06/26: Thought experiments....
Posted by: Jason
...have been a fun activity of mine for years. Here goes:
For which outfielder would you accept a trade, mano-a-mano, for Phil Hughes?
My list:
Vernon Wells
Grady Sizemore
Carlos Beltran
Manny Ramirez
For which outfielder would you accept a trade, mano-a-mano, for Phil Hughes?
My list:
Vernon Wells
Grady Sizemore
Carlos Beltran
Manny Ramirez
06/26: Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Phil
Posted by: Patrick
Tyler Kepner at The New York Times has a write-up on Phil Hughes:
Via Alex.
Mark Newman, the Yankees' senior vice president who oversees the farm system, said Hughes would not pitch beyond a predetermined number of innings. As for a promotion, Newman said he expected Hughes to stay with Trenton all season.
The Yankees want Hughes to refine his off-speed pitches, learn to handle adversity and grow into his upper body. He is 6 feet 2 inches and 230 pounds but will probably fill out to 250.
"The next steps he makes are harder than the ones he's already made," Newman said. "Does he have a chance to make them gracefully and successfully? More than any pitcher we've had since Andy Pettitte. But I'm not going to say it's a done deal."
Maybe not. But Hughes is getting there, steadily and often spectacularly.
The Yankees want Hughes to refine his off-speed pitches, learn to handle adversity and grow into his upper body. He is 6 feet 2 inches and 230 pounds but will probably fill out to 250.
"The next steps he makes are harder than the ones he's already made," Newman said. "Does he have a chance to make them gracefully and successfully? More than any pitcher we've had since Andy Pettitte. But I'm not going to say it's a done deal."
Maybe not. But Hughes is getting there, steadily and often spectacularly.
Via Alex.
Posted by: David
The game looked like it could have been rained out, but the game started about an hour late and it proved to be quite a pitching duel between the Marlins' Dontrelle Willis and the Yankees' Mike Mussina.
The Yankees took an early 1-0 lead with the benefit of two walks from Willis. With the bases loaded Johnny Damon delivered a sacrifice fly to put the Yankees up 1-0. The lead held until the sixth when Amezaga got on and stole second. Hanley Ramirez battled and was able to walk. Moose then induced a double play with Amezaga moving to third. The next batter was Miguel Cabrera. Moose got two strikes on him and tried to go up the ladder but the pitch wasn't high enough and Cabrera lined it to center to tie the score.
In the Yankees half of the seventh Johnny Damon deposited a Willis hanging breaking pitch in the right field uppper deck to give the Yankees the lead at 2-1. Mussina got through seven innings and was relieved by Kyle Farnsworth in the eighth. Jack Borchard led off with a single to left and was sacrificed over by Amezaga. Hanley Ramirez then lined a single to right but Bubba Crosby fielded the ball quickly on the first bounce and held the runner at third. Farnsworth got the next batter to strike out and then intentionally walked Cabrera to load the bases. Josh Willingham hit the ball well to left but it was toward the end of the bat and Cabrera was able to make the play to end the inning.
In the ninth, Mariano Rivera entered and as usual was perfect. He retired Jeremy Hermida on a grounder to second, got Cody Ross on a grounder to third and then Wes Helms flew out to Crosby to end the game.
For Mussina it was his ninth win of the season and his record stands at 9-3. After three or four bad outings, Moose seemed to turn it around today. Rivera gained his 16th save of the season and 395th of his career. Tonight's makeup game of yesterday's rainout will start at 8:00 pm. It was originally scheduled not to be televised but ESPN announced they will carry the game live in the New York and Florida markets. With the Red Sox rained out vs. the Phillies, the Yankees moved back to two games behind Boston in the AL East.
The Yankees took an early 1-0 lead with the benefit of two walks from Willis. With the bases loaded Johnny Damon delivered a sacrifice fly to put the Yankees up 1-0. The lead held until the sixth when Amezaga got on and stole second. Hanley Ramirez battled and was able to walk. Moose then induced a double play with Amezaga moving to third. The next batter was Miguel Cabrera. Moose got two strikes on him and tried to go up the ladder but the pitch wasn't high enough and Cabrera lined it to center to tie the score.
