Not much room for surprises
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Feb 22, 2012 
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Still a few days before position players report to camp, but at this point, there’s not much intrigue about their arrival. After signing Eric Chavez last night, the Yankees seem to have their position players set for this season. At least, they seem to have their ideal position players in place.
Raul Ibanez has moved into the regular DH spot (against right-handers), and Chavez is joining a bench of Andruw Jones, Eduardo Nunez and Francisco Cervelli. Assuming everyone stays healthy, it could be tough for anyone else to crack this roster. Guess we’ll have to see whether Russell Branyan, Bill Hall or Chris Dickerson can make those choices a little more difficult. Same for Jorge Vazquez, Ramiro Pena and Justin Maxwell.
As pitchers and catchers get ready for their third workout, the only wide-open spot seems to be the last spot in the bullpen.
Associated Press photo
I feel a bit sorry for Hall and Branyon. Thet had a chance when they signed but none now absent injury.
feel a bit sorry for Hall and Branyon. Thet had a chance when they signed but none now absent injury.
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I do too . . .but im sure Cashman explained to them what there roles would be. (short term and long term)………………………..
“but i’m pretty burned out on pineda for now. when he gets on the mound in front of live hitting, i’ll be alot more interested but for now, its just nice to know the team is in camp and Spring is in the air.”
y’s guy-
i can tell i’m wearing you out. if you’re going to keep up with me ,you need more antioxidants and vitamin d.
i’m with you about spring being being in the air. matter of fact , i got tired of the snow here in maine and i decided to fly to florida today. i’m sitting here right now at the portland airport waiting for departure .
but don’t worry, i’ll have plenty of time to piss people … i mean enlighten people on the blog about pineda .
…actually i should visit tampa and really cause some trouble
I feel a bit sorry for Hall and Branyon. Thet had a chance when they signed but none now absent injury.
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Should count themselves lucky to have a job anywhere. Wasn’t like teams were falling over each other to lock these two has beens up. In fact, teams weren’t even falling over each other to lock the other two has beens who will make the team ahead of these two has beens.
“Just watched Bob Gibson video. He fall much further towards first than Pineda. Imagine, hard throwers falling off to one side.”
austin mac-
ah, so now pineda is bob gibson. interesting.
have you ever thought to provide a link so you know, we all could look at what you’re talking about ?
Bill hall might actually be a better option than Chavez ….more versatile ……younger….less Nick Johnson-like
I really don’t see the point of continually bashing Pineda. Like it or not, he is slotted to be the #4 pitcher. Rooting for him to fail is rooting for the Yankees to fail.
He is our guy now and I hope he has a very successful season.
I don’t feel that bad for Hall or Branyan. If either of them had better offers they would have taken them. I’m sure they realized they were long shots to make the club and part of why guys like that take minor league deals with invites is so that they can get in game action and show the other teams in the league that they can still contribute when and if they don’t make the Yankees.
Both guys have opt outs in their contracts and I would assume that they will use them if they don’t see a path to the majors with the Yankees.
Like it or not, he is slotted to be the #4 pitcher
==================================
What “slot” you’re in is really pretty meaningless. Everyone’s #1 on the day they pitch.
blake February 22nd, 2012 at 9:16 am
Bill hall might actually be a better option than Chavez ….more versatile ……younger….less Nick Johnson-like
————-
Except that Chavez has a major league contract and Hall does not. So unless Chavez gets hurt this spring (not out of the question) he’ll be on the major league roster.
The only question is really whether or not the Yankees break camp with 11 or 12 pitchers.
So if Betances’ greatest issue is repeating his delivery, why would that make him a candidate for the bullpen? Isn’t that…even more significant in the bullpen?
Bill hall might actually be a better option than Chavez ….more versatile ……younger….less Nick Johnson-like
================================
The Nick Johnson-like is the problem. Hall is only more versatile in that he plays several positions poorly whereas Chavez plays a couple pretty well. Chavez is the better bat. I think Hall would have to be viewed more as an alternative to Nunez (and a bad one at that) than he is Chavez.
