03/09: Top 20 Prospects
Posted by: James
Mike A. over at In George We Trust checks in with his thoughts on the Top 20 prospects in the Yankee organization. It's a very easy read and Mike links to the numerous, in-depth prospect profiles that he's done so far. I'd head over and check it out if you're interested in the system.
Posted by: James
Gary Sheffield - Right fielder
Age: 37 Years Old.
Three-Year History and splits:
Outlook: Gary Sheffield: 2003 MVP Voting: 3rd place. 2004 MVP: Runner-up. 2005: .291/.379/.512 - MVP 8th Place. And yet, it looks like there are some chinks in that armor. His 2005 numbers, while very good, were less than his career averages and his OBP dipped below .392 for only the first time since 1994. Gary will be also be going into his age 37 season next year with 2,190 games and 7,886 at bats under his belt. With the way that he plays and how hard he swings that bat, that's a lot of wear and tear on that (in my mind) Hall of Fame body. You have to wonder if and when the wheels will start to come off. Will he experience a slow decline and still be of use to the club? Or will we be looking at a Bernie type fall, where we see the seemingly overnight transformation of a baseball superstar into someone that can and should be easily replaced. I'd pick the former for Sheff as he's still got that bat speed and that keen eye that very, very few players can match. Of course, that might be my wishful thinking since his option will be picked up (there looks to be very few impact players among next year's free agents so it makes sense). Still, a healthy Sheff will probably mean another Silver Slugger (no. 4 in a row) and protection that the Yankee lineup can depend on throughout the season. You can find SG's look at Sheffield here.
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
Age: 37 Years Old.
Three-Year History and splits:
| SEASON | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 155 | 576 | 126 | 190 | 37 | 2 | 39 | 132 | 86 | 55 | 18 | 4 | .330 | .419 | .604 | 1.023 |
| 2004 | 154 | 573 | 117 | 166 | 30 | 1 | 36 | 121 | 92 | 83 | 5 | 6 | .290 | .393 | .534 | .927 |
| 2005 | 154 | 584 | 104 | 170 | 27 | 0 | 34 | 123 | 78 | 76 | 10 | 2 | .291 | .379 | .512 | .891 |
Outlook: Gary Sheffield: 2003 MVP Voting: 3rd place. 2004 MVP: Runner-up. 2005: .291/.379/.512 - MVP 8th Place. And yet, it looks like there are some chinks in that armor. His 2005 numbers, while very good, were less than his career averages and his OBP dipped below .392 for only the first time since 1994. Gary will be also be going into his age 37 season next year with 2,190 games and 7,886 at bats under his belt. With the way that he plays and how hard he swings that bat, that's a lot of wear and tear on that (in my mind) Hall of Fame body. You have to wonder if and when the wheels will start to come off. Will he experience a slow decline and still be of use to the club? Or will we be looking at a Bernie type fall, where we see the seemingly overnight transformation of a baseball superstar into someone that can and should be easily replaced. I'd pick the former for Sheff as he's still got that bat speed and that keen eye that very, very few players can match. Of course, that might be my wishful thinking since his option will be picked up (there looks to be very few impact players among next year's free agents so it makes sense). Still, a healthy Sheff will probably mean another Silver Slugger (no. 4 in a row) and protection that the Yankee lineup can depend on throughout the season. You can find SG's look at Sheffield here.
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
| AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|
03/07: Prospect News & Notes
Posted by: James
John Sickels recently posted his Top 20 Prospects for the Yankees organization. No big surprises here outside of Melky Cabrera not being included in the top 20. John is not as high on him as others are but after a disappointing year last year, it's understandable. That being said, Cabrera is going into his age 22 season at AA Trenton and will already have 426 ABs at that level under his belt so hopefully, he can make some strides this year.
John also comments that it's an improving system but that there is still a ways to go. I agree with him in some respects but I think that there is a little more quality there than he does. Of course, he has far more experience than I do and he knows to balance upside with risk. I, on the other hand, being the Yankee fan that I am, have no problem seeing just the tools and the upside. I'd check out the comments on the post as well as there was some good discussion taking place. (Also, Brian Edit: make that David Regan has some thoughts on the Yankee system over at THT - see #5).