In the Yankees half of the seventh Johnny Damon deposited a Willis hanging breaking pitch in the right field uppper deck to give the Yankees the lead at 2-1. Mussina got through seven innings and was relieved by Kyle Farnsworth in the eighth. Jack Borchard led off with a single to left and was sacrificed over by Amezaga. Hanley Ramirez then lined a single to right but Bubba Crosby fielded the ball quickly on the first bounce and held the runner at third. Farnsworth got the next batter to strike out and then intentionally walked Cabrera to load the bases. Josh Willingham hit the ball well to left but it was toward the end of the bat and Cabrera was able to make the play to end the inning.
In the ninth, Mariano Rivera entered and as usual was perfect. He retired Jeremy Hermida on a grounder to second, got Cody Ross on a grounder to third and then Wes Helms flew out to Crosby to end the game.
For Mussina it was his ninth win of the season and his record stands at 9-3. After three or four bad outings, Moose seemed to turn it around today. Rivera gained his 16th save of the season and 395th of his career. Tonight's makeup game of yesterday's rainout will start at 8:00 pm. It was originally scheduled not to be televised but ESPN announced they will carry the game live in the New York and Florida markets. With the Red Sox rained out vs. the Phillies, the Yankees moved back to two games behind Boston in the AL East.
06/24: Farnsworth
Posted by: Jason
Is he a finesse pitcher trapped in a power pitcher's body?
Does he think he's Francisco Rodriguez?
On a night when he was throwing 97 to 100 consistently, he hangs off-speed pitches to the Marlins to the tune of 3 hits, 1 run??
Guidry should enforce a version of Gene Hackman's (in Hoosiers) rule on Farnsworth: You can not throw an off speed pitch until you've thrown 5 fastballs...
Does he think he's Francisco Rodriguez?
On a night when he was throwing 97 to 100 consistently, he hangs off-speed pitches to the Marlins to the tune of 3 hits, 1 run??
Guidry should enforce a version of Gene Hackman's (in Hoosiers) rule on Farnsworth: You can not throw an off speed pitch until you've thrown 5 fastballs...
Posted by: David
The Yankees held on on Friday night with Mariano Rivera saving the game for Chien Ming-Wang as New York took the first game of the weekend interleague series vs. the Marlins at the Stadium.
The Yankees started off early by scoring three runs in the first which started with a Damon double and were further helped by three errors from the Marlins infield and probably a poor fielding play on a Posada grounder which went by the first basemen for a two run single. The Marlins came right back in the second and tied the game with back to back doubles from Hermida and Willingham and a two run homer from Miguel Olivo.
The Yankees erupted for three more runs later in the game by having Damon get on again and eventually scoring on an A-Rod single to put the Yankees ahead. Posada also added another RBI and the Yankees were safely ahead at 6-3.
Chien Ming-Wang gave one back when he allowed the first two batters in the inning to get singles and it put runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs. The next batter hit into a double play and the runner from third scored to make it 6-4.
Kyle Farnsworth started the eighth and the first two batters got singles off of him also. He gave up another hit to cut the lead to 6-5 but was able to manage to get out of any further trouble. The Yankees could not add any insurance and it was up to Rivera to save the game with only a one run lead.
Rivera was up to the task and retired the side in order to preserve a Yankees victory. He recorded his 15th save of the season with the effort. Tomorrow is Old Timers Day and after the festivities the Yankees again play the Marlins in a 4pm start.
The Yankees started off early by scoring three runs in the first which started with a Damon double and were further helped by three errors from the Marlins infield and probably a poor fielding play on a Posada grounder which went by the first basemen for a two run single. The Marlins came right back in the second and tied the game with back to back doubles from Hermida and Willingham and a two run homer from Miguel Olivo.
The Yankees erupted for three more runs later in the game by having Damon get on again and eventually scoring on an A-Rod single to put the Yankees ahead. Posada also added another RBI and the Yankees were safely ahead at 6-3.
Chien Ming-Wang gave one back when he allowed the first two batters in the inning to get singles and it put runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs. The next batter hit into a double play and the runner from third scored to make it 6-4.
Kyle Farnsworth started the eighth and the first two batters got singles off of him also. He gave up another hit to cut the lead to 6-5 but was able to manage to get out of any further trouble. The Yankees could not add any insurance and it was up to Rivera to save the game with only a one run lead.