Dogface
my point was he is going to be in the starting rotation regardless of what anyone here thinks, so why not be supportive
So who does everyone think the Yankees ‘Victor Cruz’ or ‘Jeremy Lin’ will be this year? I’ll venture a guess and say Caesar Cabral
So if Betances’ greatest issue is repeating his delivery, why would that make him a candidate for the bullpen? Isn’t that…even more significant in the bullpen?
================================
There are some who believe that’s precisely what will happen and some who don’t. Jury’s still out. This is a pretty big year for him as it relates to the course of his career, IMO.
Kate:
Gotcha. We agree there.
randy,
ur obsession with hatin pineda cause he was traded for montero is kinda creepy man,
i also read u said he looked alittle bored on the mound,
but didnt ppl defend montero not hittin in AAA cause he was bored? and didnt he get benched for it?
anyway if u liked montero fine, but its obvious u hate pineda cause of how the yankees got him,
u remind me of an ex girlfriend who cant let go
If Chavez beats him out in ST, he could always join the grounds crew.
https://p.twimg.com/AmOJubFCQAA3R55.jpg:large
The 40 man roster is a lot more interesting than the 25 at this point. I assume the release of Okajima will mean Cabral has the leg up on the last spot on the 25 man roster.
But on the 40 there are a ton of questions:
First – once Chavez passes his physical someone has to go. They could open up the spot just by putting Feliciano on the 60 day DL.
Then there are at least three guys currently on the 40 who are not likely to be on it at the end of spring training:
Brad Meyers – Rule 5 pick
Chris Dickerson – out of options
Justin Maxwell – out of options
They’ll probably lose both outfielders which is a problem since they have no other outfielders on the 40 above AA and they’ll have to return Meyers to whence he came.
So that means you have guys like Manny Delcarmen, Bill Hall, DeWayne Wise, Colin Curtis, Kevin Whalen, Jason Nix, Russ Branyan maybe not battling for spots on the 25 man roster, but absolutely hoping to claim a spot on the 40 man.
There are some who believe that’s precisely what will happen and some who don’t. Jury’s still out. This is a pretty big year for him as it relates to the course of his career, IMO.
——–
Yeah, I’ve read the rumblings, but it honestly doesn’t make much sense. If he’s having problems repeating his mechanics, that needs to be fixed. Throwing him in the bullpen and not ironing out his mechanics would just make him a wild reliever.
Isn’t that even more useless than a wild starter? At least a wild starter can maybe find his way throughout the course of a start. There aren’t many effectively wild relievers. Seems to me like that would be a poor use of resources.
Randy,
Did I say he was Gibson? However, I do say many hard throwers fall off the mound. It hardly presages failure or a trip to the bullpen.
Want to see a clip of Gibson? Go to youtube and enter the name Bob Gibson. Their are all the videos you could want to see.
No one on this board needs or wants your so called instruction. Most people who make as many enemies on the board as you would look inward to see if their is a reason in thier behavior. However, I am sure you see the entire world is at fault because they just can’t keep up with your insight.
dogface February 22nd, 2012 at 9:27 am
Bill hall might actually be a better option than Chavez ….more versatile ……younger….less Nick Johnson-like
================================
The Nick Johnson-like is the problem. Hall is only more versatile in that he plays several positions poorly whereas Chavez plays a couple pretty well. Chavez is the better bat. I think Hall would have to be viewed more as an alternative to Nunez (and a bad one at that) than he is Chavez.
——————–
Chavez doesn’t have to beat out anyone for a job – he’s got a major league contract – he’s on the roster.
“u remind me of an ex girlfriend who cant let go”
doc iac-
hate to tell you but blow up dolls don’t count as girl friends
randy
ah, so now pineda is bob gibson. interesting.
———————————————————————
You don’t think they would trade a Piazza type bat for anything less do you?
