01/13: Memorable Yankees Games
Posted by: James
SG over at RLYW has an interesting post up today about the most memorable games that he's had the pleasure of seeing. It's written well and I have to admit, I started getting nostalgic about the (admittedly far too few) Yankees games that I've been to. At the end of the post, he asks for reader submissions, so head on over to RLYW and post those memories in the comments (don't forget to post them here, as well!) - I'd love to read (and live vicariously through) them.
01/13: You Want More Prospect News?
Posted by: James
You got it! Bryan Smith over at The Baseball Analysts has finished up his top 75 prospects and Philip Hughes came in at number 46, a little lower than what I was expecting. Still, Bryan makes some pretty good points.
Suffice to say, in terms of talent, Phil Hughes is eminently drool-worthy. Then again, so was Brien Taylor and look how that ended up. Still, it seems as if Hughes has a good head on his shoulders and barring any unforseen injuries (or trades), this kid could be starting a lot of games in pinstripes in the relatively near future.
46. Phil Hughes - SP - New York Yankees - 20 (A+)
Introduction: If not for a hint of arm injury at the end of the season, Hughes could be 10-15 spots higher on this list. No prep pitcher from the 2004 draft has impressed me more. However, as I mentioned, towards the end of the season, Hughes had a bout with shoulder inflammation. Combine that with a broken toe suffered in August, and Hughes' debut full season was ended shortly. The toe is not a concern, but the shoulder is, as Phil has many wondering if inflammation is hiding (or will lead to) a tear. Torn labrums are currently the worst injury a baseball player can sustain, so until Hughes proves he's past this, I will stay conservative with his ranking.
Skillset/Future: Dazzling array of pitches, delivery and control. First and foremost, the Californian has a big pitcher's frame that should only add more velocity over time. Right now, his fastball consistently sits in the low 90s, but we can maybe expect two or three more ticks soon. The key, however, is that Hughes has such good control with the pitch, only walking 20 hitters in 90.1 career innings. Conversely, he strikes out hitters at a pretty fantastic rate, notching 93 in 86.1 innings this year. This is due to a good combination of secondary pitches, namely one of the Sally League's best curveballs. If Hughes can stay out of injury, and further refine pitches three and four (change and slider, respectively), he could be one of the best pitchers on this list. If he makes it through one healthy season, my expectations (and ranking) will soar.
Introduction: If not for a hint of arm injury at the end of the season, Hughes could be 10-15 spots higher on this list. No prep pitcher from the 2004 draft has impressed me more. However, as I mentioned, towards the end of the season, Hughes had a bout with shoulder inflammation. Combine that with a broken toe suffered in August, and Hughes' debut full season was ended shortly. The toe is not a concern, but the shoulder is, as Phil has many wondering if inflammation is hiding (or will lead to) a tear. Torn labrums are currently the worst injury a baseball player can sustain, so until Hughes proves he's past this, I will stay conservative with his ranking.
Skillset/Future: Dazzling array of pitches, delivery and control. First and foremost, the Californian has a big pitcher's frame that should only add more velocity over time. Right now, his fastball consistently sits in the low 90s, but we can maybe expect two or three more ticks soon. The key, however, is that Hughes has such good control with the pitch, only walking 20 hitters in 90.1 career innings. Conversely, he strikes out hitters at a pretty fantastic rate, notching 93 in 86.1 innings this year. This is due to a good combination of secondary pitches, namely one of the Sally League's best curveballs. If Hughes can stay out of injury, and further refine pitches three and four (change and slider, respectively), he could be one of the best pitchers on this list. If he makes it through one healthy season, my expectations (and ranking) will soar.
Suffice to say, in terms of talent, Phil Hughes is eminently drool-worthy. Then again, so was Brien Taylor and look how that ended up. Still, it seems as if Hughes has a good head on his shoulders and barring any unforseen injuries (or trades), this kid could be starting a lot of games in pinstripes in the relatively near future.
01/12: The Frisbee Slider Returns?
Posted by: James
An interesting piece from Lee Sinin's always valuable Around The Majors (ATM) report (and also reported in The NY Times and The Star Ledger).