Rivera was up to the task and retired the side in order to preserve a Yankees victory. He recorded his 15th save of the season with the effort. Tomorrow is Old Timers Day and after the festivities the Yankees again play the Marlins in a 4pm start.
06/23: The Hughes Watch...Returns!
Posted by: James
All right, I've kept my mouth shut about Phil Hughes for a while now. I started to think I was jinxing the kid with these writeups so I didn't write anything for a while...and lo and behold, he's been on a tear. So, I continued to keep my mouth shut...until tonight. If you haven't noticed, here are his lines since I stopped writing (all at AA Trenton):
Date, W-L-Sv, IP, H, ER, BB, K
Thu Jun 8, Loss, 6.0, 5, 1, 1, 4
Tue Jun 13, Win, 7.0, 1, 0, 3, 8
Sun Jun 18, ---, 7.0, 6, 2, 1, 11
Yeah. He's on a tear and tonight, pitching against the Connecticut Defenders, here's his line:
Fri Jun 23, 8.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 Ks.
More impressively, he took a no-hitter into the 8th (lost it on the first batter of the 8th) and had at least one K in every inning. That brings his totals in the last 4 starts to: 28.0 IP, 13H, 3ER, 7BB, 33Ks
Man. Not a bad early birthday present, huh? He turns 20 tomorrow. I had to write something on that. It's a little hard to stay calm since we haven't had a pitching prospect to follow in quite a while. I'm not discounting Wang - it's just that most fans, only the most ardent, weren't tracking his every start like we (or at least Mike A. and I) are. Hughes, along with Jose Tabata, was also chosen for the Futures Game, which is a pretty nice showcase of minor-league talent. Alumni of the game include Melky Cabrera, Dioneer Navarro, Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang.
Also, with Brett Gardner called up to AA and Eric Duncan sent back down there, we now have 5 blue-chippers (I'm including Clippard because I think his peripherals are still pretty good and J.B. Cox hat tip - Mike A.) at Trenton. (P-T-P-ers BABY! Sorry, couldn't resist the Vitale vibe.)
Date, W-L-Sv, IP, H, ER, BB, K
Thu Jun 8, Loss, 6.0, 5, 1, 1, 4
Tue Jun 13, Win, 7.0, 1, 0, 3, 8
Sun Jun 18, ---, 7.0, 6, 2, 1, 11
Yeah. He's on a tear and tonight, pitching against the Connecticut Defenders, here's his line:
Fri Jun 23, 8.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 Ks.
More impressively, he took a no-hitter into the 8th (lost it on the first batter of the 8th) and had at least one K in every inning. That brings his totals in the last 4 starts to: 28.0 IP, 13H, 3ER, 7BB, 33Ks
Man. Not a bad early birthday present, huh? He turns 20 tomorrow. I had to write something on that. It's a little hard to stay calm since we haven't had a pitching prospect to follow in quite a while. I'm not discounting Wang - it's just that most fans, only the most ardent, weren't tracking his every start like we (or at least Mike A. and I) are. Hughes, along with Jose Tabata, was also chosen for the Futures Game, which is a pretty nice showcase of minor-league talent. Alumni of the game include Melky Cabrera, Dioneer Navarro, Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang.
Also, with Brett Gardner called up to AA and Eric Duncan sent back down there, we now have 5 blue-chippers (I'm including Clippard because I think his peripherals are still pretty good and J.B. Cox hat tip - Mike A.) at Trenton. (P-T-P-ers BABY! Sorry, couldn't resist the Vitale vibe.)
06/22: Bob Boone Visits Trenton
Posted by: Seamus
Newsday is reporting that Bob Boone, who is serving as the Washington Nationals' assistant general manager for player development (basically a big-time scout), was present at the Yankees' Double-A facility in Trenton for a game against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Among the highlights of the article:
Nats' GM Jim Bowden has been quoted as saying that he is intrigued by the Yankees' farm system but the article states that the Yankees have already told the Nationals that pitching prospect Phillip Hughes would not be available in any trade.
