Nova: “Do your job, they’re not going to send you down”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Apr 03, 2012 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
When it comes to the Yankees ongoing rotation competition, Ivan Nova says he’s not worried about deja vu all over again.
“If you do your job, they’re not going to send you down,” he said. “I mean, I was doing my job last year and they sent me down, but I don’t say that’s the case right now. I think if you stay focused and do your job, I don’t think I have to worry about it.”
Nova makes his final spring start this afternoon against the Mets. Although the Yankees still have Michael Pineda coming back from shoulder tendinitis and Andy Pettitte coming back from a year-long retirement, Nova is confident his spot in the rotatoin is secure as long as he pitches well.
“I think there are two ways to look at it,” Joe Girardi said. “If you don’t want someone to take your job, don’t let them. (That’s) number one. And it’s like that trade deadline time, where you think you’re getting a player, you think you’re getting a player, then you don’t get it. Just take care of what’s in front of you that day. We can’t necessarily count on what we’re going to get. I know what we have, and that’s the message. Just go out and do your job.”
Of course, Nova was 8-4 with a 4.12 ERA when he was crowded out of the rotation last season.
“Last year is last year,” he said. “I can’t think about last year. We’re in a different year. It’s a new year and you’ve got to think of everything bad that happened last year and you take it away and start this new year with your head clear. … Once (Pineda)* is here, they’re going to find some way to have everybody. If they can’t have everybody, then something is going to happen, but right now I want him to be back as soon as possible.”
—
* Just to clarify before people get upset, Nova had been t
Associated Press photo
Gotta love Nova’s attitude. I am hoping for good things from him, Phil and Pineda…and everyone else of course.
More wisdom from Ivan the Great.
Just do your job and they won’t send you down.
kate-
Nova isn’t just a Pitcher.
He’s a Philosopher too.
“* Just to clarify before people get upset, Nova had been t”
Leavin’ us hangin’, Chad. Bet you’d never do this to your girls….
If someone does get crowded out this summer then the Yanks have to decide if they would be better off trying to trade whoever it is for a bat…..or just keep them as an option for next year. The situation could get more crowded next year if Banuelos and Betances are ready…..of course Kuroda, Garcia, and Pettite all may be gone as well…
Cash should be making calls about young outfielders just in case somebody is willing to part with one and just in case a situation that makes sense presents itself this summer.
SuperNova
“If you do your job, they’re not going to send you down,” he said. “I mean, I was doing my job last year and they sent me down…”
Nova has a refreshingly ironic sense of humor.
Shame, I thought you were one of Chad’s girls
Just do your job and they won’t send you down.
——————————
How does that help guys like Justin Maxwell or Doug Bernier?
Nova could get squeezed out if/when Pineda and Pettitte are both ready and if everyone else is healthy. I’d expect Garcia to be the first to get bumped from the rotation though.
“How does that help guys like Justin Maxwell or Doug Bernier?”
Maxwell can’t be sent down, so there’s that.. I’m not sure about Berenier.
I love Nova’s attitude ….he’s been handed nothing on his way up and he’s had to claw his way to the big leagues….then had to claw to stay there…..he’s got a toughness about him thats nice……don’t think you’ll ever see him show up out of shape or not ready to pitch…..that’s not a knock on anybody else…..its just the mindset that Nova knows he has to be on his game to stick around.
Blake-
What would Freddy net you ?
Next Spring’s competition for back end starters could be pretty intense with Pineda, Man-Ban, and Betances all in the hunt.
Am I the only one who gets all these ?? ?? ?? ?? signs all over all the articles on this site? It is really annoying
Back to your regularly scheduled program
Some guys could learn a thing or 2 from Ivan Nova.
It’s called “Novatude”. It works.
“* Just to clarify before people get upset, Nova had been t”
Shame-
Complete the sentence
a. the only starting pitcher allowed to view his opinions by Girardi
b. the smallest lineman, other than Kuroda among the starting pitchers
c. the starting pitcher concerned that he was going to be sent down again
d. the one who thought he was a goner when first reading that a pitcher was included in the Montero trade on this blog.
e. None of the above
D-Rob and Nova both have charisma.
“What would Freddy net you ?”
Maybe a reliever or B prospect and some salary relief…..probably not a lot.
Somehow the rotation depth will work itself out. A real benefit is that it affords them them the opportunity to take their time with Pineda and make sure he’s right before he is brought up, because it’s about the next four or five years with him, not only this one. I just hope they have the right people to supervise him.
MTU – I hope you ended up seeing my post to you on those pictures. I went back and looked at them for a fourth time. Then I went to the Grounds website.
If you didn’t see my post, could you check it out and answer some of my questions. I am really curious to know about the trees, the peac*ck, etc.
Simply awestriking photos.
“Next Spring’s competition for back end starters could be pretty intense with Pineda, Man-Ban, and Betances all in the hunt.”
I think if everything fell perfect…..Hughes, Pineda, and Nova would all have established themselves as reliable big league starters and then you have Banuelos and Betances duke it out for the 5th spot next spring……how likely that is to actually happen…no clue
Ken Davidoff to the NYP. Him and Sherman are as good at breaking Yankee news as anyone. So props to Ken and the NYP (even though I can only stomach their sports section).
kate – Its an exclusive club I like to include all of us in
Rich-
I think Bernier has options. It’s a shame Maxwell has done his job and will probably be put on waivers, snapped up by one of the weaker AL teams like Baltimore.
Blake-
Nova and Hughes aren’t going anywhere.
That leaves Freddy.
IF AP makes it back it’s Freddy to the pen or adios.
He can be traded after 6/15 w/o permission.
I’ll go with option C just because if I go with D I’ll be told to get over it
Trisha -
When was your post. Yesterday ? Do you know which thread it was in ?