Finally, a lot of NY papers are making points that a lot of the prospects getting more playing time this year due to some stars taking off for the WBC (Damon, Jeter, A-Rod & Bernie) and others who are battling various injuries (Sheffield, Giambi). I personally am glad. Let's give some of these guys some exposure. Sure, most of them can't help us immediately but there are some who can. Matt DeSalvo, Kevin Reese & Kevin Thompson come to mind, as do J.B. Cox, Matt Smith and Mr. Bean in the bullpen.
Both Kevins are better options than Bubba Crosby. Period. I've been saying it since last November and I reiterate it now. I think that Kevin Reese should be carried on the 25 man roster to begin the season instead of Bubba. Then, after Kevin Thompson gets a handle on AAA (it usually take Thompson two cracks to outpace the league), he should replace Reese. He is a good on-base guy (career minor-league OBP of .371) with great speed (188 SBs with a 79% success rate) and who plays good defense. Basically, his average season would be Bubba's career year and he is still 3 full years younger. It seems like a no-brainer to me.
John also comments that it's an improving system but that there is still a ways to go. I agree with him in some respects but I think that there is a little more quality there than he does. Of course, he has far more experience than I do and he knows to balance upside with risk. I, on the other hand, being the Yankee fan that I am, have no problem seeing just the tools and the upside. I'd check out the comments on the post as well as there was some good discussion taking place. (Also, Brian Edit: make that David Regan has some thoughts on the Yankee system over at THT - see #5).
Finally, a lot of NY papers are making points that a lot of the prospects getting more playing time this year due to some stars taking off for the WBC (Damon, Jeter, A-Rod & Bernie) and others who are battling various injuries (Sheffield, Giambi). I personally am glad. Let's give some of these guys some exposure. Sure, most of them can't help us immediately but there are some who can. Matt DeSalvo, Kevin Reese & Kevin Thompson come to mind, as do J.B. Cox, Matt Smith and Mr. Bean in the bullpen.
Both Kevins are better options than Bubba Crosby. Period. I've been saying it since last November and I reiterate it now. I think that Kevin Reese should be carried on the 25 man roster to begin the season instead of Bubba. Then, after Kevin Thompson gets a handle on AAA (it usually take Thompson two cracks to outpace the league), he should replace Reese. He is a good on-base guy (career minor-league OBP of .371) with great speed (188 SBs with a 79% success rate) and who plays good defense. Basically, his average season would be Bubba's career year and he is still 3 full years younger. It seems like a no-brainer to me.
03/07: Kirby Puckett dies
Posted by: Michael
One of the gentlemen of the game passed away yesterday at the age of 45. We at YanksBlog.com would like to pay our respects to him and his family.
He led the Twins to two World Series Championships in '87 and '91. He had to leave the game much too early in '95 because of Glaucoma in his right eye that he lost sight in a few years later. He nicknamed Don Mattingly, "Donnie Baseball", and for that we thank him.
I think we as Yankee fans will continue to look at Kirby's numbers as a measuring tool for Donnie's numbers as to getting him in the hall. They are really close, and besides the two rings he won with the Twins, there is not much difference between the two.
A tribute can be found on mlb.com here.
RIP Kirby.
He led the Twins to two World Series Championships in '87 and '91. He had to leave the game much too early in '95 because of Glaucoma in his right eye that he lost sight in a few years later. He nicknamed Don Mattingly, "Donnie Baseball", and for that we thank him.
I think we as Yankee fans will continue to look at Kirby's numbers as a measuring tool for Donnie's numbers as to getting him in the hall. They are really close, and besides the two rings he won with the Twins, there is not much difference between the two.
A tribute can be found on mlb.com here.
RIP Kirby.
Posted by: James
Johnny Damon - Centerfielder
Age: 32 Years Old
Three-Year History and splits:
Outlook: To date, Johnny Damon, the Yankees latest splash in the free-agent market, is probably one of the more difficult Yankee starters to project. Yankee Stadium is a different playing environment than Fenway Park and there are a number of flags that go up when thinking of what Damon can do, not the least of which is his age (another guy on the wrong side of 30). His career line at Yankee Stadium is .252/.301/.346/.647 (even lower during his years with the Red Sox) and of course, common wisdom says that most Yankee free-agents take a year or so to get acclimated to their surroundings so take these nuggest however you would like.
