Posted by: James
Rather than being even a little bit gracious about the Yankees playing well despite the many injuries they've suffered, David Schoenfield of ESPN's Page 2 prefers to try cutting on the Yankees again, even when they're winning. Man, if you thought people would stop with the snark for a little bit while the Yankees win without some of the star players, you would be wrong. It's kind of funny really as he starts off with praise.
Of course, then comes the multitude of snark before ending with a Go Yankees! Give me a break.
But it's time to come clean: We are embracing the 2006 New York Yankees, this gritty, gutty, never-say-die collection of castoffs, rookies, has-beens and stiffs.
What other team could survive this onslaught of injuries: Hideki Matsui's fractured wrist, Gary Sheffield's torn ligament in his wrist, Shawn Chacon's bruised shin, Johnny Damon's broken bone in his foot, Mariano Rivera's bad back, Tanyon Sturtze's blown-out shoulder, Carl Pavano's bruised butt cheek. And now, Jeter's bruised thumb.
So, in admiration and praise of this team's hustle, toughness and desire, here are 10 Reasons We Are Adopting The Yankees As Page 2's Official MLB Team To Root For In 2006:
What other team could survive this onslaught of injuries: Hideki Matsui's fractured wrist, Gary Sheffield's torn ligament in his wrist, Shawn Chacon's bruised shin, Johnny Damon's broken bone in his foot, Mariano Rivera's bad back, Tanyon Sturtze's blown-out shoulder, Carl Pavano's bruised butt cheek. And now, Jeter's bruised thumb.
So, in admiration and praise of this team's hustle, toughness and desire, here are 10 Reasons We Are Adopting The Yankees As Page 2's Official MLB Team To Root For In 2006:
Of course, then comes the multitude of snark before ending with a Go Yankees! Give me a break.
06/07: Some Thoughts on the Draft
Posted by: James
Prospects are odd things; kids who have chosen sports as their career who can then bring even the most stedfast of fans to absolute giddiness with thoughts of their "projectability" (insert your own adjective here - motor/upside/baseball IQ/etc.). With the first 18 rounds of the MLB draft in the books (there are 50 rounds in total though some teams opt not to participate in all 50), I personally think that the Yanks did pretty well for themselves in selecting good value picks in a draft that had a dearth of position players. Of course, we won't know for sure until a couple years down the road but it's nice to know that some of the experts agree with me. Bryan Smith over at The Baseball Analysts did a list of his favorite value picks from each round and the Yanks did pretty well.
In that light, I want to spend today looking at my favorite value pick from each round...We'll start our way at the top, with the familiar Eddie Bane, and end with the Yankees fantastic middle round drafting, led by Damon Oppenheimer.
Round Seven: Jonah Nickerson, rhp, Detroit Tigers
Tim Norton (Yankees pick) was almost the guy here, but I wanted to give the Tigers some love.
Round Eight: Dellin Betances, rhp, New York Yankees
Round Nine: Mark Melancon, rhp, New York Yankees
I passed on Norton as my seventh round choice because I knew the Yankees had nailed the 8th and 9th rounds. Betances has been telling people its Yankees or bust for quite some time, a theory New York plans to test. If Betances doesn't sign right away, he may go to St. Petursburg JC, and could end up a prime draft-and-follow candidate. Melancon would have been a first rounder if not for injury, and while mildly serious, he's too good to last much longer.
Bonham also tipped me off on another awesome ninth round pick, Nate Boman by the Angels. Labrum victim, yes, but Boman was TheMan last year. These are the types of risks teams should be taking in these late rounds.
Round Seven: Jonah Nickerson, rhp, Detroit Tigers
Tim Norton (Yankees pick) was almost the guy here, but I wanted to give the Tigers some love.
Round Eight: Dellin Betances, rhp, New York Yankees
Round Nine: Mark Melancon, rhp, New York Yankees
I passed on Norton as my seventh round choice because I knew the Yankees had nailed the 8th and 9th rounds. Betances has been telling people its Yankees or bust for quite some time, a theory New York plans to test. If Betances doesn't sign right away, he may go to St. Petursburg JC, and could end up a prime draft-and-follow candidate. Melancon would have been a first rounder if not for injury, and while mildly serious, he's too good to last much longer.