I’d be glad to answer your questions if I can.
Perhaps you should just e-mail them to me if you wouldn’t mind ?
That way I can spare everyone here.
And thank you for the compliment.
GM – I’m not getting those question marks but I used to. I can’t remember what caused them either. Maybe someone can help out.
randy, I have to agree that an error and a steal against aren’t necessarily marks of highest praise for a catcher. I think you really might want to wait to talk about firing anyone on the Yankees who questioned Montero’s catching ability until he has a bunch of really good games under his belt. Otherwise it just ends up highlighting why the Yankees let him go and gives points to their side and not the other way around. JMO
MTU – this would be the one.
trisha – true pinstriped blue April 3rd, 2012 at 12:04 am
Monet is my choice, by the way.
That is funny, when I sent the symbols they turned into question marks…
don’t say that’s this has it twice, lets see if it switches
The last line in my last post had those symbols
I cringe out at how much Votto’s extension could cost the Yankees with Cano.
MTU
If Garcia stays as #5 and gets all his starts then he faces the Orioles- Twins-Red Sox-Tigers in the month of April. If Pettitte is ready to go by early May, Garcia might be the one to the pen, with Mitchell or Wade going back to the minors. At that point Garcia might waive his trade clause.
Yankees 2012 schedule:
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....ar=DEFAULT
“He’d have the team doin’ “Russian Pistols” just for warm up.”
mtu-
i have yet to meet an athlete who can do one first try.
sometimes for some people it takes months to lear how to do one .
they definitely should teach them to baseball players though.
they are the one thing i make sure to do every day and if i do those i know i haven’t gone backwards even if i do nothing else.
I assume Randy’s comment had to be an attempt at sarcasm because Montero is at best a poor defensive catcher at this stage
Genius – Is something to do with the encryption I think.. usually you can access a ‘character encoding’ option from the navigation menu. You’ll see options like “Western” and “Unicode”… I forget which one its supposed to be for this site to stop getting the weird symbols though lol….
Boy, I’m not much help.
The Bay Stars are also hosting Opening Series Three Consecutive Nights, Dream Legend Challenges (????“????????????”) for their opening series games against the Chunichi Dragons.
Rich in NJ April 3rd, 2012 at 9:28 am
I cringe out at how much Votto’s extension could cost the Yankees with Cano.
——————————-
I’ve been yelling about how $20 mil is the minimum per for a couple months now since there’s nothing better to yell about. If the guy turns out another MVP caliber season, I wouldn’t be surprised if he could command $20-25 million. I know I’m biased, but I’m just not sure there are any 2B better than Cano in MLB. And Boras knows it.
Genius-
I posted the above. It’s from a Japanese news site Yakyu Baka that I visited when I wanted updated info on Darvish. When I pasted the above paragraph it had Japanese, but when I submitted it, it’s now ??????
Does that help you??????????????
trisha-
I see them now. Sorry I missed them. Though they do look a bit “surreal” all the items you mentioned are 100 % real.
Very special place. Only a few like it in the whole World.
Can’t wait to hear YF’s reaction.
Have to go. Have a great day all.
Until later.
I don’t always get it right – I promised this forum Montero would never be traded after all – but when it comes to the Sux my perspicacity meter is typically right on target!
I thought Drew Bailey was a risk, not because I figured he’d be injured again, but because he was never quite the same after he was injured in Oakland. Well it at least appears the Sux will be starting without their closer. That naturally will leave them scrambling. And then there’s “The Situation” – hayseed Beckett. If it’s not his back, it’s his elbow; if it’s not his elbow, it’s his groin; if it’s not his groin, it’s his knee; if it’s not his knee, it’s his finger. Something is always out of whack.
And we have Bard, with a 6.57 ERA, joining the rotation, and a bullpen that so far consists of Ace and two others whose names I can’t remember. If Beckett for any reason isn’t going to be able to start, they are going to need another 5th – literally and figuratively!
For one day of the season I will be rooting for Justin Verlander. Opening Day against the Sux, when he will be going against Lester. Fun fun fun!
I’ll still stay with my prediction of a Sux 4th place finish.
Shame
I’m figuring $23m, but it’s the number of years that cause the cringing.
As I mentioned last night, when he becomes a free agent, he will be starting his age 31 season.
If the Yankees could give him more money over the next two seasons (he’s due to make $14m-15m per) in order to start his next deal at an earlier age, it would really benefit them, and not necessarily hurt Cano.
Some people say, well, the Yankees don’t renegotiate.
It’s a new world out there, and smart people don’t let the past tie their hands.
Later. Got a meeting.
Garcia has said he would be willing to work out of the pen. I don’t know if that will change if he’s odd-man-out when/if Pettitte joins the rotation.
It will be interesting to see how the pitching shakes out by the time they may be ready for a decision. If, for example, (and this is totally a hypothetical) Ivan Nova is pitching to a high 5 ERA and Freddy has a 3, does Freddy automatically become odd man out “just because”.
I always like my wait and watch attitude because ya just nevah know what can happen in between.
Trisha-
Perhaps I should do a plug for the GFS ?
It is non-profit after all.
I was amazed to see their website so barren of Photos.
If I thought it would help promote the place I would glady offer them w/o conditions.
I bought a video when I was there which was great but I’m a bit biased towards Photos as you know.
Wonder who makes it to the Bronx first, Mason Williams or Dante Bichette Jr.
Going to get an early start on the day. I’m away all of next week and a few days of the following week so will miss a lot of baseball.
Damn that was poor planning on my part.
stuckey March 18th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
damn,if the above far fetched story happens, what will this blog do without stuckey for two months?
________________
Randy, the bet is, one of Montero or Pineda starts a regular season game in the minors, the 60 day self-bad starts immediately and consecutively that day-evening.
No matter why, or what.
