In his own words: Girardi’s opening press conference
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Feb 12, 2013 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Here are Joe Girardi’s answers to some of the biggest topics of the day, and the biggest topics of the spring.
On the new look offense…
“I anticipate it’s going to be different, because we don’t quite have the home run hitters we’ve had in the past. So we’re going to have to find different ways to score runs. I think when you look at our club this year, there’s more speed. You have one outfielder who has the potential of stealing 50, 60 bases if he stays healthy the whole year. So I think our offense is going to be different, but I believe that we’re going to score runs. It’s just going to be in a different fashion than it has been in the past.”
On the center field situation…
“If you were going to make a change, you would make it pretty early in spring training. As of today, we haven’t really decided that we’re going to make a change. We haven’t had a lot of discussions about making a change. The reason I talk about it is that now you’ve got two guys (who have to change) — well, Gardy doesn’t really have to learn the position — but you’re moving two guys, in a sense. So it’s something that I’m sure will be talked about a little bit, but as of right now, Ichiro’s in right, Curtis is in center, and Gardy’s in left.”
On the catching situation…
“Chris (Stewart) is probably going to play a bigger role this year. It’s an opportunity for a young guy like Austin Romine. I know he missed a lot of last year, but he still has an opportunity here. Cervy has a big opportunity in front of him. A lot of times you can look at a catcher and say, here’s a guy who can hit 20 home runs and drove in 60 runs or 80 runs. It’s hard to quantify how many runs a catcher can save. I believe we have two catchers that can do a lot of that, the two that we take will save a lot of runs for us.”
On Mariano Rivera…
“I would be more concerned with Mo if it was his arm than his knee. He’s had ample time to heal, and I believe he’s a great athlete, and I don’t believe it should affect his pitching. But if he would have had a shoulder surgery, or if he would have had an elbow surgery, I would have been concerned. But I feel pretty good about Mo, and my guess is everyone in that room does.”
On Derek Jeter…
“I think he can (come back and be productive). Just knowing Derek, I think he can. But I think you have to see it to take away that trepidation you might have about it. And that’s true for any injury, when a guy comes back from a hamstring, there’s concern until you see him go through a week, maybe two weeks. There’s concern about him coming back for me until I see him go through a week, two weeks, and how he responds. If he plays three days in a row, does he get sore? In my mind, I believe he’s going to be an everyday shortstop for us, but you still want to see it.”
On Michael Pineda…
“He’s throwing now for us. He’s still in the early stages. I don’t think we’re going to see him in a game in spring training, anything like that. He is throwing, we’re happy with the way he’s progressing, and sometime during the summer we hope to see him. ”
On the batting order…
“There’s some things that we’re going to have to navigate through, how it’s exactly going to work, to try to break up some of your left-handed hitters. That’s something that we’re going to have to iron out in spring training. Sometimes it’s strange because in the first part of spring training, you usually don’t have your nine players playing together on an everyday basis, so you don’t know exactly how it works. It’s something that I’m going to think about during spring training. I’m going to play with some different ideas during spring training. And then we’re going to have to have something for Opening Day.”
On Alex Rodriguez not coming to camp…
“I think Alex had somewhat of a special surgery. It’s not a hamstring. It’s not something we’ve done a lot of. We feel at this point the best place for him to be is New York rehabbing under the doctor’s supervision. There will come a point where he’s able to do more and that will change. But at this point, I spoke to him last week and he was still barely on crutches. He was almost off them. There’s not a lot that he can do here.
On players seeking outside medical advice (from, say, Anthony Bosch as an example)…
“I had a physical trainer that I went to for 15 years (as a player), and it worked for me, so I stuck with him. I always followed exactly what the Yankees prescribed that I do in the winter. I had my issues that I had to make sure that I was healthy, whether it was my back, or I was coming back from a minor knee surgery, so I went to my guy. I want our players to go to our people as much as they can. But you know that’s not always going to happen, so the important thing is, if you seek outside opinions they need to be wise opinions, and you probably need to discuss it with your club.”
On the age of the roster…
“It’s always a concern, but that’s been something that we’ve been talking about for the last 10 years is an old roster. The last 12 years. Last year we were old and we won 95 games. This team has a lot of character. When I think about some of the age on the club, you might have to manage a little bit differently than you would with a younger club. You might have to give a day off here and there more than you would if you had a bunch of 25 year olds. In saying that, I know we have a lot of guys that are extremely experienced, understand what it’s like to play in this division, understand that it’s like to play in New York because of their experience. And I like that.”