Bonham also tipped me off on another awesome ninth round pick, Nate Boman by the Angels. Labrum victim, yes, but Boman was TheMan last year. These are the types of risks teams should be taking in these late rounds.
06/06: Bye Bye T-Long!
Posted by: James
In a move that stunned Yankees fans everywhere, Yankees management has kept Kevin Thompson on the roster and DFA'd Terrence Long! I checked the Gameday line-up and it looks like Nick Green has been called up as a reserve infielder while Jeter heals and rather than ship Thompson back down to AAA Columbus, they chose to designate Long for assignment. Of course, Long's been so bad that no one will claim the guy and he'll probably just head back down to Columbus and wait for his next shot, which hopefully, won't be with the Yankees.
Good Lord, between finally playing Andy more and calling up (and now keeping) Kevin Thompson, will wonders never cease? Next on the agenda, losing Mr. Erickson for someone else (anyone else really) and then replacing Aaron Small with Darell Rasner (once he recovers from injury) while we wait for Chacon and Dotel to get healthy.
Good Lord, between finally playing Andy more and calling up (and now keeping) Kevin Thompson, will wonders never cease? Next on the agenda, losing Mr. Erickson for someone else (anyone else really) and then replacing Aaron Small with Darell Rasner (once he recovers from injury) while we wait for Chacon and Dotel to get healthy.
06/06: Draft? I'll Take One
Posted by: James
Update: With the 21st pick, the Yankees take Fredrick Weiss (ahhh - wait, just a nightmare! whew!) USC RHP Ian Kennedy. Pretty good pitcher from what I've heard. For those interested, here's the breakdown from Baseball America, Team USA, USC and IGWT.
With the 41st pick, the Yankees picked up RHP Joba Chamberlain from U of Nebraska (Lincoln). He's a big kid (6'2", 230 lbs) who dropped a bit due to what's being billed as a "minor triceps injury". For what it's worth, a month ago Jim Callis had Chamberlain listed as the 9th best prospect (not just pitcher) in the draft. He fell down to 18 in the last draft tracker prior to today due to "to injury concerns and a shorter track record when compared to other top college arms." There are also some questions about his "conditioning"...and I'm assuming they don't mean what he uses on his hair. Here's a basic accomplishment list from U of Nebraska, a recent article on MLB.com and a breakdown from IGWT and if you look at the pictures, he definitely looks like a big guy.
With the 254th pick, the Yanks picked up Dellin Bettances so Mike A. over at IGWT should be plenty happy. He's very high on this very large (6'8", 215 lbs.) kid (DOB: 3/23/88) who, while very raw, apparently projects well. I'll leave the analysis to him when he gets a chance.
I hate to repeat some of the things that Patrick just mentioned but originally, this post was gonna go up a long time ago but with my laptop dying (hard drive shot to heck - just lost about 55 Gbs of data). Here's an ironic twist - the computer died the day before I was going to Best Buy to buy an external hard drive to back everything up. Oh, the irony...add to that a bunch of fire drills at work and I stand before you a broken and bitter man.
As an aside, TJ Beam, who I've been praising at length here, has been promoted to Colombus and did pretty well in his first appearance (2IP, 0H, 4K). I have no idea what happened to DeSalvo, who took the loss and saw his ERA bloat to 7.68. He pitched well last year and in spring and then this. At this point, you're hoping he's injured and that there's a reason for what he's doing. If not, ouch.
With the 41st pick, the Yankees picked up RHP Joba Chamberlain from U of Nebraska (Lincoln). He's a big kid (6'2", 230 lbs) who dropped a bit due to what's being billed as a "minor triceps injury". For what it's worth, a month ago Jim Callis had Chamberlain listed as the 9th best prospect (not just pitcher) in the draft. He fell down to 18 in the last draft tracker prior to today due to "to injury concerns and a shorter track record when compared to other top college arms." There are also some questions about his "conditioning"...and I'm assuming they don't mean what he uses on his hair. Here's a basic accomplishment list from U of Nebraska, a recent article on MLB.com and a breakdown from IGWT and if you look at the pictures, he definitely looks like a big guy.