Is this correct?
MTU – absolutely do a plug for them! I’ll tell you that I didn’t get the kinds of information I was looking for when I went to their site. That’s why I had to ask you the questions that I did.
When were you there? If I understand their site corrrectly, they change their exhibits with the seasons? I would definitely want to be there when the trees were blossoming. So beautiful!
MTU, I would contact them and see if you can work out an acceptable arrangement (acceptable to you that is) with them using your photos on their site. Their web site could be and should be so much more than it is. I think they need a new site developer. (they might have gotten the work donated, who knows)
randy l. March 18th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
“Randy, the bet is, one of Montero or Pineda starts a regular season game in the minors, the 60 day self-bad starts immediately and consecutively that day-evening.
No matter why, or what.
Is this correct?”
stuckey-
that would be correct.
you do realize we have teamed up to create a win/win situation for most posters
—————————————————————————————
it’s a long shot but montero did get hit in the head last night. he could wake up with a head injury, so stuckey may still have a chance montero could beat pineda him to AAA.
but not likely
Trisha-
They do change the exhibits. I was lucky to be there right during the bloom.
Yeah. The website is incomplete and definitely needs work.
Anyone who lives in the Metro area who loves art and Nature should visit GFS.
Right there in Hamilton, N.J.
I was there to escort a Family member home To E. Brunswick.
My Brother-in-Law who is also into Photography suggested we visit and that I might like it.
Boy was he ever wrong. I loved it. I rarely get to shoot that type of stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed the change.
We have too see how nova is doing before we hand him a roatation spot for the next 10 years.
He did not have a great spring,and he had a real good year last year,but not a great one.
His peripheral numbers are not as good as hughes,or pineda’s,and probably won’t ever be.
Also,he doesn’t have the upside of banuelos,betances,campos,etc…,so if he is sporting a 4.5-5 era,and a 1.40 whip,i can easily see him sen’t down or traded.More likely sen’t down.
Being that he is cheap,and under control for years, gives him some real value,and he will have a spot with garcia,kuroda,and probably pettitte leaving after this year.
Man,if hughes can ever develope a real good changeup,he will be a great pitcher.Easily a number 2.
If i am him,and girardi/cashman/r martin,i stop at nothing to that.
“I was throwing everything. Curveballs, sliders, changeups,” the Mariners ace said after the Seattle Mariners’ 7-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday. “It’s spring training, man . I feel good.”
Hernandez threw four shutout innings, striking out six.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....story.html
the man who could not catch, caught everything felix threw.
prediction:
there will be major sports magazine covers this summer with the King and Jesus on them.
Mop walk time.
BIAW
Does Montero need a cookie for catching Felix for 4 innings. When he catches 100 or more games then I’ll be impress if he doesn’t have mucho PB and throwing errors.
“If the Yankees could give him more money over the next two seasons (he’s due to make $14m-15m per) in order to start his next deal at an earlier age, it would really benefit them, and not necessarily hurt Cano.
Some people say, well, the Yankees don’t renegotiate.
It’s a new world out there, and smart people don’t let the past tie their hands.”
———————————————————-
I really think this is out of the Yankees hands at this point. There will be no extension and there will be no home-town discount. We can sit here and say it won’t hurt Cano to agree to an extension all we want, but at the end of the day he’s the one earning a living and it’ll be his call re: how many years he’s comfortable with. Its easy to say it won’t ‘hurt Cano’ but I’m sure he’s looking at Derek going “well, I don’t want to be 38 and having this team hard ball me when I have no leverage.”
Cano is going to make bank. It actually makes me queasy.
“Man,if hughes can ever develope a real good changeup,he will be a great pitcher.Easily a number 2. If i am him,and girardi/cashman/r martin,i stop at nothing to that.”
I actually think his breaking ball is more important to his ceiling…..his CU has progressed and actually looks like a pretty good 3rd pitch to me now and a real weapon against lefties…..form him to reach his potential IMO he needs a better breaking ball as a second pitch…..he’s shown flashes of a pretty good one this spring but its still inconsistent and just had some nights (last njght )……with his fastball ….if he coukd ever develop a plus breaking ball I think he coukd be a front of the rotation guy…..his fastball is good enough….he repeats his delivery good enough …..he just needs that put away secondary pitch to take that next step.
Anyone heard how Montero is doing after getting beaned?
The Ubaldo 5 game suspension was Extremely weak. It’s weak penalties like that, that force players to instill their own form of justice at the time of the assault. Personally, I am in favor of letting the players “police” the game.
Still a lot of debate about the trade. I don’t know how this trade will turn out in the long run but I just hope I don’t see Jerry Stiller yelling at a Hank Steinbrenner character “How could you trade Jesus Montero?”
The Yanks have Cano for two more seasons. Seems silly to get all apoplectic about his status for 2014 this far out. It’s not like Boras makes a habit of signing guys to extensions and skipping free agency.
There’s risk in signing him long term just like there is in not signing him. C’est la vie’
Yanks have over $ 50 M coming off payroll at the end of the season. There’s a good bit of flexibility coming up.
it’s a long shot but montero did get hit in the head last night. he could wake up with a head injury, so stuckey may still have a chance montero could beat pineda him to AAA.
but not likely
______________________________
Randy, there is a certain amusing gratification that you still don’t get it, but nevertheless, if Pineda starts a MiL game before Montero in 2012, the bet will be honored for certain.