My 25 man roster:
Pitchers:
CC
Pineda
Nova
Kuroda
Hughes
Garcia
Wade
Rivera
Robertson
Logan
Soriano
Cabral
C:
Cervelli
Martin
INF:
Jeter
Tex
Chavez
Alex
Cano
Nunez
OF:
Swisher
Gardner
Granderson
Jones
Ibanez
doc iac-
hate to tell you but blow up dolls don’t count as girl friends
—
hahaha…good one,
im 99% sure im better lookin then u, but not here to argue that,
im just wonderin about ur obsession with montero, its sickenin, i think he may need a restraining order against u
You guys giving Hall the “last rites” are premature. Hall’s addition gives Cashman the depth to trade Nunez for whatever the Yanks might need coming outta ST, or at the trade deadline. Hall aint outta the Yankee picture by a Long Shot, especially when you consider that just a few weeks ago the Yanks were gonna carry 3 Catchers on the 25 Man. Nunez has been inquired about by several teams, and Cashman certainly wants to be able to use that Ave if need be. Hall gives him that option.
austinmac February 22nd, 2012 at 9:02 am
I feel a bit sorry for Hall and Branyon.
*******************
Me too-especially Bill “Tweets like there’s no tomorrow” Hall.
DONNYBROOK February 22nd, 2012 at 9:42 am
You guys giving Hall the “last rites” are premature. Hall’s addition gives Cashman the depth to trade Nunez for whatever the Yanks might need coming outta ST, or at the trade deadline. Hall aint outta the Yankee picture by a Long Shot, especially when you consider that just a few weeks ago the Yanks were gonna carry 3 Catchers on the 25 Man. Nunez has been inquired about by several teams, and Cashman certainly wants to be able to use that Ave if need be. Hall gives him that option.
——————–
That’s a fair point. If something comes up this spring that Cashman wants to explore with Nunez he can. I think it’s more likely though that such a move would come in season and Cash is probably hoping that Hall will be content in Scranton until/unless there is an injury either to Alex, Jeter or Chavez.
“Want to see a clip of Gibson? Go to youtube and enter the name Bob Gibson. Their are all the videos you could want to see.”
austin mac-
yeah, i’d like to see the specific link you’re talking about .
i haven’t been able to find any good video on gibson so far.
you sure you din’t just make that up about gibson?
what i’ve seen so far is that his follow leg is sideways to his plant leg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
gibson clearly follows through sideways and not behind. you’ll have to watch the end of the video to see it. as i said not very good video on gibson.
you do realize the mound was like Mount Kilimanjaro in those days amplifying any tendencies ?
maybe not. casual fans don’t usually pay attention to things like that.
Also, having guys like Hall and Branyan around is a challenge to young players like Pena and Laird that they need to step up their games if they want to be on the top of the list for call-ups in the event if injuries.
ST hasnt even begun for hitters, no reason to count branyan and hall out of anything, who knows what’s going to happen. thats what ST is all about…
gibson clearly follows through sideways and not behind.
You sure you watched the same video you linked?
You guys giving Hall the “last rites” are premature. Hall’s addition gives Cashman the depth to trade Nunez for whatever the Yanks might need coming outta ST, or at the trade deadline. Hall aint outta the Yankee picture by a Long Shot
=============================================
If he’s not on the big league roster to start the season, he has an out clause that allows him to leave as a free agent on 4/4. If someone is willing to put him on their 25 man (which I grant is a long shot), then he’s a goner.
It’s time to stop listening to randy about Pineda. He’ is basing his entire opinion of Pineda off of youtube video’s and admitted he has not seen him pitch more than once. No eyes, no stats, no opinion. Move on.
Yeah, I’ve read the rumblings, but it honestly doesn’t make much sense. If he’s having problems repeating his mechanics, that needs to be fixed. Throwing him in the bullpen and not ironing out his mechanics would just make him a wild reliever.
Isn’t that even more useless than a wild starter? At least a wild starter can maybe find his way throughout the course of a start. There aren’t many effectively wild relievers. Seems to me like that would be a poor use of resources.