With the 254th pick, the Yanks picked up Dellin Bettances so Mike A. over at IGWT should be plenty happy. He's very high on this very large (6'8", 215 lbs.) kid (DOB: 3/23/88) who, while very raw, apparently projects well. I'll leave the analysis to him when he gets a chance.
I hate to repeat some of the things that Patrick just mentioned but originally, this post was gonna go up a long time ago but with my laptop dying (hard drive shot to heck - just lost about 55 Gbs of data). Here's an ironic twist - the computer died the day before I was going to Best Buy to buy an external hard drive to back everything up. Oh, the irony...add to that a bunch of fire drills at work and I stand before you a broken and bitter man.
As an aside, TJ Beam, who I've been praising at length here, has been promoted to Colombus and did pretty well in his first appearance (2IP, 0H, 4K). I have no idea what happened to DeSalvo, who took the loss and saw his ERA bloat to 7.68. He pitched well last year and in spring and then this. At this point, you're hoping he's injured and that there's a reason for what he's doing. If not, ouch.
06/06: MLB Draft
Posted by: Patrick
The MLB Draft is today. Some interesting names out there, including Preston Mattingly and Jeffrey Maier. Mike A. says he'll be covering it throughout the day.
Via Mike A..
Via Mike A..
06/06: Yankees 13, Red Sox 5
Posted by: Jason
Well...we all knew that you can't throw fastballs by Giambi, but who knew you couldn't throw mid-high 90's fastballs by Andy Phillips?? (I know, he had HR's in the minors, but you don't face power pitchers in Yankee Stadium in the minors)
Last evening's game was another pleasant surprise all around, beginning with Melky's daredevil baserunning in the bottom of the first. After an errant throw by Varitek, an improper rotation of Boston infielders found Cabrera rounding third base with home uncovered!! Melky ran like he had stolen something, which he had: 1-0.
Top 2nd was a nervous 1/2 inning, as Mussina's apparently good pitches were put in play by the middle of the Red Sox order to take the lead, 2-1. This lead proved to be temporary for Boston...
Bottom 2nd was the critical stretch and essentially ended the game. Andy Phillips is growing into a role as a credible power threat. Regular YB.com readers know that I find Jason Giambi's 24 month climb out of his self-made hole to be inspirational. Last night's shot off the upper deck facade reminded me that 18 months ago, Jason's career was over for all intents and purposes. However, the ancient Romans believed that: Virtutis fortuna comes. (Good luck is the companion of courage)
The Yankees added 5 more runs in the wake of the decisive bottom 2nd on hits by Cano and Cabrera. Another fine outing for Mike Mussina, who continues to build his AL Cy Young case. (knock on wood) Also good to see Mariano throwing easily in the 9th.
Hey Tiger Wang: Keep that sinker down...
Last evening's game was another pleasant surprise all around, beginning with Melky's daredevil baserunning in the bottom of the first. After an errant throw by Varitek, an improper rotation of Boston infielders found Cabrera rounding third base with home uncovered!! Melky ran like he had stolen something, which he had: 1-0.
Top 2nd was a nervous 1/2 inning, as Mussina's apparently good pitches were put in play by the middle of the Red Sox order to take the lead, 2-1. This lead proved to be temporary for Boston...
Bottom 2nd was the critical stretch and essentially ended the game. Andy Phillips is growing into a role as a credible power threat. Regular YB.com readers know that I find Jason Giambi's 24 month climb out of his self-made hole to be inspirational. Last night's shot off the upper deck facade reminded me that 18 months ago, Jason's career was over for all intents and purposes. However, the ancient Romans believed that: Virtutis fortuna comes. (Good luck is the companion of courage)
The Yankees added 5 more runs in the wake of the decisive bottom 2nd on hits by Cano and Cabrera. Another fine outing for Mike Mussina, who continues to build his AL Cy Young case. (knock on wood) Also good to see Mariano throwing easily in the 9th.