On the plus side, the man is going to be the first in a long line of very good hitters. Seriously, who would you rather take a shot with? Johnny Damon or Derek Jeter? He'll be seeing some good pitches to hit and if you add in his selectiveness (he's averaged just below 4 pitches per plate appearances over the last 5 years), we could be looking at a very good year. Last year, his protection was Edgar Renteria and he still put up .316/.366/.439/.805 (you can adjust for yourself for contract year and all but hey, he was playing hurt).
Damon also has good speed and very good instincts on the bases so a return to his higher stolen-base totals might not be so far-fetched (he put up 30 SBs as recently as 2002-03). However, Torre might not want to run down George's new $52 million aquisition so keep that in mind. Still, if all Damon does is pull a Knoblauch and get the Yankees back to the promised land, I think any Yankee fan would take that trade, even if it means the release of Johnny's book, Idiot! The Second Coming. (You can find SG's look at Damon here.)
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
Age: 32 Years Old
Three-Year History and splits:
| SEASON | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 145 | 608 | 103 | 166 | 32 | 6 | 12 | 67 | 68 | 74 | 30 | 6 | .273 | .345 | .405 | .750 |
| 2004 | 150 | 621 | 123 | 189 | 35 | 6 | 20 | 94 | 76 | 71 | 19 | 8 | .304 | .380 | .477 | .857 |
| 2005 | 148 | 624 | 117 | 197 | 35 | 6 | 10 | 75 | 53 | 69 | 18 | 1 | .316 | .366 | .439 | .805 |
Outlook: To date, Johnny Damon, the Yankees latest splash in the free-agent market, is probably one of the more difficult Yankee starters to project. Yankee Stadium is a different playing environment than Fenway Park and there are a number of flags that go up when thinking of what Damon can do, not the least of which is his age (another guy on the wrong side of 30). His career line at Yankee Stadium is .252/.301/.346/.647 (even lower during his years with the Red Sox) and of course, common wisdom says that most Yankee free-agents take a year or so to get acclimated to their surroundings so take these nuggest however you would like.
On the plus side, the man is going to be the first in a long line of very good hitters. Seriously, who would you rather take a shot with? Johnny Damon or Derek Jeter? He'll be seeing some good pitches to hit and if you add in his selectiveness (he's averaged just below 4 pitches per plate appearances over the last 5 years), we could be looking at a very good year. Last year, his protection was Edgar Renteria and he still put up .316/.366/.439/.805 (you can adjust for yourself for contract year and all but hey, he was playing hurt).
Damon also has good speed and very good instincts on the bases so a return to his higher stolen-base totals might not be so far-fetched (he put up 30 SBs as recently as 2002-03). However, Torre might not want to run down George's new $52 million aquisition so keep that in mind. Still, if all Damon does is pull a Knoblauch and get the Yankees back to the promised land, I think any Yankee fan would take that trade, even if it means the release of Johnny's book, Idiot! The Second Coming. (You can find SG's look at Damon here.)
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
| AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|
Posted by: James
Two former Yankee relievers, Paul Quantrill and Gabe White announced their retirement this past weekend.
I liked Paul Quantrill and he always seemed to be a gamer (and someone who stood up for his teammates) but he never seemed to regain his form after tweaking his knee in Japan during the first game of the 2004 season. Of course, he was overused during the season (95.3 innings) which probably didn't help the healing process. Nevertheless, he did have a nice career and was one of the more dependable relievers in the league for a while.
The same couldn't really be said of Gabe White, who had a less than stellar run with the Yankees which reached its nadir in 2004 when he put up an ERA of 8.27 in 21 innings. Of course, I'll always remember him as an amusing figure - that mustache and gold chain cracked me up every time.
I liked Paul Quantrill and he always seemed to be a gamer (and someone who stood up for his teammates) but he never seemed to regain his form after tweaking his knee in Japan during the first game of the 2004 season. Of course, he was overused during the season (95.3 innings) which probably didn't help the healing process. Nevertheless, he did have a nice career and was one of the more dependable relievers in the league for a while.
