Posted by: Patrick
The Yankees Bloggers League drafted this afternoon. We've got 10 teams in the league. They're run by James, Seamus and myself, Joseph, Ben and Mike from River Ave. Blues, Dave and Aziz from Pride of the Yankees, EJ from Pinstripe Potentials and Pending Pinstripes and Jennifer from NoSenseWorrying.com.
The draft order went like this: Ben, Mike, me, EJ, Aziz, James, Joseph, Seamus, Dave and Jennifer. The first 10 players off the board were Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, Alex Rodriguez, Johan Santana, Ryan Howard, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Chase Utley and Miguel Cabrera. 13 Yankees were drafted in all. Divided by team:
Ben: None.
Mike: None.
Patrick: Posada, A-Rod, Jeter, Abreu, Matsui, Rivera, Pettitte and Igawa.
EJ: None.
Aziz: None.
James: None.
Joseph: None.
Seamus: Mussina.
Dave: Giambi.
Jennifer: Cano, Damon and Wang.
If anyone wants to take a crack at some draft analysis, I encourage it. :)
It was an awesome turnout with all 10 teams making it to the draft (Dave was a little late and Joseph came in about halfway through). It was a lot of fun and I wish every good luck this season.
The draft order went like this: Ben, Mike, me, EJ, Aziz, James, Joseph, Seamus, Dave and Jennifer. The first 10 players off the board were Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, Alex Rodriguez, Johan Santana, Ryan Howard, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Chase Utley and Miguel Cabrera. 13 Yankees were drafted in all. Divided by team:
Ben: None.
Mike: None.
Patrick: Posada, A-Rod, Jeter, Abreu, Matsui, Rivera, Pettitte and Igawa.
EJ: None.
Aziz: None.
James: None.
Joseph: None.
Seamus: Mussina.
Dave: Giambi.
Jennifer: Cano, Damon and Wang.
If anyone wants to take a crack at some draft analysis, I encourage it. :)
It was an awesome turnout with all 10 teams making it to the draft (Dave was a little late and Joseph came in about halfway through). It was a lot of fun and I wish every good luck this season.
Posted by: Patrick
From MLB.com:
As much as all of the winning, things like this make me proud to be a Yankees fan.
The New York Yankees have voluntarily committed to paying the funeral costs for victims of a Bronx house fire that killed nine people Wednesday.
Eight children and one adult perished when fire engulfed a row house near Yankee Stadium late Wednesday. The fire was the deadliest in New York City in 17 years, apart from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.
Eight children and one adult perished when fire engulfed a row house near Yankee Stadium late Wednesday. The fire was the deadliest in New York City in 17 years, apart from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.
As much as all of the winning, things like this make me proud to be a Yankees fan.
03/10: YBCP 07: Robinson Cano
Posted by: James
Robinson Cano
Age: 24 Years Old (Turns 25 in October). (If you see this and don't get a smile on your face, there might be something wrong with the Yankees portion of your brain.)
Three-Year History, three-year splits and last year's splits.
Outlook: After a 2005 season where Cano finsihed second in the Rookie of the Year voting, expectations were mixed as to what he could provide the Yankees on a consistent basis. His minor league track record was somewhat erratic, and though he had made several strides in his the higher levels, Bryan Smith over at Baseball Analysts didn't expect much.
For the first two months of the year, Cano was fulfilling that prediction, hitting a fairly empty .293 with 13 base-hits (11 doubles). Then in June, apparently something clicked and he took off, pasting opposing pitchers to the tune of .398/.432/.566/.998 and taking his OPS from .701 to .792. Unfortunately, in the midst of this hot streak, he strained his left hamstring and missed six weeks of playing time. Luckily, when he returned, he didn't skip a beat, absolutely tattooing everything in sight and putting up a monstrous .365/.380/.635/1.015 after the ASB. It was truly something to watch as seemingly everything that came off Cano's bat was hit hard. Robbie was an All-Star, won the Silver Slugger at 2B and even got some MVP consideration (22nd) and took over the title of best hitting second baseman in the AL. As for his defense, how good it is can be argued amongst fans but he was certainly better last year than he was in his first year. If he can keep up what he showed last year, I really doubt anyone will be complaining.
