Pregame notes: One more catcher in camp
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Mar 07, 2012 
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Yogi Berra arrived in Yankees camp this morning. He’s here every spring, and he always inspires the same reaction. The players are happy to see him. The coaches are happy to see him. In this camp, spring training’s just not official until he gets down here.
As you can tell from the lineup, the Yankees have started playing some guys two days in a row, starting with Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. Tomorrow, Brett Gardner and Raul Ibanez are scheduled to make the trip to Dunedin, so it looks like they’ll be the next to play back-to-back.
Some other notes from a quiet morning in Tampa…
• Mariano Rivera throws another batting practice tomorrow morning. He could get in his first game this weekend.
• The Yankees have started spreading out their minor league starters to give everyone enough innings. You might remember that Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances were on the same schedule earlier this spring, now they’re separated by a day. Betances will pitch tomorrow. Banuelos is scheduled to pitch Friday.
• Looks like Cole Garner’s hamstring is feeling better. He’s back in the mix as the second string DH. Eduardo Nunez is scheduled to take batting practice and field grounders, but he won’t play today. He’s scheduled to make the trip tomorrow.
• Yesterday it was Ramiro Pena getting some time in left field. Today it’s Brandon Laird. The Yankees talk a lot about four-corner utility players, and Laird would be a perfect guy for that role if he can get his bat going like it was in Double-A just two years ago.
• Today’s sides: Brad Meyers, Michael Pineda, Manny Banuelos and Rafael Soriano. Today’s sim game goes to Adam Miller pitching to Corban Joseph and Melky Mesa.
• Tomorrow’s sides: Graham Stoneburner, Brett Marshall, Phil Hughes and CC Sabathia.
• Today’s available pitchers: Hiroki Kuroda, Cory Wade, Boone Logan, Adam Warren, Clay Rapada, Kevin Whelan, David Phelps, Cesar Cabral, Juan Cedeno, Ryan Pope and Dan Burawa. As usual, only the first six or seven will actually get in the game.
• Today’s second string: C Jose Gil, 1B Jorge Vazquez, 2B Bill Hall, SS Jayson Nix, 3B Corban Joseph, LF Brandon Laird, CF Dewayne Wise, RF Colin Curtis, DH Cole Garner
• Traveling to Dunedin tomorrow:
Pitchers: Delin Betances, Dan Burawa, Cesar Cabral, Juan Cedeno, Adam Miller, Ivan Nova, Michael O’Connor, David Phelps, Ryan Pope, Dave Robertson and Chase Whitley
Catchers: Francisco Cervelli, Jose Gil, Kyle Higashioka, J.R. Murphy and Gary Sanchez
Infielders: David Adams, Doug Bernier, Bill Hall, Corban Joseph, Brandon Laird, Eduardo Nunez, Ramiro Pena, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Jorge Vazquez
Outfielders: Zoilo Almonte, Colin Curtis, Chris Dickerson, Brett Gardner, Cole Garner, Raul Ibanez, Justin Maxwell and Melky Mesa
UPDATE, 10:04 p.m.: Former Yankees Jose Molina, Juan Miranda and Romulo Sanchez are each making the trip for the Rays.
Reid Brignac SS
B.J. Upton CF
Ben Zobrist 2B
Matt Joyce RF
Jeff Keppinger 1B
Stephen Vogt Dh
Jose Molina C
Jesus Feliciano LF
Elliot Johnson 3B
RHP James Shields
The Yankees talk a lot about four-corner utility players
Gee, that’s odd…
Yogi Berra-15 straaight AS appearances, 3 MVP’s-Add him to the Mt Rushmore carvings of the greatest Yankee position players of all time.
Wondered why Cole Garner hadn’t been playing any since his fantastic opening day debut-now I know. When did he hurt his hamstring?
MarcCarig I hear the Yankee have a motivational speaker in talking to the team. I also hear it is NOT this guy: http://bit.ly/zxCnKf
Erin-
Very funny!!
Bleep. No TV coverage of Betances, JR & Sanchez, tomorrow. Thanks for the update, Chad.