Wait, what? I'm hoping this is one of those rumors that floats around without much basis to it but if it's not, it would just be an odd move, even if it is just a spring training invite. I mean, didn't we try this once before in 2003? Didn't it fail then? Nellie is now 3 years older (entering his age 39 season) and while he was a decent reliever last year, even with injuries, there is no place to put him. They already have Ramiro Mendoza in AAA as a backup in case someone gets hurt as well as Scott Proctor (who like Nelson, is death on righties), Jason Anderson and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Called-Up (Colter Bean). Besides, wouldn't Jeff be better off trying to find a team who will give him a major-league contract? With the average salary at a little under $2.5 million dollars, I'd certainly say so. Of course, I haven't grossed over $21 million over the course of my career so I guess I'm not in a position to comment.
If Yankee brass wants to put together a reunion of the 2000 Yankees, they should have signed Mike Stanton too. Randy Keisler, Randy Choate, and Jason Grimsley should all be looking for work and I'm sure they could coax Doc Gooden out of retirement just in case they needed a spot starter.
9) The Yankees are reportedly interested in free agent P Jeff Nelson.
Wait, what? I'm hoping this is one of those rumors that floats around without much basis to it but if it's not, it would just be an odd move, even if it is just a spring training invite. I mean, didn't we try this once before in 2003? Didn't it fail then? Nellie is now 3 years older (entering his age 39 season) and while he was a decent reliever last year, even with injuries, there is no place to put him. They already have Ramiro Mendoza in AAA as a backup in case someone gets hurt as well as Scott Proctor (who like Nelson, is death on righties), Jason Anderson and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Called-Up (Colter Bean). Besides, wouldn't Jeff be better off trying to find a team who will give him a major-league contract? With the average salary at a little under $2.5 million dollars, I'd certainly say so. Of course, I haven't grossed over $21 million over the course of my career so I guess I'm not in a position to comment.
If Yankee brass wants to put together a reunion of the 2000 Yankees, they should have signed Mike Stanton too. Randy Keisler, Randy Choate, and Jason Grimsley should all be looking for work and I'm sure they could coax Doc Gooden out of retirement just in case they needed a spot starter.
01/11: Sutter In, Goose Not
Posted by: Patrick
The Hall of Fame results are in. Bruce Sutter is the only one headed in, with 76.9% voting for him (75% required). Goose got 64.6%. No one is pleased with that fact.
I met Gossage not long ago (shook his hand, got his autograph = meeting) and I believe he should be in and that he'll get in eventually. On the bright side, he did pick up 51 votes. Maybe next year will be his year. From this article:
I agree with the guys at Pride of the Yankees:
Other former Yankees: Lee Smith (yeah, remember that?) picked up 34 votes (45.0%), Tommy John picked up 31 votes (29.6%) and Donnie picked up 5 votes (12.3%). Doc Gooden, Hal Morris and John Wetteland did not receive enough votes to stay on the ballot.
I met Gossage not long ago (shook his hand, got his autograph = meeting) and I believe he should be in and that he'll get in eventually. On the bright side, he did pick up 51 votes. Maybe next year will be his year. From this article:
It might be difficult for Rice and Gossage to gain votes next year, when Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn and Mark McGwire appear on the ballot for the first time. Each voter may select up to 10 players.
"I was planning a hunting trip next year if I didn't get in this year," Sutter said. "I didn't need to be around the phone, I can tell you that."
"I was planning a hunting trip next year if I didn't get in this year," Sutter said. "I didn't need to be around the phone, I can tell you that."
I agree with the guys at Pride of the Yankees:
However, we have a major gripe with that statement, if indeed it comes to fruition. Doesn't it delegitimize the Hall of Fame selection process a bit when votes for players that have been on the ballot for years (this was Sutter's 13th) receive an increase in votes only because there is a lack of legitimate first-ballot HOF-caliber players? If the trend continues, deserving players like Gossage will receive fewer votes next year simply because the quality of the 2007 class is better than that of the 2006 class. For instance, Goose's chances of entering the Hall shouldn't be affected by the presence of Cal Ripken, Jr. on next year's ballot.
Other former Yankees: Lee Smith (yeah, remember that?) picked up 34 votes (45.0%), Tommy John picked up 31 votes (29.6%) and Donnie picked up 5 votes (12.3%). Doc Gooden, Hal Morris and John Wetteland did not receive enough votes to stay on the ballot.