Of course, there are some questions still to be answered as Robbie goes into this season. While he was on fire for 3 full months last season, there are still some people who want to see how consistently good he can be. Also, he has struggled in his career against lefties (.278/.315/.365/.680 versus lefties and .334/.352/.538/.890 against righties) and on the road (.283/.307/.443/.750 at home, .349 /.371/.529/.900 on the road) and any adjustments he can make in both these areas will be closely watched. Still, this is just nit-picking when you think about it; he's improved in both those areas since his first year and any other team would take Cano in a heartbeat. Luckily, it's Yankees fans who have the pleasure of seeing a talented, home-grown product mature on the field and it seems the question is no longer whether Cano can be a good player, but just how good can he ultimately be?
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
Age: 24 Years Old (Turns 25 in October). (If you see this and don't get a smile on your face, there might be something wrong with the Yankees portion of your brain.)
Three-Year History, three-year splits and last year's splits.
| SEASON | Team | G | AB | H | 1B | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Yankees | 132 | 522 | 155 | 103 | 34 | 4 | 14 | 78 | 62 | 16 | 68 | 1 | 3 | .297 |
| 2006 | Yankees | 122 | 482 | 165 | 108 | 41 | 1 | 15 | 62 | 78 | 18 | 54 | 5 | 2 | .342 |
| 2007 | Bill James | 149 | 557 | 181 | 117 | 44 | 3 | 17 | 80 | 83 | 23 | 60 | 4 | 2 | .325 |
| 2007 | CHONE | 522 | 163 | 106 | 37 | 3 | 17 | 66 | 75 | 27 | 63 | 3 | 2 | .312 | |
| 2007 | Marcel | 476 | 153 | 101 | 35 | 2 | 15 | 69 | 70 | 23 | 62 | 4 | 2 | .321 | |
| 2007 | ZiPS | 568 | 179 | 117 | 41 | 3 | 18 | 81 | 97 | 24 | 68 | 3 | 2 | .315 |
| SEASON | Team | BB% | K% | BB/K | OBP | SLG | OPS | ISO | BABIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Yankees | 3.0 % | 13.0 % | 0.24 | .320 | .458 | .778 | .161 | .320 |
| 2006 | Yankees | 3.6 % | 11.2 % | 0.33 | .365 | .525 | .890 | .183 | .363 |
| 2007 | Bill James | 4.0 % | 10.8 % | 0.38 | .354 | .506 | .860 | .181 | .342 |
| 2007 | CHONE | 4.9 % | 12.1 % | 0.43 | .350 | .492 | .842 | .180 | .330 |
| 2007 | Marcel | 4.6 % | 13.0 % | 0.37 | .354 | .498 | .852 | .176 | .346 |
| 2007 | ZiPS | 4.1 % | 12.0 % | 0.35 | .343 | .493 | .836 | .178 | .334 |
Outlook: After a 2005 season where Cano finsihed second in the Rookie of the Year voting, expectations were mixed as to what he could provide the Yankees on a consistent basis. His minor league track record was somewhat erratic, and though he had made several strides in his the higher levels, Bryan Smith over at Baseball Analysts didn't expect much.
Cano is another player that I obviously underrated too much as a prospect, not taking his 100 RBI+ season into enough consideration. But, really, is Cano's ceiling much above his performance in 2005? Do we really see a player that even has the possibility to be better than Weeks? Not for me, at least, as I believe Cano will teeter-totter among being an average second baseman for as long as the Yanks let him.
For the first two months of the year, Cano was fulfilling that prediction, hitting a fairly empty .293 with 13 base-hits (11 doubles). Then in June, apparently something clicked and he took off, pasting opposing pitchers to the tune of .398/.432/.566/.998 and taking his OPS from .701 to .792. Unfortunately, in the midst of this hot streak, he strained his left hamstring and missed six weeks of playing time. Luckily, when he returned, he didn't skip a beat, absolutely tattooing everything in sight and putting up a monstrous .365/.380/.635/1.015 after the ASB. It was truly something to watch as seemingly everything that came off Cano's bat was hit hard. Robbie was an All-Star, won the Silver Slugger at 2B and even got some MVP consideration (22nd) and took over the title of best hitting second baseman in the AL. As for his defense, how good it is can be argued amongst fans but he was certainly better last year than he was in his first year. If he can keep up what he showed last year, I really doubt anyone will be complaining.