On the club as a whole…
“This team could win 95 games and get to the World Series. There’s a lot of talent in that room. I’ve heard a lot of discussions about the Yankees didn’t make a big free agent splash this year. We didn’t necessarily outside of the people that we’re all very aware of that were parts of our club. If Hiroki Kuroda was a Dodger last year and signed with us, we’d say that’s a pretty good signing. If Andy Pettitte was an Astro and we signed him back, that would’ve been a pretty big signing. If Mariano Rivera was — I don’t know where Mo would have been — but if he was somewhere else and we signed the greatest closer of all-time, that’s a pretty big signing. Sometimes the people that we signed, we kind of overlook because they’ve been around here so much. Those are pretty big signings. I know they’re not long term deals but they’re extremely important to our club. I believe we’re still a very talented club.”
Associated Press photos (no formal workout, but obviously Pineda threw today)
If Girardi is truly 48 yrs old, he should Immediately find another job. Being Yankee Skipper is turning him into an old man quickly.
so girardi says 95 wins.
that’s right up there with the predictions of everybody who wants him and cashman fired!
Nope, I say 88 wins, and I don’t blame Girardi. He has to live with the old team and limited bench when a bench is even more critical. I think he will do as well as he can.
RAB did an article the other day on the LH outfielders stats vs. left handed pitchers. I was a bit surprised to see Ichiro very poor against them. They need a right handed hitting outfielder with an arm to play right. I don’t know if Diaz has an arm or not. Does anyone?
Girardi did a terrific job last year of squeezing 95 wins out of that bunch….he annoys me sometimes but hard to say much about him IMO….they won more games than they should have in 2012
“that’s right up there with the predictions of everybody who wants him and cashman fired!”
89 = 95?
Given the makeup of this team, focusing on one number is kind of silly since there are so many more question marks than has been the case in the last 16 or so years.
So the range is probably 86-91 or maybe 92 if everything breaks right (assuming they don’t improve the trade via trades)
When a team has many older players, and the Yankees starters are more than two years older than any other team, many things can go wrong. A bench is critical. It is unfortunate it is weaker than last year.
The 2013 team’s success or failure will depend entirely upon health.
@AndrewMarchand: Swish’s No. 33 is now Grady Sizemore’s.
Either we signed Sizemore or Marshand doesn’t know the difference between he and Hafner
“Girardi did a terrific job last year of squeezing 95 wins out of that bunch…”
Without commenting Girardi, I think the increase in last season’s marginal win total was largely due to having Soriano on the shelf and ready to go as an upper echelon closer.
I also think the yanks benefitted greatly from a diminished AL east last year …..lot of things went right to make it happen….hopefully will again
Warning Track Power February 12th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
Chip
Leave the Maxwell debate alone. Nobody could have predicted he would have played
so well as an Astro.
At the time ST 2012 concluded, the Yankees decided against keeping him.
Of course it was a poor choice, but I think every MLB team would have made the same move.
Keeping the Vet and dismissing the unproven player.
——————————
I’m not ripping the Yankees for letting Maxwell go – for all the reasons you said. However that doesn’t mean that the Yankees shouldn’t try to re-acquire him now.
blake February 12th, 2013 at 2:58 pm
@AndrewMarchand: Swish’s No. 33 is now Grady Sizemore’s.
Either we signed Sizemore or Marshand doesn’t know the difference between he and Hafner
———————–
I’m guessing the latter – but I wouldn’t mind signing Sizemore to a minor league deal
It doesn’t give one great faith in the writers when one confuses Hafner with Sizemore.
On Alex Rodriguez not coming to camp…
“I think Alex had somewhat of a special surgery. It’s not a hamstring. It’s not something we’ve done a lot of. We feel at this point the best place for him to be is New York rehabbing under the doctor’s supervision. There will come a point where he’s able to do more and that will change. But at this point, I spoke to him last week and he was still barely on crutches. He was almost off them. There’s not a lot that he can do here.
——————
See the problem with this is that Alex rehabbed from his last hip surgery in Tampa…sooooooo
OR Maybe Swish gave Grady a jersey as a present
Mac -
You have to remember that Marchand works for ESPN…so he’s not actually a professional or anything.
@gbakermariners: Felix Hernandez deal is done. Press conference in Seattle tomorrow at 2 p.m. PT
The AL East had the second best record of any division in MLB (30 games above .500). It was hardly diminished. No other division had three 90-win teams.
Boston was bad, but Baltimore had its best season in 15 years and Tampa Bay was very good.
