caught over 130 games a year.
In 2010 he got hurt (knee) and missed half the season, if you want to kill him for this get a clue.
In the offseason of 2010, all of the sudden Martin had an “injury history” according to the media (which you ate right up).
In 2011 he had what? a slight back issue for a few weeks? How this is related to his knee injury I do not know, I guess you’ll have to show a doctor.
His last 2 seasons do not mean he is becoming injury prone or any nonsense like that, just stop.
repost
champ809 November 29th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Blake-
FYI ….CC has the best arm in the big league rotation, not AJ.
Banny is only ahead of Bettances because Dellin missed ’09 due to TJ surgery and the yanks really babied him his first year and change with the organization by keeping him out of game action.
Banny meanwhile was pitching in the equivalent of high-A/AA at the age of 16 when we first saw him in the Mexican league.
The Yanks operate with the goal of putting a team capable of winning a championship on the field every year and as such make moves accordingly. By necessity you have to mortgage some of tomorrow for the betterment of today when that’s your goal. What we’ve become better at is assessing what we can let go of and what we need to hold onto.
Having said all that moving guys like Romine,Warren,Noesi,Phelps and the like to improve your chances of bringing home next years title is a prudent use of the wealth of resources that we have.
Danks and Thornton if healthy are exactly the types of upgrades that we are looking for to shore up the 2012 team.
Then the final piece would be to add Cespedes into the fold and start him off @ AAA with Dellin, Banny and the like.
Romine is replacable with guys like Sanchez, JR Murphy, Higgy, Tejada and Bird right behind him.
Irreverent Discourse November 29th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
You can “what if” yourself until you are blue int he face, it’s not going to change the fact that the yankees can get by with just martin/montero. i don’t think they will, but this is why montero needed to be a catcher or get the hell out.
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As a general rule – most teams in the history of AL DH world – do not use their BUC and PRIMARY CATCHER in the same lineup.
Irreverent Discourse November 29th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Stoneburner – Those 2 numbers do not mean anything (let alone the fact that 2 numbers do constitute a “trend”), especially since you purposely misquoted them to attempt to help your argument.
Before 2010 he had no injuries, caught over 130 games a year.
In 2010 he got hurt (knee) and missed half the season, if you want to kill him for this get a clue.
In the offseason of 2010, all of the sudden Martin had an “injury history” according to the media (which you ate right up).
In 2011 he had what? a slight back issue for a few weeks? How this is related to his knee injury I do not know, I guess you’ll have to show a doctor.
His last 2 seasons do not mean he is becoming injury prone or any nonsense like that, just stop.
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It was not a slight back injury – it has been noted as possibly causing his hitting slumps and batting average.
And two consecutive of the MOST RECENT seasons are more indictive of potential future performance – and “just stop” is not the best way to make an argument.
just catching up here, seems like the marlins are using the media to sell tickets: by bidding on players and generating buzz
i also have a question for the board, what’s the most realistic trade proposal we’ve seen for gio gonzalez? man, it’d be expensive but he’d be great in yankee stadium.
As a general rule – most teams in the history of AL DH world – do not use their BUC and PRIMARY CATCHER in the same lineup.
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Except the Rangers. How many teams had a backup catcher worth playing?
Nothing wrong with carrying Cervelli as a backup catcher. He’ can play an emergency fill-in at third, not a great hitter, but seems to hit pretty well when runners are on base. What do they carry? a 5th outfielder? They have that in Nunez or in Laird if he becomes the back-up corner to replace Chavez?
As a general rule, most teams in the history of AL DH world did not have a back-up catcher that should otherwise be in the lineup to begin with. Montero ends up the BUC this year by default, because they want his bat… not because he’s ready to catch.
When Posada came up, the Yankees did not carry a 3rd catcher.
Irreverent Discourse November 29th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
You can “what if” yourself until you are blue int he face, it’s not going to change the fact that the yankees can get by with just martin/montero.
Irreverent Discourse November 29th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
He’s not trending in any direction, now you’re just making stuff up.
Montero is not going to be the BUC, it’s that simple.
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Make up your mind – either you think Montero is going to be the BUC or do you think the Yanks can get by with both Martin/Montero serving as the only catchers – cannot have it both ways – and now I have no idea what you are saying anymore. . . .
stoneburner – And two consecutive of the MOST RECENT seasons are more indictive of potential future performance
Again, trying to misguide the discussion. He played nearly EVERY SINGLE GAME in 2010 up until he got hurt. He then only missed 2 months of the season. It’s not “2 consecutive seasons”, it’s one injury for 2 months, and then whatever his back problem was this year. You can speculate, or read speculation about injuries all you want. I don’t care what someone outside the clubhouse thinks about how it effected him.