The same couldn't really be said of Gabe White, who had a less than stellar run with the Yankees which reached its nadir in 2004 when he put up an ERA of 8.27 in 21 innings. Of course, I'll always remember him as an amusing figure - that mustache and gold chain cracked me up every time.
Posted by: James
Hideki Matsui - Left Fielder
Age: 31 Years Old (Turns 32 in June).
Three-Year History and splits:
Outlook: After a big-time jump in power in 2004, a lot more of Hideki Matsui's fly balls stayed in the park in 2005 and his home-run total declined from 31 to 23. Still, Godzilla set career highs in batting average (.306), hits (192), doubles (45), triples (3), RBI (116) and total bases (312). Basically, Matsui "slumped" back down to a better version of his should-have-been Rookie-of-the-Year campaign in 2003.
There are definitely some question marks under the surface though. Matsui went through one heck of a hot streak from June 14th until the end of July, which accounted for all of but 10 of his home-runs. If you were to take that away, you are left with a surprisingly different and far more average player as Matusi's line after the all-star break was .289/.347/.458/.805, very similar to his 2003 numbers. The main difference between the years, and forgive me for being simplistic, lie in those power numbers and as it stands right now, his 2004 campaign and his hot streak in 2005 look like the outliers. Still the question remains; will Hideki swing for the fences again or be content to be a doubles machine? (SG also took a look at Matsui earlier this month.)
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
Age: 31 Years Old (Turns 32 in June).
Three-Year History and splits:
| SEASON | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 163 | 623 | 82 | 179 | 42 | 1 | 16 | 106 | 63 | 86 | 2 | 2 | .287 | .353 | .435 | .788 |
| 2004 | 162 | 584 | 109 | 174 | 34 | 2 | 31 | 108 | 88 | 103 | 3 | 0 | .298 | .390 | .522 | .912 |
| 2005 | 162 | 629 | 108 | 192 | 45 | 3 | 23 | 116 | 63 | 78 | 2 | 2 | .305 | .367 | .496 | .863 |
Outlook: After a big-time jump in power in 2004, a lot more of Hideki Matsui's fly balls stayed in the park in 2005 and his home-run total declined from 31 to 23. Still, Godzilla set career highs in batting average (.306), hits (192), doubles (45), triples (3), RBI (116) and total bases (312). Basically, Matsui "slumped" back down to a better version of his should-have-been Rookie-of-the-Year campaign in 2003.
There are definitely some question marks under the surface though. Matsui went through one heck of a hot streak from June 14th until the end of July, which accounted for all of but 10 of his home-runs. If you were to take that away, you are left with a surprisingly different and far more average player as Matusi's line after the all-star break was .289/.347/.458/.805, very similar to his 2003 numbers. The main difference between the years, and forgive me for being simplistic, lie in those power numbers and as it stands right now, his 2004 campaign and his hot streak in 2005 look like the outliers. Still the question remains; will Hideki swing for the fences again or be content to be a doubles machine? (SG also took a look at Matsui earlier this month.)
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
| AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|
Posted by: Patrick
Our next interview is with Cliff Corcoran of the very popular Bronx Banter.
When you're not blogging about the Yankees, thinking about the Yankees, talking about the Yankees, reading about the Yankees or watching the Yankees, what are you doing?
Apologizing to my fiancée. But seriously, folks... listening to music, watching movies (both of which I do almost as intensely and thoroughly as I follow the Yankees), working my day job as a book editor. Eating, sleeping. You know.
How long have you been blogging about the Yankees?
I started Clifford's Big Red Blog in August 2003 and moved over to Bronx Banter in March 2005.
When you're not blogging about the Yankees, thinking about the Yankees, talking about the Yankees, reading about the Yankees or watching the Yankees, what are you doing?
Apologizing to my fiancée. But seriously, folks... listening to music, watching movies (both of which I do almost as intensely and thoroughly as I follow the Yankees), working my day job as a book editor. Eating, sleeping. You know.
How long have you been blogging about the Yankees?
I started Clifford's Big Red Blog in August 2003 and moved over to Bronx Banter in March 2005.