Warren should get an inning today.
Complete oversight by me – I would put Yogi up there instead of Mantle.
Procedural question – A Rule 5 guy must be on the 25 man roster for the entire season or be offered back to the team he was drafted from, but in the second year he can be optioned to the minor leagues. If the Yankees have a Rule 5 guy who spends the entire year on the DL can they send him to the minors next year?
I thought maybe the Rays would trade one of their arms for something else they needed.
I think Davis is being relegated to the Pen, and from what I remember reading he wasn’t to happy about it.
Yogi over The Mick? No way.
“I thought maybe the Rays would trade one of their arms for something else they needed.”
They’ll trade David Price soon for a boatload of players.
Erin March 7th, 2012 at 10:01 am
Shame- I love both Manning brothers, but Peyton will always be my one true football love.
——————–
I’m gonna pretend Peyton doesn’t look like he’s always confused just for you from now on. In all fairness, I don’t think its his fault, I think that’s just how the Mannings look. They should really start marketing that. Its like Tebowing but instead of taking a knee you just go, ‘huh?!’
Chip March 7th, 2012 at 10:15 am e
Procedural question – A Rule 5 guy must be on the 25 man roster for the entire season or be offered back to the team he was drafted from, but in the second year he can be optioned to the minor leagues. If the Yankees have a Rule 5 guy who spends the entire year on the DL can they send him to the minors next year?
—
I don’t remember the exact rule, but I’m fairly certain there’s something about a player like that having to spend a certain amount of time on the big league roster the following season. Not entirely sure, though.
Having the best (or one of the top 5) offense in the game netted them zero trophies from 2001 through 2007.
Personally, I believe balance is the key, and health. But if I had to err on one side or another, I’d choose pitching. How many times do we hear, good pitching stops good hitting?
What exactly aren’t good about DiMaggio’s statistics…..you could argue longtivity I guess but I have a hard time holding WWII against him there…..
And my Yankees Mt. Rushmore would be: Gehrig, Babe, Joe D., Mantle, and Jeter… in all fairness though, its hard for me to even envision what it must have been like to watch greats like Gehrig, Babe, Joe D. or Mantle lol. I love Mo… hard to leave him off, all things considered, but basically defines a whole generation of Yankee fans in a way that goes above and beyond what’s done on the field. There’s a lot at play there, of course. Mo isn’t as pretty to look at and for as good as he’s been has never had the ‘superstar’ aura.. This is definitely an interesting debate..
but Jeter basically defines*
UGH.
Villa Nova-Ya March 7th, 2012 at 10:21 am
Having the best (or one of the top 5) offense in the game netted them zero trophies from 2001 through 2007.
Personally, I believe balance is the key, and health. But if I had to err on one side or another, I’d choose pitching. How many times do we hear, good pitching stops good hitting?
—-
hear? we see it live in the playoffs…
Shame- I have to admit, I laughed.
MTU, Niemann could end up in the pen, and Davis can still nab that 5th spot. Davis’s first ST outing was solid.
Rays lineup today:
The lineup:
Brignac ss
Upton cf
Zobrist 2b
Joyce rf
Keppinger 1b
Vogt dh
Molina c
Feliciano lf
Johnson 3b
Shields p
The Yankees talk a lot about four-corner utility players, and Laird would be a perfect guy for that role if he can get his bat going like it was in Double-A just two years ago.
——-
Chad, what’s disconcerting about laird is his 17/84 walk to strike out rate in AAA last year. Average and slugging wise he really isnt that far off from his AA season two years ago. He looks like a poor man version of EL chato with bat right now. And, el chato is already poor.
best candidate might be david adams for me, if he proves he is finally healthy, the Yanks ought to tempted to throw him at every corner except catching and cf.
given that the Yankees consistently score in or near the top of offensive categories, I think they value hitting as well
blake/YF-
yeah. Interesting. They have excess like we do.
Rule 5 players have to be active at least 90 days in year one. If they are only active for 75 (and on DL the others) then have to be active 15 days in year two in order to become property of the acquiring club.