Hey Tiger Wang: Keep that sinker down...
Posted by: David
Aaron Small just doesn't have it this year. Last year he was 10-0 and largely responsible for the Yankees winning the American League East. Yesterday afternoon in Baltimore he lasted only 2.2 innings and surrendered seven runs including home runs to Javy Lopez, Kevin Millar and Bradon Fahey. For a pitcher that doesn't throw hard, location is critical and Small has just left too many pitches in batter's happy zones this year.
He gave up single runs in the first and second which included the home run by Lopez but in the third, the O's struck for five runs highlighted by a three run dinger from Kevin Millar. Matt Smith relieved for one inning and was not scored upon. Scott Erickson followed and was touched for Javy Lopez' second round tripper of the day, this time a three run blast to put Baltimore ahead 10-0.
The Yankees struck back but couldn't get the really big hit to make it close. Kevin Thompson hit a three run double in the seventh to make it 10-4 but in the eighth the Yankees loaded the bases with no one out but did not score a run when Todd Williams induced Miguel Cairo to hit back to the mound and he snagged the ball with his bare hand and turned it into an inning ending 1-2-3 double play. The Orioles added one more run late and the game ended at 11-4.
Derek Jeter was hit on the right hand with a pitch and left the game. It was reported that X-Rays taken were negative and he has a bruised thumb. He is listed as day-to-day. All Yankees fans are hoping he will be available for the Red Sox series starting tonight at the stadium. It looks like a great pitching matchup on paper with Josh Beckett facing Mike Mussina in a nationally televised game to be seen on ESPN.
He gave up single runs in the first and second which included the home run by Lopez but in the third, the O's struck for five runs highlighted by a three run dinger from Kevin Millar. Matt Smith relieved for one inning and was not scored upon. Scott Erickson followed and was touched for Javy Lopez' second round tripper of the day, this time a three run blast to put Baltimore ahead 10-0.
The Yankees struck back but couldn't get the really big hit to make it close. Kevin Thompson hit a three run double in the seventh to make it 10-4 but in the eighth the Yankees loaded the bases with no one out but did not score a run when Todd Williams induced Miguel Cairo to hit back to the mound and he snagged the ball with his bare hand and turned it into an inning ending 1-2-3 double play. The Orioles added one more run late and the game ended at 11-4.
Derek Jeter was hit on the right hand with a pitch and left the game. It was reported that X-Rays taken were negative and he has a bruised thumb. He is listed as day-to-day. All Yankees fans are hoping he will be available for the Red Sox series starting tonight at the stadium. It looks like a great pitching matchup on paper with Josh Beckett facing Mike Mussina in a nationally televised game to be seen on ESPN.