Irreverent
Montero IS a catcher and infact will be the BUC. Get used to it!!!!
Viva Jesus!!!!!!!!!
stoneburner – i’m saying martin has no “history of injuries” that the yankees need to concern themselves with, like you claimed they did. nothing to do with montero or who is the ever irrelevant BUC.
all i can think of is the same stupid conversations that happened all spring about wanting montero to come up and be the back-up, and all the jawing about how disasterous it was that molina started some games in april. who cares.
champ809 – montero wants to be a catcher, but he will end up being the BUC because they want his bat in the DH role. This has nothing to do with him being ready as a catcher.
I would start montero in AAA again this year. Make him catch until august and call him up to DH just like last year. Find a bandaid DH until then, it’s not that hard basically every other team in the AL does that year-to-year.
Dont know that Gio is on the radar.
Doesnt he give up a lot of fly balls?
Oakland park is huge, Yankee Stadium is not.
I like the lefty idea, but they need a ground ball pitcher…
They can carry 3 catchers.
Last year they had Posada and it was fine…
Bench: Cervelli (3rd catcher), Jones (OF), Nunez (IF) and the first/third guy (Chavez, Jorge Vasquez etc)….
“FYI ….CC has the best arm in the big league rotation, not AJ.”
That wasn’t the point of the statement………but in his prime AJ had the best pure arm in baseball for a period……Sabathia is a much better pitcher though and that was the point.
Irreverent Discourse November 29th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
stoneburner – And two consecutive of the MOST RECENT seasons are more indictive of potential future performance
Again, trying to misguide the discussion. He played nearly EVERY SINGLE GAME in 2010 up until he got hurt. He then only missed 2 months of the season. It’s not “2 consecutive seasons”, it’s one injury for 2 months, and then whatever his back problem was this year. You can speculate, or read speculation about injuries all you want. I don’t care what someone outside the clubhouse thinks about how it effected him.
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http://www.baseball-reference......;year=2010
He did not play EVERY SINGLE GAME before the injury – he had off days even when he was relatively healthy – COME ON – now you are just going to the extreme. For example – he did not play all three games of a series in June against the Reds
He did not play EVERY SINGLE GAME before the injury
I never said he did. Read what i wrote please.
“i also have a question for the board, what’s the most realistic trade proposal we’ve seen for gio gonzalez?”
Mine….but Im biased
The Yanks have carried Posada when they had girardi and Leyritz, when they had Girardi and stanley, They carried Leyritz, Posada and Turner. Not unusual for NYYs to carry 3 catchers. They did it in the 50s and 60s. At one time in the 50s they carried as many as four for the season…Berra, Howard, Houk and silvera.
stoneburner – for christs sake, stop lying. He missed 3 games separately in that June, games 58, 66 and 76. Not 3 in a row against the Reds. Unreal.
In 2010 Martin missed 10 out of 97 games (roughly 10%).
In 2011, only 1 catcher (carlos santana) played in more than 10% of his teams games.
err more than 90% i guess that should say
Irreverent Discourse November 29th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
stoneburner – for christs sake, stop lying. He missed 3 games separately in that June, games 58, 66 and 76. Not 3 in a row against the Reds. Unreal.
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That NOT what I said – you said he played EVERY SINGLE GAME (which is a LIE) – I pointed out he did not play ALL THREE GAMES against the Reds – just two out of the three – for CRYING OUT LOUD – are you usually like this???
And even “nearly” EVERY SINGLE GAME is not even accurate. . . .
Again:
85 complete games at catcher in 2010
108 complete games at catcher in 2011
For someone in their prime – not exactly trending in the right direction . . . .
Plus a back problem that led to a lower batting average – I would want my BUC to be someone other than the primary DH
SI_JonHeyman 36 mins latest word is cj wilson asked #LAAngels for $100M. played at fountain valley hs, santa ana jc & loyola. #hometowndiscount
I played a lot of wiffle ball growing up and had some mean pitches-but nowhere near the pitches this guy has-1 minute video: Enjoy:
http://www.clipaday.com/videos.....ll-pitcher
Blake-
Do the Angels sign CJ Wilson and then put Ervin Santana up for trade for offense, or do they go after Aramis Ramirez for 3rd, a position they should have filled with Beltre last year?
Doubt they’ll sign both.