We all know about Soriano's ability as well as his availability but one guy whose name isn't shuffled around quite as much in the public concerning the Yankees is Jose Guillen. A trade for Guillen might seem more plausible than for Soriano considering the Yankees' resources (Bowden can say he likes our farm system, but how much are we willing to give up?), but I'm not sure that he is the type of guy I'd like to have on my team. Of course I said the same about Gary Sheffield before he came here and I turned out very pleased.
Of course Livan Hernandez and Ramon Ortiz are on the trading block. Forget rebuilding, if I was Brian Cashman and either of those guys were currently pitching for the Yankees I'd be trying to unload them too. Armas' numbers are better, but he's only gone 7 innings once this season and I'd be looking for more of an innings eater. If we have to give away talent to get someone like that we might as well just stick with what we have. Of course it's all just speculation, there hasn't been too much documented interest by the Yankees in any of these guys that I know of to this point.
Bob Boone, the Nationals' assistant general manager for player development, is arguably the most trusted deputy of GM Jim Bowden. That he was sent to watch prospects in the Yankees' and Blue Jays' systems is a telling sign of Washington's interest.
The Yankees already have expressed interest in Alfonso Soriano, and they also could be looking at Jose Guillen to fill their need for a corner outfielder with some pop. The Nationals also could trade pitchers Livan Hernandez, Tony Armas Jr. and Ramon Ortiz.
The Yankees already have expressed interest in Alfonso Soriano, and they also could be looking at Jose Guillen to fill their need for a corner outfielder with some pop. The Nationals also could trade pitchers Livan Hernandez, Tony Armas Jr. and Ramon Ortiz.
Nats' GM Jim Bowden has been quoted as saying that he is intrigued by the Yankees' farm system but the article states that the Yankees have already told the Nationals that pitching prospect Phillip Hughes would not be available in any trade.
We all know about Soriano's ability as well as his availability but one guy whose name isn't shuffled around quite as much in the public concerning the Yankees is Jose Guillen. A trade for Guillen might seem more plausible than for Soriano considering the Yankees' resources (Bowden can say he likes our farm system, but how much are we willing to give up?), but I'm not sure that he is the type of guy I'd like to have on my team. Of course I said the same about Gary Sheffield before he came here and I turned out very pleased.
Of course Livan Hernandez and Ramon Ortiz are on the trading block. Forget rebuilding, if I was Brian Cashman and either of those guys were currently pitching for the Yankees I'd be trying to unload them too. Armas' numbers are better, but he's only gone 7 innings once this season and I'd be looking for more of an innings eater. If we have to give away talent to get someone like that we might as well just stick with what we have. Of course it's all just speculation, there hasn't been too much documented interest by the Yankees in any of these guys that I know of to this point.
06/22: Melky
Posted by: Patrick
Steve points to an interesting article on Melky at Star-Tribune.com:
Melky Cabrera began playing baseball at age 3, with a stick and a rock and a plea to anyone who visited the family's humble roadside home on Carretera Sanchez, in the village of Haina, not far from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
"Pitch it! Pitch it," he would say, holding out a rock. ...
10:15 a.m.: Cabrera wakes up in his New Jersey apartment...
The apartment is in the same complex as Robinson Cano's: his fellow Dominican and closest friend on the team. The distance from left field to second base is about as far as Cabrera gets from Cano on a typical day. They hang out together, drive to the park together, go eat Dominican food together.
"He's like a brother to me," Melky says. "My mother and (Cano) are my inspiration." ...
... Everyone seems to love Melky's name. Whoever heard of a Melky? "I wanted to name him Dario, after his godfather," his mother says. Her daughter, Ladi, came up with Melky on the way home from the hospital.
"Pitch it! Pitch it," he would say, holding out a rock. ...
10:15 a.m.: Cabrera wakes up in his New Jersey apartment...
The apartment is in the same complex as Robinson Cano's: his fellow Dominican and closest friend on the team. The distance from left field to second base is about as far as Cabrera gets from Cano on a typical day. They hang out together, drive to the park together, go eat Dominican food together.
"He's like a brother to me," Melky says. "My mother and (Cano) are my inspiration." ...
... Everyone seems to love Melky's name. Whoever heard of a Melky? "I wanted to name him Dario, after his godfather," his mother says. Her daughter, Ladi, came up with Melky on the way home from the hospital.