Of course, there are some questions still to be answered as Robbie goes into this season. While he was on fire for 3 full months last season, there are still some people who want to see how consistently good he can be. Also, he has struggled in his career against lefties (.278/.315/.365/.680 versus lefties and .334/.352/.538/.890 against righties) and on the road (.283/.307/.443/.750 at home, .349 /.371/.529/.900 on the road) and any adjustments he can make in both these areas will be closely watched. Still, this is just nit-picking when you think about it; he's improved in both those areas since his first year and any other team would take Cano in a heartbeat. Luckily, it's Yankees fans who have the pleasure of seeing a talented, home-grown product mature on the field and it seems the question is no longer whether Cano can be a good player, but just how good can he ultimately be?
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
| AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|
03/09: Et tu, Bud?
Posted by: Jason
A fine morning indeed as I (and about 250,000 other cable households) wake up to read that the MLB DirecTV deal has been finalized.
The final insult was the transparent attempt to blame the incumbents, i.e., Selig's/DuPuy's "invitation" for InDemand to match the DirecTV deal: This is the dictionary definition of a fait accompli.
So this morning I'm in the strange position of being a loyal Yankees fan but detesting MLB, or more specifically, MLB's executive leadership.
The only way to change this is through congressional involvement. Call or e-mail your representative and senator on principle.
Congress should (now more than ever) revoke the antitrust exemption unless and until this blatant exclusion of fans is ameliorated. MLB, like a public company, has decided to maximize revenue at almost all costs: Fine. If MLB wants to behave like a public company, then they should be subject to the same regulations and market consequences.
The final insult was the transparent attempt to blame the incumbents, i.e., Selig's/DuPuy's "invitation" for InDemand to match the DirecTV deal: This is the dictionary definition of a fait accompli.
So this morning I'm in the strange position of being a loyal Yankees fan but detesting MLB, or more specifically, MLB's executive leadership.
The only way to change this is through congressional involvement. Call or e-mail your representative and senator on principle.
Congress should (now more than ever) revoke the antitrust exemption unless and until this blatant exclusion of fans is ameliorated. MLB, like a public company, has decided to maximize revenue at almost all costs: Fine. If MLB wants to behave like a public company, then they should be subject to the same regulations and market consequences.
03/09: Phillips Returns to Yankees
Posted by: Patrick
Mark Feinsand:
"It's been pretty overwhelming," said Phillips [speaking about support from teammates], his voice choked up with emotion. "It's been a tough year and a half. To see the way the team and these guys reached out, it makes you proud to call these guys teammates and friends." ...
Linda Phillips, 53, underwent surgery to repair a broken hip and multiple injuries to her pelvis on Tuesday, then had a procedure Wednesday to fight blood clots. She is able to breathe on her own now, though Phillips said that she was still "not as alert as I'd have liked" before he left Birmingham. ...
Doctors are encouraged by the progress, though it is unclear how long she will remain hospitalized. Monday, while she was still in the intensive care unit, Linda caught a glimpse of the Yankees-Tigers exhibition game, which was being televised on ESPN. She turned to her son and said, "Spring training?"
Linda Phillips, 53, underwent surgery to repair a broken hip and multiple injuries to her pelvis on Tuesday, then had a procedure Wednesday to fight blood clots. She is able to breathe on her own now, though Phillips said that she was still "not as alert as I'd have liked" before he left Birmingham. ...
Doctors are encouraged by the progress, though it is unclear how long she will remain hospitalized. Monday, while she was still in the intensive care unit, Linda caught a glimpse of the Yankees-Tigers exhibition game, which was being televised on ESPN. She turned to her son and said, "Spring training?"
03/08: Mo Throws Change Up in Game
Posted by: Patrick
In the Yankees 1-1 tie with the Reds yesterday, Mo pitched a 1-2-3 4th inning. During the inning, while facing Josh Hamilton, he threw two change ups. First, one to start the at bat and then another one that froze Hamilton for the strikeout. From the New York Daily News:
Yeah, everyone keep it quiet.
Rivera turned toward Derek Jeter after the strikeout, flashing a wide grin while holding up two fingers to indicate how many changeups he threw.
"I was laughing the whole time," Jeter said. "Don't tell anyone he's using it."
"I was laughing the whole time," Jeter said. "Don't tell anyone he's using it."
Yeah, everyone keep it quiet.
03/08: YBCP 07: Doug Meintkiewicz
Posted by: James
Doug Meintkiewicz
Age: 32 Years Old (Turns 33 in June).
Three-Year History, three-year splits and last year's splits.