@ESPNNewYork: Stewvelli reminds Joe Girardi of … Joe. http://t.co/UsHsWV2S @AndrewMarchand #Yankees #NYY #MLB
Why does Joe forget that joe wasn’t very good
Indians lineup looks pretty good today:
Bourn – CF
Brantley – LF
Asdrubal – SS
Santana – C
Swisher – 1b
Reynolds – DH
Chisenhal – 3b
Stubbs – RF
Phelps/Aviles – 2b
Rotation:
Masterson
Carrasco
Myers
Ubaldo
Dice/McAllister
Blake –
Did you see the line from Girardi that pitchers would be thrilled if Stewart was the every day catcher? I wasn’t sure if he meant the Yankee pitchers or opposing ones.
Seriously though – we saw this bias from the moment Girardi came to the Yankees. Phasing Posada out, not playing Montero ever and then dealing him away…
Cleveland’s lineup is pretty good….their rotation is awful though….would think Bauer will be in there
Chip,
Yea it’s annoying
@Buster_ESPN
‘Minor concessions’ were made to address the condition of Felix’s elbow in his new 7/175m deal. Old deal torn up.
So the 7 year deal for Felix starts now..?
I wonder what Joe will have Posada doing as an instructor…? Will he be relegated to staying the hell away from everyone?
Indians should sign Lohse.
Shame, its a 5 year extension. All ‘extensions’ rip up the old contract, as you can only ever be under 1 player contract at a time.
The new language says that if Felix starts having elbow pain then Jack is allowed to trade him to the Yankees
Ah yes, I forgot Bauer – he’ll likely be in there and push Ubaldo to the 5th spot. Though they won’t do it I wonder who would hang up on an offer of Cano and Hughes for Phelps, Chisenhal, Masterson and Brantley.
Indians should definately sign Lohse if they are gonna spend money…..right now they are wasting it with that rotation
Blake,
Well if Carrasco comes back then they’re pretty good with him and Masterson up front, and then Myers, Ubaldo and Bauer. I don’t think Loshe would do well in the AL.
Though they won’t do it I wonder who would hang up on an offer of Cano and Hughes for Phelps, Chisenhal, Masterson and Brantley.
–
Yankees would hang up for sure.
Yea that’s terrible for the Yanks….
Just renewed MLB.TV for the year. First Yankee game Sunday, 2/24. Can’t wait.
I watch cable channels in the afternoon while I’m doing paperwork and such, and it’s pretty depressing. Not the shows, the ads. Most of you know I’m an old fart, so here’s why it’s depressing:
In one two-hour period, here’s the ad roster
Arthritis remedies
Walk-in bathtubs
Erectile disfunction cures
Portable oxygen supplies
Funeral insurance
Medicare supplements
Incontinence
Low T
Sleeping pills
Asbestos lawyers
Folding canes and walkers
Hoveround chairs,
Etc.
A little afternoon baseball will help distance me from decline and mortality, even if sponsored by New York Life.
tomingeorgia -
OMG! You had me literally laughing out loud! YES!!! If I hear one more of those ads I am going to shriek!!!
I try not to watch afternoon TV, but sometimes, if I want to do some busy work where my TV is those shows are a distraction. But the ads!!! OMG.
Yeah, Cleveland’s starting pitching stinks.
Doreen,
You going to rejoin the Morning Crew this year? Oh, I forgot hearing aids.
Anyone seen the new timmy lincecum? he looks like clark kent..LOL
Benny Blanco February 12th, 2013 at 3:52 pm
Anyone seen the new timmy lincecum? he looks like clark kent..LOL
——————-
Yep He went back to his original look
Chip February 12th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
Indians lineup looks pretty good today:
Bourn – CF
Brantley – LF
Asdrubal – SS
Santana – C
Swisher – 1b
Reynolds – DH
Chisenhal – 3b
Stubbs – RF
Phelps/Aviles – 2b
Rotation:
Masterson
Carrasco
Myers
Ubaldo
Dice/McAllister
==================
I think you forgot one, Kipnis is the 2B.
blake February 12th, 2013 at 12:03 pm
@AndrewMiLB: #Yankees Prospect Mason Williams (@MjordanW9) Answers Seven Questions about Playing Center Field http://t.co/zpmlNsPj
///
Good read. Except the part where he says one of his favorite CFs is Austin Jackson. I had to stuff the corner of my pillowcase on that one to avoid biting my tongue off and possibly swallowing it.