You could make a pretty good All-Star team of rule 5 draftees —- Jose Bautista, Dan Uggla, George Bell, Bobby Bonilla, Jeff Nelson, Johan Santana, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Scott Podsednik, Fernando Vina, Joakim Soria, Bip Roberts and so on…..
Thanks Chad
eboland11 Motivational speaker in Yankees clubhouse gave several demonstrations of mental strength, including tearing a phone book in half
Will Miguel Cabrera be remembered as favorably with his alcohol and women problems?
Very interesting debate. Yes, pitching wins championships but I’d say that good offense gives you a chance to get over 90 wins and postseason berths on a regular basis. You stil gotta SCORE to win games. Yankees offense has been amazingly and consistently good since the dynasty years.
86w183 March 7th, 2012 at 10:18 am
Yogi over The Mick? No way.
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I agree. I missed the original thread about the Mt Rushmore of Yankees, so I am not sure if we are constraining it to four. I assume it has Ruth, Gehrig, and DiMaggio. I suppose I would put Mantle up next, but I can certainly see the argument for Berra. I suppose we need a larger monument for the Yankees greats. Not many teams (ok, no other teams) would need to expand Mt Rushmore to accommodate all their greats…
86w183 March 7th, 2012 at 10:36 am
Rule 5 players have to be active at least 90 days in year one. If they are only active for 75 (and on DL the others) then have to be active 15 days in year two in order to become property of the acquiring club.
You could make a pretty good All-Star team of rule 5 draftees —- Jose Bautista, Dan Uggla, George Bell, Bobby Bonilla, Jeff Nelson, Johan Santana, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Scott Podsednik, Fernando Vina, Joakim Soria, Bip Roberts and so on…..
—————-
Josh Hamilton.
Erin says:
March 7, 2012 at 10:39 am
eboland11 Motivational speaker in Yankees clubhouse gave several demonstrations of mental strength, including tearing a phone book in half
———————-
Paul O Neill?
Cool!
Bronx Jeers-
This is the same silly argument we hear in football that OFFENSE sells tickets, but DEFENSE wins championships.
TEAMS win championships, units do not. There have been great defensive teams win super bowls and mediocre ones. Similarly there have been great World Series Champs with middle of the pack pitching — remember the Big Red Machine???
I agree that starting pitching is the most important thing in the game, but teams with great pitching that can’t hit, run or field will lose a lot of games — Oakland recently has been that kind of team.. Seattle too.
I think Davis is being relegated to the Pen, and from what I remember reading he wasn’t to happy about it.
————————-
I can understand why. Guys must really not like relieving. I remember when they asked Price yrs ago if he would ever consider being a reliever long term and he shot it down quickly.
Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra.
Randy-
I’m on the other side of the fence.
A Pitching first guy.
Kinda like Pat M.
No arguing that a strong O has been a successful formula for the Yankees over the eons.
Balance is what you really want.
m March 7th, 2012 at 10:41 am
Very interesting debate. Yes, pitching wins championships but I’d say that good offense gives you a chance to get over 90 wins and postseason berths on a regular basis.
==============================================
The Dodgers of Koufax and Drysdale had speed and pitching.
But that’s Great pitching, 2 super Aces.
Lee and Halladay aren’t in their class…
Good morning everyone,
Top 5 Yankee pitchers:
1) Ford, 2)Ruffing,3)Rivera,4) lefty Gomez,5) Guidry
Top 5 Yankee position players:
1)Babe,2)Gherig, 3)Mantle, 4)Dimaggio, 5) Berra………6)Jeter
ID,
Cabrera is a moron…..
Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra.
========================
No Jeter?
Bullpens (special teams) are also important Rangers paid for their lack of one and the Yankees have ridden theirs to countless comeback wins. One of the reasons we were eliminated last season is Girardi wanted to use a starter in relief. Granted, that was the game that Nova exited early, but still, our bullpen has been good in Girardi’s tenure.
I think a Mount Rushmore would have to have someone from the modern era and someone from this latest run of Yankee success…..which given the difficulty of actually winning the WS now is just as impressive as any in history. Jeter is that guy for me.