Outlook: What can I say about Minky? Well, for one thing, I will have a hard time spelling his name all season - I can guarantee you that much. Other than that, he's a Proven Veteran of sorts though the Yankees only really need him to be a proven web-gem providing, defensive whiz. As for his bat, well, for a first baseman, it's somewhat medicore but hey, considering what the Yankees got out of Andy Phillips, an average season of Meintkiewicz is a fairly good size step up. If healthy, which hadn't been the case for a full season since 2003 (last year that he had more than 400 ABs), he can be serviceable with a bat and is fully capable of putting up a league average OPS (or at least close to it). However, the health is a key part of this and though he seems to be recovered from his back problems, those are the types of injuries that always seem to flare up at the worst possible times.
Another issue to note is Doug's home/away splits from last year. At Kauffman Stadium, which is def. a hitter's park, Minky put up a .333/.400/.471/.871 line compared to a far less impressive .236./.321/.354/.675 line away from Kansas City.
Despite all of this and the very little power he has, you can still probably count on Minky to make contact and hit both lefties and righties. Still, the reason for his contract is based entirely on Mientkiewicz' first-base defense, as he's very quick around the bag, has very good instincts and is great at fielding throws (as A-Rod and Derek cheer in the background) so if he can just stay healthy and throw up his GG defense, a 90-100 OPS+ would be gravy.
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
Age: 32 Years Old (Turns 33 in June).
Three-Year History, three-year splits and last year's splits.
| SEASON | Team | G | AB | H | 1B | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Twins-Red Sox | 127 | 391 | 93 | 62 | 24 | 1 | 6 | 47 | 35 | 48 | 56 | 2 | 3 | .238 |
| 2005 | Mets | 87 | 275 | 66 | 42 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 36 | 29 | 32 | 39 | 0 | 1 | .240 |
| 2006 | Royals | 91 | 314 | 89 | 59 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 37 | 43 | 35 | 50 | 3 | 0 | .283 |
| 2007 | Bill James | 100 | 292 | 76 | 50 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 47 | 2 | 1 | .260 |
| 2007 | CHONE | 336 | 86 | 59 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 41 | 38 | 37 | 54 | 2 | 1 | .256 | |
| 2007 | Marcel | 361 | 94 | 62 | 22 | 1 | 9 | 46 | 43 | 40 | 57 | 3 | 2 | .260 | |
| 2007 | ZiPS | 329 | 84 | 55 | 22 | 1 | 6 | 41 | 36 | 42 | 51 | 2 | 1 | .255 |
| SEASON | Team | BB% | K% | BB/K | OBP | SLG | OPS | ISO | BABIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Twins-Red Sox | 10.9 % | 14.3 % | 0.86 | .326 | .350 | .676 | .113 | .264 |
| 2005 | Mets | 10.4 % | 14.2 % | 0.82 | .322 | .407 | .729 | .167 | .244 |
| 2006 | Royals | 10.0 % | 15.9 % | 0.70 | .359 | .411 | .770 | .127 | .327 |
| 2007 | Bill James | 11.0 % | 16.1 % | 0.77 | .349 | .401 | .750 | .141 | .290 |
| 2007 | CHONE | 9.9 % | 16.1 % | 0.69 | .337 | .381 | .718 | .125 | .287 |
| 2007 | Marcel | 10.0 % | 15.8 % | 0.70 | .337 | .402 | .739 | .141 | .288 |
| 2007 | ZiPS | 11.3 % | 15.5 % | 0.82 | .342 | .383 | .725 | .128 | .287 |
Outlook: What can I say about Minky? Well, for one thing, I will have a hard time spelling his name all season - I can guarantee you that much. Other than that, he's a Proven Veteran of sorts though the Yankees only really need him to be a proven web-gem providing, defensive whiz. As for his bat, well, for a first baseman, it's somewhat medicore but hey, considering what the Yankees got out of Andy Phillips, an average season of Meintkiewicz is a fairly good size step up. If healthy, which hadn't been the case for a full season since 2003 (last year that he had more than 400 ABs), he can be serviceable with a bat and is fully capable of putting up a league average OPS (or at least close to it). However, the health is a key part of this and though he seems to be recovered from his back problems, those are the types of injuries that always seem to flare up at the worst possible times.
Another issue to note is Doug's home/away splits from last year. At Kauffman Stadium, which is def. a hitter's park, Minky put up a .333/.400/.471/.871 line compared to a far less impressive .236./.321/.354/.675 line away from Kansas City.