I hope the same can be said of you if reversed.
crawdaddy-
i think the fact that montero the mariners paired montero with felix hernandez shows the confidence they have in him.
how many runs less than zero could have the best defensive catcher in baseball done with hernandez?
montero caught 4 innings with feliz and no runs.
my feeling is that the difference between how montero catches and how a gold glove catcher catches is not that much different.
what i mean by that is how many more runs that montero would give up than a gold glove catcher.
this is a legitimate debate that isn’t easy to quantify. best fielding catcher vs worst fielding cacther
what is the difference in runs?
my opinion is as it always has been.
montero can catch adequately in the major leagues.
i think he might catch as well as posada did in his prime as he gets more experience .
we all know the yankees did quite well with posada’s skill level defensively combined with his hitting.
of course, you would have went with girardi instead of posada i guess.
i can’t argue against that preference, but it is a preference only.
i like the catcher who can hit.
“I hope the same can be said of you if reversed.”
absolutely
“It’s not like Boras makes a habit of signing guys to extensions and skipping free agency.”
No but its not his decision…two of his clients have recently signed pretty team friendly extensions (Weaver and Cargo). The Yankees should at least discuss it with him….Id much rather give him the Teixera deal now when it would end at 37…….than to wait two years and have to give it to him at age 31.
86w183 April 3rd, 2012 at 10:22 am
The Yanks have Cano for two more seasons. Seems silly to get all apoplectic about his status for 2014 this far out. It’s not like Boras makes a habit of signing guys to extensions and skipping free agency.
———————————-
Well sure, no one is getting apoplectic about it but I’m still surprised to see people talking extension or hoping for a home town discount. If Hughes performs up to the blogs expectations and Granderson has another stellar season its gonna be annoying to have to pick between the three.
Randy,
When they regularly pair them in games that count you might have a point. Catching four innings in an spring training game means nothing at this point.
Shame —
No reason they have to choose among the three. Jeter could be gone in 2014, but if he’s not he’ll be cheaper. Soriano will be gone. A-Rad’s salary edges downward.
It’s manageable. $ 189 M is still a ton of money.
IMO, if the Yankees thought Montero could give them Posada’s defense then he would be still a Yankee.
Arod’s contract edging down doesn’t help the Yankees 189M goal as they take the average salary for the entire contract in the computation.
King Felix makes catching a game, Far easier than catching a game Chucked by someone like AJ. King Felix puts his catcher in the “rocking chair”. To judge a catcher after receiving pitches from King Felix is Folly.
Gossip Break: Casa Alex
http://nyp.st/HKStg5
Good point, Donnybrook. I like to see him catch somebody like Clemens or Kuroda with their splitter.
Montero will catch ~60 games this year and be absolutely fine. Enjoy the great player you got Seattle!
“When they regularly pair them in games that count you might have a point. Catching four innings in an spring training game means nothing at this point.”
crawdaddy-
it was the last start before the season starts for henandez.i think it was an important start for felix.
i think it shows the mariners have confidence in montero and also that they are committed to having him catch this season.
i would have a lot more respect for the yankees if they just said montero could be a mlb catcher, but that he was the price they had to pay to get the ceiling of a pineda.
what i don’t like is them bad mouthing montero’s catching ability indirectly by things that have been said by them. it just makes them look incompetent when analyzing player abilities when montero goes out and catches like he did last night with hernandez.
“Id much rather give him the Teixera deal now when it would end at 37…….than to wait two years and have to give it to him at age 31.”
————————-
But Cano doesn’t have to worry about the budget
He’d be crazy to sign sooner. Just like all the pitchers that have signed extensions were crazy. This is an honest question so please excuse my ignorance, but: When was the last time a second baseman as good as Cano hit free agency in his prime? Are there better 2B in the game right now?
Yes, a lot can change in two seasons. But that’s always a double edged sword. On one hand, he could get injured and have the whole thing go up in smoke. On the other, we could be looking at having to resign the 2013 AL MVP.
Montero will catch some….probably 20-40 games…..I think the Mariners consider his catching a bonus and they really don’t even care so long as he hits…….honestly I think they are better off maximizing his offense because that’s what they need going forward…..and sometimes trying to learn to catch and being beaten up behind the plate doesn’t allow that…..catch some…..but mainly worry about mashing.
“King Felix makes catching a game, Far easier than catching a game Chucked by someone like AJ. King Felix puts his catcher in the “rocking chair”. To judge a catcher after receiving pitches from King Felix is Folly.”
feliz hernandez is easy to catch?
oh really.
the guy throws four pitches that hitters can’t seem to hit.
what makes you think that calling four pitches and catching four pitches that hitters don’t hit is easier?
i have to hear this one.
Patrick April 3rd, 2012 at 10:41 am
Montero will catch ~60 games this year and be absolutely fine. Enjoy the great player you got Seattle!
///
Rage
“He’d be crazy to sign sooner.”
He coukd think that way….but why did Kemp sign sooner…..why did Tulo….why did Braun…..why did Votto? So long as the club is offering close to market value it reduces risk for the player to go ahead and sign if you’re where you want to be…..especially if its two years until free agency……there are no guarantees that Cano will be healthy in two years……so the player trades a little money for the security …..180 million in the hand may be worth 210 in the bush….etc………Cano may not do it…..but they should ask…..
86 – Arod’s contract doesn’t really go down in 2014. And if he’s still productive there’s a very good chance we’ll be paying him bonus money for certain milestones that count against our cap.
Its not that I think its impossible to field a team at $189, I just don’t think you can keep Martin, Hughes, Granderson, and Cano (assuming all are performing well, of course – yes, I’m aware, a big assumption). The key, as has been stated, is having at least 3 cheap starting pitchers in the rotation and hoping you can do something similar with the pen. If they can get that done it becomes a lot more realistic to hang onto them.
“what i don’t like is them bad mouthing montero’s catching ability indirectly by things that have been said by them. it just makes them look incompetent when analyzing player abilities when montero goes out and catches like he did last night with hernandez.”
When have the Yankees said any such thing?
Montero catching 60 games this season is something I want to see.