Trader,
My guess is they’d try to deal Santana…..or even Haren if they could get big return (more than Joe Saunders). They really missed on Beltre last year…..he would have been a perfect fit and he’s a much better overall player than Aramis.
Stoneburner, ID,
Keep Romine or Cervelli in Scranton (or wherever they are), trade the other one and get a Greyhound pass for the other one. We’ll be good with Martin and Jesus. Tired of the argument.
Hey MTU!
Good fortune to you Blake. Allis well here. How’s the little Guy.
MTU I’ve heard we may get some snow tomorrow, first of the year.
No thanks, to Danks or Buerhle.
Would not trade Montaro for Pineda.
blake November 29th, 2011 at 4:49 pm
“FYI ….CC has the best arm in the big league rotation, not AJ.”
That wasn’t the point of the statement………but in his prime AJ had the best pure arm in baseball for a period……Sabathia is a much better pitcher though and that was the point.
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Except that your comparison of AJ to Betances is empty of meaning, because you seem to be trying to get one to infer that they have a similar lack of substance as pitchers, that they are all “stuff” and zero pitching DNA – when in fact, they have virtually nothing in common.
AJ can’t even get away with missed location – he gets spanked when his fastball drifts back over the plate…To be fair, Blake, you really haven’t seen much of Betances’ work. It’s one thing to say he’s got to repeat better, or that he may not ultimately reach his potential; well, no one can guarantee that for any young pitcher. But you are making MAJOR leaps about him, which is why you say out of one side of your mouth that you “like” him, and why, on the other hand, you’ve included him in nearly every fantasy package to get a pitcher that you like.
Betances is more like the Anti-AJ: he doesn’t serve up gopher balls, & his FB rises up above the letters – another reason he’s so effective because most everything else breaks sharply down. AJ’s fastball can be flat and he can’t hope anymore to consistently be hitting 95 in later innings or get up in the high 90s….apples and oranges.
They both have a great curveball that is untouchable when on…that’s where any similarity ends, especially when you’ve got Betances throwing a lethal changeup to get swings and misses…actually, CC is more comparable, because his fb/slider/change arsenal are more similar to Betances’ fb/curve/change versatility.
I know you’re just giving your take, which I always like to hear, but you haven’t really anchored your comments about this guy in any sort of thoughtfulness, I would say. You seem almost invested in a stance I would have to call even ignorant of a few pertinent realities about Betances. You don’t like the way he throws the ball, fine, but you actually seem to be putting a deliberately pejorative spin on “big” arm, and “hard throwing”, as if these, by definition, are detriments to pitching success.
Not only is that not true (which I think you realize), but it also doesn’t inversely support some notion that you seem to be floating here, which is that those god-given attributes make a pitcher somehow more susceptible to NOT pitching well, not figuring out HOW to pitch, and not learning to command his pitches well. Throwing “hard” isn’t an indictment, and it also doesn’t make a pitcher doomed to turn into AJ Burnett.
You can throw Betances’ name around all you want, but Champ already having him in Monument Park isn’t that much less of a responsible comment, nor more far fetched, than you essentially deciding he’s the Kyle Farnsworth among Yankee starting pitching prospects.
And if you want to snicker about comparisons with Felix, you can just direct those to Josh Towers: he’s the one who made that comparison (SENATOR!
.
The thing is, though it’s unlikely that he’s going to turn into another Felix, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility for Betances, and THAT’S why you don’t trade him, IMO, NOT because he’s thoroughly polished out of the blocks. There’s plenty of time for that to come, and as I’ve told you, I have already seen that pitcher, and seen him for long stretches.
You want your heart’s desire – a LHP that can help us in 2012 – and you lack enough familiarity with Betances to put any caution into including him in a package. That’s fine – but that is really where you are coming from, no? (P.S. Were you a “short” pitcher?
).
“Except that your comparison of AJ to Betances is empty of meaning, because you seem to be trying to get one to infer that they have a similar lack of substance as pitchers, that they are all “stuff” and zero pitching DNA – when in fact, they have virtually nothing in common.”
That’s not at all what Im trying to do and I wasn’t comparing Betances to AJ as a pitcher……just making the point that there is more to pitching than having a great arm……it doesn’t go any deeper than that.
“But you are making MAJOR leaps about him, which is why you say out of one side of your mouth that you “like” him, and why, on the other hand, you’ve included him in nearly every fantasy package to get a pitcher that you like.”
You haven’t made great leaps about him? I do like him….that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t trade him in the right deal.