Despite all of this and the very little power he has, you can still probably count on Minky to make contact and hit both lefties and righties. Still, the reason for his contract is based entirely on Mientkiewicz' first-base defense, as he's very quick around the bag, has very good instincts and is great at fielding throws (as A-Rod and Derek cheer in the background) so if he can just stay healthy and throw up his GG defense, a 90-100 OPS+ would be gravy.
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
| AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|
03/07: YBCP 07: Jorge Posada
Posted by: James
Here's the basics of what we're trying to do. All of these posts will remain open until right before the beginning of the season.
Jorge Posada - Catcher
Age: 35 Years Old (Turns 36 in August).
Three-Year History, three-year splits and last year's splits.
Outlook: I'll start off by quoting myself from last year's outlook: "I am still willing to give Jorge the benefit of the doubt that he hasn't completely fallen off..." Still, it was a little hard to project that a 34 Year old catcher would rebound from a 3 year consistent decline but did Jorge ever do it. He played 143 games (second most in his career) and put up the third highest SLG in his career. The man didn't wear down either, putting up his best numbers in September (.316/.386/.646/1.032) and after the break. In addition to that, he made several strides as a defensive player (which is surprising considering the man's age) and ended up with a 37.3% caught stealing rate, the best full-year rate of his career (by a large margin at that).
After going through the numbers, one funny thing that I did notice was Posada's lefty/right splits. Over the course of his career, Posada has wailed on all pitchers but has consistently had better averages, OBPs and SLG against lefties. That def. wasn't the case last year as Jorge pounded righties to the tune of .284/.385/.540/.925 and for 20 of his 23 homeruns (.263/.348/.380/.728 against lefties). You know what - I can't really explain that but hey, he faces more righties over the course of the season so I hope that it wasn't a fluke and that he keeps it up.
In any case, even after Posada's resurgence last year, you can't sidestep the fact that the man is a catcher and getting up there in years, so you know that there is a drop off coming. Now, the question really is how big of a drop should we all expect and when are we going to see it. I still believe that 2005 was an outlier - it was exceptionally bad due to injuries and bad luck but the trend is still there (and inevitable) - it's just not as steep as 2005 would have led you to believe.
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
Jorge Posada - Catcher
Age: 35 Years Old (Turns 36 in August).
Three-Year History, three-year splits and last year's splits.
| SEASON | Team | G | AB | H | 1B | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Yankees | 137 | 449 | 122 | 70 | 31 | 0 | 21 | 72 | 81 | 88 | 92 | 1 | 3 | .272 |
| 2005 | Yankees | 142 | 474 | 124 | 82 | 23 | 0 | 19 | 67 | 71 | 66 | 94 | 1 | 0 | .262 |
| 2006 | Yankees | 143 | 465 | 129 | 77 | 27 | 2 | 23 | 65 | 93 | 64 | 97 | 3 | 0 | .277 |
| 2007 | 143 | 497 | 132 | 80 | 29 | 1 | 22 | 70 | 89 | 78 | 113 | 2 | 1 | .266 | |
| 2007 | 472 | 120 | 75 | 23 | 1 | 21 | 73 | 64 | 59 | 96 | 2 | 1 | .254 | ||
| 2007 | 452 | 121 | 74 | 26 | 1 | 20 | 65 | 77 | 64 | 93 | 3 | 1 | .268 | ||
| 2007 | 417 | 110 | 69 | 22 | 1 | 18 | 59 | 84 | 63 | 93 | 1 | 1 | .264 |
| SEASON | Team | BB% | K% | BB/K | OBP | SLG | OPS | ISO | BABIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Yankees | 16.4 % | 20.5 % | 0.96 | .400 | .481 | .881 | .209 | .301 |
| 2005 | Yankees | 12.2 % | 19.8 % | 0.70 | .352 | .430 | .782 | .169 | .291 |
| 2006 | Yankees | 12.1 % | 20.9 % | 0.66 | .374 | .492 | .867 | .215 | .307 |
| 2007 | Bill James | 13.6 % | 22.7 % | 0.69 | .373 | .461 | .834 | .195 | .304 |
| 2007 | CHONE | 11.1 % | 20.3 % | 0.61 | .347 | .441 | .788 | .186 | .279 |
| 2007 | Marcel | 12.4 % | 20.6 % | 0.69 | .364 | .462 | .827 | .195 | .298 |
| 2007 | ZiPS | 13.1 % | 22.3 % | 0.68 | .368 | .451 | .819 | .187 | .301 |
Outlook: I'll start off by quoting myself from last year's outlook: "I am still willing to give Jorge the benefit of the doubt that he hasn't completely fallen off..." Still, it was a little hard to project that a 34 Year old catcher would rebound from a 3 year consistent decline but did Jorge ever do it. He played 143 games (second most in his career) and put up the third highest SLG in his career. The man didn't wear down either, putting up his best numbers in September (.316/.386/.646/1.032) and after the break. In addition to that, he made several strides as a defensive player (which is surprising considering the man's age) and ended up with a 37.3% caught stealing rate, the best full-year rate of his career (by a large margin at that).