——————–
The hope when you put a wild starter in the bullpen is that they can just buckle down and harness their stuff for one inning at a time.
It’s a lot easier to repeat your delivery when you don’t have to worry about throwing 3-4 pitches, pacing yourself, and dealing with the fatigue of starting,
Yes, most of us who follow this blog frequently are “casual fans”. The higher mound didn’t cause him to fall off the the right so significantly. The force of his delivery did. I watched the 17 strike out video. Plus, I remember Bob Gibson very well.
Do you really believe others who fall significantly off the mound have not succeeded?
Second question–Is is true or not true you now want Pineda to fail? If so, say hi to Ruby.
THT article on Kuroda.
Sorry, KURODA.
http://www.hardballtimes.com/m.....ki-kuroda/
What are you guys talking about? Pineda looks great in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....ata_player
Chad, if you get a chance, ask Girardi if he thinks Garcia could end up in the bullpen, or if he is practically guaranteed a spot in the bullpen.
I think you’ll get the usual evasive answer like “Only CC is guaranteed a rotation spot”, or something like that, but hey worth a shot.
spot in the ***rotation***
blake February 22nd, 2012 at 9:16 am
Bill hall might actually be a better option than Chavez ….more versatile ……younger….less Nick Johnson-like
————————————————————————————————————————-
Jim Bouton, Jim Maloney and Rich Gossage come to mind, also.
“Except that Chavez has a major league contract and Hall does not. So unless Chavez gets hurt this spring (not out of the question) he’ll be on the major league roster”
Yup….Chavez will be on the roster….however Im not sure I would have given him a big league deal because he just can’t stay healthy….he’s a good player if he could ….but when you prematurely become a bench player because you can’t stay healthy…..and then miss half the season as a bench player then I don’t think that’s the best sign.
- randy -
Cashman eluded the hangman’s noose, so now you think you gotta ride Pineda till He drops. You aint a 1 Trick Pony. Your better than that. Get off that Pineda Pony and show us some of your rope tricks.
“I watched the 17 strike out video. Plus, I remember Bob Gibson very well.”
austin mac-
now i see the problem.
you are really old and don’t want to admit that you don’t know how to cut and paste the link to that game.
sorry for bothering you.
i’ll check with jerkface for that link. he’ll find it.
This is all randytroll hogwash. When pitching, you *want* a follow through with your back leg. You *don’t* want an abrupt stop. If Pineda’s big leg comes around and turns him due to momentum, that is fine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
blake February 22nd, 2012 at 10:00 am
“Except that Chavez has a major league contract and Hall does not. So unless Chavez gets hurt this spring (not out of the question) he’ll be on the major league roster”
Yup….Chavez will be on the roster….however Im not sure I would have given him a big league deal because he just can’t stay healthy….he’s a good player if he could ….but when you prematurely become a bench player because you can’t stay healthy…..and then miss half the season as a bench player then I don’t think that’s the best sign.
——————
Blake – I don’t completely disagree with you, but I’m pretty sure that even if the Yankees had brought Chavez in on a minor league deal it would have been with a wink and a nod and a handshake agreement that if he was healthy when the team broke camp, regardless of performance, he was going to get a spot on the 25 man roster.
The Yankees, especially Girardi, loved having him around last year and were clear from the outset that they wanted him back.
” Get off that Pineda Pony and show us some of your rope tricks.”
for you , i think i’ll use my rope- a- dope.
I like Nunez more than most and believe the Yankees see him as a likely Jeter replacement. He has speed, pretty good range, some pop, and I think will hit .280. If he can improve his fielding, he has the chance to be a top flight shortstop.
Last year, he was frequently moved and played third when he probably did that very little in his career. His defense was considered good in the minors. I am hopeful we will see substantial improvement.
I want to see what he can do.
“im 99% sure im better lookin then u, but not here to argue that”
Hehehehehehehehe…
You guys ever imagine what it would be like if we were all in a room together trying to have this giant Yankees conversation? ….you’d find me curled into the fetal position in a corner (under the Paul O’Neill banner).