If you extend Cano now then you’re gonna have to pay market value in AAV to get it done…..which is over 20 millions per…..but their are two advantages potentially. 1) it would allow you to better budget towards 2014 2) you may be able to reduce the total years you’re committing to.
Seatle did NOT get a great “player”. They got a good “hitter” that MAY develop into a great hitter. BIG difference.
J Al – it is possible that Patrick is correct. And it is possible that he is wrong. Isn’t it better to just wait and let things play out rather than to get upset about that which you really don’t know at this point?
Also I think it helps not to look back, as much as possible, for this reason. (And I say this all the time). We cannot know what Player X would have done in the Bronx, no matter what he does elsewhere. That works for good and bad. If someone is a total failure elsewhere, it doesn’t mean the same thing would have happened in the Bronx – and vice versa.
That is factually correct of course. But I don’t know if it helps at all when you’re still high on a player.
Just trying to help out.
“.honestly I think they are better off maximizing his offense because that’s what they need going forward…..and sometimes trying to learn to catch and being beaten up behind the plate doesn’t allow that…..catch some…..but mainly worry about mashing.”
blake-
i’d catch montero enough in the regular season so that he could catch full time in the play offs.
personally i don’t think a good hitting catcher should catch all the time in the regular season.
i’ve long advocated that the catcher position be redefined. i’d have three guys on a team who could do it.
one would be the really good hitter.
one would be the really good defensive one.
the other would be a guy who could play first and third and maybe corner outfield positions primarily but who could catch when needed.
blake – I agree with you completely. They should ask. Especially given the fact that so many other players have been open to it…
That being said.. I still think he’d be stupid to do it and I still think the others were as well lol.
We’ve discussed it before, but its sometimes worth reiterating: the prices for players never trends backwards. Cano may be hurt or something when the time come to resign… or he may be considered amongst the elite. That’s not something anyone can predict, but if he follows his trajectory so far…….he’s gonna make it hurt, blake lol. Its gonna hurt.
Heard an interview with Miguel Olivo a couple of weeks back……and he was asked if he was worried that they traded for a catcher…..he said “why, he’s a DH right now”….I don’t think they are planning on him catching all that much this year….like I said maybe 20-40 games…..now next year and beyond who knows….probably depends on how he does …..but I think the main reason they traded for him was because of the bat….and if he catches that’s a bonus.
Erin~
It’s not Yankee gossip but, thought of you when I heard read this story…
http://tinyurl.com/7pwg4qs
randy, how did the Yankees badmouth Montero?
J Al – FWIW, I absolutely expect Montero to rake. I am going to be surprised if he does otherwise. But I’ve thought that all along.
I had to fight to get equilibrium on the whole thing so whatever it takes, I’m doing it, even if it is mind over matter. Truth.
i’d catch montero enough in the regular season so that he could catch full time in the play offs.”
Yes….I would as well to give myself that option….but if Seattle doesn’t have a decent DH option besides him then that doesn’t matter much
Randy,
In due time, we’ll find out one way or another what type of ML catcher Montero is going to be. It’s put up or shut up time for him now. He’s on a terrible team with lower expectations out on the west coast. No excuses for him to show his detractors wrong about his defensive ability.
The Frisco contracts to The Freak and Cain are absurd. Votto musta had some compromising snap shots involving Jocketty.
Yanks never said Montero couldn’t catch. If anything they beleived he COULD turn out to be regular catcher. it was scouts and analysts all around baseball that thought he could not be a catcher long term. Point is, Yanks had a chance to get a young stud pitcher and they are very hard to find these days. I know it doesn’t look great now but lets wait and see how things turn out before we blast Cashman and the trade. The knee jerk reaction by 75 percent of our fan base is to judge the trade riight now because of Pineda’s injury. But you have to give it a couple of years before a trade is judged a success or a failure, just like the Granderson trade. Besides, I really wonder how our ‘patient’ fan base would have reacted to Austin Jackson’s huge strikeout ratio and Kennedy’s non succcess pitching in the AL East
Miguel Olivo is not chopped liver. And he has power. I’m not thinking he’s going to be replaced any time soon. I’m sure my WCS can give you more information on Olivo.
Sis?
….he’s gonna make it hurt, blake lol. Its gonna hurt.”
Absolutely
I wonder how many people who now believe Montero is a DH were of the opinion that he could catch when he was still a Yankee…
Don’t really recall anyone on here saying he’s a full-time DH before the trade. Now it seems like the majority opinion? Fickle…
“Isn’t it better to just wait and let things play out …”
no ,we like to talk about things.
we like to look at alternative courses of action and speculate about the future.
we like to test our ability to imagine different possible scenarios.
“waiting and letting “is a passive activity for people who like to watch the world go by.
perfect for couch potatoes and heavy tv watchers .
no thinking necessary.
of course, we know that’s not you though trisha
you’re actually quite active
why you advocate watching and waiting i have no idea.
it really doesn’t seem to suit you.
you seem more like the take action type to me.
Donnybrook and Crawdaddy,
King felix in not easy to catch, his breaking pitches are tough to receive. Just the fact that he was catching his final tune up, says how much the M’s are commited to have Montero as a catcher.
This was a monumental blunder from the FO, especially if you take it to account the recent contracts given by teams, the new CBA and their commitment to go below the 189mil mark.
With this mantra of “pitching,pitching,pitching”. We will end up having Ramiro Pena batting clean up.
Funny Cano promotion for ESPN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUWMMM9eNxU
“I wonder how many people who now believe Montero is a DH were of the opinion that he could catch when he was still a Yankee…”
I think he could catch….probably acceptabley if given enough time…..but I just wouldn’t care that much if he did if he hits the way I think he can…..that’s where his value always will be….and especially if he’s on a team that doesn’t have a decent DH alternative……if you’re the Mariners….would you rather have Montero at DH and Olivo catching…..or Montero catching and some Raul Ibanez clone DHing?