Posted by: James
Alex Rodriguez - Third Baseman (Ummm...graphs)
Age: 29 Years Old (Turns 30 in July).
Three Year History and splits:
Outlook: What can be said about A-Rod that hasn't been said already? The AL MVP was an absolute beast in his second season with the Yankees. His 48 home runs were the most by any right-handed batter in Yankees' history, he became the youngest player to reach 400 homeruns and he just put up the best season ever by a Yankee third baseman. Heck, he even stole 21 bases (out of 27 attempts for a 77.8% clip). Even more astounding was the man's consistency. Every month, before and after the break, he put up awe-inspiring numbers. Seriously, what's the worst thing anyone can say about him? He struck out 139 times, the most times in his career (topping his previous high set in 2004). Yeah, but he also set his career high in OBP (.421). He's not clutch. Yeah, except for his .293/.418/.520/.938 line in close and late situations and hitting .305/.406/.551/.957 with runners on.
It gets better. A-Rod is still in his prime. There's a chance he could repeat these numbers (heck, you don't have to dream too big to imagine him surpassing his 2005 numbers). He's got the same protection behind him (with the addition of a full year of a healthy Giambi) and good batch of table-setters in front of him. Add to that the fact that after a "rough" first year in pinstripes, he seems to have adjusted pretty well to Yankee Stadium (.351/.448/.666/1.114 at home vs. .291/.395/.556/.951 away) and it's pretty hard to temper your expectations of him. His natural ability, endurance and consistency don't hurt either.
(For anyone who's still hating on A-Rod, I'd recommend this article by Alex Belth from Bronx Banter who sums up how I feel about A-Rod far more eloquently than I could. Also, SG has taken a look at A-Rod in 2006 from a sabermetric view.)
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
Age: 29 Years Old (Turns 30 in July).
Three Year History and splits:
| SEASON | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 161 | 607 | 124 | 181 | 30 | 6 | 47 | 118 | 87 | 126 | 17 | 3 | .298 | .396 | .600 | .996 |
| 2004 | 155 | 601 | 112 | 172 | 24 | 2 | 36 | 106 | 80 | 131 | 28 | 4 | .286 | .375 | .512 | .887 |
| 2005 | 162 | 605 | 124 | 194 | 29 | 1 | 48 | 130 | 91 | 139 | 21 | 6 | .321 | .421 | .610 | 1.031 |
Outlook: What can be said about A-Rod that hasn't been said already? The AL MVP was an absolute beast in his second season with the Yankees. His 48 home runs were the most by any right-handed batter in Yankees' history, he became the youngest player to reach 400 homeruns and he just put up the best season ever by a Yankee third baseman. Heck, he even stole 21 bases (out of 27 attempts for a 77.8% clip). Even more astounding was the man's consistency. Every month, before and after the break, he put up awe-inspiring numbers. Seriously, what's the worst thing anyone can say about him? He struck out 139 times, the most times in his career (topping his previous high set in 2004). Yeah, but he also set his career high in OBP (.421). He's not clutch. Yeah, except for his .293/.418/.520/.938 line in close and late situations and hitting .305/.406/.551/.957 with runners on.
It gets better. A-Rod is still in his prime. There's a chance he could repeat these numbers (heck, you don't have to dream too big to imagine him surpassing his 2005 numbers). He's got the same protection behind him (with the addition of a full year of a healthy Giambi) and good batch of table-setters in front of him. Add to that the fact that after a "rough" first year in pinstripes, he seems to have adjusted pretty well to Yankee Stadium (.351/.448/.666/1.114 at home vs. .291/.395/.556/.951 away) and it's pretty hard to temper your expectations of him. His natural ability, endurance and consistency don't hurt either.
(For anyone who's still hating on A-Rod, I'd recommend this article by Alex Belth from Bronx Banter who sums up how I feel about A-Rod far more eloquently than I could. Also, SG has taken a look at A-Rod in 2006 from a sabermetric view.)
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
| AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|
Posted by: James
Derek Jeter - Shortstop
Age: 31 Years Old (Turns 32 in June).
Three Year History and splits:
Outlook: First off, it amazes me that it's been 10 years since Jeter's Rookie-of-the-Year campaign. 1930 hits later (yes, that's right - barring injury, Derek will be getting hit #2000 early on in the season), the man will be turning 32 during the season. Wow.