I like how randy thinks trolling means “sounding like an idiot”.
Randy,
So far you have called another poster an idiot and a dope. Personality disorder?
“for you , i think i’ll use my rope- a- dope.”
Can this be smoked from my my objective pipe?
my my objective pipe?
Damn.. You guys are making me develop a stutter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....907B97D512
Its premature to make judgements on anyone before ST games have even started. Everyone was laughing at and ripping on Bartolo Colon last year too before an inning was even played. Look hoe that turned out
DONNYBROOK February 22nd, 2012 at 9:42 am
You guys giving Hall the “last rites” are premature. Hall’s addition gives Cashman the depth to trade Nunez for whatever the Yanks might need coming outta ST, or at the trade deadline. Hall aint outta the Yankee picture by a Long Shot, especially when you consider that just a few weeks ago the Yanks were gonna carry 3 Catchers on the 25 Man. Nunez has been inquired about by several teams, and Cashman certainly wants to be able to use that Ave if need be. Hall gives him that option.
————————————————————————————————————————-
You can’t possibly be serious about shipping Nunez ot of town to make room for Bill Hall, can you? He doesn’t offer any more versatility than Nunez and he certainly offers no more offense than Nunez. Have you been taking the Bret Trade pills again?
jacksquat,
Did I see a fall to the right and to the rear from Robertson in that video? Cut him.
hahah shame,
im pretty sure randy wouldnt say half the stuff if it were in person
- randy -
When I see Ali today, the Rope-A-Dope Immediately comes to mind. Ali allowed himself to absorb Far too much physical damage in that fight, the result of which we see today. Hope the punishment you are subjecting yourself to today, will not render that result tomorrow. Then again, it will be hard to tell the difference.
austinmac February 22nd, 2012 at 10:15 am
jacksquat,
Did I see a fall to the right and to the rear from Robertson in that video? Cut him.
—
Yeah, send his ass to AAA!
i’m not too concerned about betance’s wildness, its not unusual for a guy his height to take a while to get that under control. few pitchers that height have great control at such a young age.
i can think of another but i dont want to crank randy up again…
You can’t possibly be serious about shipping Nunez ot of town to make room for Bill Hall, can you? He doesn’t offer any more versatility than Nunez and he certainly offers no more offense than Nunez. Have you been taking the Bret Trade pills again?
======================================
Don’t think he’s saying that as much as he’s saying that if Nunez can be part of a package that brings something significant, then Hall could serve to replace Nunez for the year.
Here’s the Gibson 17K video. I’m 99% sure it’s not from a video game.
The follow through is so strong he looks like KRod falling off the mound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnftqMXZS4Q
Chip,
That’s fine…..I just think as budget conscious as they are ….Im not sure guaranteeing 1 million bucks to a guy you don’t really need anyway is the best idea when he’s been hurts as often as Chavez has…..if he stays healthy then he’s a great guy to have around and maybe the Yanks are comfortable taking that risk for 900k.
I really hope Ibanez makes me hate him more by doing well this year like Andruw did last year…
“im pretty sure randy wouldnt say half the stuff if it were in person”
doc iac-
nah, i’d play catch with you.
you start off at 60 feet 6 inches and you take a step closer each time you throw.
you can even wear my catchers mask
Im planning on complaining about Ibanez a lot this year…..it worked with Andrew
“Here’s the Gibson 17K video. I’m 99% sure it’s not from a video game.
The follow through is so strong he looks like KRod falling off the mound.”
i’ve seen that video about 17 times and i’ve yet to see hi follow foot land. lousy proof.
gibson clearly falls off to the side.
no problems with that.
pineda’s follow foot ends up about two feet from the rubber a lot.
he does almost does a 360.
show me someone who’s follow leg ends up that close to the rubber.
even kershaw doesn’t come anywhere near that.
which by the way, none of you are even close to coming up with good video.
at least jerkface’s video is educational.