06/22: Yankees 5, Phillies 0
Posted by: Jason
Tonight, the Yankees erased the sting of last weekend by winning this series against a dangerous Philly lineup. This victory had many attractive components: A solid start from Jaret Wright, fine efforts from Villone/Proctor/Kyle/El Presidente de Panama and offensive production with 2 outs. Some highlights:
Just a moment...I knew I recognized Phillies catcher Sal Fasano from somewhere: When I was in college, I went to a Lynyrd Skynyrd reunion tour date in 1994 and Fasano was the bass player, I'm sure of it.
Innings 1-4 featured strong starting pitching from both Wright and the rookie Hamels. As far as Hamels is concerned, you don't ever see Jason Giambi strike out 3 times. Wright's night was highlighted by his dispatch of Howard's first at bat with a 96 mph fastball.
Top 5: Jaret converted Miguel Cairo's triple into the first Yankees run with a deep sac fly. The second best event of the inning was Ken Singleton (YES) mentioning Jeter's .400 BA in night games to set up a Ray Charles lyric reference: "Night time is the right time." Working hard to set up a Ray Charles reference forces me to forgive Singleton's flaws as an analyst.
Top 7: Melky doubled, and then was moved to third by Cairo's sac bunt. He was out at home (FC) after Andy Phillips's infield ground ball. All was not lost, however: John Damon walked, and Jeter's single drove Phillips in from 2nd, 2-0 Yankees.
The 8th was the key frame: Alex walked and stole 2nd after Jorge K'd. Bernie lined out to the left fielder and then the Yankees did all their damage: Melky, Cairo and Damon all hit RBI singles with 2 outs, 5-0. Suddenly, a tight game was in the bag for the New Yorkers.
Again, this game unfolded as they are supposed to...a lead is nailed shut by the bullpen. Hopefully 10 games over .500 becomes 20 games over .500---in the next couple of weeks.
Just a moment...I knew I recognized Phillies catcher Sal Fasano from somewhere: When I was in college, I went to a Lynyrd Skynyrd reunion tour date in 1994 and Fasano was the bass player, I'm sure of it.
Innings 1-4 featured strong starting pitching from both Wright and the rookie Hamels. As far as Hamels is concerned, you don't ever see Jason Giambi strike out 3 times. Wright's night was highlighted by his dispatch of Howard's first at bat with a 96 mph fastball.
Top 5: Jaret converted Miguel Cairo's triple into the first Yankees run with a deep sac fly. The second best event of the inning was Ken Singleton (YES) mentioning Jeter's .400 BA in night games to set up a Ray Charles lyric reference: "Night time is the right time." Working hard to set up a Ray Charles reference forces me to forgive Singleton's flaws as an analyst.
Top 7: Melky doubled, and then was moved to third by Cairo's sac bunt. He was out at home (FC) after Andy Phillips's infield ground ball. All was not lost, however: John Damon walked, and Jeter's single drove Phillips in from 2nd, 2-0 Yankees.
The 8th was the key frame: Alex walked and stole 2nd after Jorge K'd. Bernie lined out to the left fielder and then the Yankees did all their damage: Melky, Cairo and Damon all hit RBI singles with 2 outs, 5-0. Suddenly, a tight game was in the bag for the New Yorkers.
Again, this game unfolded as they are supposed to...a lead is nailed shut by the bullpen. Hopefully 10 games over .500 becomes 20 games over .500---in the next couple of weeks.
06/21: Liz Funk
Posted by: Patrick
Lee Sinins gave Steve a database of birth date data for all players that have ever played for the Yankees. He's made it available in a spreadsheet. Neat.
Steve notes in the comments that he noticed someone named Liz Funk played for the Yankees. Liz was apparently the nickname for Elias Calvin Funk. They sure had some fun nicknames back there. Liz?
The only Yankee born on my birthday (11/21) was Todd Erdos. Erg. You?
Steve notes in the comments that he noticed someone named Liz Funk played for the Yankees. Liz was apparently the nickname for Elias Calvin Funk. They sure had some fun nicknames back there. Liz?
The only Yankee born on my birthday (11/21) was Todd Erdos. Erg. You?