Luis,
Please spare me that BS about Pena and the huge blunder by the FO. If you want to agree with your pal Randy fine and dandy, but don’t try to sell hyperbole to me.
“It’s put up or shut up time for him now. He’s on a terrible team with lower expectations out on the west coast. No excuses for him to show his detractors wrong about his defensive ability.”
crawdaddy-
i would agree with that. it’s a tremendous opportunity for him.
i think he’s going to do well, and last night showed he’s well on his way.
Rosy-that’s awesome. So sweet!
BTW, anytime you want to post Mariner gossip, go right ahead. You’ll always have at least one reader.
“the guy throws four pitches that hitters can’t seem to hit.”
~
Correction Randy, Felix throws FIVE pitches
http://tinyurl.com/cx6bl2m
“i think he’s going to do well, and last night showed he’s well on his way.”
Last night, he showed me nothing. Let’s see where he is, catching games that count.
if you’re the Mariners….would you rather have Montero at DH and Olivo catching…..or Montero catching and some Raul Ibanez clone DHing?
—
Olivo is not a great defensive catcher either. He’s been a mix of average and atrocious throughout his career. Pretty good arm though..
I’d rather let Montero catch as much as he is capable of so you have that option on the table if a big time DH is available. Just because the Yankees made an error by signing a scrub like Ibanez doesn’t mean the Mariners would make the same mistake.
Crawdaddy April 3rd, 2012 at 11:02 am
Funny Cano promotion for ESPN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUWMMM9eNxU
********************
That totally made my day.
“no ,we like to talk about things.”
Actually, I think you just like to run your mouth off and pretend you’re some kind of baseball guru.
Rich in NJ April 3rd, 2012 at 9:28 am
I cringe out at how much Votto’s extension could cost the Yankees with Cano.
———————-
Could be worse – thanks to the young, cost controlled pitching the Yankees now have they won’t have to mess around for pitchers like Hamels or Greinke seeking to go above what Matt Cain signed for yesterday.
Just because the Yankees made an error by signing a scrub like Ibanez doesn’t mean the Mariners would make the same mistake.
——————————
The Seattle Mariners: Epitomizing Front Office Excellence Since….
“Olivo is not a great defensive catcher either. He’s been a mix of average and atrocious throughout his career. Pretty good arm though..”
He’s better than Montero now though …..im sure they are going to catch him enough this year to try and evaluate if he can do it more……but again I think the primary goal especially for them is to maximize his offense.
Patrick April 3rd, 2012 at 10:59 am
I wonder how many people who now believe Montero is a DH were of the opinion that he could catch when he was still a Yankee…
Don’t really recall anyone on here saying he’s a full-time DH before the trade. Now it seems like the majority opinion? Fickle…
—————–
My opinion of him remains mostly unchanged – I don’t think you’ll ever confuse Montero with Pudge Rodriguez back there but if he hits as predicted and is at least better than Matt LeCroy was teams will leave him back there because of the value he provides there vs. if he’s a DH.
My concern isn’t so much his ability to play behind the plate it’s his ability to remain healthy long term at his size behind the plate. There is only one catcher who is of his build that I can think of and that’s Mauer and we’ve already seen him besieged by injuries early in his career.
Of course it is hyperbole the Pena thing. But it doesn’t takes anything away from the move being a blunder, with the new conditions is going to be very hard to get a bat like that.
A bat that can actually play a position.
Only time will tell, but the kid is going to be awesome. So good that it’s going to hurt.
The Seattle Mariners: Epitomizing Front Office Excellence Since….
—
Jack Z isn’t a bad GM, he’s shown flairs of brilliance. He’s also made some bad decisions. He’s not a Jon Daniels, Andrew Friedman, etc but he’s not the worst by far.
If you read the post I was replying to though you would see that this was a hypothetical question where I am running the Mariners.
He’s better than Montero now though …..im sure they are going to catch him enough this year to try and evaluate if he can do it more……but again I think the primary goal especially for them is to maximize his offense.
—
Do you think catching him for 60 games will negatively effect his offense?
Gotta wonder what kinda “rep” Jack Z has with the other GM’s. He seems oily to me from afar. Smoak jury still out.
“Actually, I think you just like to run your mouth off and pretend you’re some kind of baseball guru.”
i can’t tell you how it made my day that you said i had a friend on the blog.
wow, last month i was a cancer who you thought should be banned and now i have friends.
blog life is looking good
Votto: 10/$225
“Of course it is hyperbole the Pena thing. But it doesn’t takes anything away from the move being a blunder, with the new conditions is going to be very hard to get a bat like that.”
The new conditions are the reasons why the Yankees made the trade. In time, we’ll find out whether they were right making that trade or not.
Patrick – I was just joshin’ with ya. I don’t really care how bad the Mariners are
Let’s wait and see how many games Montero plays at an actual on-the-field position. And that’s from innings 1-9, not filling in late in blowouts and padding the stats.
“There is only one catcher who is of his build that I can think of and that’s Mauer and we’ve already seen him besieged by injuries early in his career.”
i think mauer is a good example fo why you wouldn’t want to catch montero too much.
mauer is just too good a hitter to waste catching all those regular season games.
he’s doesn’t seem to be the hitter he was .
“wow, last month i was a cancer who you thought should be banned and now i have friends.”
LMAO
luis April 3rd, 2012 at 11:12 am
“Of course it is hyperbole the Pena thing. But it doesn’t takes anything away from the move being a blunder, with the new conditions is going to be very hard to get a bat like that.
A bat that can actually play a position.
Only time will tell, but the kid is going to be awesome. So good that it’s going to hurt.”
And you know this how? What else does your crystal ball tell you?