Completely unbalanced teams hardly ever win their respective championships.
The Ravens or the Bucs with Dilfer are about the closest thing I can think of a completely unbalanced approach to winning a championship.
In baseball it just doesn’t exist. Even the Big Red Machine got good pitching performances from the trite amount of pitching they had. Guys like Gullet and Darcy and Nolan were actually quite awesome for them. They were not “all stick” by any means.
Cabrera is a moron…..
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that hits a ton.
Chip March 7th, 2012 at 10:42 am
86w183 March 7th, 2012 at 10:36 am
Rule 5 players have to be active at least 90 days in year one. If they are only active for 75 (and on DL the others) then have to be active 15 days in year two in order to become property of the acquiring club.
You could make a pretty good All-Star team of rule 5 draftees —- Jose Bautista, Dan Uggla, George Bell, Bobby Bonilla, Jeff Nelson, Johan Santana, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Scott Podsednik, Fernando Vina, Joakim Soria, Bip Roberts and so on…..
—————-
Josh Hamilton.
—————–
Johan Santana
. But if I had to err on one side or another, I’d choose pitching. How many times do we hear, good pitching stops good hitting?
===============================
How many times have we heard the players say it’s all about the starting pitching.
They oughtta know…
luis – Yes, and I would argue that Mantle was quit the same bit of moron that Cabrera is.
I ask because people already bring up Cabrera’s “issues” when discussing the MVP he should have won last year and other awards… but Mantle is enshrined to some as one of the “greatest yankees ever”.
He was a great player, one of the greatest ever… but as “a great yankee” guys like Jeter and Mo… performance and upstanding character… they have to be higher on the list IMO.
which given the difficulty of actually winning the WS now is just as impressive as any in history. Jeter is that guy for me.
=================
Mo must be there with Jeter.
Cash,
Unfortunately!
“One of the reasons we were eliminated last season is Girardi wanted to use a starter in relief. Granted, that was the game that Nova exited early, but still, our bullpen has been good in Girardi’s tenure.”
This is a bit of a reach.
Yankees gave up 1 run in 7 innings, the 1 run happened to be a starter.
This is like saying if Girardi hadn’t used Sabathia, the bullpen would have been perfect, and the Yankees score the 3rd run instead of the Tigers and win.
That’s a LOT of assumptions.
Those were different times. It’s not cool to be a drinker and a womanizer anymore.
mick March 7th, 2012 at 10:49 am
Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra.
========================
No Jeter?
—
Not in the top 5, no way.
Berra was MVP 3 times (2-4 four other years), his career OPS+ is significantly higher, and he won 10 rings. And mostly as a catcher.
Who cares that Cabrera is a mormom.
Oh, moron, that’s different??
Blake-
You started a good discussion of the 5 Mt Rushmore Greatest Yankee players ever- now subdivided into positon 5 and pitcher 5 of all time!!
:::: If the Jets signed Manning Sanchez would be cut – they’re not going to pay their back up QB $10 mil. ::::
Why would Sanchez be cut? Isn’t a trade more likely? Like say to a team whose coach he knows fairly well
Not that I’m advocating that. I’m leaning toward Matt Flynn being the best option for the Seahawks …
Why limit it to 5 players?
Jeter and Mo belong.
7 is a spiritual # in Yankee lore.
I also mentioned that Berra was an AS 15 straight seasons and of those 3 MVP titles, 2 were back to back.
m – It’s not cool to be a drinker and a womanizer anymore.
It was cool then? I wasn’t alive at the time so I can’t possibly know.
It may have been commonplace, but calling it “cool” seems a bit of a stretch
Any tips on getting Spring Training autographs? I’m going to Friday’s game with my 9-year old, and he is gung-ho on getting autographs, particularly from the younger players. Any suggestions?
When you look at all the great Yankees it’s really hard to limit it to just 5.
Then again, like I said, there is a reason why the Hall of Fame is in New York.
Whitey Ford belongs on Mt Rushmore as well.