After going through the numbers, one funny thing that I did notice was Posada's lefty/right splits. Over the course of his career, Posada has wailed on all pitchers but has consistently had better averages, OBPs and SLG against lefties. That def. wasn't the case last year as Jorge pounded righties to the tune of .284/.385/.540/.925 and for 20 of his 23 homeruns (.263/.348/.380/.728 against lefties). You know what - I can't really explain that but hey, he faces more righties over the course of the season so I hope that it wasn't a fluke and that he keeps it up.
In any case, even after Posada's resurgence last year, you can't sidestep the fact that the man is a catcher and getting up there in years, so you know that there is a drop off coming. Now, the question really is how big of a drop should we all expect and when are we going to see it. I still believe that 2005 was an outlier - it was exceptionally bad due to injuries and bad luck but the trend is still there (and inevitable) - it's just not as steep as 2005 would have led you to believe.
Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:
| AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|
03/07: Snowy Morning Links
Posted by: James
Before I start in with the community projection posts, I wanted to throw up a couple of links that I found to be interesting. I've been pressed at work or I would have posted these a while ago because they're all well worth the time.
First, some sad news out of the St. Petersburg Times as Dioner Navarro and his family continue to face difficult circumstances.
Man, his luck has got to turn around soon. In the meantime, keep the former Yankee prospect and his family in your prayers. Hat tip to Dodger Thoughts for the link.
Speaking of prospects, Project Prospect listed their Top 30 Outfielders Under 25. Jose Tabata (#17) and Melky (#20) both made the list. Robbie Cano came in at #1 on the Top 10 Second Basemen Under 25 list as well as at the top of the list (with Howie Kendrick) of The Best Young Second Basemen of 2007 at THT.
Finally, I be remiss if I didn't link to this very informative post over at River Ave. Blues. In it, Mike A. enlists Fabian of RLYW fame, and EJ from Pending Pinstripes for a little Q&A about the Yankees farm system. If you like the minor leagues, go check it out as these three guys are among the most knowledgeable amongst the Yankee blogosphere (still an odd word to me). Seriously, I'm sure everyone knows Mike A. from IGWT fame and I've been reading Fabian's stuff since he was at Minoryankeeblog. EJ is someone I didn't really read until recently - well, that's not exactly true. It turns out that I had read EJ's work plenty of times when he used to post as "DownFromNJ", who has a very strong presence on a number of prospect site. In any case, I have been making up for lost time by reading his previous site, Pinstripe Potentials. It's a heck of a site and there's a lot to be learned there. If you want to get an idea of his writing style and his take on prospects, here's a good place to start.
Also, if you haven't checked out River Ave. yet, I would do so. I've been reading Joe P., Mike A. and Ben K.'s stuff for a good long while now and they are all funny guys, great baseball fans and good writers to boot. I expect to see a lot of good stuff coming from there.
First, some sad news out of the St. Petersburg Times as Dioner Navarro and his family continue to face difficult circumstances.
There was the medically miraculous saga involving wife Sherley's recovery from a 2003 brain aneurysm. The frightening hit-and-run auto accident he and his family were involved in shortly after being acquired by the Devil Rays during the summer. The surgery his infant son had in September to remove his left kidney, forcing the Devil Rays catcher to miss the last week of the season. Dioner Jr., now 19 months old, needs another operation to correct problems with his urethra and remaining kidney. The surgery was supposed to be performed last month but had to be delayed when he developed severe ear and respiratory infections.
...
Navarro reflects on what he has dealt with in a perspective far beyond his years. He wears No. 30 to mark the date - Sept. 30, 2003 - doctors said his wife wouldn't live past, but otherwise he treats the episodes with little drama.
...