06/04: Hot and Cold - May 2006
Posted by: Patrick
Hot
Mike Mussina
6 GS, 42.2 IP, 3-0, 2.53 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, .196 BAA
Alex Rodriguez
28 G, 109 AB, 25 R, 36 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 15 BB, 1 SB, .330 AVG, .416 OBA, .549 SLG, 1.031 OPS
Jorge Posada
20 G, 62 AB, 11 R, 20 H, 3 2B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 12 BB, .323 AVG, .429 OBA, .565 SLG, .993 OPS
Mariano Rivera
14 G, 17.2 IP, 3-1, 7 SV, 1.53 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .242 BAA
Ron Villone
12 G, 12.2 IP, 0-1, 1.42 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, .167 BAA
Jaret Wright
5 GS, 27.2 IP, 3-1, 3.25 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, .243 BAA
Melky Cabrera
19 G, 66 AB, 8 R, 21 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 10 RBI, 8 BB, 2 SB, .318 AVG, .392 OBA, .394 SLG, .786 OPS
Mike Mussina
6 GS, 42.2 IP, 3-0, 2.53 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, .196 BAA
Alex Rodriguez
28 G, 109 AB, 25 R, 36 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 15 BB, 1 SB, .330 AVG, .416 OBA, .549 SLG, 1.031 OPS
Jorge Posada
20 G, 62 AB, 11 R, 20 H, 3 2B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 12 BB, .323 AVG, .429 OBA, .565 SLG, .993 OPS
Mariano Rivera
14 G, 17.2 IP, 3-1, 7 SV, 1.53 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .242 BAA
Ron Villone
12 G, 12.2 IP, 0-1, 1.42 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, .167 BAA
Jaret Wright
5 GS, 27.2 IP, 3-1, 3.25 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, .243 BAA
Melky Cabrera
19 G, 66 AB, 8 R, 21 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 10 RBI, 8 BB, 2 SB, .318 AVG, .392 OBA, .394 SLG, .786 OPS
Posted by: Seamus
I got a little nervous after the Orioles' two-run 8th inning, but the Yankees took the game in 10 innings to win for the 7th time in their last eight games. The win gives the Yankees a half game ahead of Boston, who lost 6-2 in Detroit, for first place in the A.L. East. Randy Johnson gave up three runs, but his performance was actually a gem, giving up only three hits while striking out eight in 7 and 1/3 innings.
The Yankees scored two in the 5th inning, courtesy of Derek Jeter who doubled in a run and Bernie Williams, whose sac fly put the Yankees up 4-3. The Yankees went up 5-3 in the 7th when Andy Phillips hit a long home run to left field. The Big Unit was relieved by Scott Proctor in the 8th, who gave up two runs on back to back doubles as the Orioles tied the score at 5 apiece. Proctor pitched a scoreless 9th and the Yankees went back ahead in the 10th on a solo shot to center by Johnny Damon. With both Mariano Rivera and Kyle Farnsworth unavailable for the game, the Yankees were short on staff in the bullpen, so the Yanks went to Chien-Ming Wang on his throw day in between starts to finish the Orioles off in the 10th and record the first save of his professional career.
A lot of people would've been pointing the finger at Scott Proctor had the Yankees blown this one, but the Yankees left 13 runners on base. Melky Cabrera left seven on himself, but we'll let this one slide considering today's subpar 1-6 performance only dropped the rookie's average to .304. Conversely, I guess you could also say the Yankees wouldn't have had the opportunity to blow all those scoring chances if the Orioles' defense wasn't so bad throughout the day. They recorded three errors, but there were also a lot of hits that should've been outs. Either way, the beauty of this game is that this one counts in the standings as much as a 15-0 blowout.
Aaron Small will look for his first win this afternoon and will be facing Rodrigo Lopez. Both starters have an E.R.A. well over 6, so we might be looking at a slugfest. Hopefully Small can give us some innings though since Rivera still won't be available for this one.
The Yankees scored two in the 5th inning, courtesy of Derek Jeter who doubled in a run and Bernie Williams, whose sac fly put the Yankees up 4-3. The Yankees went up 5-3 in the 7th when Andy Phillips hit a long home run to left field. The Big Unit was relieved by Scott Proctor in the 8th, who gave up two runs on back to back doubles as the Orioles tied the score at 5 apiece. Proctor pitched a scoreless 9th and the Yankees went back ahead in the 10th on a solo shot to center by Johnny Damon. With both Mariano Rivera and Kyle Farnsworth unavailable for the game, the Yankees were short on staff in the bullpen, so the Yanks went to Chien-Ming Wang on his throw day in between starts to finish the Orioles off in the 10th and record the first save of his professional career.
A lot of people would've been pointing the finger at Scott Proctor had the Yankees blown this one, but the Yankees left 13 runners on base. Melky Cabrera left seven on himself, but we'll let this one slide considering today's subpar 1-6 performance only dropped the rookie's average to .304. Conversely, I guess you could also say the Yankees wouldn't have had the opportunity to blow all those scoring chances if the Orioles' defense wasn't so bad throughout the day. They recorded three errors, but there were also a lot of hits that should've been outs. Either way, the beauty of this game is that this one counts in the standings as much as a 15-0 blowout.