8 is also an iconic Yankee #.
The player I Most wantta see perform is Romine. It’s almost a certainty with the Yanks going after that $189\2014, that Martin issa goner after this season. Hope his back permits us a look-see at whatever progress he may have offensively. Defensively, I thought he looked pretty good last Sept, but everything is relative\Montero.
Normally, the TEX thumb sprain would not make me think twice, but after A-Rod’s struggles swinging the stick with the same injury, I just don’t know. This early is ST, I would just shut TEX down till the digit was absolutely 100% Hunky Dory. You don’t wanna let what seems to be a minor injury drag on into the Real season. A player with TEX’s work ethic can have this happen to him Very easily.
Glad to hear Yogi’s in camp. The great Yankees are thinning out very quickly. Yogi is certainly inna class by himself, but you see guys like Reggie, Dent, Guidry, etc and you realize how fleeting time is.
MTU – pitching and defense first for me always.
The bonus is getting great defense with good offense as part of the package – think Arod, Jeter (yes Jeter), Tex (who Tex is supposed to be on offense).
But don’t give me shoddy D because the offense is there. I’ll reject it every time. I got tired of shuddering in the past every time someone in the Yankee outfield would throw the ball in!
Actually for the longest time (think around the time of the dynasty years) pitching is what got the Yankees to the top. Think of the years of Cone, Pettitte, El Duque, Clemens, Irabu and then Brujo, Stanton, Nelson and Mo. THAT’S what scared the life out of other people, not the Yankee offense! Things turned around after the Ys lost in 2001. Then came the real influx of offense, starting with Jason Giambi.
Interestingly enough, things started to go downhill as soon as St. Joe won his grudge match against Jeff Nelson. I swear I called it at the time. I saw it as one of, if not the, biggest mistake the Yankees had ever made. It totally screwed up the dynamic that had been so effective and had been solidly in place. And it was just in time for the 2001 season…
Any tips on getting Spring Training autographs? I’m going to Friday’s game with my 9-year old,
===============
Hang out by the parking lot exit off Mabry in the back of the stadium after the game or get there early before the game in the park during bp along the rail.
Irreverent Discourse March 7th, 2012 at 10:52 am
luis – Yes, and I would argue that Mantle was quit the same bit of moron that Cabrera is.
I ask because people already bring up Cabrera’s “issues” when discussing the MVP he should have won last year and other awards… but Mantle is enshrined to some as one of the “greatest yankees ever”.
He was a great player, one of the greatest ever… but as “a great yankee” guys like Jeter and Mo… performance and upstanding character… they have to be higher on the list IMO.
——————————–
ID,
Mantle is not even in the same vicinity of moronic as Cabrera, i know it first hand. If i have to pick someone between Jeter and Mo, i would pick Mo. But if you go by character then The number 1 should be Gehrig and the Babe shouldn´t even sniff the list as well, but i think that´s absurd.
Mantle is not even in the same vicinity of moronic as Cabrera
That is yet to be determined. Cabrera hasn’t ended his career short from being a drunk yet.
Trisha-
I was permanently converted growing up near Ebbetts field watching the great Dodger Pitching staffs
of the era.
My dad was a Mets fan later on. He loved their pitching staffs and we spoke about them all the time.
Been hooked ever since.
Gibson,Marichal, Carlton, etc.
Dominators.
Ruth, Joe D and Mick in the OF.
Gehrig at 1st, Yogi at C, Jeter at SS.
Whitey and Mo on the mound.
Need a 2B and 3B to complete the team.
Hmmmmmm………
luis – On the Mt Rushmore of Yankees, it simply has to be a combination of both. Some believe that certain on-field performance outweighs certain off-field problems. I think that the list of “great yankees” is long enough that you shouldn’t have to make that distinction when building your top-5 or whatever.
My votes for position are Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle, and Berra with Jeter a back-up
For 5 best Yankee pitchers it’s Rivera, Ford, Guidry, Gossage, and one of Lefty Gomez/Allie Reynolds/Red Ruffing.