I have seen Mason once, but that’s all you need really if an OF gets enough balls hit to him; he does get a great break and doesn’t waste steps. What surprised me most was his arm, particularly on one play when he took a couple steps and threw a rocket to homeplate. Doesn’t have Heathcott’s arm, though, but he’s the more seamless of the two and takes a more direct path to the ball. I’d like to see Heathcott on the corner and Mason in CF, if the Yanks hang onto them both.
blake February 12th, 2013 at 2:54 pm
Girardi did a terrific job last year of squeezing 95 wins out of that bunch….he annoys me sometimes but hard to say much about him IMO….they won more games than they should have in 2012
///
If you overlook that he’s almost certainly the prime mover in us trading Montero, and in never using him in the 2011 ALDS, and if you can get past that he played that series to lose when it came to the lineup, and also that he let Luis Ayala pitch in Game 2 when we were down by 2 runs, in order to let David Robertson have an extra day off, even though he’d already had one (even though we were in a BEST OF FIVE series and playing for our playoff lives): in effect costing us the series – if you can overlook all of that, why, then, it’s hard to say much (bad) about him
Girardi isn’t vanilla, he’s the cardboard holder.
Meh. That lineup looks pretty mediocre if you ask me
PED related: http://5secondfilms.com/watch/power-lunch
in 1966 hoyt wilhelm of the white sox turned 43.
in an age where saves weren’t a big thing, he finished 30 games, threw 81.1 innings and posted a 1.66 era, a 0.82 whip.
at 44 wilhelm posted 1.31 era / 1.03 whip (12 saves)
at 45 1.73/0.99 (12 more saves and 93 innings!)
at 46 for cal and atl he ‘slips’ to 2.19 / 0.92 whip
he went on to save 3 games for the 71 dodgers at 48 and one more the next season!
mo don’t have to go….
trost just said stubhub can’t open across the street.
grand concorse maybe?
tomingeorgia -
I’ll be in and out, here and there. That seems to work best for my sanity.
You know after so many years, I found that I was simply repeating things I’ve said a number of times. So, if I’ve anything new to contribute I will. Otherwise, I’m content to be passively entertained by the rest of you.
@ihateprospects
Trost just pledged minimums “as close to face as possible”
Doreen,
I’s nicer when you’re here.
Oh, yeah, and COPD, too.
“If you overlook that he’s almost certainly the prime mover in us trading Montero”
See I don’t really know if I believe this….I think Hal was the primary reason that deal was made….he wouldn’t buy a pitcher so Cashman felt he had to trade for one
Jerkface,
That sounds like restraint of trade, doesn’t it? Law suits for everyone involved.
Thanks, tomingeorgia.
The Yankees as a business have been pretty crappy the past offseason. Not good.
blake February 12th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
“If you overlook that he’s almost certainly the prime mover in us trading Montero”
See I don’t really know if I believe this….I think Hal was the primary reason that deal was made….he wouldn’t buy a pitcher so Cashman felt he had to trade for one
—————
Nah. Girardi had no intention of using Montero behind the plate, that made him expendable. If he viewed him as a catcher Montero would still be here.
@bkabak: Often convinced no one hates their customers more than the Yanks.
If you overlook that he’s almost certainly the prime mover in us trading Montero, and in never using him in the 2011 ALDS, and if you can get past that he played that series to lose when it came to the lineup, and also that he let Luis Ayala pitch in Game 2 when we were down by 2 runs, in order to let David Robertson have an extra day off, even though he’d already had one (even though we were in a BEST OF FIVE series and playing for our playoff lives): in effect costing us the series – if you can overlook all of that, why, then, it’s hard to say much (bad) about him
*******
lohud – the gift that keeps on giving – yes Joe G had it in for Montero – - – -
tomingeorgia February 12th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
Jerkface,
That sounds like restraint of trade, doesn’t it? Law suits for everyone involved.
———————-
Nah, you can set a limit for how low a ticket can go
I think Hal was the primary reason that deal was made….he wouldn’t buy a pitcher so Cashman felt he had to trade for one
*****
Pay no attention to Kuroda behind that curtain – pay no attention to him – - – -
“Nah. Girardi had no intention of using Montero behind the plate, that made him expendable. If he viewed him as a catcher Montero would still be here.”
Maybe….but I think there were a lot of factors
Ahhh lohud – February 12, 2013 – and they are still talking about Montero, his two homeruns in September, and how Joe G sabotaged the 2011 ALDS by not using the generational one more – - – - -
“Pay no attention to Kuroda behind that curtain – pay no attention to him – – – -”
They should have signed Kuroda and left it at that….Kuroda isn’t a long term answer either
I thought your wife was shutting you down again Stone? Is this a new incarnate ?