Last year, The Captain kept up the pace that he had set in 2004 after that horrific slump. As a leadoff man, he did exactly what was asked of him, which was to get on base (6th in the AL) and score runs (2nd in the AL). The RBI numbers are somewhat artificially low as the Yanks #9 hitters were awful all year long (.247 AVG/.292 OBP) but Jeter didn’t exactly help himself with his batting with runners in scoring position. Still, Derek was very even throughout the year and his splits before and after the all-star break are practically identical. However, the same can’t be said of his home and away splits. It looks like Derek has figured out how to use Yankee Stadium to the best of his abilities because he hit an amazing .354 at home and only .265 away from the Bronx. Honestly, I can’t really explain such an extreme split but it will be interesting to watch if this trend continues.
This year, Jeter will have have much better production in front and still have that fearsome protection behind him so he should get some good opportunities to drive in more runs while getting some good pitches to hit. Let's just hope he doesn't get sac-bunt happy like in 2004. Of course, and we'll see this becoming a recurring theme - he's another year older and on the wrong side of 30. I don't expect his numbers to fall off but we have to remember who we're talking about here. While Jeter has been remarkably durable for most of his career, because of the way he plays, he goes through most seasons with a good amount of injuries. That being said, Derek Jeter is "Derek Jeter". Year in, year out, he's put up numbers most other shortstops would give their fielding arm for and until he shows that he can't do it anymore, I can't find any reason to bet against him doing it again. SG, who did an analysis on Jeter recently, recapped the player in a single phrase: "He's so consistent he's almost boring". (Man, SG's getting pretty good at these one-liners).
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
Age: 31 Years Old (Turns 32 in June).
Three Year History and splits:
| SEASON | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 119 | 482 | 87 | 156 | 25 | 3 | 10 | 52 | 43 | 88 | 11 | 5 | .324 | .393 | .450 | .843 |
| 2004 | 154 | 643 | 111 | 188 | 44 | 1 | 23 | 78 | 46 | 99 | 23 | 4 | .292 | .352 | .471 | .823 |
| 2005 | 159 | 654 | 122 | 202 | 25 | 5 | 19 | 70 | 77 | 117 | 14 | 5 | .309 | .389 | .450 | .839 |
Outlook: First off, it amazes me that it's been 10 years since Jeter's Rookie-of-the-Year campaign. 1930 hits later (yes, that's right - barring injury, Derek will be getting hit #2000 early on in the season), the man will be turning 32 during the season. Wow.
Last year, The Captain kept up the pace that he had set in 2004 after that horrific slump. As a leadoff man, he did exactly what was asked of him, which was to get on base (6th in the AL) and score runs (2nd in the AL). The RBI numbers are somewhat artificially low as the Yanks #9 hitters were awful all year long (.247 AVG/.292 OBP) but Jeter didn’t exactly help himself with his batting with runners in scoring position. Still, Derek was very even throughout the year and his splits before and after the all-star break are practically identical. However, the same can’t be said of his home and away splits. It looks like Derek has figured out how to use Yankee Stadium to the best of his abilities because he hit an amazing .354 at home and only .265 away from the Bronx. Honestly, I can’t really explain such an extreme split but it will be interesting to watch if this trend continues.
This year, Jeter will have have much better production in front and still have that fearsome protection behind him so he should get some good opportunities to drive in more runs while getting some good pitches to hit. Let's just hope he doesn't get sac-bunt happy like in 2004. Of course, and we'll see this becoming a recurring theme - he's another year older and on the wrong side of 30. I don't expect his numbers to fall off but we have to remember who we're talking about here. While Jeter has been remarkably durable for most of his career, because of the way he plays, he goes through most seasons with a good amount of injuries. That being said, Derek Jeter is "Derek Jeter". Year in, year out, he's put up numbers most other shortstops would give their fielding arm for and until he shows that he can't do it anymore, I can't find any reason to bet against him doing it again. SG, who did an analysis on Jeter recently, recapped the player in a single phrase: "He's so consistent he's almost boring". (Man, SG's getting pretty good at these one-liners).
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
| AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|