01/10: More Prospect News
Posted by: James
You know you're getting closer to spring when the prospect lists start coming out. John Sickels' book will be coming out soon as will Baseball America's. The major Yankee prospect names that you can expect to see in most of those books/lists will be Philip Hughes and Eric Duncan as they are probably in the top 50 (give or take) best prospects in baseball. They are the only two to get this sort of attention right now but after this season, with the amount of talent that the Yankees have in the lower levels, I expect to see a few more Yankees on these lists next year (barring major trades/injuries).
Bryan Smith over at The Baseball Analysts has started to unveil his top 75 and Eric Duncan comes in at number 57.
Bryan Smith over at The Baseball Analysts has started to unveil his top 75 and Eric Duncan comes in at number 57.
Posted by: James
Baseball America has come out with their annual Top 10 Prospects for each organization and posted their take on the Yankees' system today. I was a little surprised to see J. Brent Cox left off the list and Eduardo Nunez placed so highly, but other than that, no real shocks:
1. Philip Hughes, rhp
2. Eric Duncan, 3b/1b
3. Jose Tabata, of
4. C.J. Henry
5. Austin Jackson, of
6. Eduardo Nunez, ss
7. Marcos Vechionacci, 3b
8. Christian Garcia, rhp
9. Jeff Marquez, rhp
10. Tyler Clippard, rhp
The part of the article that's the most important is probably the closing:
I'll be chiming in over the next couple of weeks with my take on the top 10 as well as a couple of other prospects to keep an eye on during the coming season. If anyone has heard buzz about a specific prospect and want to read how they're doing, I'll be happy to take requests.
1. Philip Hughes, rhp
2. Eric Duncan, 3b/1b
3. Jose Tabata, of
4. C.J. Henry
5. Austin Jackson, of
6. Eduardo Nunez, ss
7. Marcos Vechionacci, 3b
8. Christian Garcia, rhp
9. Jeff Marquez, rhp
10. Tyler Clippard, rhp
The part of the article that's the most important is probably the closing:
In the last two years, New York has added high-end prospects at the lower levels with international signings and a more aggressive approach in the draft...Loaded Yankees affiliates won championships in the short-season New York-Penn and Rookie-level Gulf Coast leagues, but most of their best talent has yet to play above the Class A level.
I'll be chiming in over the next couple of weeks with my take on the top 10 as well as a couple of other prospects to keep an eye on during the coming season. If anyone has heard buzz about a specific prospect and want to read how they're doing, I'll be happy to take requests.
Posted by: David
Although the 1998 Yankees team was my favorite, following closely behind in second place is the 1996 team. It was the first year for Joe Torre to manage and Derek Jeter started his career. When the season ended he was a World Series champion and AL Rookie of the Year.
This team was not especially big on power, but they played the game with the attitude that every run is important and with a total team concept. They used the hit and run and the steal at opportune times and moved runners into scoring position by making productive outs.
Tim Raines was great at leading off then Jeter knew from day one knew how to hit behind the runner and also how to hit and run effectively. This team did not have to wait for the three run homer. They manufactured runs. This is what I'm hoping for some ten years later with the 2006 version of the Bronx Bombers.
Johnny Damon is a great leadoff hitter with speed. Jeter will follow and as mentioned is a great hit and run type hitter. Then the big bats follow: A-Rod; Sheffield; Matsui; Giambi and Bernie. The bottom of the lineup will have Posada and Cano. When Cano leads off an inning he will have Damon to follow. This team should score a lot of runs and simply just bash teams to death.
The potential problems I see are still the quality of the starting pitching and overall defense. Randy Johnson will be 42, Mussina is in his late thirties, Pavano is a question mark, will Chacon and Small be as clutch as they were is '05? Jaret Wright is someone prone to injuries. I think one of these guys will be traded. Carl Pavano probably has the most value considering his age and past history. The Yankees outfield defense should be better with Damon. He can go get the ball and covers quite a bit of ground. His arm though is awful. Teams will continue to go from first to third on the Yankees. Sheffield is not a great right fielder other than his arm. Matsui makes most of the routine plays but is not great at going back on the ball either. Plus, his arm is probably average at best.
I think the Yankees are a lock for postseason but they have to get over the hump. Most postseason games are close and you have to have the ability to score one run when needed. This is why I hope Torre will go back to the '96 team style and use all facets of his talent laden team. The homerun will not always come when needed.