Navarro reflects on what he has dealt with in a perspective far beyond his years. He wears No. 30 to mark the date - Sept. 30, 2003 - doctors said his wife wouldn't live past, but otherwise he treats the episodes with little drama.
Man, his luck has got to turn around soon. In the meantime, keep the former Yankee prospect and his family in your prayers. Hat tip to Dodger Thoughts for the link.
Speaking of prospects, Project Prospect listed their Top 30 Outfielders Under 25. Jose Tabata (#17) and Melky (#20) both made the list. Robbie Cano came in at #1 on the Top 10 Second Basemen Under 25 list as well as at the top of the list (with Howie Kendrick) of The Best Young Second Basemen of 2007 at THT.
The good news is that both are exceptionally talented at making contact and probably will compete against one another for a batting title or two over the next few years. The bad news is that neither is a particularly strong fielder (not sure if I completely agree with that) and they both take a walk only once every 10 days or so. Their free-swinging ways lead to merely average on-base skills right now, but I think their upside is excellent in spite of these present weaknesses.
Finally, I be remiss if I didn't link to this very informative post over at River Ave. Blues. In it, Mike A. enlists Fabian of RLYW fame, and EJ from Pending Pinstripes for a little Q&A about the Yankees farm system. If you like the minor leagues, go check it out as these three guys are among the most knowledgeable amongst the Yankee blogosphere (still an odd word to me). Seriously, I'm sure everyone knows Mike A. from IGWT fame and I've been reading Fabian's stuff since he was at Minoryankeeblog. EJ is someone I didn't really read until recently - well, that's not exactly true. It turns out that I had read EJ's work plenty of times when he used to post as "DownFromNJ", who has a very strong presence on a number of prospect site. In any case, I have been making up for lost time by reading his previous site, Pinstripe Potentials. It's a heck of a site and there's a lot to be learned there. If you want to get an idea of his writing style and his take on prospects, here's a good place to start.
Also, if you haven't checked out River Ave. yet, I would do so. I've been reading Joe P., Mike A. and Ben K.'s stuff for a good long while now and they are all funny guys, great baseball fans and good writers to boot. I expect to see a lot of good stuff coming from there.
Posted by: James
"Pitchers are pitching, batters are batting, fielders are fielding and managers are mouthing platitudes"...and the YanksBlog.com community is putting together projections again. I'll admit it, I completely ripped off THT 's Dave Studeman's opening line in his article about The Hardball Times 2007 Season Preview. I'm not that clever...and it thought it was the perfect encapsulation of what spring training is all about.
Anyway, we will be repeating what we did last year with community projections (albeit with a later start) and if you don't know what that means, here's a quick little recap. For each player presented, we'll give you his three year stat profile (and an quick outlook provided by yours truly) though as fans, you guys probably know the stat lines and profiles by heart. Based on all that, we'll be asking everyone to post your reasoned estimates/optimistic projections/wild guesses of each players batting/pitching line for 2007.
I think we had a good time doing this last year and that we all learned something in the process (I personally learned that I err on the side of extreme optimism when it comes to 42 year old power left-handers with a bad back). For those interested, this is how the projections lined up last year: hitters, starters and relievers and comparisons to the actual results.
We'll be posting at least one player a day and you will have until the beginning of the season to weigh in with your predictions. The basic premise is that the more predictions we get, the more realistic the community projection will be. I first saw the idea in use over at John Sickels' Minor League Baseball site and with Mr. Sickels' blessing, we've brought it over here.
Anyway, we will be repeating what we did last year with community projections (albeit with a later start) and if you don't know what that means, here's a quick little recap. For each player presented, we'll give you his three year stat profile (and an quick outlook provided by yours truly) though as fans, you guys probably know the stat lines and profiles by heart. Based on all that, we'll be asking everyone to post your reasoned estimates/optimistic projections/wild guesses of each players batting/pitching line for 2007.
I think we had a good time doing this last year and that we all learned something in the process (I personally learned that I err on the side of extreme optimism when it comes to 42 year old power left-handers with a bad back). For those interested, this is how the projections lined up last year: hitters, starters and relievers and comparisons to the actual results.
We'll be posting at least one player a day and you will have until the beginning of the season to weigh in with your predictions. The basic premise is that the more predictions we get, the more realistic the community projection will be. I first saw the idea in use over at John Sickels' Minor League Baseball site and with Mr. Sickels' blessing, we've brought it over here.