“wow, last month i was a cancer who you thought should be banned and now i have friends.”
I was trying to be nice, but as you like to call others for not thinking for themselves if they agree with Yankee management then I think the case can be made that some buy into your blog theories for the same inability to think for themselves.
Craw,
Besides, it was meant as a joke. Can you imagine Pena as our clean up guy?. Life is good man, enjoy it and don’t take everything so serious.
Luis,
Keep the advice for yourself as anybody that takes this blog seriously has some real problems.
thanks to the young, cost controlled pitching the Yankees now have they won’t have to mess around for pitchers like Hamels or Greinke seeking to go above what Matt Cain signed for yesterday.
————————–
That young cost controlled pitching has to come through for them though.
Erin ~
*****
Sis ~
Miggy’s got a decent power bat and is as hard-nosed as they come (see last year’s Ms / Ys game at the Safe when slid face first into 1B-literally). As for his catching, he’s got a gun for an arm but, will rack up more than his fair share of errors and passed balls.
So, while Miggy will be a great mentor attitude-wise, technically, not so much. Then again, he works well with the pitchers, and that’s really the most important skill to refine anyway….
Patrick April 3rd, 2012 at 11:12 am
The Seattle Mariners: Epitomizing Front Office Excellence Since….
—
Jack Z isn’t a bad GM, he’s shown flairs of brilliance. He’s also made some bad decisions. He’s not a Jon Daniels, Andrew Friedman, etc but he’s not the worst by far.
If you read the post I was replying to though you would see that this was a hypothetical question where I am running the Mariners.
————–
I think every GM has his hits and misses. Jack probably screwed up taking the Rangers offer for Lee instead of the Yankee offer; gave Chone Figgins a 4 year deal, dealt away a good starter in Morrow for Brandon League – just off the top of my head
On the other hand, he didn’t give up too much for Cliff Lee and probably got the best of the three team deal with the Mets and Indians where he wound up with Mike Carp for JJ Putz and did alright for himself in the Doug Fister deal.
The key thing that you’ll notice, I think, in his deals is that most of them were made possible by having an excess of pitching in the system. Pitching is in demand and if you have it to spare you’ll be able to make trades to help your club.
randy – you didn’t get the point. Push me over with a feather.
I was suggesting to J Al that he let it play out rather than get upset without knowing the outcome.
And please stop saying “we” when you talk about your penchants here. I don’t know that a lot of people would want to be included in your way of doing much.
Well adjusted people let life flow without flipping out over that which they don’t know. I’d suggest you try it sometime but I know it’s an impossibility for you.
the thing that’s weird is that the yankees seemed to be down on montero’s ability to catch and this influenced their decision to trade him, yet they are going with cervelli as their back up catcher when he has only a 14% throwing out runners stat that is about as bad as it gets.
throwing isn’t everything for a catcher, but it’s pretty important. i’m guessing girardi knows that cervelli’s arm has been sore and doesn’t want to say anything because it would only encourage more running.
he must be figuring that cervelli’s arm is better now,a nd it could be. if not, it makes no sense to me to have a back up who throws out only 14% of runners.
“Do you think catching him for 60 games will negatively effect his offense?”
Probably not….depends on how much focus he puts into those 60 games defensively and how beat up he gets in those 60 games…..but probably not…..that would be a good number to me…..I just don’t think they’ll catch him that many this year……
Takle,
I don’t…but it is an educated guess. Time will tell, and I will be the first one to recognize that I was wrong, if that’s the case. Won’t be the first time nor the last.
“Then again, he works well with the pitchers, and that’s really the most important skill to refine anyway”‘
HUGE.
“Only time will tell, but the kid is going to be awesome. So good that it’s going to hurt.”
“Only time will tell, but…”
That sentence contradicts itself.
But okay, he’s going to be so good it’s going to hurt.
How much?
Yes or no, do you think the Yankees will miss the postseason in future years, yes or no?
“Life is good man, enjoy it and don’t take everything so serious.”
Luis, take your own advice. I’ve tried to engage you in relevant, baseball-centric discussion and you’ve been moved request that I ignore you you’ve apparently become so frustrated.
It is hypocritical of you to be offering this “advice” to others.
randy,
I mostly agree with you in regards to Montero and the Pineda trade but I don’t recall seeing Cashman talk negatively about Montero’s ability to catch in the big leagues. Where did you see that?
blake,
Maybe he won’t catch that many games this year but I think he is capable of hitting that number and doing a fine job when he is behind the plate. Any time you get him behind the plate it just increases his value in my opinion. I think his eventual future is at 1B or full time DH simply because of the upside of his bat but for the time being I think it’s absolutely fine for him to catch maybe 50-60 games a season.
“the thing that’s weird is that the yankees seemed to be down on montero’s ability to catch and this influenced their decision to trade him, yet they are going with cervelli as their back up catcher when he has only a 14% throwing out runners stat that is about as bad as it gets.”
That’s a long way from the accusation you made earlier when you accused the Yankees of downplaying Montero’s catching ability and leaking it to the media.
I said this last month when Sherman predicted that Cano will be looking for 8/200, and my opinion hasnt changed after what happened yesterday: Cano will most likely be playing for a different team in 2014.
I dont see the Yanks giving him 8 – 10 years at 20+ mil. And it has nothing to do with the 189 mil “cap”. I just dont see them locking themselves into another Arod situation.
And I wouldn’t blame them, BTW.
Crawdad, randy has an uncanny way of backing off hard-nosed positions he’s taken in the past. Maybe he realizes that he’s been too rigid in what he’s said and attempts to soften in. Who knows.
“Any time you get him behind the plate it just increases his value in my opinion. I think his eventual future is at 1B or full time DH simply because of the upside of his bat but for the time being I think it’s absolutely fine for him to catch maybe 50-60 games a season.”