It looks like Andy Phillips and Miguel Cairo will be the backups for Jason Giambi unless a deal is pending. J.T. Snow just signed with the Red Sox. All in all it should be a very exciting year at the big ballpark in the South Bronx. Only 86 days until the start of the regular season and only 94 until opening day at the stadium. I can't wait!
This team was not especially big on power, but they played the game with the attitude that every run is important and with a total team concept. They used the hit and run and the steal at opportune times and moved runners into scoring position by making productive outs.
Tim Raines was great at leading off then Jeter knew from day one knew how to hit behind the runner and also how to hit and run effectively. This team did not have to wait for the three run homer. They manufactured runs. This is what I'm hoping for some ten years later with the 2006 version of the Bronx Bombers.
Johnny Damon is a great leadoff hitter with speed. Jeter will follow and as mentioned is a great hit and run type hitter. Then the big bats follow: A-Rod; Sheffield; Matsui; Giambi and Bernie. The bottom of the lineup will have Posada and Cano. When Cano leads off an inning he will have Damon to follow. This team should score a lot of runs and simply just bash teams to death.
The potential problems I see are still the quality of the starting pitching and overall defense. Randy Johnson will be 42, Mussina is in his late thirties, Pavano is a question mark, will Chacon and Small be as clutch as they were is '05? Jaret Wright is someone prone to injuries. I think one of these guys will be traded. Carl Pavano probably has the most value considering his age and past history. The Yankees outfield defense should be better with Damon. He can go get the ball and covers quite a bit of ground. His arm though is awful. Teams will continue to go from first to third on the Yankees. Sheffield is not a great right fielder other than his arm. Matsui makes most of the routine plays but is not great at going back on the ball either. Plus, his arm is probably average at best.
I think the Yankees are a lock for postseason but they have to get over the hump. Most postseason games are close and you have to have the ability to score one run when needed. This is why I hope Torre will go back to the '96 team style and use all facets of his talent laden team. The homerun will not always come when needed.
It looks like Andy Phillips and Miguel Cairo will be the backups for Jason Giambi unless a deal is pending. J.T. Snow just signed with the Red Sox. All in all it should be a very exciting year at the big ballpark in the South Bronx. Only 86 days until the start of the regular season and only 94 until opening day at the stadium. I can't wait!
01/06: You Can Call Him Al
Posted by: James
According to the NY Daily News, there are talks about bring back Al Leiter.
Worst case scenario: In spring training, Al somehow harnesses his stuff again and pretends that he is pitching against the Toronto Blue Jays all the time (he killed them last year to the tune of a 2.20 ERA and a .210 AVG against), ensuring that Joe somehow finds a way to get him on the 25 man squad at some point in the season, bypassing Matt Smith in the process. Other than that, this isn't a bad move really, akin to signing Ramiro Mendoza to a AAA deal as a just-in-case backup.
The Yankees announced a one-year deal with utility infielder Miguel Cairo yesterday, and also had discussions to bring back lefty Al Leiter. The Yanks are talking to Leiter's agents about a nonroster invitation to spring training, where he would compete for a bullpen job and offer insurance. Leiter had talked at the end of last season about possibly retiring, but "he's receptive to this," Yankee GM Brian Cashman said.
Worst case scenario: In spring training, Al somehow harnesses his stuff again and pretends that he is pitching against the Toronto Blue Jays all the time (he killed them last year to the tune of a 2.20 ERA and a .210 AVG against), ensuring that Joe somehow finds a way to get him on the 25 man squad at some point in the season, bypassing Matt Smith in the process. Other than that, this isn't a bad move really, akin to signing Ramiro Mendoza to a AAA deal as a just-in-case backup.
Posted by: Patrick
Seamus Molloy, a Blogger here on YanksBlog.com, is our next interviewee.
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?
During my non-Yankee related free time, I'm usually playing poker or bowling or just watching a movie with some friends. I play Texas Hold'em a lot online late at night. I'm also a huge fan of the New York Knicks, Rangers and Giants.
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?
During my non-Yankee related free time, I'm usually playing poker or bowling or just watching a movie with some friends. I play Texas Hold'em a lot online late at night. I'm also a huge fan of the New York Knicks, Rangers and Giants.
Posted by: Patrick
Well, I guess I shouldn't be shocked. First, Bernie wasn't great and now, the Yankees are the "Ugly Americans." Murray Chass has ripped the Yankees for their stance on the WBC.