Aaron Small will look for his first win this afternoon and will be facing Rodrigo Lopez. Both starters have an E.R.A. well over 6, so we might be looking at a slugfest. Hopefully Small can give us some innings though since Rivera still won't be available for this one.
Posted by: David
With Sheffield back on the DL and his return very uncertain the Yankees are now missing their corner outfielders who have both produced 30 homers and over 100 RBI. Granted, Melky Cabrera has been a godsend but over the course of a 162 game schedule the Yankees will need to replace that pop in the lineup.
Michael Kay mentioned during the broadcast last night that the Washington Post was reporting that Stan Kasten (former Braves GM) who represents the new Nationals ownership wants to clean house and accumulate prospects for the future. This means that guys like Alfonso Soriano, Jose Guillen, Jose Vidro and Livan Hernandez will probably be dealt.
The name that pops out to me would be Soriano. He is not the defensive replacement we need, but you can't ignore that bat. He is close to twenty homers already and can do it all offensively. The other rumor is a three way trade with the Phillies and Marlins where the Yankees would end up with Pat Burrell and Willis would go the Phillies. The Marlins would get prospects from both trading partners.
I think the Yankees should pursue Torii Hunter from the Twins. He will be a free agent after the season and would be great in center with Damon moving to left. Damon already has stated he wouldn't mind playing left if the Yankees could snatch Hunter. The Yankees outfield defense is not good. Damon can go after the ball, but can't throw. Sheffield is a question mark and when he does come back is not good defensively. Cabrera has been great with the bat and threw out a runner last night to save a run for the Yankees. Bernie Williams has slowed down and everyone knows has no arm at all. Hunter is a great gold glove center fielder and also a force offensively.
As for pitching, Livan Hernandez has pitched on winning clubs with the Marlins and eats up innings. Remember the last few years the Yankees bullpen has died in the postseason from overwork during the long season.
The problem for the Yankees in any deal though is coming up with prospects. Phillip Hughes seems to be the top pitching prospect but is only at the double A level. As for hitters, we have Eric Duncan, Kevin Thompson, Kevin Reese and Mitch Jones to dangle in front of team. Would the Yankees give up Cabrera or Chien Ming-Wang to acquire someone who could get us to the postseason?
Michael Kay mentioned during the broadcast last night that the Washington Post was reporting that Stan Kasten (former Braves GM) who represents the new Nationals ownership wants to clean house and accumulate prospects for the future. This means that guys like Alfonso Soriano, Jose Guillen, Jose Vidro and Livan Hernandez will probably be dealt.
The name that pops out to me would be Soriano. He is not the defensive replacement we need, but you can't ignore that bat. He is close to twenty homers already and can do it all offensively. The other rumor is a three way trade with the Phillies and Marlins where the Yankees would end up with Pat Burrell and Willis would go the Phillies. The Marlins would get prospects from both trading partners.
I think the Yankees should pursue Torii Hunter from the Twins. He will be a free agent after the season and would be great in center with Damon moving to left. Damon already has stated he wouldn't mind playing left if the Yankees could snatch Hunter. The Yankees outfield defense is not good. Damon can go after the ball, but can't throw. Sheffield is a question mark and when he does come back is not good defensively. Cabrera has been great with the bat and threw out a runner last night to save a run for the Yankees. Bernie Williams has slowed down and everyone knows has no arm at all. Hunter is a great gold glove center fielder and also a force offensively.
As for pitching, Livan Hernandez has pitched on winning clubs with the Marlins and eats up innings. Remember the last few years the Yankees bullpen has died in the postseason from overwork during the long season.
The problem for the Yankees in any deal though is coming up with prospects. Phillip Hughes seems to be the top pitching prospect but is only at the double A level. As for hitters, we have Eric Duncan, Kevin Thompson, Kevin Reese and Mitch Jones to dangle in front of team. Would the Yankees give up Cabrera or Chien Ming-Wang to acquire someone who could get us to the postseason?
