02/19: Mo Change Up
Posted by: Patrick
From Ed Price:
Jim Baumbach mentions that Mo playing around with a change up in Spring Training is a yearly deal that has never come to fruition before.
Rivera, who has established himself as a Hall of Fame closer with only a cut fastball and occasional sinker, also toyed with a change-up.
"Nasty," Guidry called it.
Rivera said he was "just messing around." Asked if he might incorporate a change-up, he said, "We'll see."
"Nasty," Guidry called it.
Rivera said he was "just messing around." Asked if he might incorporate a change-up, he said, "We'll see."
Jim Baumbach mentions that Mo playing around with a change up in Spring Training is a yearly deal that has never come to fruition before.
02/19: Prof. Posada
Posted by: Patrick
From MLB.com:
A new titanium mask engineered and crafted by Nike, which is as light as a feather but is 10 times stronger than steel. The rods are smaller to help catchers see through better and the durability is, according to Posada, endless. ...
Posada has gone to the Nike headquarters in Portland, Ore., during the offseason the past two years to give suggestions and to listen to new ideas from the engineering team. He has worked specifically with the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL) to figure out ways to improve everything from chest protectors to cleats.
The NSRL is a state-of-the-art center where designers are devoted to bringing products to the market that take athletic performance beyond the next level. The lab works with professional athletes in every arena to develop and test the newest in sport technology. ...
Posada will also go to battle this year with a new type of chest protector that has padding that is smaller and lighter but also stronger and more durable than in the past. It also is created of microfibers that pull the sweat away from the body, keeping the catcher dry during the hot days of summer.
Posada has gone to the Nike headquarters in Portland, Ore., during the offseason the past two years to give suggestions and to listen to new ideas from the engineering team. He has worked specifically with the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL) to figure out ways to improve everything from chest protectors to cleats.
The NSRL is a state-of-the-art center where designers are devoted to bringing products to the market that take athletic performance beyond the next level. The lab works with professional athletes in every arena to develop and test the newest in sport technology. ...
Posada will also go to battle this year with a new type of chest protector that has padding that is smaller and lighter but also stronger and more durable than in the past. It also is created of microfibers that pull the sweat away from the body, keeping the catcher dry during the hot days of summer.
02/19: This Isn't Helping
Posted by: James
Carl...you are not impressing your teammates with your passion to play with this sort of thing.
Now, I don't want the guy to get hurt (again) so I'm all for being cautious. Heck, I genuinely want to see Pavano perform and perform well for the Yankees so they can get better value for him when they do trade him. By the way, it looks like the Rockies still have interest (though I am a little surprised - Colorado has some depth (though somewhat medicore) when it comes to SP as well as some pitching prospects who aren't bad). So Carl, let's get those legs a little less "heavy" and get back on the mound.
Carl Pavano spent much of the winter working with a personal trainer in Arizona, but he bailed out of several drills late in the workout complaining of "heavy legs," according to Yankees manager Joe Torre.
Pavano still is scheduled to throw his bullpen session today.
Pavano still is scheduled to throw his bullpen session today.
Now, I don't want the guy to get hurt (again) so I'm all for being cautious. Heck, I genuinely want to see Pavano perform and perform well for the Yankees so they can get better value for him when they do trade him. By the way, it looks like the Rockies still have interest (though I am a little surprised - Colorado has some depth (though somewhat medicore) when it comes to SP as well as some pitching prospects who aren't bad). So Carl, let's get those legs a little less "heavy" and get back on the mound.
Posted by: Patrick
From George King:
Via PSD.
Clemens yesterday told Houston television station KRIV there is an 80 percent chance he is going to end his Hall of Fame career by retiring.
"[Clemens' son] Koby asked me [Thursday] when we were working out; he was doing more of a workout than I was," Clemens said. "I still told him, 80-20 that I wasn't going to play."
"[Clemens' son] Koby asked me [Thursday] when we were working out; he was doing more of a workout than I was," Clemens said. "I still told him, 80-20 that I wasn't going to play."
Via PSD.
02/16: Projecting Melky
Posted by: James
John Sickels over at MinorLeagueBall.com has a crystal ball feature up on Melky Cabrera. For those not familiar with the feature, here's what John tries to do:
Go on and take a look at how John thinks Melky's career might play out (oh, and he sees Melky leaving the Yanks after the 2008 season) and as always, check out the comments.
Disclaimer: The Crystal Ball is an "educated opinion"...not to be taken TOO seriously and mostly for fun. I do put quite a bit of work into them, looking at similar players and trying to figure out how the guy in question might develop. Is there a fancy computer program? No. Do I just slop numbers on the page? No. It is less than a projection/prediction but more than just guesswork.
Go on and take a look at how John thinks Melky's career might play out (oh, and he sees Melky leaving the Yanks after the 2008 season) and as always, check out the comments.