@mikeaxisa: “We’re slashing team payroll just to save money and are making it a pain in the ass to get into the stadium.” — a real live business plan
” blake February 12th, 2013 at 4:41 pm
@bkabak: Often convinced no one hates their customers more than the Yanks.”
======================================================
i don’t buy that they hate their customers. but its obvious they’d never sit amongst them.
has hal ever been spotted walking around the stadium and talking to ‘customers’?
do they ever sit outdoors? drink a beer? (GASP!) eat a hot dog?
anyone ever spotted them on the subway?
they don’t even live in NY.
i’d say ‘get em outta here, but im worried about who takes over.
If you are a true baseball fan, the Yankees really have no competition unless you want to root for the Mets, which may be tougher than changing religions as an adult.
Out of curiosity and blizzard boredom, I added up the average number of wins for our pitching staff (the usual 11 suspects, leaving out a second lefty, Cody Eppley, Mark Montgomery type) based on a 162 game average: C.C.-17, Pettitte-17, Kuroda-13, Hughes-14, Nova-15, Phelps-4, Aardsma-3, Logan-4, Joba-4, D-Rob-4, Mo-5. That adds up to 100. At first glance, these numbers all seem legit. Plus, Hughes is pitching for a contract, Kuroda won 16 last year and easily could again. I keep hearing 90-92 (everywhere, not just here) and I was on board with it until now. There are obviously many variables, mainly injuries and the 75-100 less runs the Yankees could/will potentially score, improved outfield defense, how good the Jays end up being (the Marlins didn’t fair too well last year, Reyes on turf, Johnson being injury prone, etc.) as well as if the Os can consistently win again. For argument’s sake, I can no longer hold with the 90-92 folk and 100 is too many. The Yankees will win 94-95 games (like Joe just said) in 2013…you heard it here first
The only thing I have to say about all this money stuff is this.
NYC is an expensive entertainment place. People come to NYC and they expect to pay high prices for their entertainment.
But they do expect to get what they pay for.
Baseball is a little tougher to figure out because it really is a different game every night and you cannot guarantee the outcome on any given night. But if someone is paying TOP DOLLAR for a ticket, it really does behoove the Yankees to put together a team that has a reasonable expectation to win MUCH more than it loses.
There is still enough “star power” to draw out-of-town customers.
But the natives are a different story. If a season turns into one where the expectation of a win is less and less, those natives will not brave the GWB traffic. They just won’t. For natives, it’s less a form of entertainment than a fabric of their lives.
People will go to multiple baseball games, same team, same venue. With the exception of a very few Broadway shows, people do not repeat visit, as a rule, the same show.
For me, it is also interesting to note that we used to go to a few B’way shows a year, 3 to 4, which I consider a good amount. We participate in a program that sells tickets at a discount. Those discounts now have a lot more qualifiers (read, not as many dates), and the discounts are not as deep, and the base ticket prices are higher.
Choices have to be made. And the Yankees, I think, need to remember they are not simply an entertainment venue.
And I really get ticked seeing the empty luxury seats. I don’t care about the moat – I’ve seen them in other stadiums. I care that the stadium was designed and built during boon times, when it was reasonable for them to expect that those seats would be filled by corporate accounts. But times have changed, and I wish that the Yankees would get creative in how they fill those seats. One would think they don’t watch their own team play on television….
Nah. Girardi had no intention of using Montero behind the plate, that made him expendable. If he viewed him as a catcher Montero would still be here.
————————-
Nope. Managers today are basically like middle-managers in corporations. They are an extension of the front office on to the field. Long gone are the field generals like Martin or Weaver. It’s the way the game operates today. Cashman selected Girardi for a reason. It is Cashman making the decisions, although with input from other sources, including Girardi. Just like a corporation.
Cashman elected to trade Montero because he was trying to build a cheap, young pitching staff for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, anchored by Pineda and Banuelos. Both got injured. It happens. Maybe both will make it back, although a year or two delayed. And for whatever it’s worth, Montero is simply horrific behind the plate. Even worse than projected. He makes Cervelli look like Bench. Montero’s career as a catcher is coming to an end sometime this year once Zunino is called up. Zunino is a way better defender and has a way better bat. That’s Montero’s issue now. Unless he figures out how to lay of the outside breaking pitches from RHers, he won’t be able to hold down the DH or 1B slot. The Yankees can reacquire him for 20 cents on the dollar.