Agreed…..I think his value as a catches would have been greater with the Yankees because they coukd have maximized the DH spot also
“Pitching is in demand and if you have it to spare you’ll be able to make trades to help your club.”
It is kind of like having cigarettes in prison.
Patrick April 3rd, 2012 at 11:29 am
randy,
I mostly agree with you in regards to Montero and the Pineda trade but I don’t recall seeing Cashman talk negatively about Montero’s ability to catch in the big leagues. Where did you see that?
———————————-
I find it very hard to believe that Cashman would rip Montero’s ability to catch either before or after the trade. It serves no purpose and, say what you will about Cashman, he only does things if there’s a purpose.
Do I think the Yankees believe(d) Montero was or will be a good catcher? No. If they did they probably wouldn’t have traded him. Much like I don’t think they believe he’s athletic enough to move to any other position on the field.
But there would be no point in saying so publicly.
“Then again, he works well with the pitchers, and that’s really the most important skill to refine anyway”‘
yes and no.
if a guy like ron washington gets in a game that he needs to win and cervelli is catching, he may have his team steal non stop.
they did this against varitek one game last year.
personally i think it puts a lot of pressure on a pitcher when the catcher throws runners out poorly.
the pitchers have to slide step and throw pitches they may not want to throw to give the catcher a chance.
Watching that Marlins club…..if Hanley is back then that lineup has a chance to be nasty …..still don’t think their rotation is good enough to win yet….Zambrano looked terrible yesterday….but they should hit
Shame Spencer April 3rd, 2012 at 11:35 am
“Pitching is in demand and if you have it to spare you’ll be able to make trades to help your club.”
It is kind of like having cigarettes in prison.
—————–
Nice analogy.
What’s with the R\Sox cloak of secrecy surrounding just how both Bailey\Beckett injured their thumbs?
randy l. April 3rd, 2012 at 11:36 am
“Then again, he works well with the pitchers, and that’s really the most important skill to refine anyway”‘
yes and no.
if a guy like ron washington gets in a game that he needs to win and cervelli is catching, he may have his team steal non stop.
they did this against varitek one game last year.
personally i think it puts a lot of pressure on a pitcher when the catcher throws runners out poorly.
the pitchers have to slide step and throw pitches they may not want to throw to give the catcher a chance.
—————–
That’s why Russ Martin is the primary catcher – not Cervelli.
“It is kind of like having cigarettes in prison.”
shame-
personal experience?
CountryClub April 3rd, 2012 at 11:32 am
I said this last month when Sherman predicted that Cano will be looking for 8/200, and my opinion hasnt changed after what happened yesterday: Cano will most likely be playing for a different team in 2014.
I dont see the Yanks giving him 8 – 10 years at 20+ mil. And it has nothing to do with the 189 mil “cap”. I just dont see them locking themselves into another Arod situation.
———————————-
Dude…. are you trying to make me cry right now? ‘Cause I’ll cry right now. I’ll do it.
Watching that Marlins club…..if Hanley is back then that lineup has a chance to be nasty …..still don’t think their rotation is good enough to win yet….Zambrano looked terrible yesterday….but they should hit
—
I could see it if LoMo takes a step forward. I like the core of that lineup with Reyes, Hanley, Stanton and LoMo. The big question for me though is Josh Johnson. Is he back? If yes (and he can stay healthy), he’s one of the best pitchers in the league – up there with Halladay, Lee, Lincecum, Kershaw.
New Post w/lineup
randy l. April 3rd, 2012 at 11:38 am
“It is kind of like having cigarettes in prison.”
shame-
personal experience?
————————————-
No, but I did spend the night at a Holiday Inn once where I watched The Wire
It may be that the Yankees thought Montero might be a mediocre or even average catcher, but they want above average defense behind the plate. I think Girardi probably had a lot of input there, don’t know about Cashman. Didn’t Cashman resign Posada though? So they probably saw Montero as more of a DH and they figured they can always find someone that can hit decently to fill that position, as well as rotating guys in for “half days”. That’s my guess on how/why it went down.
Catching a pitcher who throws to the location at which you are set up is far easier than a Burnett type. Unlike the hitter, the catcher knows what’s coming. Just because a pitcher is hard to hit doesn’t mean he is hard to catch. In fact, often the reverse is true.
I didn’t see anyone mention Montero’s throwing error. He is, by all accounts, not a very good catcher. Catching four innings of Hernandez changes that reputation? Really?
jacksquat, agree. Perish the thought that they would want good defense behind the dish.
“That’s why Russ Martin is the primary catcher – not Cervelli.”
martin was really good last year until he got beat up and run down from catching too much.
the back up needs to be able to jump in there more to keep martin fresh
“I didn’t see anyone mention Montero’s throwing error.”
I mentioned it, but Randy ignored it because it didn’t fit his agenda.
“I didn’t see anyone mention Montero’s throwing error. He is, by all accounts, not a very good catcher. Catching four innings of Hernandez changes that reputation? Really?”
austin mac-
as a judge of catching you make a good lawyer.
montero catches just fine.
if you’re going to be upset about a throwing error i think martin and cervelli led the league in combined throwing errors last year. i could be wrong on that though.
of course you are right that throwing errors are not something you want.
that doesn’t change the fact that the mariners believe in montero’s ability to cacth king felix.
they trusted him in hernandez’s last spring training start which is an important one.
even you would have to admit that montero did that job just fine.
“I mentioned it, but Randy ignored it because it didn’t fit his agenda.”
crawdaddy and autinmac-
why are you concerned about a montero throwing error , but not cerveli’s throwing which is as bad as it gets in major league baseball ?
or doesn’t that fit YOUR agenda?
I thought Stanton’s name was “Mike”.
What’s up with the “Giancarlo” ?
New thread —>