02/16: We're No. 4! We're No. 4!
Posted by: James
I don't know if you guys noticed it but Kevin Goldstein came out with the organizational rankings over at Baseball Prospectus the other day. Here's the methodology:
He lists the Yankees as having the best pitching talent in the minor leagues. Hitting talent comes in at #18 as every Yankee prospect hound would suspect. Combine the two together and the Yanks are the 4th best organization in terms of prospect talent - not too shabby.
I began by assigning points to each team for the talent it has, giving points at differing levels within the Excellent, Very Good, and Good labels used in the recently completed Top 10 lists. Additional points were granted for average prospects, as well as talent beyond their top 10 that would qualify for that level. The rankings you see here reflect the total raw points. In order to have a little fun with this, and in an attempt to provide some additional information, I then split the talent between hitting and pitching, found the average amount of hitting and pitching points, and then calculated the number of standard deviations above or below that average. Presto! Instant 20-80 scores for each category.
He lists the Yankees as having the best pitching talent in the minor leagues. Hitting talent comes in at #18 as every Yankee prospect hound would suspect. Combine the two together and the Yanks are the 4th best organization in terms of prospect talent - not too shabby.
02/16: The Bernie Options
Posted by: Patrick
Joe Torre discussed some situations where Bernie Williams could still make this team:
Personally, I could live with Bernie making this team. I mean... it's Bernie. In October, I'd still take a Bernie Williams at bat over a Josh Phelps at bat or an Andy Phillips at bat. It's not like we'd be cutting Albert Pujols for him. Phelps is a .268 hitter, Phillips is a .228 hitter. Not saying they aren't better than that, but that's what they've done so far. But, the overall message to Bernie was that to get a spot, you have to be here. We'll see.
Via Jim Baumbach.
... Torre Thursday mentioned several scenarios that would make room for Williams, including using Giambi at first base, making lefthanded-hitting Doug Mientkiewicz the everyday first baseman or using Miguel Cairo as the righthanded part of a first-base platoon.
All of those scenarios most likely would mean the roster spot that Andy Phillips and Rule 5 selection Josh Phelps are vying for would go to Williams, as long as he proves to the team that he still is capable of performing. "It's how many first basemen are we going to carry," Torre said. "That's where the choices will come from."
Addressing his various options at first base, Torre said, "I don't think that I would be afraid to play Mientkiewicz [against lefthanded pitchers]. He's always played both ways ... If we see Jason as a first baseman, that all of a sudden opens up a spot, too."
All of those scenarios most likely would mean the roster spot that Andy Phillips and Rule 5 selection Josh Phelps are vying for would go to Williams, as long as he proves to the team that he still is capable of performing. "It's how many first basemen are we going to carry," Torre said. "That's where the choices will come from."
Addressing his various options at first base, Torre said, "I don't think that I would be afraid to play Mientkiewicz [against lefthanded pitchers]. He's always played both ways ... If we see Jason as a first baseman, that all of a sudden opens up a spot, too."
Personally, I could live with Bernie making this team. I mean... it's Bernie. In October, I'd still take a Bernie Williams at bat over a Josh Phelps at bat or an Andy Phillips at bat. It's not like we'd be cutting Albert Pujols for him. Phelps is a .268 hitter, Phillips is a .228 hitter. Not saying they aren't better than that, but that's what they've done so far. But, the overall message to Bernie was that to get a spot, you have to be here. We'll see.
Via Jim Baumbach.
02/16: Frank Torre Needs Kidney
Posted by: Patrick
From the official site:
Our thoughts are with the Torre family.
Former Major Leaguer Frank Torre needs a kidney transplant because of medication he's taken since receiving a new heart more than a decade ago. ...
"I talked to him yesterday. He sounded good yesterday," Joe Torre said on Thursday. "His heart is working on the 11th year now. With all the rest of the medication you have to take, the rest of the organs take a beating. That's what it comes down to."
"I talked to him yesterday. He sounded good yesterday," Joe Torre said on Thursday. "His heart is working on the 11th year now. With all the rest of the medication you have to take, the rest of the organs take a beating. That's what it comes down to."
Our thoughts are with the Torre family.
Posted by: Patrick
From ESPN.com:
Yankees general partner Steve Swindal was arrested by the St. Petersburg Police at 4:26 a.m., according to a copy of the charge report posted on the Pinellas County Sherriff's Office's Web site. He was booked for a misdemeanor and released from jail in Largo at 9:53 a.m. on $250 bond. ...
Swindal was weaving and driving 61 mph in a 35 mph zone when he was pulled over, Proffitt said. He refused to take a breathalyzer test and failed a field sobriety test, but was cooperative, Proffitt said.