Interesting article on why this Yankee player is #!.
http://armchairgm.wikia.com/Ar.....f_All_Time
mick – A-Rod and Cano can fill in until you come up with a better solution? :p
Would love to see Arod and Cano make the team.
That would mean about 5 more championships.
Mo and Bernie probably would qualify as two of the classiest Yankees of all time.
Sure you can make if more than 5…..but if you do that then the exercise becomes much easier.
Talkin’ NY Chuckers, you gotta include Mel Stotlemyre. Excelled in the “64″ Series, and then was a Beacon on those Horrible teams in the mid to late 60′s.
Irreverent Discourse March 7th, 2012 at 11:04 am
That is yet to be determined. Cabrera hasn’t ended his career short from being a drunk yet.
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Mantle’s career wasn’t cut short so much by alcohol as it was by tearing up his knee on a sprinkler in CF at the old stadium.
Cano is already the best 2B in Yankee history.
“Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra.”
As much as I love Jeter, I can’t replace Berra with him. If Jeter’s power numbers were more pronounce then I could make such a case for him.
http://armchairgm.wikia.com/Ar…..f_All_Time
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Yogi at #1?
Ruth 3?
Lacks credibility.
“Cano is already the best 2B in Yankee history.”
He will be when all is said and done.
Blake
checkout HOFer Tony Lazzeri’s career.
blake March 7th, 2012 at 11:14 am
Cano is already the best 2B in Yankee history.
——————————–
And now he’s working on being the best 2B ever but he has a ways to go.
MTU – To me pitching and defense are things of beauty. To me a home run is a home run. Some are longer than others. But to watch a pitcher work his magic, whether it’s with a beautiful curve, an amazing fastball, or just a sweet change up, that’s what fills me to the brim!
And seeing Robby make some of the plays in the field and watching beautifully-turned DPs. My oh my. The frosting on the cake is seeing an outfielder throw a laser right to the plate!
Catch y’all later.
ID,
The thing is that i had a close encounter with the guy. He may be better than Ruth ( not likely because i don´t think anyone would impact the sport the way he did), but not for me. Is a personal thing.
And having so many great Yankees is what makes making the list so hard!!
Don’t forget the old timers besides the obvious ones like Ruth, Gehrig and Joe D.
Have a great day Trisha.
P.S. I hope your shoulder feels better. Don’t be stubborn. Don’t rule out PT if it is needed.
luis – You can have a personal attachment to Mantle and still acknowledge that his “social problems” were largely swept under the rug in most Yankee fans eyes. I noly asked to promote the discussion
Ruth Gehrig and DiMaggio would be most prominent on Yankee Mt Rushmore but Mantle was more loved than Joe D.
Joe D was more god-like, stoic and cold.
But the fans adored The Mick, he had charisma.
The crown being mounted on Cano’s head is extremely premature. The guy bolts for whatever reason in 2014, and you guys will have him onna milk carton. The test of time MUST be administered.
Irreverent Discourse March 7th, 2012 at 11:21 am
I know!!
Ok – who is your favorite player in the league who is not nor has ever been a Yankee. Not who you think is the best player – but if you had to root for one guy who would it be. For me it has to be Torii Hunter he always seems to be having a good time out there – just seems like a good guy all around. Runner up might be CJ Wilson just because of his comments in the playoffs two years ago about how Cliff Lee joining the Rangers impacted him as a pitcher, “Well before Cliff got here I was a right handed throwing second baseman.”
Least favorite is a tie between Roy Oswalt and Jonathan Papelbon
My fav was Hunter Pence until he was traded to Philly…
Minnie Minoso, great player, funky batting stance, and I like the name!
Tony Lazerri had good career numbers…..Cano’s are better and he plays at at time when the level if competition is better as well. Its tough to compare eras…..but if you ask me who would have faired better in another time i’ll always go with the modern player.
Any tips on getting Spring Training autographs? I’m going to Friday’s game with my 9-year old,
===============
Hang out by the parking lot exit off Mabry in the back of the stadium after the game or get there early before the game in the park during bp along the rail.
Thanks Mick!