Swindal was weaving and driving 61 mph in a 35 mph zone when he was pulled over, Proffitt said. He refused to take a breathalyzer test and failed a field sobriety test, but was cooperative, Proffitt said.
02/15: Point, Counterpoint
Posted by: James
Normally, I let these sort of opinions go but I enjoy Jayson Stark's writing more often than not so I'm trying to get an understanding on his rationale for a point in his latest article, where he lists the Red Sox as the most improved team in the AL.
It's not that I disagree that the Red Sox are an improved team (though I certainly don't think they're the MOST improved), it's that I really don't understand Stark's particular reasoning here for his first two points.
First, I don't see how Julio Lugo is that big of an upgrade at the leadoff spot. Maybe it's because he hasn’t hit particularly well against the Yankees over the past three seasons but I don't see Julio Lugo as a great player. At first, I thought this might be an addition by subtraction type deal (a la Damon taking over for Bubba/Bernie last year) but after checking the stats, he doesn't provide much of a leap above what the Sox had last year. The #1 spot for the Red Sox hit .260/.348/.394/.742 last year. Now, I'm fairly sure Lugo beats that batting average pretty handily but I can't seem him blowing past either the OBP or SLG by a lot (career .277/.340/.402 hitter). If you look further at the stats, Lugo is definitely an upgrade for the Boston team but not as a leadoff hitter but definitely more valuable than what was trotted out at SS last year. That should have been Stark's point and I would have gladly agreed.
Next we have the bullpen issues. Brendan Donnelly, J.C. Romero, Joel Pineiro and Runelvys Hernandez? Really? That's the upgrade? Anyone who thinks that a team's bullpen issues can be fixed with the likes of these guys is a very optimistic person. Donnelly is a decent pitcher but he will be 36 and his ERA (and FIP and OPS allowed) have gone up every year for the last three years. J.C. Romero, Joel Pineiro and Runelvys Hernandez all had ERAs of over 6.30 and WHIPS of over 1.65 last year and you're adding them to a bullpen that has Manny Delcarmen (6.23 ERA after the All-Star Break), Craig Hansen (7.52 ERA after ASB) and Mike Timlin (6.06 ERA after ASB). I fully expect most of these guys to be better than they were in 2006 (realistically, it would be hard to be worse) but to say that these are the guys who will plug up what was a very leaky bullpen last year is really reaching.
A year ago this time, the Red Sox thought they had a real shot to break out of that Yankees-finish-first, Sox-finish-second rut they'd been buried in since 1998. But not that way. They've responded to their third-place hangover by addressing their leadoff issues (Julio Lugo), bullpen troubles (Brendan Donnelly, Hideki Okajima, J.C. Romero, Joel Pineiro, Runelvys Hernandez), outfield questions (J.D. Drew) and International Man of Mystery deficit (Daisuke Matsuzaka). If they find a closer and everything else works, this could be the most dangerous team in baseball. Team you'll be shocked to hear got some votes: Royals.
It's not that I disagree that the Red Sox are an improved team (though I certainly don't think they're the MOST improved), it's that I really don't understand Stark's particular reasoning here for his first two points.
First, I don't see how Julio Lugo is that big of an upgrade at the leadoff spot. Maybe it's because he hasn’t hit particularly well against the Yankees over the past three seasons but I don't see Julio Lugo as a great player. At first, I thought this might be an addition by subtraction type deal (a la Damon taking over for Bubba/Bernie last year) but after checking the stats, he doesn't provide much of a leap above what the Sox had last year. The #1 spot for the Red Sox hit .260/.348/.394/.742 last year. Now, I'm fairly sure Lugo beats that batting average pretty handily but I can't seem him blowing past either the OBP or SLG by a lot (career .277/.340/.402 hitter). If you look further at the stats, Lugo is definitely an upgrade for the Boston team but not as a leadoff hitter but definitely more valuable than what was trotted out at SS last year. That should have been Stark's point and I would have gladly agreed.
Next we have the bullpen issues. Brendan Donnelly, J.C. Romero, Joel Pineiro and Runelvys Hernandez? Really? That's the upgrade? Anyone who thinks that a team's bullpen issues can be fixed with the likes of these guys is a very optimistic person. Donnelly is a decent pitcher but he will be 36 and his ERA (and FIP and OPS allowed) have gone up every year for the last three years. J.C. Romero, Joel Pineiro and Runelvys Hernandez all had ERAs of over 6.30 and WHIPS of over 1.65 last year and you're adding them to a bullpen that has Manny Delcarmen (6.23 ERA after the All-Star Break), Craig Hansen (7.52 ERA after ASB) and Mike Timlin (6.06 ERA after ASB). I fully expect most of these guys to be better than they were in 2006 (realistically, it would be hard to be worse) but to say that these are the guys who will plug up what was a very leaky bullpen last year is really reaching.
